Kinship (Closed)

My Thanksgiving dinner here in 2020 was fantastic and that's why I came back this year. Sadly last year, Kinship's unenthusiastic presentation of food and messy communication have made it a failing venue for hosting a festive dinner.Turkey:Turkey slices were pre-cut by supplier before delivery. All each of us got were two sad thin slices of breast and some sides, prepared on a kiddie size black plate. You can't even see what you're eating. (I asked TWICE whether we could see the whole turkey before it was carved. Once on the phone when booking, once after being being seated at our table. Both times the manager said not a problem.)Other food:The stuffing was a bland sponge size block of black substance that tasted like a frozen box meal. No thanksgiving vibe at all. Booking:Very confusing. On the phone we spoke about the Thanksgiving dinner menu being available Wed to Fri, before they backtracked on it a few days later and had to double confirm with the chef. Payment:The restaurant forgot to take off my deposit for the final bill.Also I've never seen or received the receipt despite asking 3 times now. Serviceecent. Nice service and very prompt free-flow top-ups. continue reading

Soho隱蔽家庭式西餐，餐廳由兩位名廚主理今次多得老表，先有機會試到VIP果然唔同D，一開波有杯welcome drink XD但champagne我始終唔太識欣賞，冇飲晒避免下晝返到公司仲紅都面晒2 course menu就starter + main3 course就starter + main + dessert or drinkStarter嗌左牛肉他他同埋烤椰菜花牛肉他他上面有D脆嘅薯仔絲增加口感烤椰菜花反而有驚喜，配上caper，仲有切開左嘅提子，食落幾開胃Main就係risotto 3.0 hmm....睇完都唔明點解Anyway應該好多人未必鍾意食，因為有唔少青豆，但整體食落檸檬味幾濃下，反而冇一般食開risotto咁漏，好清新嘅感覺另一個main就係海鱸魚，底部有好多菊苣（不過都幾勁草青味）甜品叫左一款，好滑嘅雪糕，配上士多啤梨同覆盆子，仲有最特別嘅一條條白色脆條，原來係蛋白糖霜，好好味值得一提嘅係呢度D職員好友善。 continue reading

