Red Seasons

Red Seasons 季季紅風味酒家

Shop 1, Level B,1,2, Phase 1 The Zenith, 3 Wan Chai Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Date of takeaway : 3 Mar 2013 (Sun) 6:00pm

Unit cost : $620

Food quality : 8/10

Ease of takeaway : 8.5/10

Value-for-money : 7.5/10

Overall rating : 8/10

Heard some mixed reviews on this Red Seasons Chinese Restaurant. Before paying a visit, I had a chance to taste its Michelin recommended dish “roast suckling piglet” as a take away for a home party.

Roast Suckling Piglet 蝦禾米釀乳豬 – 8/10

This is a famous dish in the restaurant chain. Piglets of less than 3 weeks are used. 

Fried rice mixed with dried shrimps was stuffed and sewed beneath its belly. Much oil was used to maintain the cohesiveness of the rice, thus it was quite greasy though the texture of the rice was good. The piglet was served at around an hour after pick up, the heat of the stuffed rice acted as a good warmer to keep the temperature of the whole piglet. The skin of this piglet resembled the one from Portuguese with shiny texture, still crispy but yet way beyond those from local BBQ shop where their piglets’ skin was pierced with tiny needles to enhance the crispiness. The piglet looked small at first glance but together with the rice, there were leftovers from our group of 15 people given that we have other food for the night.

It’s a Chinese custom to have an entire roast pig for worship purpose. Red Seasons does a good packing for take away order. The piglet rested nicely inside tin trays and the tailor-made carrying bag is easy to handle. Bundled with a pair of scissors and an instruction sheet will aid you in cutting and presenting the piglet nicely in the tray. Of course all the above are “included” in the price. The piglet is a bit pricey as compared to a classical roast piglet, however, it is still an alternative for a party or celebration.

Q : When will I order again?

A : Party with a group of 10 to 20 people.

3.2013

Yuyu Sushi

Yuyu Suishi

                     

3 Ship Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Date of visit : 2 Mar 2013 (Sat) 8pm

No. of diners : 7

Average cost per head : $370

Food quality : 8.5/10

Environment : 8/10

Service : 8/10

Value-for-money : 8/10

Overall rating : 8.6/10

Ship Street is a relatively short street running perpendicular to Johnston Road and Queen’s Road East. However, this short lane has already been settled with a few interesting multinational restaurants such as 22 Ships serving Spanish cuisine, Limehouse for British food, Wing Hing as local neighbourhood eatery, and this Yuyu with Japanese food.

Don’t get misled by its name, this dining outlet does not only serves sushi or sashimi. It offers a full range of Japanese food such as appetizers, teriyaki and tempura. The interior of this Japanese restaurant is modern. You won’t hear the staff shouting “i-ra-sha-i-ma-se” (welcome in Japanese), however, they are still serving with courtesy.

a) Japanese Hairy Beans 日本枝豆 ($38) – 7.5/10

Poached beans with sprinkle of salt, a common snacks to go with beer.

b) From left clockwise, Sea Bream Sushi真鯛壽司 ($36 for 2pcs ), Striped Jack Sushi 深海池魚壽司 ($48 for 2 pcs),   Yellow Tail Sushi 油甘魚壽司 ($36 for 2 pcs), Fatty Tuna Mix Shanghai Onion Gunkan 大蔥吞拿魚腩軍艦 ($45 for 2 pcs), Salmon Roe Gunkan 三文魚籽軍艦 ($50 for 2 pcs) – 8.5/10

All the sushi and gunkan were fresh, in particular the sea bream which tasted sweet.

c) From left to right, Crab Roe Gunkan 蟹籽軍艦 ($22 for 2 pcs), Duck Meat Mix Goose Sauce Gunkan 鴨肉鵝肝醬軍艦 ($32 for 2 pcs), Grilled Salmon Sushi 三文魚炙壽司 ($24 for 2 pcs) – 7.5/10

I only tried crab roe gunkan from this dish, the seaweed sheet wrap was a bit moist than it should be.

d) On top, Grilled Egg Sushi 京都厚蛋燒 ($24 for 2 pcs), bottom from left, Foie Gras Suishi 法國鵝肝壽司 ($58 for 2 pcs), Jumbo Scallop Sushi 珍寶帆立貝壽司 ($48 for 2 pcs) – 8.5/10

The grilled egg suishi in Kyoto style was different from the egg roll 玉子燒 (da-shi-ma-ki), beaten eggs are baked in a pan which makes the exterior look like a pound cake. The baked egg was not too sweet and was the highlight of the dish. The credit goes to them as I haven’t tried the other two sushi.

e) Lean Tuna Roll 鐡火卷 ($58), Yellow Pickled Radish Roll新春卷 ($22) – 8/10

f) Left, Avocado Fried Soft Shell Hand Roll 牛油果炸軟殻蟹手卷 ($38), right, California Hand Roll 加洲手卷 ($28)

I haven't tried any of these.

g) Deep Fried Chicken Soft Joints – 8/10

The soft joints were tender yet chewy, the flavour can further be enhanced with some Japanese spicy seasoning.

