感謝男朋友的安排，今年的生日飯很滿意！生日當晚來到了位於香港藝術館的的澳洲菜餐廳Hue Dining。餐廳的裝潢雅緻，座位能飽覽醉人的維港景色，真的很好奇為甚麼晚上沒有人來吃，整晚差不多就只有我們一枱客人，整個就是包場的感覺 (笑)
⧐ Six Course Tasting Menu HK$950 per person ⧏
選擇了6道菜的嚐味餐單，每道餐點都很精緻，從上桌節奏、餐點擺盤以及味道，全部都很喜歡♡而且服務也很好，每道菜式上桌時都有簡單介紹～點餐後很快就送上酸種麵包，麵包外脆內軟很好吃🥖⧐ FIRST COURSE – Bluefin Tuna ⧏
第一道菜是藍鰭吞拿魚刺身，配以檸汁醃魷魚、溫室蕃茄、手指青檸、刁草醬及蕃茄紫蘇油醋汁。厚切吞拿魚刺身令口感更豐富，滿口都是吞拿魚香，很滿足！搭配清新的醬汁及配菜，令人非常開胃的Starter~⧐ SECOND COURSE – Lobster Tortellini ⧏
第二道菜是龍蝦意大利雲吞，向來喜歡吃餃子雲吞類的我，當看到餐牌上面的這個菜式令我很期待，但由於餡料是龍蝦肉，口感因而較為結實，結論我還是會比較喜歡原始的意大利雲吞。配菜有青豆及翠玉瓜，清新而不累贅，搭配的清湯也是用龍蝦尾熬製而成，湯汁清澈味道鮮甜～⧐ THIRD COURSE - Caviar⧏
第三道菜是魚子醬搭配橄欖油雪糕，選用了N25魚子醬，矜貴奢華的感覺！橄欖油的形態是一顆顆的，有如魚子醬般，配以簡單的雲呢拿雪糕，能夠突顯出魚子醬和橄欖油本身的香味♡⧐ FOURTH COURSE – Guinea Fowl ⧏
第四道菜是畿內亞珠雞，選用法國走地雞，肉質結質但不韌，配菜有甜粟米、辣肉腸及黑松露蓉～旁邊的油封腿肉丸也很好吃，相對前面幾道，這會是比較濃味的一道菜～⧐ MAIN COURSE – Rangers Valley Boneless Rib ⧏
來到第五道菜，亦即是主菜，可選魚或牛，我們都選擇了牛。煙燻牛腩食落沒有太大煙燻味，五成熟剛剛好，外皮烤得香脆，裡面的肉質是粉嫩的顏色，賣相很吸引。最令人驚喜的是旁邊的千層薯仔，薯餅中間竟然夾著牛腩，這樣的做法倒是第一次見，味道和口感也很好。作為配角的焦糖洋蔥、傳統蘿蔔、韭菜及牛骨髓汁全部都很出色，能夠很好地配合和襯托主角的牛肉～⧐ DESSERT – Raspberry Tart & Apple Financier⧏
甜品可以自選，我們分別選了紅桑子撻和蘋果杏仁蛋糕。甜品賣相不俗，紅桑子撻以紅桑子慕斯、砵酒蜜餞、百畦香海綿及開心果配朱古力醬組合而成，旁邊更配有開心果雪糕，超有驚喜！酸酸甜甜的味道很清新，很適合夏天的一道甜品；至於蘋果杏仁蛋糕則以焦糖蘋果杏仁蛋糕、雲尼拿意式軟芝士、香料碎及杏仁雪糕配搭而成，口感相對較為Rich一點，蘋果杏仁香氣馥郁，加上芝士營造出濃厚甜蜜的感覺～

生日月份又有生日飯吃，今天吃意大利菜👍。自從去年11月前往意大利🇮🇹深度旅遊之後，我就更喜愛吃意大利菜🇮🇹。可能在意大利旅遊期間心情開朗，在每一間餐廳所吃到的意大利菜式都覺得很美味，尤其嚐到非常特別的意大利Pasta，種類非常豐富，長/短/圓/扁/大/意大利水餃... 等等。每次在當地吃飯第一道菜都是先上意粉或意大利燴飯，之後第二道菜才上肉類或海鮮 (看看以下餐牌就知道)，真是讀萬卷書不如行萬里路😂。大部份人認為意大利菜就是吃 Pizza（薄餅🍕）、Pasta（意粉🍝）和 Risotto（燴飯🥘）；配菜就主要是蕃茄🍅、肉丸和海鮮🐙…等等。 這的確是沒有錯，在香港吃意大利菜，貴價的高級餐廳有Grissini、Sabatini、 Tosca…等等；而親民價大眾化的有薩莉亞、意粉屋和Pizza Hut。基本上意粉和薄餅都是大部分西式餐廳都有提供的食物，特別是意粉🍝。所以意大利菜可以說是非常普及，水準參差是必然的。
「La Taverna」 是一間老牌的意大利餐廳， 賣點是保留了20 世紀 60 年代的義大利傳統家居設計及正宗的意大利菜餚。

餐廳設在半地下庫內，從餐廳地面門口通過一條下行樓梯進入餐廳。餐廳的裝修頗有風格：有低矮的拱門，天花板上懸掛著數百個以乾稻草包裹的傳統酒瓶🍾，地面是棕色方型地𥖁(很像到了釀酒，或釀意大利陳醋的地方)；翻看餐廳網頁資料，餐廳的裝潢保留了意式傳統家居設計，和原有的全意大利家具和配件；靠近街的一面牆的上面還有一整條透明玻璃，可以從街外看到餐廳內的環境，感覺很有外國特色。我們一行共六人，餐廳安排了我們的餐桌擺放在餐廳內其中一道拱門下面， 人齊後開始點餐：餐廳的餐牌也是非常簡單，主要的只有兩張餐牌，選擇不多。頭盤一款湯加另外四款選擇和一個小吃拼盤；主菜是一款燴飯和四款意大利麵；共享主菜就有三款: T骨扒、安格斯肉眼及海鱸魚；甜品四款及一般餐廳的飲品咖啡或茶等；另一張就是飲品的價目表。還有一張Wine List，但我當天沒有拍照。
~ COTES DE PROVENCE ROSE LES CHARM 🍾🥂($410)
為了增加氣氛，我們隨便叫了一瓶ROSÉ一同分享。~ Ice Lemon Tea ($45)
有朋友不喝酒，所以叫了一杯凍檸檬茶； 
~ Bread ($28)
餐廳提供每人一件免費餐包，之後我們要求refill，所以餐廳加收了$28麵包錢😤。頭盤
~ Minestrone soup🍲 (HK$88)
湯只有一款 - 意大利雜菜湯，用料多，蔬菜足夠，湯夠熱，不會太酸，不錯👍。我們叫了三份，然後share每人半碟湯。~ Ham and Melon ($128)
根據餐廳的餐牌表示這一款火腿是叫聖丹尼爾火腿 （San Daniele ham)， google說聖丹尼爾位於意大利的北部，火腿產量不多，但在意大利卻排名第二，緊貼排第一的巴馬火腿；聖丹尼爾火腿味道強烈，比巴馬火腿更甘濃。 意大利火腿價格相宜，而很多人喜歡配蜜瓜吃。（個人認為因為蜜瓜可以中和火腿的鹹味，蜜瓜的清甜可以帶出火腿的甘甜味。）