[ Kinship | 中環 ]I came here for their Dining City Restaurant week menu as their usual brunch and a la carte is quite expensive. $198 for a 3-course lunch with some dishes requiring supplementary money. The options are quite limited with 2 choices per section (without extra cost) so we decided to add some extra and try all of the dishes. We booked for lunch but due to traffic reasons, we arrived at 3 pm. Fortunately, they were still able to serve us the lunch menu. —— —— Farm to table (New Territory’s Local Grown Veg, Shropshire Cheese, Walnuts, Grapes & Apple) The only vegetarian option available and I love how it is not a second thought. Crafted using local vegetables from New Territories so it’s as fresh as possible. Love the textures too. The vegetables are crunchy and the grapes are juicy and sweet. They also made this fascinating purée out of pickled walnuts and sugar, it’s so sweet and tastes like dates! They also added some Shropshire cheese which is a blue cheese from the UK. Very pungent and creamy, the rancidity of the cheese works great with the freshness of the vegetables. There is also this sweet date syrup that’s tangy and rich. Great with the crisp salad leaves. Chef Matthew was inspired by the local vegetables in HK and combined it with his favourite cheese. The only vegetarian option available and I love how it is not a second thought. Crafted using local vegetables from New Territories so it’s as fresh as possible. Love the textures too. The vegetables are crunchy, the walnuts are crunchy and pickled which gave it another layer of flavor and contrasts against the grapes which are juicy and sweet. They also added some Shropshire cheese which is a blue cheese from the UK. Very pungent and creamy, the rancidity of the cheese works great with the freshness of the vegetables. There is also this sweet date syrup that’s tangy and rich. Great with the crisp salad leaves. Chef Matthew was inspired by the local vegetables in HK and combined it with his favourite cheese. —— —— Cured Hamachi (Tomato, Worcestershire Ponzu Sauce, Dried Tomato, Crispy Sourdough) My favorite starter. Big chunks of hamachi. Refreshing and light with ponzu First of all, the presentation is beautiful. The taste is even better and the texture is mind-blowing. We already know that raw fish and ponzu is a match made in heaven and this is no exception. The hamachi is definitely fresh as its firm and bouncy but extremely tender in the mouth. The tenderness of the fish works magic with the crispy sourdough crumbs on top which don’t get soggy and the dried tomatoes are like pouches of umami-ness, again making the fish even more savory and fresh. The portion is also very generous with huge chunks of hamachi. Definitely worth ordering and it doesn’t require a supplement. —— —— Wagyu Beef Tartare +$38 (Roasted Celeriac, Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Pickled Shallots & Crispy Potato) Absolutely loved the crispy potato on top. Perfect match with the tender cubes of beef. Although the buttermilk ranch is very creamy, it is balanced out by the pickled shallots. A great starter and definitely worth the additional money as the portion is quite generous too. Chef Matthew says the inspiration behind this dish came from his frustration at the one dimanesiona, beef tartare seen in HK. He wanted to add more textures and flavours, thus the crispy potato shreds and sour ranch. This has became a signature for many regulars. —— —— Seasonal risotto (Truffled Spinach and Snake Bean Risotto, Whipped Burrata & Egg Yolk Puree) I thought this would be quite thick and rich but it was not at all! Yes, the texture is extremely smooth and creamy but it tastes very refreshing with the spinach. The burrata also gave it some body and milkiness to it but it wasn’t heavy at all. The egg yolk puree was good on its own but I find it tastes weird with the spinach risotto. —— —— Local Barramundi (Seafood Bouillabaisse Sauce, Saffron & Garlic Mash Potato) Although it may look simple, the flavours are so intense and rich. First off, the bouillabaisse is the strongest I’ve ever tasted before, the richness reminded me of lobster bisque! Not only that, but it works great with mashed potatoes due to its savouriness. I nearly drank all of it using my fork (yes you read correctly, it was so good I was determined to drink it with a fork). This was made using the leftover fish bones and shells that would normally be discarded. A great way to be more sustainable and reduce food waste. Secondly, there is also a pile of sautéed fennel next to the potatoes. These were also great with the bouillabaisse as the crunchy fennels easily absorbed all the rich seafood flavours. There’s also a nice dollop of remoulade which is a mayonnaise based sauce similar to tartar but less pungent. The potatoes themselves were very creamy but not heavy due to the garlic. It was so velvety smooth and paired well with both the fennel, bouillabaisse, and fish. The saffron also makes it more appetizing due to the vibrant orange hue. Onto the fish, The skin is not as crispy as I would have liked but not soggy. The flesh is very flaky and tender and it made for a great vessel for the bouillabaisse to leech on. The only thing I would say is that the fish is quite salty. The flesh is a tad salty and the skin is extremely salty. The portion is just right. A nice big piece of fish with an appropriate dollop of mash and some fennel. —— —— Braised Okinawa Pork Belly +$58(Romesco Sauce, Charred Courgette, Mojo Verde, Crispy Pork Skin & Hazelnut Crumble) Wow! The presentation of this pork is so beautiful and mouth watering. A huge, thick piece of pork belly in the middle of what looks like an art exhibition. The taste does the appearance justice. The pork belly is so tender but still firm and meaty. The fat under the skin is not oily or greasy but gelatinous and the bouncy texture contrasts with the tender meat so well, allowing you to get different mouth feels from the same piece of meat. The crispy skin is definitely crispy, another great contrast with the softness. There are two sauces presented here. A spicy romesco sauce and a herbaceous mojo verde. Both give the pork a different flavour profile. I personally like the freshness of the mojo verde better the rich romesco. The charred courgette really surprised me. The crunchiness of the squash remains even after cooking it into a tender piece of vegetable. The sauce on top makes it even better and gives it an umph. The portion is so big and definitely worth the cash supplement. —— —— Mr. Whippy Mess (Mr. Whippy Pink Peppercorn Meringue, Strawberry Compote, Raspberry, Mint Oil) My favourite dessert and almost my favorite dish today (tied with hamachi). Their classic Kinship Mr. Whippy (inspired by the ice cream trucks in UK, HK equivalent is the red and blue ice cream trucks you see everywhere) is extremely creamy but light. With a strong vanilla taste. It’s like a mix between ice cream and frozen yogurt and the bounciness resembles gelato. The strawberry compote is not overly sweet and gives it a nice fruitiness, similar to the raspberries which give an even fresher and tangier bite. However, the thing that made me eat the whole bowl in less than 3 minutes is the mint oil. So simple yet it works magnificently with the plain __ and gives it an unmatched freshness and easily awakens my palate again after the mains. We were actually served this right after the mains as the kitchen staff will leave at 4 pm but this rush is 100% our fault so no comment there. The pink peppercorn meringues were not too sweet but couldn’t really taste the peppercorns. Eating it with the ice cream introduces my mouth to 3 different textures: The smooth ice cream , the crisp meringue, then the melted meringue. —— —— Double Decker +$38 (White Chocolate Cereal Base, Pistachio & Almond Nougat, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate Ganache, Pistachio Gelato) Inspired by chef’s childhood favourite chocolate bar. The pastry itself is quite hard to eat due to the hard cereal base, hard nougat, and hardened ganache. However, the taste is really good. Reminds me of Reese’s peanut butter cups due to the peanut butter and chocolate combination but the cereal base makes it crunchier. I would say that the pistachio gelato on the side is absolutely delicious, it can be a worthy competitor against Venchi’s gelato. It is creamy, luscious and bouncy with a strong pistachio taste, the bits of nuts on top make it crunchy and give it foundation as well enhances the pistachio flavour. I preferred the Mr. Whippy Mess to this but if you like chocolate and nuts, this dessert is perfect for you. The slice is also quite large so you are definitely getting your money’s worth. —— —— 推介 🙆🏻‍♀️💬 Overall, a great experience here. Definitely recommend coming here for restaurant week deals. The foods themselves are innovative where they using commonly seen dishes and change the flavour profile or adding new elements to it. Chef Mathew is also from the UK so he brings along their traditional dishes like Eton Mess and ingredients such s the Shropshire Cheese. 🗓 Revisit? ✅ ⭕️/ ❎ continue reading

