Xavier Vins 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape from Tina Cellar - ( @ Bo Innovation, Hong Kong )

 Tina Cellar a Hong Kong wine importer,  spoke of her fondness for Xavier’s Chateauneuf du Pape wines when she first experienced it about a decade ago by chance.  The measure she has taken to finally convince and secure Mr Xavier’s commitment from their tiny French village is a moving story to be told.    Fast forward to 2013 and Tina is now their exclusive wine distributor in Hong Kong!    Mr Xavier himself is a wine consultant for many big French wineries and his own Xavier Branded CdP wines are cropped from the best of old vines and 2 blended GSM vintages recently got awarded 96 Points by Robert Parker Jr.   He has now collaborated with Michelin 2 Starred Alvin Leung’s Bo Innovation restaurant to blend together a MSG wine  (a word play on GSM, aka Grenache Syrah Mourvedre),   to pair with Alvin’s Asian fusion dishes.

 

Bo Innovation -

 

The starting Wines to warm up the day -

 

 

The Xavier Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Anonyme 2007 & 2009-
Have gotten a lot of praise by Wine Advocate and Robert Parker Jr.

 

 

 

Rear:  Base Grenache,  Syrah and Mourvedre for us to play with blending ourselves.
Front Glass:  Our own,   final adjusted blend according to what we think can pair with most foods below at Bo Innovation.   It is work in progress for the afternoon as we hectically played with each component hoping for the best!

 

Canapes to Start with -
Jamon Iberico and Vermicelli . 
Langoustine with Mustard and Saffron Froth.

 

 

REPRESENTING SWEET - 
Cod,  Yellow Miso,  Sauternes Jelly & Seaweed









SOUR -
Vine Tomato braised in Pat Chun Chinese vinegar, Chinkiang vinegar & Pea Shoot.

 

 

 

BITTER -
Fried Squid Ball and Kaffir Lime.
*We thought the Kaffir Lime overpowered the palate a little bit.

HOT -
Lobster poached in Sichuan Pepper, Spicy Bisque, Peas

 

 

 

UMAMI -
Home made Pasta,  ‘Hai Mi’ prawn powder,  Kaniko,  Wooden Fungus.  Quite lovable.

 

 

Xavier’s progressive Blending Experiment on the Spot -
He just blended the 3 Grenache,  Syrah and Mourvedre with different proportions on the spot.  They were all great actually but with very different start to finishing palates and tannin structure.  Ability to age the wines is also taken into consideration by Xavier from his own experience with regards to acidity and tannins present.   The last of these 3 transitional wine blends is going to be the 2010 Cuvee to work with Bo Innovation’s food.

 

Xavier Vins 2009 Cuvee Anonyme -
In the meantime we got to try the 2009 version of Anonyme, with a RPJ rating of 96 points.

 

 

 

Jamon Iberico Gai Daan Jai by Bo Innovation -
Quite good actually,  was a little surprised at how eggy the batter was and also how this paired with the fatty Jamon ham.  

 

 

Price:  Wine Meal was by Invitation
Ease of Access:  4/5
Food:  ♕♕♕♕ to ♕♕♕♕♕
Opening Hours:
Mon to Sat -  12:00pm to 14:00pm, 19:00pm to 00:00am

Address: 灣仔莊士敦道60號 J Senses 2樓13號舖
BO Innovation,  Shop 13, 2/F J Residence, 60 Johnston Road, Wan Chai
Ph: 2850 8371

2nd Robert Burns Night at Dickens Bar - (Hong Kong)

 Burns Day is more of a Scottish and then Irish celebration to commemorate the great Scottish Poet, Robert Burns,  chosen on his previous birthday date.   Dickens Bar is British but that’s UK enough and their kitchen has planned a 1 night only Burns Supper for the customers.  Very thoughtful and this was to become my 2nd Scottish Burns Day celebration.   Not that I can ever get sick of Lamb Haggis.