火腿配蜜瓜當然是一流，不過最可惜的是這裡的蜜瓜竟然只是薄薄的一片，與火腿同一厚度，根本吃不出蜜瓜的清甜味道。老實說，我是第一次吃到餐廳用蜜瓜片上桌，這特別的吃法，我自己就不太喜歡了。

我亦吃不出這一片聖丹尼爾火腿有何特別？雖然火腿入口肉質是柔軟的，亦有甘味，但與一般在超市買到的巴馬火腿分別不大。這一碟收$128 的聖丹尼爾火腿個人認為不太值！~ Grilled Italian octopus🐙 ($198)
烤章魚入口肉質夠腍，畢竟是雪藏的海鮮鮮味不太足夠，而且份量不多；配菜薯蓉反而夠細緻滑溜比較好吃；火箭菜新鮮；不過配合橄欖加蕃茄醬令這道菜的味道又有鹹味和酸味，卻缺乏了烤的感覺，我個人覺得不太合襯😕；主菜
~ Prawn Risotto🍤 ($228) 
個人認為這一道菜應該是全晚做得最好的，有意大利飯的精髓，入口感覺每一粒米都吸收了蝦的味道；餐牌指明是蝦燴飯即表示主要食材就是蝦，但竟然也只得兩隻中蝦，好像少了一點點吧😔，而因為我手慢所以蝦的味道我沒有品嚐到😤；~ Carbonara, cured pork cheek🍝 ($188)
豬頰肉卡邦尼意粉的質感OK，上面灑滿pecorino芝士粉也非常惹味，不過豬頰肉的份量不多而且很細粒；~ 290g Rib eye 🥩($398)
下單時要求這個肉眼扒的熟度是 medium rare 即三成熟，但上枱時發現這塊肉眼扒竟是差不多全熟，所以我們要求餐廳廚師重做；後來再上枱的肉眼扒，這是三成熟嗎😧？開玩笑吧！大家可以看看才作評價；算了，難道要再換一次嗎😓？$398 吃這一塊切開的肉眼扒，我自己就很不滿意啦🤦‍♀️；~ SeaBass in lobster bisque🐟 ($288)
這一道海鱸魚的肉質算是鮮嫩，配菜只有幾條火箭菜和一些龍蝦醬汁（不過這個龍醬汁與蝦燴飯的醬汁好像沒有多大分別？）；上甜品前餐廳送了我們每人一杯清新的檸檬飲料 (餐廳唯一免費的飲品)甜品
~ Tiramisu ($78)
最後我們選了意大利Tiramisu作為甜品，傳統家庭式做法，好吃但沒有驚喜。餐廳幫忙插上蠟燭和寫上Happy birthday字樣，餐廳職員還替我們拍照，很感謝我的朋友替我慶祝生日🎂🥰。總結「La Taverna」 餐牌簡單讓選擇有困難的人也容易選擇，我們 order 了九款食物已經超過了餐牌內食物數量一半以上。廚師烹調的技巧並不複雜，食材也非常簡單，而這間餐廳是沒有Pizza提供的，真正是像家庭式的餐廳。 餐廳位於尖沙咀旅遊區，價錢並不便宜，性價比不高。 但如果想感受一下意大利用餐的環境這裏是值得推介的👍。

討論一下「La Taverna」 的室內佈局， 餐廳所用的餐桌屬於小型，二人對着坐感覺距離很親近，非常適合熱戀中的情侶😍，不過我們六人其實感覺很擠迫；又因我們餐枱擺放的位置樓底不高，再加上在拱門下面令我們感覺很有壓迫感。我個人認為如果只是兩個人用餐，應該問題也不大，但是我們六個人三張小型餐桌，上面有兩盞枱燈、每人一隻餐碟一份刀叉水杯、六個酒杯加兩籃麵包，已經沒剩多少空位。 先上桌三碟湯+3個碗(share 湯)， 盛湯的湯碟非常大，桌面已經沒有空位了，湯還未喝完，其他菜又不斷上桌，加上餐廳用的餐碟又是很大隻，一隻碟已佔了枱面的一半，弄得大家要快快吃完，好讓餐廳職員把用完的餐碟收走，再放另一碟上枱。我記得去年11月在意大利威尼斯旅遊區內的一家餐廳內進餐，餐廳內擺滿了密密麻麻的桌椅，走路也要側身，相當擠迫，那裏的餐桌與這裡一樣非常細小👇。但意大利其他地方用膳的餐廳就比較正常，整個威尼斯都充滿遊客的旅遊區的餐廳應該為了做多一點生意也沒有辦法。建議如果人多在「La Taverna」內進餐，最好分開點餐，即是先點前菜和餐酒，差不多吃完才點其他菜式，那麼 就不用趕着吃完以騰出空位放另一碟食物， 可以舒適地慢慢享用美味的食物；不過一定要確認沒有限時用餐，因為現在很多餐廳都只限時一個半小時左右，我們當天是星期五晚上好像也是沒有限時的，否則一個半小時可能不夠呢！

已到過沙田馬場的喜馬當先及百勝廳用餐，今次來到餐點價位更為大眾化的出閘JUMP。JUMP的模式偏向快餐店形式，先到收銀處點餐，然後自行取餐。在網上訂座時已付款，所以在收銀處是主要是為凍飲加錢而付款。進出餐廳的識別label以打開了的閘廂為設計，配合餐廳名「出閘」。 當日適逢《寶馬香港打吡大賽》主要賽事，每位價錢為HK$220，一般普通賽事的賽馬日每位價錢則為HK$170，價錢相差得不會太過份。這個價錢是膽拖三的餐飲組合， 一份主菜拖一款餐湯、一款甜品及一杯飲品。日間賽事的午餐供應時間為12:00 - 15:00，15:00開始轉為供應茶餐。茶餐必須預訂，每份另加$46，而我們這次並沒預訂茶餐。
雖然JUMP的價位相宜，但餐廳的佔地都廣，座位亦不少。除了有寬闊的露台位置，可讓食客直接觀看賽道上的實事外，還有樓上一層會用作課堂場地之用來講解賽馬。 意式燴燒牛肉配薯仔蔬菜，有3大塊牛肉，賣相不錯。醬汁味道香濃，薯仔烤得香又帶點微脆，惟牛肉稍稍overcooked，肉質韌，不夠軟稔，有點失色。 芥末籽燒原隻春雞配忌廉薯扒意大利瓜，燒春雞都幾大隻，燒得皮脆肉嫩，仍能保持肉汁！芥末籽醬香濃惹味，與燒春雞的味道很夾！忌廉薯有薄薄一層脆脆芝士面，薯仔香滑，富有芝味。這隻「膽」完勝！ 餐湯有匈牙利牛肉湯及蘆筍忌廉湯，各點兩碗。牛肉湯內有些薄碎牛肉片，入口有淡淡牛香。忌廉湯一碗太鹹，一碗正常，要自己將兩碗溝勻。 甜品是脆皮朱古力泡芙及藍莓芝士餅 (低糖)，朱古力泡芙的脆皮面猶如菠蘿包那種脆皮，泡芙微暖，內裡有流心朱古力漿，味道OK。反而低糖藍莓芝士餅比想像中好吃，本來怕低糖的味道會好淡，結果出來的味道剛剛好，不會淡亦不會太甜膩，藍莓醬亦滿滿，好吃！飲品質素則屬正常。
可以拖的三隻「腳」，也能讓人選到不錯的「腳」啊！但整體食物水平有點不平均呢～～