•SPICED FRENCH DUCK成個賣相紅紅的法國鴨以酸櫻桃番茄醬為主食落酸酸甜甜 而鴨肉亦好嫩滑再有紅白菜做點綴整體都唔錯的🧡•RISOTTO 3.0呢碟綠到不得了 由面再綠到底再綠返面💚以青豆包圍住 而且飯與食落好有質感食落酸酸地 喜歡食酸身既我就好喜歡•BEEF TARTARE呢個整得幾唔錯 一樣都係微酸帶點開胃 再配脆薯一齊享用都幾喜出望外 有驚喜🧡餐廳環境好有情調 配埋紅酒 感覺很好🍷 continue reading

同事推介，所以一試首先要讚一讚餐廳員工，落單唔洗用紙筆/ 電話，直接用腦記，而且記得每個人嘅選擇，令我地大開眼界，服務態度亦好好👍🏻Beef tartare 唔錯，少少酸味幾開胃，配超幼身炸薯條幾特別（我第一次食呢種好似麵咁幼嘅薯條）Beef tartare 唔錯，少少酸味幾開胃，炸薯條幾Risotto 3.0 一登場，全部人哇然😂 青色一碟過濕嘅飯，放喺一個丐幫器皿入面，同事食唔到幾啖就食唔到，因為太酸😂Okinawa pork belly 登場我地有點嚇呆左，然後笑左，好似東坡肉😂 淨係得一塊肉同少量炸麵配菜我真係搞唔掂，食完返公司食左4包餅乾，2包花生先勉強頂到放工，連細食嘅同事都話要諗定下午茶食咩；味道方面尚可，沾燒汁幾好食，但唔值呢個價錢Mussel sopressini 應該算係最正常嘅一道主食，但稱不上好味，兩個同事都話太鹹，飲左兩杯水先食得曬個麵🙊今餐飯真係擴闊大家眼界，難怪午飯時段都吉左一半座位，抱歉，應該唔會有下次 continue reading