Vasco Spanish Fine Dining (Closed)

到了正日生日，從甜魔媽媽口中得知位於中環 PMQ 的 Vasco快將結業，那裏的午市套餐非常抵吃，而且食物水準上乘，臨別秋波，於是便相約我的 best friend，媽媽及阿P一齊食番個 B day Lunch!!PMQ是香港難得的藝術性質商場，除了大品牌外，這棟文物也臥虎藏龍了不少本地設計師，大家有時間也要多來逛逛啊！Vasco 的裝修、服務、食物質素都非常有水準，午市套餐價錢亦比晚市經濟很多。2 course menu $349，3 course menu $389，仲有一大堆免費的餐前小食及餐後甜品贈送，實在是物超所值，只可惜只營業到4月30日。這𥚃的頭盤、主菜以及甜品都提供三個選擇，我們一行四人當然將所有菜色都試哂，在此逐一向大家介紹這裏的餐前小食也絕不馬虎，服務員建議我們先吃那顆橄欖，然後再吃脆米，最後才吃蕃薯片。老實說味道中規中矩，難得的是，只需付上午餐的價錢，餐廳也做得這麼精緻。這裏的另一賣點便是用來伴 table bread 的橄欖油，有多達五款給食客選擇，貪新鮮的我們當然來一個 all-in，逐一試清楚味道。清香的檸檬味及草青味橄欖油最受大家歡迎，香蕉味及蘋果味感覺上有點奇怪，蕃茄味亦不錯。比橄欖油更搶鏡的，便是這裏的 Table bread，兩款都外脆內軟。Vasco 除咗橄欖油講究外，牛油也款式多多，傳統的牛油加了一些海草精華，還有口味獨特的黑蒜牛油。頭盤當中，最出色一定是媽媽的 artichoke soft cream with quail egg，流心的鵪鶉蛋與雅支竹忌簾芝士廉汁味道非常配合，是一道令人窩心的前菜。中間的和牛牛尾內混了一些洋蔥、青檸及酸青瓜，口感清新，我只略嫌牛肉有一點鞋口，但菜式的擺碟設計確實非常漂亮。最後的 yellow tail ceviche 是最令人失望的菜色，白身魚有點腥，配金橘及酸酸的牛油果醬，我們都嫌整體上味道太acidic。artichoke soft cream with quail eggcompressed wagyu oxtailyellow tail ceviche 吃主菜之前，來了一杯青瓜汁，內裏藏了一隻嫩滑的蜆肉，清新怡人的配搭，亦不俗。主菜整體上都令人滿意，媽媽的 Norwegian Cod Fish 火候煎得好好，魚肉超級嫰，只可惜魚肉略欠鮮味。右手邊的 Braised Pork Cheek 沒有牛面肉般油膩，有彈性，阿P非常滿意。主菜中最出色的一定是這裏的龍蝦risotto，賣相亦非常別緻，橙紅色的龍蝦飯放在透明的器皿上，即時為菜色加了不少分數。龍蝦汁味道極鮮，帶有濃濃的龍蝦香，飯內亦有粒粒龍蝦肉，分了一些給好朋友吃，她也大讚！braised iberico pork cheeknorwegian cod輪到甜品，大家都一致推崇中間的 Chinese tea ice cream，喜歡其茶味香濃，而且又不太甜，伴碟的朱古力蛋糕及香蕉件除了好看之外，亦好吃。朋友的乳酪雪糕配青蘋果汁亦不甘示弱，簡單清新。媽媽的Pana cotta 我就嫌太甜，紅色的cherry sorbet 我也嫌太甜，但阿P卻吃得津津有味。coconut cream with chinese tea ice-creamcelery and green apple essence with yoghurt ice-creamchocolate pana cotta with cherry sorbert本來想埋單走人，但服務員神神秘秘地向我奉上一個非常漂亮的蛋糕，原來是阿P偷偷地從Ms B's Cakery運送過來的。我們一起已經十一年了，我的喜好他一直都十分了解，這蛋糕的造型很合我心意，冇野可以挑剔喎！Vasco亦十分大方，為我準備了祝賀咭。食完蛋糕，仲有 Vasco 的招牌 petite fours，用造型很特別的透明器皿盛着，presentation 是超靚的。黃色的是 miso macaron，味道非常特別，特別到我有點接受不了，椰絲棉花糖好可愛，紅色的蛋白糖霜得個甜字。真心覺得有點可惜，香港又少了一間做得非常不錯的 fine dining restaurant。餐廳會於五月開始進行大裝修，會轉做 casual Italian dining。到時我們一定會再幫襯！在此祝自己生日快樂，最希望的是身體健康，及阿P心情開朗。 continue reading

It was his big love to bring me here. Not focusing much on Spanish cuisine, I had actually heard nothing about this restaurant, until it became my birthday lunch place.Located at one level above Isono from the same restaurant group, Vasco is a Spanish (with a little French fusion) fine-dining place by Drawing Concepts. The reception shares the same as Isono, and servers will guide you through stairs to eventually a rooftop with a greenhouse-like setting, and guests are the one to be pampered at this place. This natural and clean environment instantly transformed into a golden interior design with dark wooden floorings and antique furniture when we entered. We were brought to a sofa seat which was quite spacious, at least not locating us too close to the adjacent table. Lunch menu could be ordered in 2, 3 or 4 courses ($349, $389 and $558 respectively, plus 10% SC)  **Good to have a glance at the lunch menu online as they changed the dishes every month*.  Sometimes you may get yourself indulged further by adding extra black truffle at $99 supplement, or a selection of cheese as a dessert at $49 supplement.Vasco did have a very strong gastronomic sense in terms of the whole menu design. The ingredients could be so interestingly and creatively paired up, which you could never aware that their flavor profiles could that intriguingly match together. You would never be disappointed if you like something different.Hors d'Oeuvres (5/5): What a nice start to have them kick start our tasting journey.i)Jumbo green olive stuffed with Campari cream and olive caviarI am a big fan of green olives but it’s always hard to find big sized green olive in HK, only chance you could find is in GREAT or those that have been prepacked in jars. The olive burst with a lot of juices and it went so well with the olive caviar which smoothened the mouthfeel. I couldn’t taste much of Campari though but I believe it did contributed to this