📍Bacco (萬年街) (西貢) 📍西貢萬年街21號地舖 🟡印度餐前小食：Chicken 65 $118 🟡Chicken Chettinad 有咖喱雞之皇的稱號 $120 🟡Paneer butter Masala 用番茄、牛油、印度香料煮成的芝士 $98 🟡Laccha Parantha 麥粉千層烤餅 $31 🟡Kashmiri Pulao 什果飯 $62 假期最鍾意去西貢行吓，踏進位於萬年街的Bacco印度餐廳，優雅舒適的環境立刻吸引了我的目光。餐廳佔地兩層，設計別具特色，比人一種輕鬆悠閒的氛圍，非常適合放鬆享受一頓充滿異國風情的美食盛宴。 餐前小食Chicken 65，好好食，用芝麻籽和咖喱葉調味，有啲似咕嚕肉！炸咗個皮加炸咗嘅雞加啲甜酸味嘅醬汁！口感極佳的曼加羅爾風味雞肉！ Chicken Chettinad被譽為"咖喱之王"的南印度經典菜式，入口即能感受到濃郁的黑胡椒味，令人回味無窮！車里南雞肉咖喱來自坦米爾納德邊境地區，雖然車里人以素食聞名，但這道菜卻成為其代表作，被稱為"香料之王"黑胡椒咖喱！ Paneer Butter Masala用番茄、牛油和各種印度香料烹調的芝士菜餚，色澤誘人，鮮香濃郁。印度奶酪黃油咖喱搭配上薄脆的多層次麥粉千層烤餅Laccha Parantha！絕配！ Kashmiri Pulao什果飯係喀什米爾香料飯，以藏紅花香米飯搭配各種水果和印度香料烹製。香氣撲鼻而來，飽含各種香料和果仁，為這頓印度風味大餐畫上了完美的句號。 另外，朋友唔飲酒，叫咗杯朱古力，超濃郁，勁正！不過咁大個酒櫃，冇理由唔飲酒！Cocktail 椰奶味好重，清甜可口！估你唔到咁好飲！係一間好好品質的印度餐廳，下次黎再試吓其他菜式同Cocktail！

是次在周未的晚上到訪，餐廳九成滿，於今時今日的香港已經算很少見了。 上菜程序有次序，會逐樣逐樣菜式呈上，不會予人匆忙混亂的感覺。每種餐點都會有侍應主動提供簡單的介紹。 作為一間新派中菜，由前菜到甜品的確能充份感受到中西交融的元素：以西餐的手法處理中式餐點。 服務方面也配得上餐廳定位，有人主動鋪餐巾，去廁所有人帶領，外帶食物時會主動收走打包。唯一扣分位是漏了一個單，但我們在付帳時只提了一句，餐廳也沒有質疑我們便退掉費用。 蝦多士 配 蛋黃醬 表面的黑白芝麻很香很足。外脆內軟，炸衣薄身，蝦肉厚實，不過蝦滑稍嫌沒有鮮味 （雖然官網說「只選用最新鮮時令的本地食材」，但我對此抱有保留態度）。剛剛炸起，一口咬下去熱氣騰騰，但仍難以掩蓋油膩感。蛋黃醬沒有特別。整體合格，但不特別推薦。 蔥油餅 配 腐乳乳酪 原本對蔥油餅的印象是類似酒樓薄罉，這裡竟是墨西哥餡餅的厚身做法，兩邊餅皮煎得乾脆，中間蔥餡軟糯。上邊是混合了醋的蔥絲和洋蔥絲沙律，把本來就不重的油膩感徹底去掉。醬汁有驚喜，腐乳味如果不是侍應主動介紹的話幾乎感覺不到，但卻成功令乳酪在酸滑之餘顯得醇厚、有層次感。不吃腐乳的人請放心，你也可以吃得很舒服。 龍井茶薰鴿 配 豉油 本來以為就像乳鴿一般要啃骨，但這裡很貼心的先把肉都起出來，避免了滿地狼藉的感覺，讓食客在吃中餐時也能保持西餐的儀態。肉質嫰滑，煙薰味濃而不嗆，不用配豉油已經很夠味。誠意之作。 煙薰三黃雞 配 蔥油 （半隻） 侍應見我們人數少，主動建議可以只叫半隻品嘗 （菜單沒有注明）。 雞皮緊緻爽彈，如果是雞皮愛好者必定喜歡（可惜我就怕肥了）。肉質嫰滑不柴，雖然是冰鮮雞但也醃得很入味。稍嫌可惜是比較油膩，整個碟底部都充滿油脂。如果能先於廚房用吸油紙把油吸走才上菜會讓視覺及味覺更舒服。 黑毛豬叉燒 以前叉燒首推明閣，但自疫情以後的兩次回訪都顯得平庸，不禁暗嘆往事只能回味--但今天終於讓我找回對叉燒的初戀感覺。 標榜用伊比利亞黑毛豬所成的叉燒，老實說豬的品種我真的不懂分辨，但至少我知道是最重要的半肥瘦。部位我估計是用上妃排，才會有這種腍中帶爽的感覺。表層焦香，肉質爽滑，蜜汁香甜，吃下去還有回甘的味道。已經成為了我2024年的叉燒排行榜首位。 合桃費南雪配自家製雪糕 如果不清楚費南雪是甚麼，可以想像為加了果仁和合桃的 madeleine。蛋糕鬆軟得來又有口感，滿口果仁香，值得推介。跟餐的是咖啡雪糕，香濃軟滑。我覺得合桃蛋糕應該考慮配上清新口味的雪糕，因為本來果仁已經是比較厚、膩的食材，但以咖啡消滯似乎未嘗不可。 薑汁蕃薯蛋捲 這餐品只有簡單一句的形容：用刀叉進食的蕃薯糖水。蕃薯已經被磨成蓉，口感軟滑，和蛋糕的fusion也顯得和諧。如果討厭薑味的人請避免。蛋捲很出色，反而我已經對旁邊的雪糕亳無印象了。 芝麻豆腐布甸 本來前菜叫了一個杞子凍豆腐，但竟然漏了單，所以最後轉了這個豆腐甜品。 由上到下有三層：芝麻薄脆，豆腐布甸，黑芝麻蓉。 豆腐布甸用了很少魚膠粉，口感滑溜，如果你期待Q彈的布甸就會失望了。你可以一層一層地品嘗，但推薦和底部的芝麻混合，形成豆腐花併芝麻糊的感覺，豆香和芝麻香相得益彰，濃烈之餘又不至於互相掩蓋。表層的薄脆更添口感，是錦上添花或畫蛇添足就見仁見智，不喜歡的話可以自行取走。 對於甜品，愚以為最高和最差的評價，都恰恰是「唔甜」兩字。這個布甸芝麻香而不膩，豆腐清爽而不死甜，入口暢滑而不哽喉，實屬上上之作。 如果你是無甜不歡的人士，餐廳有一小碟的糖漿隨布甸呈上，也算為各人的口味考慮周到。 另外要提醒大家，甜品份量十分慷慨，蛋捲和布甸都是四人份量，請小心避免如我一樣做了大嘥鬼。 雖然人均消費750，但其實我們二人打包了三大盒走，人均五百元已經可以吃得很飽足了。

I have received many praises regarding this restaurant from friends and the internet. It is about time I came. From the moment I walked in, I knew the service would be top-notch. The environment is elegant and makes the small space seem spacious and heavenly. This restaurant does not use any dairy products which is great for a lactose-sensitive like me.


$$$
This is definitely on the far end of fine dining in Hong Kong with the weekday lunch sets priced at $928, $1,168, and $2,318 (including a kitchen tour). We went for the cheapest option and still left very full and satisfied.

