Tonight we went to Spasso Hong Kong for a tasting session of their upcoming Valentine’s Day menu, specially created by Chef Michelle with heavy emphasis on aphrodisiac ingredients for, you know, obvious reasons. Priced at HK$628 per person, the menu comprises of four dishes and we set out to try out the entire menu.
Fresh shucked oysters topped with Hendrick’s gin and cucumber. The gin gives this a slightly bitter twist, and the chopped cucumber, a crunchy texture to the tangy oysters. The oyster itself still have that light seawater aftertaste.
Diver Hokkaido scallop carpaccio. The thinly sliced scallops are a little overwhelmed by the yuzu citrus vinaigrette and truffle caviar. The manager recommended some squeezed lime, and that did the trick!
Fresh winter black truffle “cappuccino”. A nice transition from fresh oysters with cucumber to sliced scallops with truffle caviar to this rich, deep and pungent soup. It’s good that the mushroom soup is light and not creamy, otherwise the texture would have been way too heavy.
Pan-fried sea bream fillet os crispy on the outside, all natural and slightly salted on the inside. The mashed potatoes are creamy with vanilla and with just a tinge of bourbon – a great balancing act with the champagne-saffron emulsion. Again, a nice transition from the mushroom soup before, and a good balanced dish in both flavour and texture.
The braised wagyu beef cheek is cooked to a tender (and almost) perfection, but what steal the limelight of this rather heavy dish is the ginger purée. It was fresh, smooth and creamy, so good that it take me by surprise. The ginger purée, the chef explaines, is a deliberate execution. It was meant to be sharp-tasting and different, as people would remember the last “main” dish they havd, and so the mains must impress. Do you remember the appetizers I had, after the fish or the beef? I don’t.
Since I am on a carbless diet, if I have to choose I would go for the beef cheek rather than the fish fillet before. (On second thought, is it necessary that the beef cheek to be wagyu though?)
We have come to the the end of Spasso Hong Kong Valentine’s Day special. The dessert features a combination of coffee and ginseng flavours in the panne cotta, which can be quite an acquired taste, but the gingersnap crumbles was a nice continuation from the purée before, and added texture to the dessert. The sides of berries and Valrhona chocolate ice cream are quite a nice touch.
Overall this menu is very well thought-out. There seems to be a common ingredient in between two successive dishes – shellfish, truffle, ginger – leading to a sense of continuity throughout the menu. The names can be gimmicky but the dishes are not without substance. The better half rated this as value for money. This Valentine’s Day special is available only on February 14, after 8 p.m. So if this post ticks your Italian fancies, you are strongly recommended to book ahead. I would recommend the outdoor seating with its stunning harbour view.
Note: All photos were sourced from my Instagram account, @razlan79. This was an invited tasting session.
EAT: Spasso Hong Kong | G5-8, 12-17, Empire Centre, 68 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon | Tel: +(852) 27308027 | Reservation Online