 

Guinness Draught Beer – $78

 

 

Scottish Burns Supper Haggis & Neeps – $198
There are no Tatties here but it was still all decent..  Haggis nowadays are mostly pre-prepared in a sausage casing and sold as is,  rather than cooked in an actual lamb’s stomach.  This was flavorful and slightly more gamier than my previous review.  It was enjoyable.  ~  8.5/10

 

 

 

Ease of Access:  4/5 
Food:  ♕♕♕♕ to ♕♕♕♕ 1/2

Opening Hours:
Sun to Thurs -  12:00pm to 01:00am
Fri - 12:00pm - 02:00am
Sat - 1:00pm - 02:00am

Address: 銅鑼灣告士打道281號香港怡東酒店地庫
UG, The Excelsior Hong Kong, 281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
Ph: 2837 6782

Hiroshi 宏 - (Hong Kong)

 A 2nd Shop opened by the Hiroshi 宏 guys just a street behind, the boss wanted to make this both a Japanese Noodles shop as well as a Patisserie shop.  Even their regular Japanese customers voiced out that this combination is unprecedented in Japan itself.  But I guess with the high rental levels in Hong Kong and when local customers expect ramen, yakitori, sashimi and desserts all in one shop anyway, it is not implausible an idea afterall.  This is a summary from 3 different visits to this new shop.

 

 

Rose Petal Macaron et Green Tea Macaron -
The Green Tea Macaron was nicely flavoured and so was the perfumed Rose version. The macaron shell on the other hand seemed a little too sticky chewy. ~ 6.9/10

 

 

 

Apple Tea -
Japan cafes like doing an Apple tea even all the way in their French pastry shops, such as Sadaharu Aoki. This was quite refreshing and lovable despite the Tea Bag. ~ 8/10

 

 

 

Salad -
Part of the Lunch Set. It was OK but not better than Japan's 松屋 with unlimited salad dressing. ~ 6/10

 

 

 

Kitsune Akamoku Udon (あかもく うどん) -
The Beancurd Sheets were actually added by myself for $10. The Onsen Tamago comes as default rather than a raw egg for a Tsukimi 月見 Udon. The Akamoku Udons are infused with seaweed and cooked for 5 minutes exactly, by which time they are slightly too soft to me liking. This Onsen Tamago version should already include some Spring Onion negi in my opinion. The presentation could be better but the taste was decent indeed with that seafood broth! ~ 6.9/10

 

 

 

Vanilla Egg Roll -
I tried both a Small and Large version of this and the bigger one was much better. It's eggy and moist, the cream was just right without splitting or too hard either. ~ 9/10

 

Matcha Roll Cake (Small) -
The 1st one I ate was way way too bitter. The one we got on the day after was much more balanced. Getting there... ~ 3/10

 

 

 

2nd Day's Matcha Roll Cake (Small) -
This was much better and very aromatic from the green tea cream, it tasted almost like it had Earl Grey or Black Tea in it for some reason with that smokiness. ~ 8/10

 

 

Strawberry Roll Cake - $60
This was also moist and creamy. The baked skin is now on the inside compared to the other rolls on offer. It makes it slightly less eggy aromatic, but overall this was still enjoyable. ~ 7/10

 

 

 

Matcha Cake with Adzuki Red Beans - $88
This is imported from Japan directly and was said to use green tea that is Certified on the Japan side. Unfortunately this was slightly too dry and the red beans were too sweet to balance it all. ~ 6/10

 

Orange Pekoe Tea -
The menu was not entirely correct as it was translated to carry Orange flavour - orange pekoe actually refers to the leaf stem and it is quite fragile and subtle in it's taste. At the beginning this didn't show this delicate structure, but the 2nd flush of this tea revealed it's very weak yet fragrant character. Very lovely. ~ 9/10

 

 

First Picked Green Tea - 初茶
This Japanese young green tea is akin to the first pick of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is logically from the 2012 harvest but was still more than adequate, very sweet and grassy, it reminds me of concentrated Matcha Yokan in flavour. The 2nd flush of this tea was weaker, and it won't survive a 3rd or 4th flush. But that 1st flush was super addictive indeed! ~ 10/10

