2016年8月14日 星期日

港式西餐三款招牌一試難忘 @ Raymond'z Kitchen

從前認為,港式西餐即是鼓油西餐,例如波士頓餐廳的鐡板扒,自小偏愛西洋口味的我並不太欣賞!但近年發現,也許因為時代在進步,現在以港式西餐為叫口的店子,亦有非常合我心意的,因為他們並不只靠鼓油,而是中西調味料之混合,味道平衡中有變化,既創新亦懷舊。

 其實啟發我認識"港式西餐"這個名稱的人,是Chef Stage by Eddy Chu Eddy,他擅長把世界各地之各款香料調味品混合,稍為改變,令菜式保持傳統味道之餘亦被大大昇華,例如招牌bb乳鴿,真是百吃不厭!

 但今晚的主角並不是他,因為做得出色的另有其人,就是 Raymondz  Kitchen Raymond,同樣是港產西廚,手藝更加忠於傳統,沒有妖邪怪配,儘量保持原來造型及味道,只作略為改良及變化,烹調出來的味道老少咸宜,非常適合香港人的胃口。

 這晚碰巧有朋友在此包場搞生日派對,我高興得不得了,因為可以重温 Raymondz Kitchen 的三款首本名菜,就是蜜糖松露燒乳鴿、地中海式焗豬扒意大利飯及香煎法國鵝肝蝦子麵,皆是我的必吃之選,真心推薦!

詳述如下:

位於西九後花園的渡船角,實屬住宅舊區,未來過的人會有些難找路,懂得找,最近是從柯士甸地鐵站出,走行人天橋可直到,此外,從九龍站出亦走亦不遠。

位於橫街內,晚上附近街道燈火不明亮,舖面亦被泊在路邊的車擋著,過路客不多,相信主要靠口碑。

走到門前,萬綠叢中一點紅,招牌紅底白字,燈箱紅底黑字,寬闊玻璃廚窗,展示有趣西餐廳擺設小物及紅酒,一看便知是做西菜,跟周圍的鄰居毫不相似!


門外貼上餐牌,方便客人考慮。


店內並無特別裝潢,面積不大,長形間格尚算實用,我們廿多人包場,桌椅排列密麻。
左方是酒吧,早已放置各式酒杯。

這晚主人家自備香檳及紅白酒,因為有兄長姐夫支持,酒錢可省。



酒吧的另一角儲了各款新鮮生蠔,即點即開,確保新鮮,是日精選,來自南非及法國。

人多好辦事,這晚我們品嚐了6款刺身冷盤、一款沙律、3道熱盤前菜、3道主菜及甜點拼盤+生日蛋糕。

餐前小點



簡單是美,新鮮香脆的麵包條,本身富淡淡鹹香,淨吃美味,佐酒匹配。



備以自製忌廉醬汁,黏稠微酸,愈吃愈開胃!



刺身拼盤


刺身拼盤先到,食材來自世界各地之精選,體積皆是巨型。並配備日本芥末甜鼓油及酸甜雞尾酒汁作蘸醬。

挪威野生三文魚肉厚肥美,潤滑柔軟,口感好不滿足;北海道帶子,L級貨式,非常鮮甜,回甘悠久,我不喜歡與青瓜同吃,還是事後才吃以作清洗味蕾之用,潮流興配片青瓜,我真不明解!

阿根廷天使紅蝦肥美有蝦膏,肉有彈力,但鮮回甘之能力,始終不及西班牙的!南非 Saldanha 生蠔肥美幼滑,一下子已在口內溶化,鮮甜豐膄,只是蠔味薄一點。加拿大翡翠螺相比之下不及其他鮮甜,但肉質結實,而且蘸了雞尾酒汁昇華不少,不同享受。


Gillardeau 生蠔

本來以為刺身拼盆已經代表了全部頭盤生吃,怎料又送上生蠔,貴為法國蠔后,值得獨立出場。



細味 Gillardeau 鮮甜滑嫩,蠔味果然比剛才南非的濃郁,鹹水味並不特別豐富,不知道有否用水沖過!吃之前,我用剛學會不久的少少技巧測試新鮮度,即是吱少許檸檬汁在近蠔殻之邊位,如果新鮮,蠔的肌肉會有收縮現象,可惜未見有此現象,可能是我技術不好,亦可能真的不是極度新鮮,一次過開廿五只,然後擺盤送上,時間打了折扣!



吞拿魚尼高斯沙律

生菜及菜苗嫩綠爽口,調味酸甜合道,可喜之處是加了蜜糖調味;除了吞拿魚,亦有熟蛋及香茄,我一向不太喜歡罐頭呑拿魚,雖然添加了油肉不算嚡,不過不失。



西班牙黑毛豬火腿



24個月風乾,鹹香肉香濃郁,配杏脯吃,鹹甜對比分明,味蕾受寵!