Amuse Bouche
The most memorable amuse-bouche is the phenomenal tomato and tofu dish that features a layer of tomato jelly, tofu, and tomato relish with Sichuan peppercorns. The tofu is extremely silky and creamy with a texture not dissimilar to burrata, working beautifully with the small heat emitting from the fresh tomatoes on top. Truly a great start to the meal.

The other amuse-bouche included a creamy foie gras lollipop paired with gingerbread and a house brewed kombucha spiked with seltzer for a pleasant palette cleanser and appetite stimulant.


Bread
Walking away from the extravagant and overwhelming bread baskets, Amber focuses on simplicity and perfecting that. Their sourdough is fermented for 48 hours and utterly flawless from the chewy and tangy interior to the crispy and crusty crust. It is consistent and reliable, no wildcards with flavors and techniques here.

The butter on the other hand is not like your traditional butter as it is made from caramelised enriched soy milk and lactose fermented cashew butter but it tastes exactly like cow butter with the same mouthfeel and creaminess that is mind-boggling. It’s lightly seasoned with soy sauce so you get subtle umami but really it is the pure creamy fat that you taste and goes so well with the acidic bread.

Truly a remarkable albeit simple representation of bread and butter that showcases the team’s hard work perfecting their craft.


Starter
For the starter, I chose their Nishimera salmon trout smoked in sakura wood topped with trout roe that made for an amazing twist on the mother-and-child pair. The trout is salty and bouncy whilst the roe is salty and gooey. The saltiness is balanced by the creamy, unctuous emulsion made from eggs and Junmai Sake that simultaneously offers lightness and richness. However, the true star of the dish had to be the perfectly cooked asparagus on the side that is brushed with kombu oil, taking this seasonal ingredient to the next level. Eating the crunchy asparagus with the tender trout was a textural umami bomb. This is by far the best starter I’ve ever had in any restaurant.


Main
The umami-rich starter was followed by another umami-rich dish but still somehow wasn’t overwhelming. The toothfish with Normandy scallops is a delicate and sophisticated dish that highlights the ocean’s abundance. The toothfish is firm yet flaky (a sign that it is perfectly cooked) and the huge scallops are tender and slightly opaque (also a sign that it is perfectly cooked). Wrapped in kelp for a crunch and umami, served on house-made garum (a fermented fish sauce made from marine organs) using scallop organs. This umami-loaded dish is balanced by the sweet and silky turnip puree on the side.

Dessert

This short but filling lunch concludes with a parade of sweets from the chosen dessert to the complementary celebratory cake to the petit fours.

My chosen dessert was the seasonal pineapple surprisingly paired with elements of rice and matcha. This was a refreshing and fruity choice that accentuated the naturally sweet pineapple.

The complementary cake was a longan mousse filled with hazelnut chocolate and topped with a yuzu curd. Extremely light mousse with rich chocolate and zesty curd, what more could you ask for? A very balanced dessert and they are very generous with the size of the cake so do come for celebrations.

Petite fours started with their deceptively light madeleine decorated with poppy seeds and a black lemon (basically dehydrated lemon/lime) gel in the middle. This shattered with minimal force and is easily the lightest madeleine I’ve ever eaten (I’ve had 3). Followed by a rich 70% chocolate encapsulating a yuzu and mikan (satsuma or Japanese mandarin) curd topped with toasty caramelized sunflower seeds. This indulgent bite is reconciled by the fresh fruit platter that reflected my childhood. The platter includes a variety of seasonal fruits imported from Taiwan, such as rose apple, mango, and a first-time milk fruit. This purple-fleshed fruit reminds me of mangosteen due to the white gel-like interior but the taste really does remind me of milk. Perhaps even more closely to coconut flesh which is also very creamy as milk fruit also has a slight crunch. An interesting fruit that you can only find in Amber in Hong Kong. We also ended with a fun tea called “Monkey Picked” which is under the subcategory of Tieguanyin, a black tea. This tea is shaken with raspberry jam and finished with Amalfi lemon zest for a refreshing final send-off.


Final thoughts

Given the high price tag, you can surely expect first-class service and food here. The food does not scream high innovation and unique ingredients but instead focuses on elevating existing and sustainable ingredients, creating surprising pairings via sophisticated techniques. I truly recommend coming here for a celebratory lunch and even ordering the cheapest option because you will surely be stuffed and satisfied.

北角錦屏街有一排餐廳，琳瑯滿目，有打邊爐🇨🇳、新加坡美食🇸🇬、西餐🇬🇧，而今次小編到訪的是行到最入面的西式小店進食晚餐❤️


於餐廳外面，透過玻璃窗門，能見到裏面barista /調酒位置，仲有好chill、外國風情的裝修。


裏面燈光偏暗，有梳化位，裝修利用大量深色木材，塑造溫暖、舒服嘅氣氛。好啱同朋友嚟摸住酒杯底傾吓心事🥂


小編到訪時是晚飯時間，全部餐皆配有是日餐湯/沙律。


是日餐湯 - 蕃茄湯

餐湯真材實料，能食到一粒粒茄蓉👍🏻，亦唔會太酸。旁邊配了一小片baguette(法式長棍麵包)。只吃麵包味道太淡🤔，建議用餐湯浸濕吃，又濕潤又吸到蕃茄味道👌🏻


沙律

不是平時的齋沙律菜+醬，而是加上小米🤩，少少酸味和新鮮的菜成功開了我的胃，這道沙律菜給人有誠意的觀感。


烤春雞配薯條 $138

烤春雞嫩滑，有肉汁，就算是雞胸位置，肉是一絲絲，但亦不會老/嚡👍🏻😋春雞黎講都算幾大隻。
小店配的醬汁小編不太喜歡，味道與另一間炸雞店的薯蓉醬味道完全一樣😅。所以小編完全冇蘸過醬汁，唔想唔浪費咗隻雞，而且本身隻雞都夠味。


北海道帶子意大利飯配松露醬 $158

小店把帶子切半，厚度太薄🥹，有點為了外表(望落多料啲）而犧牲了口感。但生熟度岩岩好，係彈牙嘅。松露味有，但算不上濃。飯好creamy但又唔膩，味道調得幾好😋


Carrot cake $56

Carrot cake與一般蛋糕不同的是會用到肉桂粉、蘿蔔和核桃碎。由於蛋糕有很多蘿蔔碎和油脂，因此蛋糕是非常濕潤的，不像海綿蛋糕般多氣孔。


蛋糕的濕潤感令小編和朋友一試愛上，一啖接一啖
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
蛋糕表面和中間皆有一層薄薄的cream cheese。蛋糕側面鋪滿核桃碎。碟上亦有玫瑰花瓣作點綴。
賣carrot cake的小店並不多，如到訪該cafe絕對值得一試。


