Mandarin Grill II @ Mandarin Oriental - (Hong Kong)

One of my outright favourite restaurants in Hong Kong and looking back at my Photo Albums,  this is already my 6th visit but I seem to have only posted intermittently as I think too many posts about here is too much of a spoiler to the ultimate experience!    One of my previous reviews can be found here:  Mandarin Grill (I).    This place isn’t totally flawless but it is at least exploratory and some people find certain dishes to be too similar to other International restaurants occasionally,  but Mandarin Grill always manages to spring a surprise to me and my dining companions.   It is definitely one of the top dining destinations for that very special occasion.   Their related Krug Room Private Dining space review can also be found here:  http://www.hkepicurus.com/2012/09/the-krug-room-hong-kong.html  and for me,  I actually prefer more the grander and main dining room here as the courses are served bigger and more convincing as a package!

Amuse Bouche -
Parmesan crusted cookies to start off with. 
Both options actually have a slightly different recipe as usual.  7/10

 

 

 

Truffled Gougere Puffs -
Best eaten when warm and so nicely presented on a piece of bark.  ~  8/10

 

An Arbois from Eastern France –
I ordered this Jura wine because it’s hard to come by in Hong Kong,  made with Savagnin Blanc,  which is related to the Traminer grapes family.   Wouldn’t say I really liked this but it was definitely unique in taste and harder to find.   Perks of being spoiled with choices..     ~  7/10

 

Puligny-Montrachet,  La Truffière par Robert Comte 2009 -
Really lovely Burgundy Chardonnay with intricate layers,  no tasting note as I only took a sip or two as it was my partner’s drink.   But definitely I can only recall fond memories of all the Wines I have drank at Mandarin Grill all these years,  as they are carefully hand-picked by the Sommelier each year.  Although they are not cheap by the glass but you can always trust their recommendations,  I would even say more than the food recs  ~  9/10 

 

 

 

Olive Spheres -
It’s pretty strong here as usual,  I have had this numerous times and it’s consistent.
Apparently more concentrated than the Catalunya version which I have yet to try to compare.   ~  8/10

 

 

 

Ocean Trout Slow-cooked at Low Temperature with Honey for 10 minutes -
This is an interesting recipe and an adaptation from an Austrian 2* restaurant.
This is cooked and placed in front of the customers for 10 minutes before they whisk it away,  then coming back already plated.   In the mean time,  other dishes arrive before it’s ready !

 

 

US Kumamoto Oyster with Cold Vichyssoise and Caviar -
A dish served on cold stones as already experienced at the Krug Room.  This was quite enjoyable and actually the balance was better than before this time with more apparent taste of ingredients.   ~  9/10

 

 

 

5 Olive Oils -
4 of the 5 Olive Oils are always featured here permanently.   But this time we still received 1 extra surprise.   Don’t be shy and request for all 5 EVOOs to be poured so you can experience them all at once.   The most expensive bottle here is easily $1000-$2000 each and to me,  it is all part of the overall package of dining here!   Why hold back when you fully paid for your meal,  like us?  I am not arrogant but I am definitely not shy.    ; )  









Dehydrated Leaves -
Part of the below Christmas Tree course.   Made with different veggies as we tested on the spot.









Art Piece -  Cauliflower and Foie Gras Puree, 
with Jamon Ham and Mushrooms,  Cheese snow,  and Black Trumpet.
An amazingly presented dish and so artistic.   The taste was also great and when they shaved the Ice on top,  we were kind of moved as it was during the middle of December Winter.  ~  8.5/10

Brioche toast with the Above Painting dish..

