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2023-07-06
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This restaurant is located at Royal Plaza Hotel in Mongkok, offering cuisine incorporating a combination of Cantonese and Sichuan ingredients and techniques in an innovative and artistic manner, under the direction of Chef Ricky and his team.Apart from the normal tables, with the diners able to look at from the large windows to the train lines and Lion Rock in the background, there is also a counter looking at the open kitchen where the team is preparing the dishes. The décor is hip and chic, bu
This restaurant is located at Royal Plaza Hotel in Mongkok, offering cuisine incorporating a combination of Cantonese and Sichuan ingredients and techniques in an innovative and artistic manner, under the direction of Chef Ricky and his team.
Apart from the normal tables, with the diners able to look at from the large windows to the train lines and Lion Rock in the background, there is also a counter looking at the open kitchen where the team is preparing the dishes. The décor is hip and chic, but I don’t like the large TV screens on both ends.
We order the 12-course Chinese Omakase Set Menu ($1,388) with me also going for wine pairing ($298). There is Amuse Bouche with Amber Walnut, Pickled Gourd, and Marinated Jellyfish with Cucumber. The walnut is good, but the jellyfish is not marinated sufficiently.
The first course is Appetizer, comprising three pieces served on a plate with mist of dry-ice seeping out. The Firefly Squid with Plum Wine has a great appearance, resembling flower petals but holding the small squid inside. The Barbecued Pork Loin is thick and juicy, very tender. My favorite though is the Fresh Sliced Abalone with Black Vinegar, as there is good harmony on the sour and savory notes, with the abalone having a nice bite but not rubbery. The wine paired is Il Folio Prosecco Spumante Extra Dry NV.
The second course features Lobster, in a truly creative way, with a bamboo charcoal ice-cream cone. Stuffed with the flavorful stir-fried Hokkaido 3.6 Milk with bamboo pith inside, on top there are the sweet and amazing Lobster Fillet with Salmon Roe to decorate, the cone combines the contrasting texture and highlight the different elements of the ingredients nicely. Delicious and fun.
The third course is Soup, intense with Sichuan Preserved Vegetable flavors. The soup has the perfect balance of sour and spiciness, with the Matsutake slice adding to the aromas. The pieces of tender and delicate Tilapia in the Dumpling, together with the preserved vegetable, makes the whole experience reminiscent of the Cantonese style dumpling stuffed with soup. Another good one.
The fourth course is Meat. The chef has removed the meat from the French Quail and then finely Diced and Sauteed together with other ingredients like pine nuts, celtuce, and yam, served on the deep-fried dough basket. On top is a piece of their signature Suckling Pig, with perfectly crispy skin and tender meat. The wine paired is Domaine Rene Bouvier Marsannay Le Finage 2019.
The concept of the fifth course comes from the traditional baked fish guts, but here the chef has made a twist and replaced with soft-shell Crab, avoiding the fishy note while imparting the dish with the sweetness and umami of crab. The baked egg is a combination of normal egg with Salted Egg, and together with some ginger, aged tangerine peel, give an extra layer of fragrance. Delicious.
The sixth course features Garoupa. The Giant Garoupa Fillet has been coated with a thin layer of batter before deep-frying, with some Chrysanthemum and seaweed to decorate. The thick skin with a nice bite is one of the highlights. Underneath is the traditional Taiwan Minced Pork, with the intense savory of the braised pork giving an interesting contrast to the fish. Creative with good effect.
The seventh course is my favorite in the evening. The Seared M5 Wagyu Beef Slices has familiar and fantastic flavors, a bit resembling another traditional dish of Chinese style beef fillet, with some Black Truffle oil added to increase the fragrance, and mustard for condiment. On the bottom are deep-fried Pumpkin, coated with a thin batter, sweet and soft. Strongly recommend trying this out.
Next comes the Lime Sorbet which has good acidity to freshen the palate and get us ready for the remaining of the courses. A nice transition and in fact also help to reduce the burden on the stomach as the dishes so far are all relatively heavy.
The eighth course features Prawn. The large Tiger Prawn has a crunchy texture, and the chef has prepared a special Shrimp Sauce, using fermented shrimp paste, chili, and shrimp head. The sauce is rich with umami and flavorful, perfect complement with the prawn. A sake 仁淀川 純米大吟釀 is paired, with the slight sweetness helping to balance the hints of spiciness of the sauce.
The ninth course is another skillful creation of the chef. Using different Mushroom including the renown Sarcodon Aspratus which has a lot of medicinal properties and good for health, the nicely stir-fried mix is put on a crispy Almond bowl, meticulously put together by the chef with individual pieces of almond, before deep drying.
The tenth course is Vegetable, with Lily Bulb, Tianjin Cabbage, Wood Ear and Cordyceps cooked in a supreme broth, infusing the fresh vegetables with the delicate flavors and to showcase their original taste and sweetness. A simple dish but we both like this one as it is also easy on the stomach, after so much food we have already on the night.
The eleventh course is Noodle, with a large Hokkaido Scallop, lightly seared and put on some Huaishan Noodles, cooked, and then chilled before mixing with chili oil and leek. The wonderful texture of the noodle is memorable, with the scallop sweet in taste. Although very full, it is so good we finish it all. The wine paired is Selbach Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spatlese Trocken 2018.
The twelfth and final course is Dessert. The Blueberry Cheese Mochi has a good bite, with the fillings tasty and not too sweet. There is also a Monaka with Red Bean Paste and Ice-cream as well, along with a cute chocolate bear. A satisfying and complete meal, and even for big eaters like us we feel it is honestly too much.
Service is decent, but the staff's voice is so soft when they explain the dishes it is barely audible, and I also believe they have much more to share instead of just the name and a few ingredients. With a 20% discount, the bill on the night is $2,881. Unless you are super hungry, I suggest going for menu with less courses is a good idea.
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