薄切工夫了得,看這一片多通透,而且清晰見到脂肪瘦肉之紋理,誘惑非常。



蜜糖松露燒乳鴿


賣相如回到從前,是到了沙田龍華吃乳鴿麼?尤其配上了現在少做的雙色蝦片。



我認為此道是這晚最精彩的菜式之一,小小的乳鴿,一分為四,每件皆烤至皮脆肉嫩,黑松露香撲鼻,而富蜜糖甜之醃味極度討好,吃得我津津有味,連骨亦要吮出汁來方能滿足,執筆時想起,已經回味無窮!



香煎法國鵝肝蝦子麵

外型出衆,別樹一格,以鵝肝配炸麵應該是獨有。 



捲起的幼麵條,炸至香脆,一咬即碎,香口不膩,憑口感及樣子皆知道是蝦子麵,塗上酸甜黏稠黑醋
 汁,有助解鵝肝之膩。



鵝肝煎至外脆內嫩,恰到好處,同樣塗上了黑醋汁。

豐膄幼滑的鵝肝配上硬朗香脆的蝦子麵,對比明顯,口感有變化,成功的新口味。

燒德國鹹豬手

我們廿五人共做了三份,每份原只豬手,份量十足。


外皮焗至酥脆至極,既薄亦脆如蝦片,味道濃郁有層次。


皮脆肉卻嫩滑,難得不過火,連皮帶脂肪,配沙律菜及黒醋汁吃匹配得很。

30安士美國安格斯斧頭扒


巨大足30安士的斧頭扒,燒焗至焦黃帶黑的香惹顏色,看似有些過火,其實恰到好處,刻意以高溫鎖著水份,亦只是表層薄薄的一層發黑,內裡之肉質依然粉嫩紅潤有肉汁。


我選了近皮肥美的一片,鬆軟細緻,之後再選瘦的一片,同樣嫩滑得很。


若嫌不夠惹味,黑椒醬汁隨時侍候。

地中海式焗豬扒意大利飯

我認為,焗豬扒飯是這晚最精彩之菜式,用上黑毛豬排及意大利米作飯,這個西方組合配上中式西餐做法竟然無得輸!芝士、番茄、青椒、洋蔥、磨菇的份量拿得盡,不知道如何調得如此美味,是有層次的滋味。


黑毛豬排肉質鬆軟綿密,香嫩得至難以形容,比剛才的牛扒更要令人一試難忘。意大利米軟硬度適中,富蛋香,配合豬扒及醬汁同吃,天作之合!


生日蛋糕


其他朋友帶來的生日蛋糕,漂亮有特色,其中金銀滿載的特別好意頭。

高唱生日歌後,大家興緻最高揚,爭相與壽星仔拍照及比酒,招牌甜點變得不受注目,雪葩、蛋糕、布士、慕絲及水果,其實有些難分享,各淺嘗了少許,但印象不深。

14款菜式中有3款令我難忘,實在精彩!


離開中心貴租之地,把成本放在食品上,客人有福;取價看似不便宜,吃過方知物有所值,環境服務合理,絕對有回頭的誘因。

八月真是一個好月份,除了自己生日外,亦有兩位朋友各自包場搞生日會,因為碰巧皆是齊頭歲數,打算開開心心迎接來臨的新一個十年,今晚到了 Raymond's Kitchen,過兩天就是 Doppio Zero. 


評分
味道:4.5/5
環境:3.0/5
服務:3.5/5
衛生:3.5/5
抵食:3.5/5

餐廳資料:
Raymond'z Kitchen
佐敦渡船角文苑街41
23323009

2016年8月10日 星期三

Food Review: The Best of English Countryside @ Derby Restaurant and Bar

Running a restaurant in a fast moving Metropolitan city in Hong Kong has never been easy. Continuously new idea and element are always required in order to attract new customer and keep old ones. Loyal customers seemed to be old school and not reliable anymore if a restaurant would like to be profitable. There was no exception to prestige club; including Hong Kong Jockey Club.

HKJC has 3 club houses located in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories. Dining facilities are comprehensive; Chinese, Western and international cuisine are served. Derby restaurant in Happy Valley was known to be a classic, elegant, fine dining place aim to offer diners an unsurpassed dining experience. It is a perfect place for anniversary and whoever looks for unforgettable experience. Having said so, keen competition from hotels and other fine dining restaurants are threatening. Derby has to offer special features regularly to draw members’ attention. Current Happening: The Best of English Country Side runs from 3 July to 31 August. It just fit in my schedule this year. I decided to come over to celebrate my birthday.

“There were many small farms in England, heritage breeds and grass-fed cattle and sheep make for the best beef and lamb: leaner, high in good fats, natural minerals and vitamins. Chef de Cuisine Leong Ngo-cham has created a menu that tastes as good as it is good for you.” That was the description of the event. It successfully arise my interest.



Being one of the oldest prestige clubs in Hong Kong, Happy Valley Club House is no doubt elegant. It keeps her colonial style on the decoration. Modern classic is the theme of the interior design. Wood and paintings are widely used. In particularly for Derby, there is a huge wine cellar. Every month, Derby offers member’s choice. It was an enjoyable walk at the corridor with wine cellar on the side.


5-course menu was simple but well planned; appetizer, soup, fish, meat and dessert. Only soup and meat have choice. I felt like to have a cold soup tonight due to hot summer. For meat, I always like lamb than beef.