juiciness somehow. ii)Fish cracker with bell pepper sauce A soso finger food but the cracker was crispy enough. iii)Pickle with salmon roeSalmon roe was fresh to go with sweet pickles! Crunchy enough with sweet-and-sour.iv)Curry infused caramelized pistachioManager highlighted this to us and explained that the nuts are intentionally packed in this small plastic bag for preventing from losing its special curry infused aroma. The bouquet was actually intense in the mouth with some caramelized flavors. Amuse bouche (4/5): King Crab Meat, bell pepper, Black garlic ice cream and dried black garlic crunchesIt was our very first time to try the black garlic ice cream! Interestingly sour at first and with some toasted bread flavor, the black garlic did paired well with the juicy crab meat. Pain (5/5): Very rarely would a fine-dining restaurant served only a single kind of bread. And I think Vasco did because they wanted to put their emphasis on their premium olive oil and butter.Their homemade sourdough however was also deliciously right on the mark. Right when you tore a piece out, the steam came all over! It was really really that hot enough bread which you wouldn’t get it cold even when you finished.Butter from Bordier: (From the left) Beetroot, Spinach, Tomato, Mushroom and Original salted Girls would always be impressed with colorful dish! I particularly love the tomato and mushroom flavor as their characteristic flavor were more pronounced and intense. The original salted butter was amazing too, it was really silky and soft when spreading at your hot sourdough.Olive oil Brand (Origin): Flavor like (From the left) Oro Bailen (Spain): Green banana;Mas Auró (Spain): Artichoke; Santa Oliva (Spain):Almond; Olivares del Derramador (Spain); Ripe tomato; Terre Bormane Citrino (Italy): 30% Lemon JuiceServers actually asked about our preference but we finally decided to have all five to try! All 5 olive oils did share one same attribute , they were all very complex in flavors yet so rich and elegant in bouquet.I fell in love with Oro Bailen and Citrino. Both of them were of very strong flavor. Oro Bailen gave really grassy green banana taste; While the Citrino provided my first ever experience in tasting sour citrus olive oil. They were all so fresh. Amuse bouche: Croissant with Iberico ham (4/5)The manager recommended so much to us that this croissant must be consumed hot. We got a bite and that enduringly umami smell of fatty ham exploded in our mouth. Croissant itself was soft, moist but with crispy layers. Fantastic. Asparagus curd with Mediterranean prawns, crunchy sweetcornand a touch of spice (5/5)Have you tried Mediterranean sashimi? This was my very first time to try red prawn sashimi. The plate decoration was really enchanting and the prawns were like swimming in a special “white ocean” – the Asparagus curd. The prawn was incredibly sweet and fresh, I could say this has been the best prawn sashimi (if not counting Scampi in AUS) I ever tried. Topped with the asparagus curd, the sweetness between vegetable and fish just doubled together so harmoniously. A very nice tickle to appetite!Fregola risotto style with sea urchin, mussels and crustacean mayonnaise (3.5/5)Fregola is a dot shaped pasta very common in North Africa, getting this special pasta cooked like risotto seemed interesting to us. The Fregola was slightly larger in size than we expected and was wrapped with reddish orange crustacean sauce. Mussels were small in size but juicy. To me, cooking sea urchin could hardly give a very pronounced flavor as it is to be eaten fresh. This dish could not get over of this barrier because additionally the crustacean sauce was so muscular to cover other ingredients. It was a bit not easy to finish the dish. Fresh strawberries with shiso sorbet and yoghurt sponge (5/5)I was very amazed by Vasco’s dessert creations with their inspiring and innovative ingredients. My another first trial to shiso sorbet also happened in Vasco. The sorbet gave a sense of sweetness like mint gum but at the same time brought forward the crispiness of Shiso. No doubt to be enjoyed in summer together with fresh strawberries and the fluffy yoghurt sponge. Very clean and refreshing to my palate indeed! Petit-Four: Hazelnut powder candy, caramel chocolate and Financier (4/5)Out stomach were already so filled up when we finished the 3 courses (and all amuse bouche and breads). However, the petit four was just so beautiful that you could never resist it.I was very much impressed with the hazelnut powder candy (wrapped in candy paper) as it was surprisingly creamy and infused with Nutella-like aroma which recalled so much my childhood memories.Caramel chocolate was also smooth with moderate sweetness, while financier was a bit dry but eggy though. The climax of the day arrived when server brought me a birthday card with my name written; and an instant camera to capture this sweet moment. So thankful that my boy brought me here and arranged this little surprise. Finally for Tea/Coffee, just knew that Vasco has a mixed Chamomile and Lavender tea. That was super super relaxing and lay-back when having a zip after this comprehensive lunch. Nice one :>Service at Vasco was professional. Servers and Managers all around you are so humble and eager to help as always; they are also very experienced about the whole menu. I did enjoy the spacious setting in Vasco. There could actually be rooms for more tables but instead they make use of elegant furniture (and many are nice sofa) to setup each corner for best experience. Just one thing that caused slight nuisance was the bumping noise whenever people walked on the wooden floor. Not sure but it was so obvious that I could always feel people coming back and forth. To mention about “fine-dining”, I just keep one ruler to all: From the start to the very end, every served items should show passion. And I am so much impressed with this lunch because Vasco handles every detail carefully, from finger foods to butter; and from the furniture they used for dining and to the utensils they have prepared for you in washroom. P.S. When browsing the webpage of Drawing Concepts, just recognized that one of the managers here was from my favorite restaurant in the past – Messina. Hope to meet him again in my next visit. :> continue reading

本年沒有什麼時間去旅遊，我倆唯有食左當去左。PMQ一直是我們常常愛來的地方，這次就趁特別日子來奢華一番。裝潢格調很高，聽說花了數千萬。座位餐具等等一絲不苟。Amuse Bouche 讓人花多眼亂，色味俱全。漂亮的五色牛油，還有不同的橄欖油選擇。生帶子和薄薄的一片紅彩頭質感很特別。煙熏的味道很突出。畫龍點睛的是那一顆“珍珠”裡的湯汁。一餐裡最美味最特別的一道，湯裡的鵝肝在口內融化。美麗的一幅畫。主角西班牙紅蝦實在太鮮甜，配角亦令到味蕾大爆炸。生熟拿捏得很好的鴿子，非常軟嫩。新穎的朱古力和威士忌冰配搭。一餐非常滿意的Fine Dining，除了味道上乘外，亦帶來新的視覺味覺感受，新的餐飲意念，讓我倆度過了美滿的一晚。 continue reading

I still don't think PMQ will be a good location for restaurants but I guess the vast area can somehow compensate the remote feeling.  Like Vasco, they have 2 floors and it's so spacious that you won't have any pressure hanging out with friends from the bar area to the dining area.  Tables are nicely spaced out to provide privacy, at least, the conversation within the table won't be easily overheard by others.Here we go with the Chef tasting menu:  Bread loaf, extra virgin olive oil & butter I have to praise them for their seriousness in offering the bread loaf with a full varieties of olive oil and butter. I was also told that the restaurant doesn’t offer balsamic vinegar since the chef strongly against it. He thinks the balsamic vinegar will ruin the superb taste of their olive oil. Good point and I don’t mind trying the olive oil alone and the whole range was impressive. For the butter series (carrot & beetroot are interesting), I enjoyed the mushroom (truffle) one the most as it got along so well with the sour dough.  