FINDS (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

The name, F.I.N.D.S., stands for Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden so it is natural to presume that it serves nothing but Northern European cuisine. Well, not exactly. You would most definitely find the usual Scandinavian ingredients such as herrings and reindeer here but they offer so much more.

Let's start with the man behind FINDS. Executive chef Jaakko yielded from Helsinki, the capital city of Finland and has worked under the local two michelin starred restaurant Chez Dominguez for years. Chez Dominguez has been considered as one of the best restaurants in the world and that reputation was reflected by its annual ranking in "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" (23rd last year).

We had long wanted to personally get a taste of modern Finnish cuisine so during our visit to Helsinki in the summer of 2009, we were very much hopeful of stopping by Chez Dominique but what a shame that the restaurant was closed for summer holidays. This time instead, we got to experience Jaakko's interpretation of Nordic cuisine.

Greenland shrimp soup with shrimp mousse and dill (7/10)

We had no idea that's how shrimp soup was served in Greenland but it was good. Although the plate only held some 10-15 spoonful of soup, but that's okay. We much preferred quality over quantity.

The soup tasted very much the same as lobster bisque and it was complimented nicely by some dill and a soft shrimp mousse. It was also served with a small toast atop with baby shrimps and mayonnaise. That was an excellent start. 

Salmon six ways (9/10)

But the next dish was able to even top the performance of the previous dish.

I liked this dish for various reasons. The salmon was cooked in six different ways including cold smoked, seared, mousse, pickled, gravad lax and roe. I particularly enjoyed the gravad lax cooking style. The slice of salmon was "buried" under salt over a period of time and the result was a tasty piece of what I called "a salmon jerky". Well, not as hard as a beef jerky but definitely additional texture.

Foie gras two ways (7/10)

Foie gras included a slice done pan fried style and a smaller piece as a terrine. The pan fried foie gras was very crispy on the outside and soft on the inside but yet not as oily as once feared. Not to be outdone was the foie gras terrine which was marinated well with wine, giving its an extra dimension.

Poached silver cod, with spinach and potatoes (5/10)

I am not a fish lover, never been and never will be but I do like codfish. Like any other codfish, the silver cod is best known for its rich fat content and natural flavour. However, this pales in comparison to the other more innovative dishes.

Venison tenderloin (6/10)

When it comes to Scandinavian cuisine, reindeer seems to be more popular than venison but we were not afraid to give the venison tenderloin a go. The venison tenderloin was slow-cooked allowing the natural taste of the meat to be preserved. We especially enjoyed the slightly gamey flavour of venison which was perfected matched with a thick black currant sauce.

The only thing we didn't like about this dish was that it was served lukewarm. Presumeably, our servers waited a while before bringing it to our table and the meat noticeably cooled off, especially during this cold winter time. Otherwise, it would have been perfect.

Overall

Although the atmosphere of the restaurant was unexpectedly disappointing (poor lighting in particular), we were certainly not disappointed with the quality of food at all. Northern European cuisine itself may have scared some potential customers off but there were plenty more to offer here on top of the Scandinavian influenced dishes (Pasta and steaks come to mind). I would personally recommend the three-course dinner set which was only priced at $298. 


Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$
Address: The Luxe Manor 1/F, 39 Kimberley Road
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2522-9318
Website: www.finds.com.hk

Gold by Harlan Goldstein (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Lan Kwai Fong has not been the same ever since the renovation of the iconic California Tower more than 2 years ago. The shifting demographic had restaurant and bar patrons looking elsewhere in the Soho and Noho area.

An area now desperately looking for a spark, this once vibrant nightlife centre may have found one from celebrity chef Harlan Goldstein and his latest venture - Gold by Harlan Goldstein at the LKF Tower.



As the name "Gold" has already implied, gold is the theme in this new restaurant and bar that sports a dazzling decor predominantly in glittering gold color.

Located right off the reception area is a small bar decorated in (guess what) golden tone. It provides just the perfect place to grab a few drinks before dinner starts.




The menu had an exciting mix of modern European dishes. We first began with one of the signature dishes, Hokkaido sea scallop carpaccio served with slow-cooked egg and white truffle dressing and that was indeed mouthwatering. The contrasting flavors and textures were absolutely stunning (9/10).



The lobster bisque with cognac, though not as impressive as the scallop carpaccio, was another lovely starter (7/10).

Our starters had set the bar fairly high. Let's hope that the main courses were equally successfully.

Our first main course was a wagyu beef cheek ravioli, another house specialty here. The 12-hour slow braised wagyu beef cheek was a perfect match for the ravioli but the foie gras and black truffle sauce played the role of villain spoiling a pretty decent dish.

For whatever reason, the sauce came with a very distinct taste of vinegar or something relatively sour that was all too overpowering (3/10).

 

The Melting in your mouth Scottish salmon was true to its name, melting right in our mouth!

That was a wonderful slice of slow-cooked salmon. Soft, smooth and fulfilling (7/10). 



The Berry Berry fantasic cheesecake was not your typical New York style cheesecake. Instead, it was a mixture of a cheesecake, chocolate truffle crust, mango foam and black currant gelato.

Not too sweet, not too cheesy and not too heavy (7/10).

 

Gold by Harlan Goldstein was an instant hit since its debut in late 2010. We thought the food was of fairly high standard but the service could use a bit more training and the spacing between tables could definitely be extended a bit more to allow greater privacy.

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: $$$

Address: 2/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Website: www.gold-dining.com