Bread and Butter

A waitress showed us a big basket with about 6 types of bread to choose from. They all smelt fresh from oven. She introduced them so quickly that I could not catch up for all. Luckily, I was still able to pick by their appearance. Amongst all, black ink bun caught my eye ball. I also picked a soft bun and a wheat bread to be with.

Bamboo charcoal bread has been a new phenomenon and was hot. This black ink bun certainly looked alike and tasted the same. It was neither sweet nor salty, match well with butter. Soft inside and crispy outside, no doubt freshly made.

I was so happy that amuse-bouches were served. Amuse bouche used to offer a glimpse into the chef's approach to the art of cuisine. They indeed impressed me.

 Amuse Bouche No 1 – melon and crab meat


A beautify red color tiny cube with white stuff on the top in a big plate was served. It was also decorated by a piece of green and yellow.

It was certainly could be eaten in one bite. Surprising the cube was made of melon and the spread was crab meat. The combination was new to my palate but perfectly match. The sweet and juicy melon and the creamy chewable crab meat immediately melt in my mouth was very refreshing and appetite stimulating.

Amuse Bouche No 2 – cheese and foam


Appearance of the second amuse bouche looked like a mini pasta at my first sight. However, it was a shedder of cheddar cheese in a pool of vanilla potato foam. The brothers were in good harmony. 
The creamy foam added smoothness to the cheese and they were just so cheesy. What a great combination! Simple but sophisticated!

Foie Gras Terrine

 5-course menu started with a delightful dish painted as an art. It was just another creative idea. Sweet shrimp and foie gras were both popularly used as appetizer. However, I never thought they could be paired.



A whole piece of sweet shrimp was placed on top of a narrow cut foie gras terrine. So, they both have same thickness. A piece of pink ginger jelly and green were added to enhance the appearance. The dish was also decorated by prune and vinegar drops.

Sweet shrimp was fried but the texture was fresh and soft as raw. Foie Gras Terrine was smooth and seasoned by sweet sauce. The sweetness of shrimp and foie gras terrine were alternatively changing in my mouth that pleased my palate so much. Aided by the seasoning and sweet shrimp, the dish was not heavy at all.

The dish also came with 2 pieces of tiny toast. Toast and Foie Gras Terrine were always perfect partners.

Tomato Gazpacho


No matter what, foie gras terrine was relatively stuffy. I was glad to make the right choice. A cold, sweet and sour tomato soup successfully reduced any left behind greasy feel if any.

Tomata Gazpacho was touched up by crab meat and a mouse made of cucumber and basil.  Strong aroma of cucumber and basil were hidden and did not affect the lovely sweet and sour taste of tomato soup. This combination was also new to me and indeed very refreshing.

Seared Scallops


This dish was a piece of art, qualified for a full mark simply by its appearance. It was like a layer biscuit; with an interesting bird nest kind of cracker on the top. It was black in color, very thin and delicate. Underneath was pan fried scallops in the middle and caramelized onions at the bottom. Furthermore, it was filled with chardonnay cream.

6 pieces of scallop was the key, fried to golden brown color but still juicy. The contrast amongst these 3 layers balanced well with each other. It was so satisfying with freshness, crunchy, juicy and fresh in one bite.

Sorbet
A citrus favor sorbet was served to clean up our palate before enjoying coming main course.

Herb Crusted English Rack of Lamb

Cooked in a traditional way, the herbs gave freshness to the rich lamb. Roast lamb sounds easy but experience mattered. Of course, a good piece of meat was always most important.

It was such a think cut, roast medium so that inner meat remained pink and juicy. The roast was just right, super tender and delicious. Extra sauce was provided and abundant on the plate. I could find some fat under the skin but they were not greasy. As said, best of English meat has good fat and leaner. Eat well and stay healthy!

Cucumber, orange puree and garlic were placed nicely on the side. They enhanced appearance more than anything but tasted fine, too.

Coconut and Malibu


Presented beautifully as another piece of art, this dessert was made of coconut sorbet, coconut sago, fresh pineapple chunks, custard, chopped biscuits and a piece of sweet cracker.

This is rich but light at the same time.

Birthday Cake

I did not expect a birthday cake for my self-arranged dinner. However, this was complimentary and thanks for my companion. Tiramisu was always irresistible. Coffee, coco power, heavy whipped cream, mascarpone cheese and wine contributed to the creation. They were devils but mouth-watering.

It was smooth and at appropriate sweetness.

Peppermint Tea & Petit Four

At last, tea and petit four compliment the dinner. Four pieces of chocolate and macaroon were all have their own characters. One was plain and the other three was filled with wine, nut or cream.  

We could not finish the whole birthday cake. This take-away box was also very decent.

This was certainly a great dinner with excellent service, environment and good food. There was no complaint. Price was also very reasonable and definitely worthwhile. 

Taste: 4/5
Decor: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Hygiene: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Derby Restaurant and Bar
Hong Kong Jockey Club
B/F & 1/F, Happy Valley Club House
Shan Kwong Road
Happy Valley