The Pawn (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It’s been a while since I last visited Restaurant Akrame for lunch so the game plan was to have a quick lunch over there but leaving office late forced me to switch to Plan B. The Pawn.



Chilled pumpkin soup - My server had to make sure that I knew the soup was served cold. I told him on a hot summer day like this, the cooler the better!



The pumpkin soup was really soothing to my palate. I like the creme fraiche there for some lovely acidity while the pumpkin tartare (underneath the soup) and chips provided a bit of different texture for the silky smooth soup. Solid start.



Pan-seared salmon fillet - This was a little more oily than what I have expected but pretty tasty nevertheless. It was served with peas and bacon, mashed potato and a pommery cream sauce.



This made it three in a roll that they've delivered a solid meal for yours truly. I have no problem coming back again soon.

Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: 2/F, 62 Johnston Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2866-3444
Website: www.thepawn.com.hk

Dim Sum Gallery 點心廊 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I have heard great things about Chef Chan Siu-Kei (陳小麒), formerly of Celestial Court (天寶閣) before so as soon as I learned that he's come out of retirement to open Dim Sum Gallery (點心廊), I started picking up the phone to get ourselves a table for the weekend. Only one small problem - they don't take reservations for weekends.

Located on the second floor of Grand Plaza in Mongkok, Dim Sum Gallery was already jam packed when we arrived a little before 12:30pm. We patiently waited knowing that it could very well take around an hour but thankfully, we managed to get our table just after 40 minutes.



They have a very small food menu that centers around (guess what) their dim sum, complemented nicely by a small selection of cold and warm appetizers, rice and noodle dishes.

Bean curd sheet, edamame, preserved vegetables (毛豆雪菜素雞) ($58) - A cold appetizer that's a little on the spicy and salty side. Definitely a dish we could all do without.



Har Gow with king prawns and bamboo shoots (晶瑩筍尖鮮蝦餃) ($58) - Dim Sum Gallery is renowned for its collection of dumplings and there are at least 7 to 8 different kinds but we were going to first start with their old-school har gow.

This was pretty good. Really nice thin wrapper and the size easily doubled the bite-sized ones found in most Chinese restaurants these days. Love the sweetness and bounciness of the prawns. Excellent start (from their dim sum kitchen). 



Steamed dumplings with sea urchin and minced prawns (海膽鳳眼餃) ($68) - Thought this was going to be very similar to the prawn dumplings but the sea urchin really made all the difference in the world.



Very delicious.



Steamed dumplings with prawns and vegetables (翡翠菜苗鮮蝦餃) ($48) - After two excellent dumplings, this really paled in comparison. The thin wrapper was still very very good but after having some top-notch sea urchin with our minced prawns earlier, this one with spinach and mixed vegetables would be hard-pressed to make the same kind of impression.



Gold fish dumplings with prawns and vegetables (百花翡翠金魚餃) ($48) - This one was for my little nugget. Not bad but a bit redundant (after having the previous three dumplings).



Mapo tofu, Japanese scallop dumplings (麻婆豆腐日本帶子餃) ($58) - Interesting idea but the mapo tofu brought a little too much heat. Reminded me a bit of Dim Sum Library's dan dan Xiao Long Bao with its burst of mala hot sauce (麻辣) and numbing effects.



Steamed dumplings with black truffle and wild mushrooms (黑松露野菌石榴粿) ($58) - The steamed dumplings came with fillings of diced wild mushrooms, water chestnut and black fungus which were working really well with the black truffle.



There's something about black truffle that brings out the best from mushrooms. Very tasty. 



Abalone and chicken puff (原隻鮑魚雞粒酥) ($48 each) - One that I've been looking forward to since we sat down. The braised abalone wasn't bad but it's hardly at its best.



Equally average was the crispy tart that the abalone was sitting on. It's worth a try but I think once would be plenty enough.



Steamed rice with chicken, black mushrooms, ginger and salt (沙薑北菇蒸滑雞飯) ($68) - We ordered two rice dishes but only one managed to show up. This was alright. Nothing to write home about.



Baked barbecue pork buns with bamboo charcoal (富士竹炭叉燒包) ($38) - Really light and fluffy with lovely bamboo charcoal flavors and fragrant barbecued pork sauce. 



Yum~ 



Crispy glutinous balls with dark and white sesame (黑白芝麻流心煎堆仔) ($48) - I love dim sum that's served piling hot inside out. This was a classic example with the crispy glutinous balls arriving piling hot as if they've just come out from boiling oil.



The crispy shell was simply perfect and equal to the task was the runny dark and white sesame sauce that was still tongue-burning hot in the middle. Very nice.