結論
- 餐廳味道中上。未至於驚艷，但每道菜都有誠意👍🏻
- 店家對presentation好認真，eg碗碟、食物外表、環境等🫡
- 環境絕對加了不少分🥰，不只打cardable，整體環境坐得好舒服！人唔算多，唔會好嘈，燈光、氛圍好慢活好chill咁😌坐得好舒服👍🏻

星期日同朋友突登入馬灣chill下，雖然之前都有去過馬灣，但之前都只係徘徊係廣場/東灣個邊打卡，今次同朋友決定入遠啲，係葵芳搭NR332巴士到田寮新村附近行下，入到民居附近就見到呢間好靚既餐廳！🤩 餐廳出面有好多花花草草，仲要係食好特別既土耳其菜，於是就同朋友入左去了，chill就係要咩都唔諗！🙂‍↔️ 好彩我地都真係冇揀錯！🥳



餐廳裏面既佈置、傢俱同餐具都好有土耳其色彩！餐廳店員都好nice同健談，問佢的話，佢會同我地講解好多土耳其人既飲食文化！另外有洗手間係入面，好方便~ 餐廳有得揀吧檯同座檯，仲有籃俾我地擺袋，好體貼！👏🏻




講野食之前，仲想介紹佢個自助吧corner，左邊既係土耳其茶 (味道有D似花茶幾香)，可以自己斟，想試下土耳其風味可以係上面加糖，店員話土耳其人習慣飲甜茶，而太苦都可以加水




土耳其烤雞飯1/2 Mersin Chicken Rice (Half Portion) ($178) 🫰
原來1/2隻雞都咁大隻，每舊雞肉都好大舊，肉質鮮嫩、多汁、亦都烤得好香，真係色香味俱全！佢有個土耳其醬味道都好特別，有陣紅酒味又酸酸甜甜，但撈飯同雞肉都好match，減低左烤雞帶黎既油膩感。因為好食，覺得再多啲飯就更加正🤩 店家話啲醬真係從土耳其運過黎，同埋係佢試過味道覺得好match先選用，可見佢地製作都好用心，配合港人口味！另外，沙律菜都好新鮮好爽 👏🏻👩‍🍳



土耳其全日早餐 Turkish all day Breakfast ($158)

呢個早餐雖然同我認知早既all day breakfast好唔同，但我覺得佢豐富同埋好靚！🫰 店家話土耳其人好注重家庭元素，齊整既感覺，所以會準備好多野一齊食，包括左唔同既醬、炒蛋同埋包，好有特色 (sry，店家講左仲多既野，但我記唔到，有興趣去問佢🤣)。 特別想推介佢既醬！！！🤤🤤 4種醬都好好食！特別係紅蘿蔔醬，個醬都係坐飛機黎，再加紅蘿蔔同大蒜既感覺，出奇地match！仲有鷹嘴豆醬同埋玫瑰蜂蜜醬 (?)，又香又帶有啲甜味，出色 ！應該要叫多個薄餅用埋D醬 哈哈！😍😍



廚師推介：拉絲小麥餅拼盤 ($168)

又係第一次見既食物，又係好精緻，好欣賞廚師🙈 小麥餅上面既土耳其糖 (?)、雪糕等係偏甜，但係夾埋小麥餅既鹹一齊食就中和返。小麥餅外層鬆脆，入面因為有芝士所以有拉絲效果，同埋感覺煙煙韌韌幾特別 👏🏻👏🏻 多人一齊share可以一試😆😆



百香果黃皮青檸特飲 (凍) ($58)

好新鮮！黃皮味好香濃，夏天飲，酸酸甜甜，解膩又透心涼 🤤



煮土耳其咖啡體驗 (主食+$80)
話明要chill，我地仲試左煮土耳其咖啡，第一次玩呢個沙爐哈哈！仲知道豆油既重要性。要飲土耳其咖啡都要時間等同埋有學問，為左清潔口腔，首先要飲水清走所有味道，先好飲一啖咖啡，再食一啖甜既土耳其糖，呢3個steps不斷循環先得🙊👍🏻


最後，餐廳仲有土耳其衫同埋手飾俾客人打卡/體驗用，有咁多野做，真係冇兩個鐘都唔走得，真心chill！䁽下眼仲見到有狗仔營養餐menu。同場加映店長沙沙跳上張枱搵野食既好身手🤩🤩



結論
🫰整家店的氣氛都好好，所有野都好精緻，女仔黎到一定覺得心心眼
🫰味道好出色！
🫰貓店長巡舖加分
⚡️價錢的確唔算平，但間唔中食一次特色野好可以👍🏻👍🏻🤤


好味度：9.5/10
回頭度：9/10 (會儲一排錢encore再過黎食！)

去石塘咀體育館上興趣班，同學仔約一齊食晏，點知去開的餐廳結了業。😲唯有另覓新歡，誤打誤撞行到山邊一間文青味的餐廳，

門口的佈置非常特別，一張大藤椅吊在爬滿老藤的花架下，樹藤的葉不太繁盛，但是翠翠綠綠的，有種悠閒的感覺，既來之則安之，隨步而入，試下也無妨。
餐廳內的設計簡約自然，

全是藤椅，有園型的大藤椅，坐上去好似包住整個人，即舒服又安全，也有普通款式的小圓藤椅，

2人坐位藤椅梳化 ，綠葉植物佈置不少，

整個設計充滿大自然的氣息，清新脫俗，好欣賞這樣的設計。🎋🌴🍁
😏餐廳以東南亞菜為主，加了西餐元素，我們抱著試新的心態，點了牛🐮面肉意大利🇮🇹飯，豬肩肉厚多士，南瓜🎃湯，美式咖啡☕，算是兩個主食，兩個飲品，以為足夠，點知主食的份量較少，適合減肥人士。🤣


手撕豬肩肉厚多士，＄78，比較特色的設計，手撕豬肉配了東南亞香料，無豬膻味，濃香多汁，還配了些沙律菜，

可惜厚多士就有些失望😔，

用的是普通白麵包🍞，質地鬆散無麵粉香，如果用西式酸種包或法包就完全不一樣，麵包香脆煙韌，搭配特別的香料豬肩肉，味道應該上幾級。
牛🐮面肉意大利🇮🇹飯，＄138

幾塊燜得軟糯的牛面肉，濃濃的新鮮牛肉香，意大利飯煮得剛剛好，不硬不軟，撒上香草碎，

配合得當，夠熱，是很滿意的主食，除了份量少D。
南瓜🎃湯＄38

份量最正常 ，湯熱濃郁，南瓜味香，加上cream，少少香草，幾塊餅仔，製作屬高水準。👍👍
美式咖啡☕＄38

比較淡的味道，需要咖啡因的我就覺得不夠喉，😏純屬個人喜好。這餐花費＄310，在這麼優雅的環境用餐，性價比算高。🤩🤩

湖南菜在我印像中都是吃辣為主，我吃辣的程度也只可接受微辣，所以這類菜色不會是我的首選。不過有朋友吃過告知，這店的菜色有得選走辣或少辣，還可以選少油少盬，那我就有興趣試試。

平時晚上繁忙時段要排隊等位，所以我提早五時半去吃，可以不用等即時有位。進入餐廳一看，已經有六、七檯客。我們二人給了一個卡座，座位舒適。店內的天花掛了很多綠色的青椒作裝飾，牆上的宣傳圖片也是用了綠色，看上去較有自然氣息。餐廳都是掃碼下單，簡單方便。拉開檯旁邊的抽屜可自取牙籤、紙巾等。