 

 

 

 

Ease of Access:  4/5
Food:  ♕♕♕♕
Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun -  TBA

Address: 佐敦白加士街15號藍馬商業中心地下
G/F, The Lamma Commercial Centre, 15 Parkes Street, Jordan
Ph: 2737 2665

Robert Burns Night @ The Canny Man - (Hong Kong)

  Robert Burns Day is held on the 25th of Jan each year to commemorate their famous poet’s death,  and each year The Canny Man also celebrates this day over 3 days from the 24th to 26th of Jan.  The Set Dinner for 3 Courses is offered at a discount of $188 only,  which is a real bargain and begging for a taxi ride to the front door just to eat a plate of their sheep’s Haggis.  (Old Review:  here )

 

Scotch Broth -
It’s a little too thin but the aromatics from the celery especially was very strong.  The bread was crispy on the outside edge.  A lovely soup but could be more stew-like.  ~  7/10

 

 

Bushmills 10 Years Old Irish Malt – Double Shot $99 in Dram Glass
Said to carry a Floral and Salted Caramel flavour,  I deviated from the Scottish offerings just for testing it out food pairing possibilities. 

Smoked Salmon with Onion & Capers on Oatcakes -
Presented neatly with artistic hands who cares about food and looking pretty.   These were adorned with capers,  chopped onions,  equal length looking chives and right proportion of crème fraiche.   Very happy with the delicate preparation behind this dish  9/10

 

Haggis,  Neeps and Tatties with Gravy -
The organs taste is never strong here,  but it is better than nothing.  The swede mash was smooth and sweet,  the potato mash was not over powered by butter.  Overall this was a lovable dish if it could have more organs taste.   8/10

 

 

Pouring some Whisky onto the Haggis,
I just love eating it this way even though the gravy sauce has some of this infused already…

 

 

Happy Burns Day Tomorrow !!
The bookings are quite full so do call up before arriving. 
Burns Night Set Menu is served from 6pm to 10pm until 26th of Jan.
 

 

 

Ease of Access:  3.5/5  (In Wanchai but off Tram Track and MTR Station. Bar Area.)
Food:  ♕♕♕♕ 1/2

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun –  16:00pm to 02:00am

Address: 灣仔駱克道57-73號香港華美粵海酒店地庫
UG, Wharney Guang Dong Hotel Hong Kong, 57-73 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai
Ph: 2861 1935

魚鮮生 - (Hong Kong)

  When we 1st heard about being invited to do a Tasting Event at this fresh seafood shop – some Blogging Writers were a little apprehensive about visiting here.    However my family friends occasionally buy Raw Seafood from this place to cater for our home parties of more than 10 people - if you reserve accordingly as such,  the Quality of Seafoods and Fishes here are guaranteed fresh off the plane and it is way cheaper and can be fresher than buying it from CitySuper or a dedicated Sushi Shop.    You see because it is reasonably affordable enough, people just flock to here to polish off the stock quicker,  it’s a catch-22 situation and even on a weeknight this was full house.   It is filling in the middle niche market in-between.    The catch is?  I don't normally buy Sushi from here, which is another form of art altogether.  I am usually only interested in the freshness of seafood vs price point and here is where exactly lies their strongest point to me personally.

 

 

Tomatoes & Pickles -
The Burdock Roots were ok. This isn't very traditional Japanese but it has it's own market. Much like non-high end Japanese food in Taiwan is really localized yet can still be fresh.

 

Some Sake to Start Off our night..
Cold Sake pairs well with Sashimi.
I find that warm sake is better with Sushi with rice for some reason.