I was really impressed with the quality of dim sum at Dim Sum Gallery this afternoon. The dumplings really stood out and there were a lot of different varieties there to satisfy our palates (the rest were less satisfying). My only question mark was why they decided to open in Mongkok, where it's better known for its cheap eats. Will the success and long queues continue after a few months' time? I will be interested in finding out then. 

Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$$
Address: Shop 201, 2/F, Grand Plaza, 639 Nathan Road, Mongkok, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Mongkok
Tel: +852 2885-1910
Website: www.thefoodstoryhk.com/dimsumgallery

Rakuraku Ramen 樂拉麵 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

It's going to be another short lunch for me this afternoon. My initial plan was to go for a quick one at The Pawn but I found a even better (and faster) option - Rakuraku Ramen (樂拉麵) at Lee Tung Avenue.



Sakura shrimp flavored broth for a limited time only! That would be a good choice, right?



Raku tonkotsu ramen ($73) - For a ramen shop touted for its Hakata background, it would be silly not to order its namesake tonkotsu ramen (with pork bone broth).



This came with eggs, bamboo shoots and a choice between roasted pork belly or shoulder.



For a place always with modest lineups, I was a little disappointed with what they had to offer. I mean, the broth, noodles, bamboo shoot and egg; they all tasted okay but nothing really stood out. The broth in particular was just flat-out disappointing. It didn't really have the usual thickness nor the flavors one would expect from a rich broth prepared with pork bones.

In fact, the roasted pork belly (which I chose over pork shoulder) was probably the only thing that got a borderline pass this afternoon.



This kind of quality reminded me of Ajisen Ramen (味千拉麵), a Japanese ramen chain that used to take us by storm some 20 years ago but has largely disappeared in Hong Kong's dining scene these days.

Food Rating: 4/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop G30, G/F, Lee Tung Avenue, 200 Queen's Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2818-3222

Three Virtues Vegetarian Restaurant 三德素食館 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It's been at least a year since we last had a Chinese-style vegetarian meal so I decided to round up my team including mom who's the most passionate vegan food enthusiast I knew for lunch at Three Virtues Vegetarian Restaurant (三德素食館) today. Three Virtues is one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants on the Kowloon side. I've been there about half a dozen times before so I knew the place pretty well.



Stir-fried rice flour rolls with soy sauce (豉油皇煎腸粉) - They have a separate dim sum menu which is pretty common for a Chinese vegetarian restaurant these days. I ended up picking a few off this menu to kick things off.

The rice flour rolls I thought were a little on the hard side but I guess I shouldn't expect much from the dim sum chef here. After all, it's a vegetarian restaurant.  



Baked turnip puffs (千絲蘿蔔酥) - Again the shell was on the hard side. A good turnip puff should be crispy on the outside but this was more crunchy than crispy to me.



But the shredded turnips in the middle was juicy enough so perhaps I will give this a pass.



Vegetarian BBQ pork buns (麥汁素叉燒包) - I'm guessing the buns were made with wheat or semolina. 



Too bad there's not nearly enough barbecued pork sauce to go with the vegetarian barbecued pork so it was noticeably dry inside.



Vegetarian barbecued meat platter (雜錦齋鹵味) - Always a crowd pleaser at a Chinese vegetarian meal. The crispy bean curd sheets on top are my favorites, same goes for the tofu. 



Fried vegetarian fish made with bean curd sheets, seaweed and pine nuts in sweet and sour sauce (崧子五柳素黃魚) - Mom's all-time favorite dish. The "fish fillet" was made with bean curd sheets wrapped nicely by seaweed to give it some slightly chewy texture. The sweet and sour sauce was spot on. Now, where's my steamed rice?



Stir-fried flat rice noodles with vegetarian cartilage (干炒素軟骨河粉) - A surprisingly decent stir-fried flat noodles (干炒牛河) with good "wok hei" (鑊氣) but they replaced the beef with pork soft bones (vegetarian ones of course). Not bad but like most stir-fried flat noodles, a little oily.



Pan-fried pancake with green bean paste (豆茸紫薯煎軟餅) - Our dessert turned out to be my favorite dish this afternoon. I love pan-fried Chinese pancakes and these were beautiful. The sweet potato flavored flour was actually a pretty nice match with the green bean paste filling. Soft, slightly chewy, sweet but not too sweet just like the way I like them to be.



Right after the meal, Jelloman started telling me how crappy she thought today's meal was. But I guess for a meat and seafood lover, it's difficult for her to really appreciate vegetarian food. 

Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: $$
Address: G/F & 4/F, JD Mall, 233-239 Nathan Road, Jordan, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Jordan
Tel: +852 3622-1888

Castellana Restaurant (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

It's been a while since I last received an invitation to a new restaurant that I didn't end up turning down. Located on the 10th floor of Cubus in Causeway Bay, Castellana Restaurant serves regional Piedmont cuisine in collaboration with Chef Marco Sacco from two-Michelin starred Piccolo Lago. It's a brand new opening that's been on my radar screen for some time and definitely a place I won't mind paying for a meal.



The bespoke multi-course lunch menu at Castellana allows diners to mix and match their own starter, first, second course and dessert. Since we knew nothing about Piedmont (except their hazelnuts) and its cuisine, we decided to take on a longer culinary journey with its 7-course tasting menu designed by Chef Sacco.



Lunch started off brilliantly with some soft ricotta cheese mousse topped by Piedmont almonds that was finished off with bell pepper flavored sponge and basil dust. Right from the start, we got a taste of the contemporary approach of a pretty exciting brand of Italian cuisine that's fun to watch (and eat!).



Our amuse bouche was immediately followed by some homemade bread to get our appetites going.



Our first dish of the tasting menu was smoked lake trout which has been smoked for 3 to 4 hours. Dusted with spices and beautifully decorated with edible flowers and raspberry gel, the smoked lake trout came with this really nice wobbly texture. It's not as smoky or flavorful as most smoked salmon so we could still taste the naturally rich flavors of the trout. Not a bad start at all.



Things continued to get better with the upcoming dishes. First, it was Fassona beef tartare served with a clear beef broth and pickled vegetables. 



Fassona beef is a Piedmontese cattle from the northwestern part of Italy born fawn colored and turns grey-white as it matures. It is renowned for its unique muscular structure, resulting in excellent texture, tenderness, juiciness, and a rich, sweet flavor.

Obviously, the chefs here are very confident in the beef's unique texture and flavor, which is why they've only added sparkling water and spring onion while they prepare the tartare. It was a great way to preserve the natural flavors from the cattle and I was really impressed with the tenderness, juiciness and sweet flavors of the beef. It's also one of the leanest cut I've ever seen, which for me is just perfect for a tartare.



Risotto with black garlic and river prawn was next. The artful presentation was complete with dabs of weed jelly and white cheese.



This was one of the most delicious risotto I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. The creamy and silky risotto was brimming with sweetness from the black garlic, matching well with the freshness of the river prawn while the weed jelly and white cheese sauce provided some earthy and cheesy notes to the mix. A really well-designed dish with the perfect execution.



Following the risotto was Chef Sacco's signature Carbonara "au koque", the chef's modern take on the classic spaghetti carbonara. The secret of success to this popular dish might be attributed to a special ingredient to the eggy Carbonara sauce - gin, an element that the chef thought would make the sauce more delicate on the palate.



Our fish course today was Corregone lake fish from the cod fish family, finished with a blackberry glaze. I thought the fish came with much less fat content than the usual cod fish but with noticeably stronger flavors. And those flavors were wonderfully enhanced by the fruity notes from the blueberry glaze. A simple yet sophisticated dish with a well-balanced mix of flavors.



It was served with a mixed berries salad and warm kale on the side.



Our meat course saw us going back to the prized Fassone beef again, only this time the tenderloin was seared to medium-rare, and matched with foie gras and a tangy, intense red wine sauce.



This looked absolutely beautiful. Succulent with perfect tenderness and juiciness. The presentation didn't jump out immediately but it was a superb dish with terrific textural contrast. The excellent combination of flavors and textures didn't just stop with the wonderfully cooked beef tenderloin, foie gras and red wine reduction but carried over to the rest of the dish that also included potato purée, baby spinach leaves and bread crumbs (love the crunch there!).



Dessert was the evolution of tiramisu - past, present and future (from left to right).



This was a stunning display of imagination and creativity. On the left was the classic tiramisu we have all grown to love with ladyfingers, mascarpone cream and cocoa powder.



The "Now" version was an innovative interpretation of a tiramisu comprising of a vanilla pudding with coffee flavored cream filling, and topped with a cocoa nibs wafer and scoop of mascarpone sorbet (Call me old-fashioned but I still love the classic one more!).



We also took a glimpse into the future on how a tiramisu might look like. Here we have a chocolate infused with tiramisu flavored liquor to complete the journey into our tiramisu evolution.



I didn't expect such a brilliantly executed meal from this small and cozy restaurant so it was all a very nice pleasant surprise. The smoked trout and Carbonara weren't bad but it was the two beef dishes and risotto that really stole my heart. I'm definitely going to come back and check out the other set menus real soon.

Food Rating: 7.5/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 10/F, Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Causeway Bay
Tel: +852 3188-5028
Website: www.castellanahongkong.com