 

 

Remember the 10 Minute Trout above?  
Finally the Honey Slow-cooked Trout from North Seas arrives back again -
This time decorated with a carrot puree in Bee Hive shape and with Caviar and Crème Fraiche and herbs.   This was slightly under-seasoned but luckily less sweeter than I had anticipated from the cooking process.   If this was more saltier it will be a really balanced dish.   But as it is it was definitely awesome as a concept even if some Austrian restaurant is serving a similar version and you really have to compare them side by side to know the difference.   ~ 8/10

 

 

 

Onion Soup -
This is one of my favorite Courses here.  The onion consommé takes almost a month to make to ensure the flavors are robust enough,  and a Melting ‘Obulato’ Tea Bag in a Pot carries more spices, etc.    It’s a bit theatrical and reminds one of the Mad Hatter’s course at The Fat Duck too.  Me and my dining partner somehow thought it needed some cheese element to be even more complete!  Albeit it was definitely fun but yes the cheese?!   I also previously tried a Tomato Soup version on a separate occasion which was also decently intense.  ~  8.5/10

 

 

Challans Duck with Rolled Apples,  Cabbage,  Truffle Toast and Jus Reduction -
This course was only ordered because I really wanted my date to try the Venison dish I have had previously,  which was really impressive in both presentation and taste.   The kitchen said the ingredients weren’t stable and suggested I order this instead…    Truth be told,   this is a very big difference with what I had in mind especially if you have PREVIOUSLY experienced that Venison Dish.    It was like it came out from a totally different kitchen.    @@   ~  4/10











Some Red Burgundy from Beaune and Italian Amarone to pair with the Duck and Lamb dishes -
Wine Pairing at Mandarin Grill is always spot-on for me and that’s based on empirical statistics.   The Santa Sofia Amarone for example was less sweeter than the norm but worked so well with the gamey lamb below with a hint of spice.   The Domaine de Montille Beaune was well structured but soft with finesse,  most importantly,  instantly likeable by everyone if not predictable..   Certainly suited the novice drinkers like us easily  ; )

 

 

3 Parts of Welsh Lamb -  with Lamb Shoulder,  Lamb Ribs and Leg with Grilled Celeriac -
The base of the plate is lined with a spinach puree and herbal sauce in the shape of a Cow,  which from memory used to be the base for a separate Beef dish.   All the parts were cooked perfectly,  the lamb shoulder was more saltier on the certain bites which were less dense and softer, since they absorbd in more cooking liquid.   Interesting finding as each bite was different!    Liked this overall  ~  8.5/10











Barley Cooked in Lamb Jus as a Condiment -   Part of the Above Main Course
This was really gamey actually,  and as we were becoming full by this stage and it became quite rich.  I really enjoyed this though as it’s quite unique for HK Context.  Liked the bold concept..









Pea Flavored Salt -
To go with the lamb…
Very interesting combination and it worked.  Go figure but it was fun but good.   It’s all part of the fun dining at Mandarin Grill.   Not everything always works but the hit rate is sort of high.

 

 

 

Peanuts and Chestnuts Dessert -
The maple syrup flavoured leaves were said to be yoghurt,  but somehow tasted like goat’s milk to me as they were very gamey.    The rest of it was also a nice surprise with many contradictions in concept -  no spoilers from me here!   A really lovely ending to the meal if not for their failed Duck dish which was really far from the previous Venison dish.       ~  10/10

 

Edible Cinnamon,  Star Anise and Vanilla Pods -
This was a bit of a surprise,  they tasted so strong of their advertised tastes and 2ndly they look just amazingly like the real thing indeed!    The Petits Fours or Mignardises here have always been playful,  but this was more than we wished for in a fun way.   We couldn’t finish them but we took the doggies bag to smuggle some away for later consumption.   The meal had more highs than lows compared to the past but it was still worth us coming back for the Nth time.   ~  10/10

Price:   $1600 Per Person + 10%.  
Food:  ♕♕♕♕♕  to  ♕♕♕♕♕ 1/2

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sat -   12:00pm - 23:00pm

Address: 中環干諾道中5號香港文華東方酒店
Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central
Ph: 2825 4004

博多一幸舍 Hakata Ikkousha - (Hong Kong)

 博多一幸舍  [Hakata Ikkousha]  is originally from 九州 Kyushu of Japan and well recognized for their Pork Tonkotsu broth ramens.   Although tonkotsu soup bases are becoming quite cliched as there are dozens more styles in Japan,  their proliferation all over the globe is a genuine sign of it’s deserved success much like the current Bao movement (pun intended!).    In Japan,  Hakata Ikkousha is rated highly along with the likes of Jangara,  Hide-Chan and Ichiran Ramen.   Their original Hakata Ikkousha shop was permanently featured as one of the best rated  Tabelog.com  Ramen Shops in Kyushu.  Over here in Hong Kong they have also recently opened up an independent shop which breaks away from their previous Ramen Champion location.