h) Sea Urchin Hand Roll 海膽手卷 ($55) – 8.5/10

The sea urchins were large and fresh.

i) Crab Meat Clear Soup 蟹肉清湯 ($45) – 8.5/10

Despite a clear soup, the unami flavour of the crab legs was strong.

j) Sea Bream Simmer Soup 鯛魚湯 ($48) – 9/10

I’m a soup person and this is really my “cup of soup”. The creamy colour was just right for a good fish soup. Smooth and milky, you can find dices of mushrooms and tofu inside.

k) Grilled Mushroom鮮冬菇串 ($26 each) – 8/10

l) Chicken Gizzard 雞腎 ($28 each) – 8.5/10

m) Beef Short Rib 牛肋 ($35 each) – 8.5/10

The texture of this short rib somewhat resembled that of the chicken gizzard, interesting.

n) Japanese Sweet Pepper 日本青椒仔串燒 ($32) – 8/10

o) Chicken with Japanese Leek 雞肉大蔥串 ($28 each) – 8/10

p) Ox Tongue 牛舌 ($39) – 9/10

The meat was tender and juicy, highly recommended.

q) Grilled Yellow Tail Head Joints 鹽燒油甘魚頭鉸 ($120) – 8.5/10

The fish was fresh and the skin was just grilled nicely. Where is my beer?

r) Mirin Puffer Boshi 味淋魚干 ($75) – 7.5/10

The grilled dried fish was a bit too sweet for me.

s) Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Tempura 日本南瓜蕃薯天婦羅 ($55) – 9/10

The pumpkin and sweet potato were lightly battered, moist inside.

t) Cold Buckwheat Noodle 冷喬麥麵 ($65) – 8.5/10

The noodle was chilled to its required temperature.

u) Ice Cream (complimentary) – 8.5/10

The restaurant offers 7 choices of ice cream, black sesame and coconut are recommended. The former was blended with noticeable sesame seeds while young coconut could be found in the coconut scoop.

Q : When will I go again?A : For dinner with medium group of friends for casual dinner or when you are hunger for some fresh sushi.

Q: What will I next order?A : I don’t mind repeating what I had before.

03.2013

Spoil Café

Spoil Café

Shop A, G/F, Shun Ho Building, 1 Sun Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Date of visit : 27 Feb 2013 (Thu) 8:30pm

No. of diners : 6

Average cost per head : $265

Food quality : 8.5/10

Environment : 8/10

Service : 8.5/10

Value-for-money : 8.5/10

Overall rating : 8.45/10

a) Focaccia (complimentary) – 8.5/10

The focaccia made a good start for the meal while waiting for the food. Soft and tasty with a sprinkle of chopped herbs on the top. The olive oil and balsamic vinegar were also of good quality.

b) Caesar Salad – ($98) 8/10

This classic salad will never go wrong with fresh romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, anchovies and beacon flakes.

c) Spoil Garden Salad in Red Wine and Chinese Parsley Vinegar ($98) - 8.5/10

As it’s named, this signature salad is pleasing if you can stand the unique flavour of coriander. Don’t worry, the portion of the Chinese parsley was just right, and with dices of tomatoes and mangoes, the whole dish had a balance of mixed flavours.

d) Meat Antipasto ($178) - 8/10

The platter was composed of 3 types of Italian cured meat – San Daniele Ham, Salami Milano and Coppa. Though not aged for a long period of time, the meat was soft and not too salty, good to go with the focaccia and wine.

e) Linguine with Scallops and Parsley Pesto & Lemon ($168) – 8/10

The scallops were caramelized on the outside, its unami flavour was highlighted with a pinch of salt and pesto. The Linguine was cooked just right.

f) Spoil King Prawn Linguine in Thai Red Curry ($188) – 9/10

This dish is my friend’s all time favourite. The huge prawn almost covered the whole dish of pasta on which it was sitting. Despite its size, the meat of the prawn was still sinewy. The spicy red curry went very well with the prawn.

g) Daily Catch ($188) – 8.5/10

Sea bass was the catch of the day and it was nicely cooked, tender and moist at the centre. The sweetness of fernel, bitterness of rocket and texture of roasted pine nuts blended very well to make the dish enjoyable.

h) Baked Pork Chop with Cherry Tomato Balsamic Sauce ($208) – 8.5/10

The pork chop should be pan fried before putting in the oven. With a beautiful grilled surface the meat was juicy and tender. The reduced balsamic sauce brought sweetness to the dish.

i) Carrot Cake, Walnut Pound Cake and Crunch Cake – 8.5/10

Spoil is famous for its crunch cake and carrot cake. Given the previous courses of food we had, we still managed to share the slices. If it was not night time, a coffee to go with the cakes would be perferct.

Q : When will I go again?A : The tiny café is always full for lunch or dinner. Well in advance booking is a must for lunch. Would be nice to go for dinner with a couple of friends.


Q: What will I next order?
A : The Spoil salad and king prawn linguine.

03.2013