 

 

 

Sashimi Island for 4 Pax - $300 Each Person
With 11-12 different Items of multiple slices being offered, there is a legit reason why a lot of locals come here willingly to pay $300 for raw sashimi here. The Botan Ebi was super fresh and crunchy, the Scampi was even more surprising as it was also fresh and not limpy mealy.
- 乳龍蝦刺身 Scampi, Head is Fried
- 牡丹蝦刺身 Botan Ebi
- 加拿大海膽刺身 Canadian Urchin
- 翡翠螺刺身 Crystal Whelk
- 吞拿魚刺身 Tuna Akami
- 油甘魚腩刺身 Hamachi Yellowtail Toro
- 三文魚腩刺身 Salmon Toro
- 赤貝刺身 Akagai (Raw, many shops give boiled ones beware!)
- 目仁奈魚刺身 Mejina, in season
- 章紅魚刺身 Kanpachi Amberjack
- 鹿兒島黑毛和種A5和牛刺身 Kagoshima Wagyu Sashimi
- 磯煮鮑魚 Cooked Abalone
If you are Eating-in insist on being served the freshest ingredients to the Manager.
For Take-Out items like we do sometimes reserve everything a couple of days ahead to ensure:

 

 

The Canadian Sea Urchins -
You get a couple of pieces for each person and they suffered none of the melting pieces problem you sometimes encounter buying from poorly defrosted Uni. Wrapped into seaweed on top of a ball of rice. This was pretty good.

 

 

We had some other Sushi items on the night for Tasting, but I stick by my theory -
The most famous raw fish shops in Japan are Sushi Shops for a reason and not Sashimi Houses, because Sushi evolves into an art.  Over here their strongest selling point is their super fresh seafood being offered at an affordable price.   You can also order Sushi with rice too but if you quote me for that,  I am not going to be very amused..

 

 

Ease of Access:  3.5/5  (In Wanchai but off Tram Track.  Use GPS it’s just 1 street away.)
Food:  ♕♕♕♕ 1/2

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun – 11:00am to 23:00pm

Address: 灣仔活道1號A地下
G/F, 1A Wood Rd,, Wan Chai
Ph: 2574 1238

Longines Hong Kong Masters “Michelin 2 Star Meal Preview” at Gaggenau Showroom

Two Michelin Starred Chef Yves Mattagne from Belgium’s famous Sea Grill Restaurant has arrived in town to begin preparing his meals for the upcoming Longines Hong Kong Masters equestrian events. For further booking information please contact Tel. +852 2590 7011 or infohk@eemworld.com . The horse jumping events will concurrently happen in Paris and New York from the 28th Feb – 2nd March 2013. Masters Club VIP Tables can now be booked for the following 4 sessions:

- Dinner on Thursday 28th of February     
- Dinner on Friday 1st of March
- Lunch on Saturday 2nd of March
- Dinner on Saturday 2nd of March



 

Longines Hong Kong Masters - 
A global International Show Jumping event simultaneously in HK,  New York and Paris.

 

Gaggenau House Showroom -
The super famous Gaggenau Kitchen Appliance brand from Germany opened a showroom in Causeway Bay,  they do real classy mid-to-high end installations in your kitchens. I want one.  Even the timber planks installed on the left are imported straight from the Black Forest.

 

 

The Gaggenau Showroom and Facilities are a Chef’s Dream come true -

 

 

 

Prep Work -
If you have cooked in kitchens or at home this prepping step requires a lot of initial effort.  Here the prep bench was adequately spaced out.  These days I slacked off completely because of the same reason as HK apartments are small.  The passion is still there but cooking for yourself is confined within a budget in both time and monetary terms.   It’s about economy of scale & a need to share!

 

Gaggenau Oven with Adjustable Temperature - 
Here used just to warm up the serving plates and tea pots!   Talk about living a high life

 

 

Our 2 Starred Chefs from Belgium busy at preparing our Dishes -
Looking very pretty..

 

Dining Table at Gaggenau Showroom upstairs-

 

 

The Longines Masters & Gaggenau Menu today -

 

 

 

Wines are Sponsored by Antoine Moueix from Bordeaux -
This Sauvignon is of their 2013 vintage. 
Good balanced start and refreshing without being too acidic and all oaky.