 

 

吉村幸助,  the Founder of Hakata Ikkousha Ramen -
Quite well regarded for his Pork Tonkotsu ramen in Hakata city of Kyushu.  

 

 

 

Using a mixture of secret ingredients and only well-soaked pork bone -
It is suppose to be very creamy and ridding of the heavy pork smell.   “こってり Kotteri” thick style soup is already expected here, just without the floating back bone fat on the soup surface (背脂).

 

Customizable Menu -
I personally appreciate this customizable ordering style but outside of Japan,  I do think it opens up the Pandora’s Box?   My reason for saying this is because Hong Kong Hakata Ikkousha re-tuned their recipes for what they calculate Hong Kong customers expect – it’s meant to be less salty and less oily.  So if a Customer wants to eat the exact same flavour as the default flavor in Japan -  how should we go about ordering it?  I actually much prefer shops to make their ramens to be 99% the same as their Japan counterpart.   Hands up if you agree?    









Original Tonkotsu Ramen with Egg and Beni Shoga Ginger -
I have had this in Japan and also their previous shop at Ramen Champion at Jordan.  This version was surprisingly more on the lighter side in terms of soup broth density.   I already ordered the original Japanese flavour and not toned-down version,  and although this was correct in Saltiness, it could do with much more Creaminess and Thickness to compensate to be a true Hakata style broth base contender.    ~  6.5/10

 

Noodles Cooked Super-Hard..
I always order Thin Noodles as super-hard as they will eventually go soft after some time soaking in the hot broth anyway.  Wait for the right moment to slurp them all up at the right time.   The noodles didn’t have much taste however.

 

 

Soft Boiled Egg -
This was cooked just right.  It was runny enough,  but we expected more Eggy taste or Marination taste.   The Egg is not already sliced in half,  because the Hakata Ikkousha kitchen believes the runny egg yolk shouldn't run down to the soup base and affect the base broth's taste.  ~  6/10

 

 

Pork Collar - 豚肩肉
Actually this looked different to my previous Ikkousha experiences either in Japan or in HK’s previous shop.   Less round but thicker,  over 3 different bowls this performed differently..     ~ 6 - 8/10

Black Sesame and Fried Garlic Oil Ramen -   黑芝麻炸蒜油
This was more Kumamoto 熊本 style by default,  not too far away from central Kyushu.  It is supposed to be heavier and more oilier,  and the version today was more about Black sesame though.   It was likeable but not as heavy as expected.   I liked this personally than the original Tonkotsu version above,  only because the original was missing layering compared to the Japanese real version ~  7/10

 

 

Mentaiko,  Seafood and Pork Tonkotsu Ramen - 紅拉麵 明太子海鮮
Another Kyushu Specialty the slightly spicy Mentaiko fish roe made the broth base much more exotic.  Although not the most basic recipe which put Hakata Ikkousha into their fame -  this tweaked version had us swooning more than the above Original Tonkotsu version.   Quite Likeable.   ~  7.5/10

博多一口餃子 – Hitoguchi One Bite Gyozas
Hakata Ikkousha is actually quite famous for their Gyozas.  The version here is smaller in size,  named correctly to be taken with 1 bite in the mouth.   If only they can cook it more crispier and even on the surface...    ~  6.9/10

博多竜田揚げ - Hakata Tatsuta-Age Chicken
This was moist and came with some spicy dry dip.  Some people said this could arrive with more wetter Mayo sauce.  But this is how it is more usually done with the side salty spice mix.   Personally I thought this was done really well and a highlight,  because it is original in recipe.   ~  8/10