這店的招牌菜之一，湘味酸菜魚，我們要小辣、少鹽、少油。一上檯看見一小撮乾辣椒在面，白雪雪的鱸魚片浸在湯中，整個菜色熱騰騰，酸香味慢慢飄出來。魚片非常嫩滑，湯底濃郁，湯內還有不少酸菜和粉絲。辣度方面果然是少辣，只感到輕微的麻辣味，油少盬少，但不會顯得清淡，也合我胃口。

火爆牛蛙，這個菜色要走辣、少鹽、少油。炒得很有鑊氣，牛蛙的肉質像雞柳，不韌，不過太細粒，又有骨，所以不似啖啖肉的菜色吃得爽。至於紫蘇味就吃不出來，韮菜的味道更多。牛蛀經過調味和走油，吃起來很香口。

這些菜色都是要配飯吃滋味，這店有原煲飯叫，三十元一煲，因為我們二人怕吃不完，只叫了一碗白飯，上檯才發現一碗的份量是很少，應該要一煲才化算。

湖南臭豆腐，一碗有七小件，外層炸得十分鬆脆，內層看到蜂巢狀的豆腐，只帶有一點點臭味，沾上少少酸辣味的醬汁同吃更惹味。

牛肉餅，就是餡料用了洋蔥碎牛肉造成的夾餅，餅皮煎得脆脆，帶著金黃焦香，每件都熱熱的，口感不錯。

鴨屎香檸檬茶，要了超大杯。果然超大，目測有800毫升，始終吃湖南菜都是有點口渴，喝這杯茶後感到口乾沒有了，茶味濃郁酸甜合適，好飲。

總的來說，如果想讓味蕾來點沖激，可以久不久吃一次的。

Lunch hour 長期要排隊嘅一間台灣菜，原來係Michelin推介嘅一間餐廳。



今日2點左右黎到都要排半個鐘左右，排隊位係露天冇遮擋，舖頭竟然提供免費遮比排隊嘅人拎黎用，呢個服務都幾好。



入到餐廳位置都比較逼，但勝在樓底夠高。餐廳主打滷肉飯，我地就一人叫咗一個滷肉飯餐，一碗排骨湯，再加一人一杯飲品。



涼拌蒜泥豬頸肉餐
先黎嘅係涼拌蒜泥豬頸肉，上到枱碟豬頸肉有啲似普通白烚肉，加啲青瓜條同涼拌醬。食落都真係有小小普通，比平時食開嘅蒜泥白肉冇咁入味。個涼拌醬其實幾好味，因為佢有落大粒啲嘅生蒜，所以會香啲。如果佢一早撈定或者再多小小醬會入味啲。另外佢亦有個麻辣醬，唔食辣嘅我點黎食都接受到，佢麻香多過辣。



九層塔鹽酥雞餐
即叫即炸嘅鹽酥雞，所以等得比較耐，但食咗第一舊就完全值得等。個炸粉唔厚，味粉份量啱啱好，咬落好juice，肉質好滑，係一份好好味嘅鹽酥雞！每舊都大大舊，份量好多，連埋碗滷肉飯，一個女仔係未必食得晒。



滷肉飯
滷肉飯大大碗，幾好食，面頭鋪滿滷肉同酸菜。但滷肉唔算好濃好咸，瘦肥肉都平均。雖然已經鋪滿，但都唔夠撈成個飯。但好在啲餸份量夠送飯食。




藥膳排骨湯
另外叫咗個排骨湯share，顏色好深，聞落好香藥材味。飲第一啖好似肉骨茶，香濃嘅藥材味，但因為落咗蜜棗所以甜甜地，易入口。成碗湯有4,5舊排骨左右，之外仲有豆卜、金菇，藥材有蜜棗、杞子同淮山。排骨肉質因為煲完湯所以偏柴，另外有碟腐乳醬點排骨肉，係幾好食。



大紅袍珍珠奶茶，白桃烏龍茶寒天
兩款飲品都好飲，兩款茶味偏濃。白桃烏龍茶有淡淡嘅白桃香，如果再加啲白桃肉就會再加分。




整體係間值嘅台灣菜，睇翻單先發現仲要唔洗加一，價錢黎講都算可接受，食完就會明點解佢keep住要排隊。下次會想試埋佢其他餐，都好吸引。

心心念念想吃烤肉好長時間，當晚雖然有機會，但時間有限，因此選了這間位處銅鑼灣街邊，交通方便、價格平民的烤肉店一試究竟。



想食烤肉，價格又平民，環境自然不會太舒適。不過這間店位置還算寬敞，店內也算整潔衛生。


餐牌內容算是比較豐富，有需要自己燒的烤肉定食，也有鍋類，還有鰻魚飯、吉列牛飯等快捷選擇，炸軟殼蟹、炸雞、芝士薯條、章魚小丸子等傳統等日式小食也都有，整體來說可根據個人口味、時間、預算等自行安排，選擇尚算豐富。


今日重點是烤肉，自然選擇黑松露和牛定食。不到兩百元的定食，牛肉都切得幾厚身，還有清湯一碗，以及兩瓣溏心蛋。另外還有一大碗加了飯素的白飯，相信都能食得幾飽。另外我還發現隱藏食法，下面再說。



牛肉外面已包裹一圈預先製作好的黑松露外殼，肉質鮮紅，質素可以。放到板上煎至五成熟，油脂只能說還算可以，但是肉質軟嫩，有明顯的肉香，即使煎過龍，肉質也不會嚡和乾。黑松露的味道也比較明顯，整體味道比較香濃。



溏心蛋中規中矩，中間糖心粘稠，也夠入味。


這就是隱藏食法了，食晒牛肉之後，可以將盤中的生椰菜放到板上，利用板上殘留的牛肉油脂自己炒椰菜。椰菜炒熟之後帶有牛肉香，還有鮮甜味道。但是提醒大家，倘真想自己炒，要注意將板上需要多一些油，否則椰菜炒不透，會乾和硬，生蔬菜的澀味也會殘留，那就不好吃了。


總的來說，這間店的質素相對價格，性價比算比較高。

🍝Thre3 Concept🍝



🍕魚蝦蟹千島比薩 $107 🌟🌟🌟🌟
（蝦，魷魚，蟹肉棒，芝士，千島醬）
Thousand Island Seafood Pizza
(Shrimps, Squids, Crab sticks, Cheese, Thousand Island sauce)
薄脆似餅乾底嘅pizza
上層鋪上滿滿嘅千島醬同拉絲芝士
配上未經調味過的小章魚、蝦、蟹柳
‼️千島醬迷必食‼️

🍝卡邦尼意粉 $78 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spaghetti Carbonara
超creamy 重牛油同蛋香味
大大粒嘅蘑菇同大大塊嘅煙肉
可惜意粉份量有啲少 10啖內就食完
🤤食完之後有啲意猶未盡🤤

🐶CORGI PATPAT & SHIBA INU $58
可選熱的鮮奶咖啡/原味朱古力/鮮奶泡泡
我哋揀咗原味朱古力 飲落多泡偏甜
面層上有漂亮嘅拉花 至於🐶係棉花糖
需要自己垂直放入杯中🐕
‼️打卡必選‼️

