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

Landmark Café

Landmark Café

1/F, The Landmark, 16 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong

Date of visit : 1 Mar 2013 (Sat) 8:15pm

No. of diners : 2

Average cost per head : $290 ($155 after credit card discount)

Food quality : 8/10

Environment : 8/10

Service : 8.5/10

Value-for-money : 8/10

Overall rating : 8.05/10

This Landmark Café is a popular spot for local celebrities having high tea and attracts the paparazzi because of its openness setting in the mall. However, the café will return to normal after dusk. Being one of the Maxim’s group, it offers AE platinum card holders a 50% discount off for a dining party of 2  persons (33% off for a party of 3 and so forth) for dinner throughout the year. So the restaurant is dominated by couples (including me) in the evening. Besides a high price-quality-ratio, efficiency is also a plus for this café. Our dishes took less than 10 minutes from order to serve, so as long as you are able to get a table, you can finish a quick and above average meal in less than 30 minutes.

a) U.S. Sirloin Steak ($280) – 8/10

Medium rare was requested for this steak, obviously it’s more like a “rare” instead. As I could stand raw flesh I didn’t ask to send it back to the kitchen. Another reason that I didn’t complain is that the steak itself is of good quality and was very tender. Nice smell of charcoal. However, the side dish was quite disappointing. The fat chips were not thoroughly fried like what "Deli and Wine" under the same catering group does. And more, the serving plate was cold, a de facto standard for decent Western restaurants.

b) Lobster Capellini ($250) – 7.8/10

Half of a Boston lobster was used for the dish. The lobster itself was fresh and with roes and fat solids in its body. The pasta was cooked with buttery sauce, the overall impression would be better if both the food and plate were hot.

Q : When will I go again?
A : When I need a quick meal given seats are available.
 Q: What will I next order?
A : Anything on the menu depending on the appetite.

03.2013

MO Bar

MO Bar

G/F, Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 15 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong

Date of visit : 1 Mar 2013 (Sat) 7:15pm

No. of diners : 2                                                               

Average cost per head : $115

Food quality : 8.5/10

Environment : 9/10

Service : 8.8/10

Value-for-money : 9/10

Overall rating : 8.68/10

Unlike the Mandarin Oriental (MO) Hong Kong which has been celebrating its 50^th year in Hong Kong, the Landmark MO which is much younger shapes herself as a luxury boutique hotel. Her definition is further demonstrated by the dining outlets Amber and MO Bar. The MO Bar is welcome by people working in the Central or those who want to meet up before dinner or follow-ups in the district. Her prime location, relaxing atmosphere, chic interior and decent complimentary bar snacks make it a value-for-money visit.

a) Red Wine La Ferme du Mont Côtes du Rhône 2010 ($95) – 8/10

Cannot expect too much from this Côtes du Rhône red, however, it was drinkable with no complaint at this price range.

b) MO Tox ($115) – 8.5/10

As stated in her house rules, MO Bar sets a high standard in making cocktails such as using only freshly squeezed fruit juice and a double shot as a standard pour of alcohol. The MO Tox was made with citrus vodka, limoncello, pineapple and lemon juice. The blend of coriander made the drink refreshing and tasted oriental.

Q : When will I go again?
A : My first choice of hanging out spot in Central.
 Q: What will I next order?
A : Other cocktails on the menu.

03.2013