 

 

 

Fried Rice - チャーハン
A prerequisite of any Japanese ramen meals.  I liked this Fried Rice course although it was too salty.   As least it was dry fluffy,  but not too enjoyable without much distinctive flavours within.. ~  6.5/10

 

 

The Whole Experience was Re-adjusted to Hong Konger’s expected taste -
I dislike this approach.  The Ramen Sauce on the left is made of 20 different seafood based ingredients and usually already added into the base soup,  but here and not available at the original Japanese shops it is acting more like a 返し Kaeshi sauce,  usually reserved for 長浜 Nagahama style ramens for re-tuning the broth to your expected saltiness... I think this shop got a few bits mixed up,  but Hong Kongers only have themselves to blame too!  Most people curse shops for putting MSG in the soup when they become thirsty afterwards,  only because 7 Million people here can’t understand the correlation between Umami and a long boiled soup broth with garlic or spices.  Most HK customers also expect richness or Kokumi,  yet they just don’t expect as much Saltiness nor Umami input, and they can’t tolerate any floating fats.   あつさりこってり style is actually precisely what Hong Kong people expect.  This shop meanwhile tried to re-adjust the formula to be it あっさり薄い for the HK market.  I think they will be much more successful if they can just make it like the Original Japanese version!

 

 

 

Price:  $150  (Meal was by Arrangement by UFood Magazine)
Ease of Access:   4/5
Food:  ♕♕♕ 1/2 to ♕♕♕♕

Address:
銅鑼灣登龍街39號地下
G/F, 39 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay,  Hong Kong Island

凱悅軒 The Chinese Restaurant - (HK)

 There are 3 Hyatt Hotels in Hong Kong.   凱悅軒 The Chinese Restaurant is inside Tsim Sha Tsui’s Hyatt Regency Hotel side.   This hotel used to be located on the other side of Nathan Road for many decades and now that 凱悅軒 has re-opened and also HUGO’s,  it has become a vastly popular dining spot with many dedicated foodies and bloggers in town.  Surprisingly however,  many other locals, foreigners and even the Michelin guys haven’t caught on yet with here.   This restaurant is currently rated as one of the top Cantonese restaurants in town by the most dedicated foodies.  

 

Meal begins with some Fried White Baits and Peanuts,  and a variety of Sauces -

 

Ice Bathed Fresh Abalone in Master stock,  Jelly Fish and Pickled Ginger - 冰鎮滷水九孔鮑
This was done ok.  I liked the crunchy texture of both the Abalone and Jelly Fish,  but may be I expected more flavour from the master stock sauce description??   ~  7/10

 

BBQ Charsiu Pork -  蜜汁叉燒
A lot of foodies vote this as the No.1 Char Siu in town right now.   I have to say I was one of those people as during a previous visit this was spot on balanced.  This time around,  it had the right marination and glazing,  but was a little under-charred and not marbled enough.   It’s still good quality but one can’t help of my previous experience here.   I guess every little detail always counts in the end?   ~   7 – 9/10

 

 

Salt & Pepper Fried Tofu Cubes - 八味豆腐
This was fried cleanly without residual oily,  apparently one of Chef Lo’s unique skills to make everything healthier and not greasy.  I was definitely impressed as this was crispy on the outside but retained a good tofu taste inside.   A must order entrée.   ~  9.5/10

 

 

Steamed Eggplants with Chili,  Garlic,  Soy & Sesame Sauce - 金蒜醬油蒸茄子
This was one of my favorite dishes.  The combination was just right and yet again this didn’t come across as oily,  but they were packed with balanced flavours.   A must order dish.  ~  10/10










Doubled Boiled Four Treasures Soup in Papaya - 四寶燉萬壽果  $198
Comes with 香花,  Bamboo piths, Crab Meat,  Roasted Duck,  Chinese Ham, etc.   The soup was more on the savory side like a Winter Melon soup but in Papaya shell instead.  Really lovely soup and full of Chicken essence as a base.    8/10