 

 

Bread basket -
It’s decent enough for HK context.  You know how much I miss real bread but these were ok-ish at least.  I would happily eat them unlike some other very over-rated shops in town.. These were edible!

 

 

A Reminder that the Following Courses are to be served by your Michelin 2* Host from Belgium,  during the February 2013 Longines HK Masters event -

 

 

 

Raw Oyster & Scallop in Algae & Oyster Jelly,
Raifort Horseradish spiked Sour Cream, Cucumber & Belgian Caviar -
Quite oceanic and I liked the chopped oysters flavour on the scallops.  The caviars were also decent quality without being too salty.  The algae & oyster jelly could be stronger still.   ~ 8/10

 

 

 

Chef Yves Mattagne’s 2 Ravioli of Grilled Foie Gras & filled Egg Custard, 
Miso,  Duck & Yuzu Consommé,  with Smoked Baby Eel -
Amazing!  You can already smell the duck broth from a few meters away but the heaviness is balanced by the tart Yuzu & more umami by the Seaweed.  Super fragrantly balanced..   The Miso was just right,  but the equally perceivable component was 1stly the grilled Foie Gras inside which was then filled with egg custard into each individual raviolo.  So complex yet will be easily missed if you just take 1 big biteful chunk without noticing.  Topped with Toasted sesames and Smoky Baby Eels direct from Belgium.    Everyone thought this was amazing and out of this world and it carried all the attention to the micro details.  ~  12/10

 

More Bordeaux Red Wine to pair with the Next Course -
Surprisingly a fatty Cod fish.  Hope they do balance up well?!

 

 

Black Cod roasted with Cumin,  Pepper,  Saffron sauce,
Fennel,  Mussels & Confit Lemon -
Whilst the Black Cod was cooked really well,  it actually was a little under-seasoned and could do with even more of the confit lemon, cumin & saffron sauce with fennels it did mention.   But think of it like this?  Chef Yves has been only in town for less than 12 Hours and he is preparing this dish in a new Kitchen Showroom and with ingredients not in the same conditions as he usually has access to… !  He did very well already as it takes time to warm up.

 

Tainori 64% Chocolate Creme, Arabica Coffee Granite, Tahiti Vanilla Foam with
Fruit Meringues was a nice combination of flavours, textures & temperature -
Served with fruity tuile biscuits and berries.  Everyone inhaled this in no time,  the icy coffee granite really worked to assimilate with the vanilla crème and chocolate mousse playing as the middle-ground.  So lovely in a 3 dimensional way! ~  10/10

 

 

Chef Yves receives my Total Respect -
He thinks in a 3 Dimensional way as is apparent from his Menu planning and recipes,  trying to get the best balance out of it.     The food itself was also executed well despite him only having been in town for less than 24 hours.  Under the circumstances he instantly managed to match or out-perform many starred restaurants locally.  An impressive feat.

 

Some Gaggenau Espressi to finish  (with illy coffee) -
The grind setting can be adjusted.  Would you be happy if we installed one into your kitchen?   Personally I haven’t played around with thisto test it’s parameters to judge well – but it certainly looks like high end gadgetry though somewhat gimmicky.   I definitely enjoyed the food today and it was both glamorous and showy,  but also delivered more than reasonable expectations in both taste and sophistication!  Yum!  Kudos to the Chef.

 

 

Ease of Access:  4/5  (Asia-World Expo is Near Hong Kong International Airport, 5 minutes)
Food:  ♕♕♕♕♕ to ♕♕♕♕♕ 1/2

Opening Hours:
- Dinner on Thursday 28th of February
- Dinner on Friday 1st of March
- Lunch on Saturday 2nd of March
- Dinner on Saturday 2nd of March

For booking enquiries contact Tel. +852 2590 7011 or infohk@eemworld.com

Address:  Asia-World Expo Station,  near HKIA Airport
Ph:  +852 25907011