Amuse BouchesI am surprised to see 3 amuse bouches prepared by the restaurant, this was somehow quite pampering. Overall, their amuse bouches are creative and carefully planned to make each of them differently in order to tickle the palate of the diners before they kicked off the meal.  Marinated raw tuna with cold strawberry & tomato soup, pear sorbet, buffalo mozzarella cheese with caviarIt’s quite refreshing and not too heavy as a starter after I had loads and loads of bread intake with the butter & olive oil  Lightly charcoal smoked oyster with onion cream and small squid ragout & crispy breadThis dish wasn’t bad at all, creamy and smooth. However, I found the oyster to be overly fishy in taste…I wonder why.  Onion pastry - this came with the oyster and it's very yummy with its soft and crispy texture   Farmhouse egg with toasted butter & truffle foam + black truffle, duck consomme infused with citronelle, cured iberico pork loinI regretted that so much (still regretting) we added the truffle to match the farmhouse egg. If I read the menu carefully, I will never mess up the lovely truffle in a soup base dish. The scent of the truffle was gone and it became tasteless and soggy the moment it was soaked in the consommé. How could the waiter not reminded us on that but convincing us to have the truffle go with the consommé?!  Monkfish cooked with Basque dressing, grebiche sauce, white chocolate & mussel emulsionI believe I have said that a trillion times that it’s challenging to prepare a fish dish. Vasco has done a good job here as they picked the right fish – monkfish which is tender and not easily overcooked. The seasoning was fine and I am happy to see the interesting combination of white choco and mussel emulsion as it thickened and intensified the taste of the sauce.  Red Palamos prawn & sea urchin on a seabed with crustacean mayonnaiseThis dish scored 100 points on its presentation as the whole setting did relate to the theme of ocean and sand beach. But then, the ingredients alone were not impressive, the prawn tasted good on its own but I don’t see the chemistry among the other ingredients though.  Chargrilled French pigeon, pork & mushroom cannelloni, pineapple & liver toastThis was the best dish of the night and it went so well with the Red wine too. The pigeon was prepared to perfection and you could still see the warm red flesh inside which was so tender that I felt like eating the Wagyu beef, it almost melted in my mouth. I like the intense freshness taste of pigeon but not gamey at all and I finished everything on the dish since they were so good. A must try signature dish from Vasco!   Compressed melon with mint, lime jelly & yogurt bom bomNice portion and well mixed of ingredients. The compressed melon was a bit on the sweet side which I hope they can tone down it down in the future. Personally, I don’t really like the taste of yogurt bom bom, felt like it’s something from another planet to go with this dessert dish.  Textured chocolate with coffee & whisky ice shards I lost the image of this dessert which I like the most among all the others.  The slightly bitter chocolate just went so well with the coffee & whisky ice shards.  Lovely!   Petit four - very ordinary continue reading

一早已於openrice看到這餐廳一直想試今晚終於可以一試這元創方也真是第一次來餐廳位於Block B基於我們在Block 那邊下車所以要行一段小路才找到餐廳不過一到餐廳我已被裝修吸引了晚餐時間餐廳開七點我們也準時七點到達以我一看我們是第一位客人到達呢服務員們都禮貌而有笑容地打招呼好吧..入正題我們二話不說點了Chef Tasting Menu這晚餐每道菜味道都很平均先是幾道前菜味道都比較清新帶小許酸味正好吊吊胃口令我更是開胃而它們的麵包送到我們面前溫度剛好而無論是橄欖油還是牛油都各有五種選擇牛油中我最愛的是原味和蘑菇味這個蛋也真是水準高蛋再加上黑松露這種我在其他餐廳也是試過但最為好味也算是這間因為我不吃蝦所以友人就跟原本Menu而我就改為這款豬配上面頭上的雪糕也十月金是夠特別除此之外它們那款魚吃到肉質並不是養魚而是野生魚而且每道菜的醬汁味道配對方面都很平均更喜愛的是我不愛甜吃但我可以接受到第一道甜品味道不會太甜而第二三道外觀都很美但對不愛甜吃的我只能吃一小口今晚晚餐我極為滿意味道..環境..服務滿分最重要的是今晚以這水準來說絕對超值 continue reading