 

 

Claypot Lobster,  Ginger and Vermicelli noodles - 乾逼粉絲龍蝦煲 $580
This was really impressive.  Made using local green lobsters,  this was fried quickly then braised wth the vermicelli together.   Cooked just right to medium and the sauce penetrates the noodles so well.  An absolutely delightful dish and at only $580 fixed, rather than at market price.   10/10

 

 

 

Korean Black Garlic stirred-fried Japanese Saga Wagyu Beef & Asparagus -
有機黑蒜炒佐賀和牛粒 $980
This was pretty good and you can definitely tell it’s full blood wagyu beef,  although it is a bit overly tenderized for my personal liking.   The price is also a bit high but the large portion makes up for it.   The highlight was actually the Organic Korean Black garlic,  which are more potent and less mushy than the norm and helped enhance the whole dish.   If the beef was less tenderized this would be really spot-on!   ~  7/10









Jasmine Tea Smoked Chicken - 茉莉花茶燻雞 $220/Half
Some blogger foodie once recommended this and it became an instant hit in Hong Kong.   I have had and posted this before and this time around it was still very smoky yet elegant!   Usually Smoked Chickens in Cantonese cuisine use a lot of sugar and rice,  this version was more biased towards the Jasmine tea.   The yellow skinned chicken was fat enough but not too greasy,  the chicken meat ever so tender.   Need to come for this dish alone me thinks… ~  9/10

 

上湯浸豆苗 - Simmered Pea Shoots in Superior Broth
The portion was quite big and it came adorned with finely julienned Chinese Yunnan Ham.  Actually this is such a trusted combo,  and at the end of the day it always boils down to the quality of the young pea shoots and the broth.  Here it was pretty good indeed.   ~  8/10

 

 

 

Seafood,  Dried Scallops,  with Fried White and Red Rice   - 金瑤海鮮炒紅糙米飯  $180
True to what we heard and expect from the Chef,  the rice base here was cooked non-greasy again and healthy.   One has to know that most dishes in Hong Kong involving Red Rice is bounded to be super-oily by default,  so this version here is so appreciated.  The seafood taste could be strong still and I somehow expected more red rice ratio.    ~  7/10

 

 

Pineapple Bun Crust,  Baked Tart Base,  with Glutinous Rice and Salted Egg Yolk filling - 
酥皮流沙盞 $38
I have never eaten this before but when other foodies posted it on separate occasions,  I was like it is so complicated as a concept borrowing from 3 or even 4 different desserts,  how does it even work?  Confusion?   But when I received this finally I have to say this was one amazing finishing dessert.   So far there has been quite a few dishes that I would come back for already.   Fussy but it really worked this time!   ~  10/10

 

 

Fried Ice Cream with House-Made Vanilla Ice Cream -
A lot of Overseas shop do a Fried Ice Cream in Batter,  but guess what?  One seldom sees this in Hong Kong.  This version had quite a thick Tempura like batter but it was really good in the end and liked most of the fried food above not greasy.   ~  8/10

 

We also had other Desserts and Many other Dishes previously during our own paid visit -
The food here in a lovely Hotel Setting was surprisingly very affordable too.
I have to say that personally to me, some dishes are as good as they get in Hong Kong. Recipes wise, some are very unique. Some are more old school.   It probably depends on what you order to make a complete meal here and when you order the Best of the Best items,  they are likely to be beter…   Remember that in many Chinese restaurants in town, not every dish is going to be perfect unless you order specifically.  Over at here I think quite a few dishes hit the right spot, no wonder so many foodies love it here and are coming back next week again!

 

 

 

Price:  $350.  Visited Twice.  Once by myself and afterwards by Invitation.
Ease of Access:   5/5
Food:  ♕♕♕♕  to ♕♕♕♕♕

Address: 尖沙咀河內道18號尖沙咀凱悅酒店3樓
18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Ph: + 852 2311 1234