🛎️服務🛎️
店員態度超好 會拉凳比我哋擺袋
見我哋張枱太窄 野食擺唔落
會主動拉多張枱嚟擺
還可以免費存放蛋糕 不收切餅費🎂



💫建議大家打電話/ wts去book位💫
店內大約只有20～30個座位
一到晚市好快就會坐滿🪑


⛰️整體⛰️
雖然餐廳位置偏遠 但性價比都幾高
食物質素同服務態度都好好👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻


💫晚市會收加一服務費💫

私房菜嘅意思係住宅式小本經營嘅食店，要事先book定枱，選擇菜式，等主人家可以好好準備
只服務我哋一台客

▶️ 花開富貴
擺盤會唔會太精緻😍真係成朵花形狀
蘿蔔切片捲起，咬落有層次
酸酸哋好開胃

▶️ 白玉葡萄
原來係一粒粒冬瓜🍇唔講以為係車厘茄
味道有少少過酸

▶️ 椒鹽雞軟骨
外皮炸得好酥脆乾身
雞軟骨爽口似日式串燒嗰隻
椒鹽味道重

▶️ 涼拌海蜇🌶️
————————-————————
▶️ 雪蓮子桃膠螺頭燉竹絲雞湯
每人一盅熱辣辣嘅湯
超級多料，又豬肉又烏雞，仲有螺頭，完全可以當餸食🍲
另外仲有滋補嘅雪蓮子、桃膠、紅棗、紀子
雪蓮子、桃膠軟腍腍似啫喱
湯底充滿精華，鹹中帶天然甜😋
————————-————————
▶️ 海皇石榴球
最鍾意嘅一碟菜！
外皮係蛋白做嘅，食落幾有質感
入面包咗蝦仁、蘑菇、洋蔥、帶子等，成個巨型餃子咁🥟
底部係天然南瓜湯，好配襯
旁邊仲有條雕咗花嘅芥蘭～

▶️ 金銀蒜粉絲蒸蟶子
每條帶子都好長身
面頭放上巨量炸蒜同爆蒜蓉，食落非常香口，配送粉絲
蒸蟶子新鮮，彈牙得嚟又軟腍😙

▶️ 清蒸大海斑
好肥美嘅一條石斑🐠啖啖肉又少骨
肉質彈牙滑身，簡單配上豉油香蔥已經好食

▶️ 濃湯花膠絲浸時蔬
奶白色嘅湯底配上翠綠嘅白菜仔🥬
面頭一條條半透明花膠，軟瀨瀨好slimy🫣口感好得意

▶️ 野菌炒安格斯牛柳粒
炒得非常有鑊氣
牛柳粒軟腍🥩入面半熟呈粉紅色
半肥瘦，入口即「溶」，完全唔韌
配上杏鮑菇同青豆

▶️ 脆米百花釀蟹鉗
外皮好香脆薄身，係炸物嘅味道🍤
入面食落似蝦丸，不過係有蟹肉成份嘅
————————-————————
▶️ 原隻脆皮無骨糯米雞
唔係一般荷葉糯米雞
將糯米釀入原隻烤雞🍗有啲似韓國人蔘雞嘅原理
糯米飯唔算太黏身，比較濕身
本身已經調咗味帶鹹香
另外放入大量切粒臘腸，口感豐富
外皮薄脆，不過唔算多雞肉
整體幾好食

▶️ 家鄉炒麵線
意外地好味👍🏻
炒麵乾身但冇一般豉油皇炒麵咁乾咁硬
炒入韭菜絲、芽菜、豬肉
炒麵帶有煙燻香味，麵質煙靭順滑
————————-————————
▶️ 荔蓉西米焗布甸
之前係起「鳳城酒家」食過，唔係好多地方有
上枱嘅時候有陣啱啱出爐雞蛋仔香味👃🏻
上面係一層雞蛋布甸，混入粒粒西米
雞蛋味道香濃，同時又有吉士味
西米粒好好咬😛
底層係茘芋，沙沙地又夠實身
焗到變咗好似撻底咁，入口順滑細緻
鍾意佢冇咩點額外加糖，更食得出芋頭香同埋冇咁易滯

▶️ 賀壽桃包
生日梗係食壽包，又名pat pat包🤣
真係整到成個桃樣🍑
覺得麵包唔夠鬆軟，可能因為size比一般細啲
入面有蓮蓉

▶️ 生果盤
圓轆轆嘅哈密瓜，又甜又多汁
擺盤好靚🍈
-
餸菜甜品全部出色有水準👍🏻
最鍾意係海皇石榴球同雪蓮子桃膠螺頭燉竹絲雞湯
但認真全部都好味
用上頂級食材，調味烹調用心，賣相更加係精緻
份量又夠大，食到要打包🙈
環境幾好，基本上等於包場開party，好有私人空間
服務都OK，其中一個姐姐好幽默醒目，另一個就比較急啲
性價比唔錯，大概$450/位，相當抵食～

