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Website: www.maureen.com.hkLimited seats (12 normal + 8-10 at the bar), therefore reservations are recommended, just in case. However, the restaurant was pretty empty when we visited. Environment:It is a long and narrow restaurant in an old and narrow building situated in the middle of a short and crowded street. It's nestled among auto-repair shops and as such, an unexpected occurrence in that part of Wanchai. You have to be highly intentional. There is another chic bar, TLF, along the same all
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Website: www.maureen.com.hk

Limited seats (12 normal + 8-10 at the bar), therefore reservations are recommended, just in case. However, the restaurant was pretty empty when we visited. 

Environment:
It is a long and narrow restaurant in an old and narrow building situated in the middle of a short and crowded street. It's nestled among auto-repair shops and as such, an unexpected occurrence in that part of Wanchai. You have to be highly intentional. There is another chic bar, TLF, along the same alley, which sends off pleasant vibes and easily allures unsuspecting visitors. Stay focused. 

D and I sat right at the entrance. It was chilly whenever the door opened. D had to put on a coat. 

Service:
OK la. I was on crutches and the waitress offered to store them in the back room while I ate. All smiles and helpful. There is a pitcher of lemon-infused water at the table with 2 glasses so they don't have to serve you. 

Food:
D and I shared. After skimming through the menu, D asked jokingly whether I would be ordering the vegetarian noodles. Hahaa. Seriously. That was surely a strong contender but D easily convinced me that we should get the salmon and duck instead, to share. 

Smoked crab with truffle potato noodles $78
Smoked crab and truffle potato noodles
$78
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This could've been very delicious IF the crab had been smoked to my liking AND the truffle flavour much stronger. The way the crab is currently smoked is...kind of unpleasant. As if you were eating the crab smoked with some nasty cigarette smoke. However, the crabmeat was not stale, and was quite cold and juicy. I enjoyed the texture of the potato noodles though - quite unexpected, but the texture is equivalent to some "tudou" dishes I had before in the mainland. I looked up Maureen's (presumably the owner and the namesake of this resto) blog and here's what she says about potato noodles (and I quote): 

"The texture of potatoes is very interesting because of the starch content, it is very soft when baked. Yet when we remove the starch from the potato, the texture is completely different, transforming itself from a mash like texture to a crunchy vegetable." 

(http://www.maureen.com.hk/2012/06/potato-noodles_23.html)

Truffle flavour could've been much more intense. There wasn't enough truffle paste mixed into the noodles. Maybe a drop more truffle oil. 

So, all in all, I didn't really enjoy this dish, due to lack of flavour and presence of unpleaseant smokiness. 

Charred vegetables - chinese kale / choy sum $58
Charred vegetables (Chinese kale)
$58
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First, I must declare my unnatural affinity towards all vegetables (without exception). Chinese kale (kai lan) is also one of my favorites, so...I would've liked it prepared any way. Charred kale was a first though! But that's not the main point. The star of the show is a brown paste/sauce which tasted like the essence of instant noodles. You're thinking MSG-unhealthy-artificial-salty-howcanthatbeyummy-butwaitidoloveinstantnoodles!! now. So...yes, it was fingerlicking good - but, just a light smear of the paste is sufficient to excite your tastebuds. Any more - and it'll be waaay too salty. Admittedly, the paste itself is extremely salty, but it's yummy. Consume in moderation and you'll be fine. 

So good when eaten together with the kai lan. Really. My brain is watering just thinking about it. D, my friend, enjoyed them equally. However, we did not fight over the last few pieces coz I shoved them into my mouth shamelessly, without inviting her to share. D can come back anytime she wants. I can't. 

Personally I think charred kai lan will taste better than charred choy sum because kai lan is firmer and doesn't wilt as easily as choy sum - giving it a pleasant crunch even when grilled.

I could have this every single day, for every single meal.   

Sous vide salmon + spinach noodles (spicy) + homemade Chinese soup $110 
Sous vide salmon
$110
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Sous vide salmon is overrated, imho. I have a sous vide baton at home (thanks bro) and after cooking my salmon fillet at precisely 52 degrees for 20 minutes, I held that limp, nothing-smelling piece of semi-cooked fish in my hand and thought: really needs some color and flavour. So I ended up firing up my pan and giving it a good sear on both sides, yeah baby! (fyi, I removed the skin before sousvide and pan-seared it separately. Nobody appreciates slimy skin!)

This one by Maureen - the fillet itself was quite fresh I believe - it's the method that ruined the dish. There was something off with the flavour as well actually. There was a slightly sour, citrusy taste...which would've been great on a piece of seared salmon, but somehow it did not work with this half-cooked version. It lacked flavour and the texture was almost mushy. Also, too much white fat that hadn't been rendered out..the slimy skin didn't redeem the dish either. If they sear the fish for 1 minute on each side after sous vide...it might be more appealing.  

All in all, disappointing - would not order again.

Duck leg in plum sauce + nooodles (spicy) + homemade Chinese soup $99
Duck in plum sauce
$100
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This, on the other hand, was stellar!! 5 stars! 6 if I have one extra! The texture, flavour, seasoning was perfect. Very generous serving. It was duck leg cooked in fat, but not confit style, because the skin was still moist. Extremely tender and juicy, very flavourful - a soy/sweet plum marinade. There should be some pear/apple in the marinade, which was served alongside the duck. The fruit was very crunchy. It's either snow pear or a crunchy apple. If you like strong, bold flavours, you gotta try this duck. Further, eating the noodles together with a scoop of duck jus is heaven. 
You can read more about a similar recipe here: http://www.maureen.com.hk/search/label/duck

Would order this again. Highly recommended. 

The noodles - topped with braised mushroom, pea shoots, shredded turnip / carrot, sesame oil (foam) 
Spinach noodles (w/ spice)
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D ordered plain, I went for the spinach ones. The noodles are also delightful. It seems to be a cross breed between Northern Dan Dan noodles and Southern wonton noodles: http://www.maureen.com.hk/2012/04/noodle-bar_17.html

The sauce used for tossing the noodles are a special and fragrant shallot sauce (absolutely delicious): http://www.maureen.com.hk/2012/11/noodle-sauce.html

The restaurant uses a
sesame oil in foam form, for all the right reasons. See here: http://www.maureen.com.hk/2013/08/sesame-oil-foam.html. It is delicous when mixed in with the noodles. You really won't be left with a whole pool of oil at the bottom of the bowl. Makes you feel somewhat less guilty. 

Oh, you must ask for the spicy sauce (which is served on the side). It's a szechuan kind of spiciness - a bit goes a long way. 

Conclusion:
D and I finished almost everything, which says a lot about the food (and our appetites). At least I downed my entire bowl of noodles. Oh...so fat, so full.....so good.


Will definitely go again for the charred VEG, noodles, and the other slow-cooked meats on the menu. There is a dinner special priced at $200 which gives you a taste of...4 items? 
(以上食记乃用户个人意见 , 并不代表OpenRice之观点。)
张贴
评分
味道
环境
服务
卫生
抵食
用餐日期
2015-12-16
用餐途径
堂食
人均消费
$200 (晚餐)
推介美食
Charred vegetables (Chinese kale)
$ 58
Duck in plum sauce
$ 100
Spinach noodles (w/ spice)
  • duck leg
  • spicy spinach noodles
  • charred vegetables