With so many choices in dining, there are only a few restaurants that I do frequently revisit. One of them is Sushi Zinc, located in Shau Kei Wan, on the short one-ended Miu Tung Street. With its black door and the illuminated letter Z on the doorbell, they are the two clues in finding the place.Arriving right on time we greeted Chef Zinc and were seated in the middle of the 10-seat hinoki counter. The décor has a contemporary industrial vibe, with rough concrete walls and floors, but intertwined with refined elements. A glass wall allows diners to see into the activities of the kitchen as well. The omakase menu costs $2,400 per person.Following the recommendation of Chef Zinc, I started with a serving of くどき上手Jr.の超高精白株式會社 出羽の里29 純米大吟釀 ($200). Made using local Yamagata rice, with a polishing ratio of 29%, this sake has a delicate, refreshing and very clean palate, lighter in taste. Very good start.Chef Zinc began by cutting two pieces of the triangular Kuchiko 海鼠子 into very small pieces, and then took the vinegared Aka-Namako 赤海鼠 into the serving bowl, sprinkled with some kuchiko on top. The crunchy texture of the sea cucumber, with a touch of sourness, adding with the umami of the dried sea cucumber ovaries, is a perfect match. The latter is known as Japan’s top three umami delicacies.Taken out from the steamer were the Shako 蝦蛄 that had been bundled together. The mantis shrimps were caught in Lamma Islands, each with plenty of orange-colored roes inside. Pouring a thick sauce made from radish, with some yuzu shavings on top, the pure joy of eating the sweet mantis shrimp without having the trouble of taking the shell off, is memorable and luxurious.One of the seasonal seafoods in Japan right now is Torigai 鳥貝. The Japanese cockle was really fresh, with Chef Zinc telling us these arrived just before they opened on the night. He removed the bottom part, before serving the body to us with a bit of shoyu and wasabi. The freshness was apparent with the muscle quickly contracted when getting hit, and its sweetness and umami were truly unbeatable.The bottom part of the Torigai 鳥貝 was not just being discarded. Chef Zinc put it in a cup and added plenty of menegi in. Pouring some hot broth, each seep of the soup brought a comfortable, warming feeling to the stomach, satisfying not just on the palate in terms of flavors but also the wellness of the body. An example of showcasing the ingredients to their best. Amazing.Taking a tartlet shell from the kitchen, Chef Zinc retrieved three boxes from the fridge, which contained Kobashira 小柱, the adductor muscle of round clam, candied mandarin, and sweet peas. With some lemon sour cream underneath, he carefully put together the ingredients in the tartlet, then sprinkled with some salt flakes on top. Complex in taste and texture, a fusion course with western techniques.Next, Chef Zinc showed us the Seki-Aji 関池魚, a specialty Japanese horse mackerel from Oita. Meticulously cutting on the surface to allow the shoyu to seep in, the sushi was phenomenal, with the fish having a slightly firmer texture versus the other horse mackerel we had tried, but still being soft on the bite. The chef had added a bit of young ginger too to subtly add to its taste.The second sake serving was くどき上手Jr.のヒ蜜 The Nectar 純米大吟釀 ($200). One of Chef Zinc’s personal favorites, with a stronger fruity note, shows much more apparent tropical fruit and ripe characters than the first sake. A perfect match with sushi and dishes with a richer taste.The salad was another example of Chef Zinc’s mastery in flavors. Using Hotaru-Ika 蛍烏賊 from Toyama, he toasted some of the firefly squid before grinding them to make a dressing with olive oil, replacing the original recipe using anchovy. The flavors were very similar but better, with more savory taste and less salty. Together with shredded puntarelle and firefly squid, the salad was really delicious.When we arrived, Chef Zinc was busy preparing a Threadfin, and he used it to prepare the next sushi. The fish was caught in local waters, weighing over five-catty. Even though the fish is supposed to be off-season now, this one still had rich fatty oil and full of flavors. No doubt also helped by the chef cleverly searing the skin lightly to vitalize the fatty layer underneath to make it even stronger in taste.Taking the lid off the Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸 revealed the beautiful orangish Bafun-Uni 馬糞雲丹. The sea urchin from Hokkaido was sweet in taste, mixing well with the silky soft egg custard, which had been added with a bit of chrysanthemum and yuzu to give extra fragrance. The sea urchin was shipped in brine, only having a very short shelf life, but able to avoid preservatives to keep original taste.Next came Kasugo 春子鯛. The young seabream had a very tender texture, best in quality in the spring season, as the larger seabream would have roes, so a lot of fat and nutrients would be channeled there, making the flesh less delicious. Chef Zinc marinated it on a Sakura leaf and then added a bit of Sakura petals in the sushi to bring forward the taste of spring even further.The third sake serving was くどき上手 白ばくれん 山田穗55 超辛口 吟釀 生詰 ($160). This series of sake had a crisp and more subtle aroma, using the special rice 山田穗 to brew, and was ideal to pair with foods of stronger flavors.When the sous chef heated some kombu broth, I had been wondering what food would be cooked there. It was the famous Karen Kaki 華漣牡蠣 from Nagasaki, plump and with a sweet taste. Chef Zinc also used a spring wild vegetable called Gyoja Ninniku 行者葫 to prepare the sauce and some tempura on the side. The Siberian onion did not taste like leek but similar to spring onion with better sweetness.Chef Zinc then showed us the box of Aomori Shiro-Uni 白雲丹 from the famous brand 大千. The white sea urchin has a lighter color than the Bafun-Uni tasted earlier, but much bigger in size. The skill in kneading the sushi with the very soft sea urchin was a test of the chef, but not any problem for Chef Zinc. Seasoned with some rock salt, it was truly delicious, with a great umami taste.The chef then went into the kitchen for some time, before coming back with some pan-fried Hotategai 帆立貝. The scallops were very large in size, wrapped in guanciale to supplement with savory flavors, with each bite offering pure joy and wonder. Together with a Kumquat Kanroni 甘露煮 and a sauce made from dried scallop, Parma ham, and aged vinegar, another Western-style dish inserted to good effect.Taking a large slab of Akami 赤身, Chef Zinc carved out pieces of the lean tuna to make the sushi. He told us that the tuna was caught in Shizuoka, with the meat without going through any aging. The acidity of the flesh was appetizing, with the shoyu a perfect complement. Seeing how we liked them, Chef Zinc kindly served us another piece, seasoned with salt flakes instead, to bring a different taste.The fourth sake serving was くどき上手 赤ばくれん 超辛口 吟醸. Using a different rice to brew, compared with the last one, although both were super dry, this sake was less spicy, with a rounder palate and more umami notes, and I found that it might be easier to pair with food.Chef Zinc also took out a slab of beautifully marbled O-Toro 大とろ which could be easily mistaken for wagyu. Cutting thin slices of the fatty tuna, he took it back to the kitchen to prepare in sukiyaki style, then served with grilled eggplant, paired with a miso egg yolk sauce. The taste and texture were similar to wagyu, but also had an umami taste and less fibrous on the bite, fantastic.Seeing the Unagi 鰻, we knew that it was near the end of the meal. Chef Zinc had braised the eel to a wonderfully soft and melt-in-mouth texture, with another highlight being the use of sansho flowers as condiments, which are only available for a very short period of the year and very expensive. Unlike the sansho peppers, the flowers had the same fragrance but not the spiciness.As we enjoyed the Seki-Aji 関池魚 very much, we asked Chef Zinc for an encore. He generously prepared a tail of the fish for us to share, making into four pieces of sushi. To be honest, we felt a bit uneasy eating so much in front of the other customers, but the fish was so good that I knew I would certainly regret if I did not. It was a lucky day and truly recommend trying it out when there is the chance.In the conversation, Chef Zinc shared he had tasted one of the best sakes, and knowing it was available, I could not resist having my fifth sake serving. 十四代 龍之落子 大極上諸白 純米大吟釀 ($480) has nice fruit notes, a delicate sweetness, well-balanced and delicious. Definitely a must-try.Knowing we loved silver-skinned fish Chef Zinc asked whether we were interested to have Iwashi 鰯 as well. With the sardine season just about to start, he only ordered a small quantity to try out its quality, and we were lucky to be able to enjoy it. While it might not be very fat yet, it was flavorful, and we really look forward to the full season.The soup featured Sansai 山菜, with six seasonal spring wild vegetables, many of which were foreign and new to me. Two of these I recognized as Junsai 蓴菜 and Kogomi こごみ, which are watershield and ostrich ferns. The unique taste of the vegetables, mixing with the flavors of the broth made from toasted kombu, was harmonious. A healthy soup good for wellness and taste buds.The circular Tamagoyaki 玉子焼, made according to the traditional style from a mixture of fish, shrimp and egg without any flour added, had a wonderful fluffy texture and permeating sweetness from the seafood. Paired with butter and some sugarcane syrup, it reminded me a lot of pancakes, but with the flavors at an extra mile.The dessert was Hojicha 焙茶 Pannacotta, with the creamy and silky pannacotta just perfect at its sweetness level. The roasted tea flavors were appetizing as well, and the overall experience was smooth and comfortable. Perfect finale to a fantastic meal.But Chef Zinc told us he prepared a secret additional dessert as well. The homemade Milk Ice-Cream had been infused with smoke to give special flavors, surprisingly with some meaty, roasted animal fat fragrance. The creamy softness of the texture was also impeccable.Service is great, with Chef Zinc interacting with all the customers and paying attention to their needs. On the day, he noticed a customer having toothache and brewed a concoction for him to lessen the effect of inflammation. The bill on the night was $6,424. Great food with pleasant surprises every time, plus wonderful services, an unbeatable omakase experience that prompted me to return again and again.