Like Blue Butcher, another restaurant by
Maximal Concepts, it is difficult to get a table in Fish and Meat even months
after its opening. With the success of Blue Butcher and the Brickhouse in mind,
I surely expected a lot from Fish and Meat. My experience at F&M confirms
that this restaurant group is among the best in Hong Kong.
The decor of Fish and Meat followed the
simple but cozy industrial style of Blue Butcher – this kind of style is getting more
popular in Hong Kong. The biggest difference is probably the semi-open
kitchen where the dinners (mostly with camera) can have a glimpse of the
cooking process.
To start with, we had roasted bone marrow
crostini and sea urchin with lardo bruschetta. Roasted bone marrow was sinfully
good. Who could resist the crunchy crostini soaked with some melted bone
marrow. The sea urchin was
very fresh; its sweetness was brought to another level of complexity by the
saltiness of the lardo. It was indeed a lovely combination!
After that, I was nearly filled up by the
rosemary hand-ground Dutch veal and pork meatballs. More tomato sauce and
melted cheese for the meatballs would make it a remarkable dish.
I then had a rather light and refreshing
Pepperoncini cocktail to clean my palate. It contained Ice Fox vodka, Lillet
blanc, jalapeño and cucumber. The apricot and cucumber smelled and tasted
strong, while the expected spiciness from jalapeño went nearly unnoticed. It
was a perfect substitute to the lemonade.
For the main dish, we first had fresh
tagliatelle in fontina and pepperoni sauce with chicken skin & truffle
emulsion. The tagliatelle was a little soft; the chicken skin was very crispy.
A simple truffle cream sauce was good enough for a decent homemade pasta.
The cocktail here was really a trap for women. I finished it
amazingly quickly! I had another signature cocktail, Pesto martini. Pesto was
my favourite companion of bread and pasta, and it turned out to be great with
cocktail. Compared to the previous one, this cocktail tasted stronger and had a
distinctly creamy texture and a hint of basil aroma. Again, the cocktails of
the restaurants under Maximal Concepts did not disappoint.
You can hardly miss fish and meat in a restaurant that is
named after them. Of what was offered, the roasted French turbot with carrot
puree, brown shrimp, and smoked prawn was my favourite. The turbot was
perfectly seared. Its slightly crispy edges and the tender and flaky meat were
pretty enjoyable. Even the shrimp was full of the taste of seawater. Fish
lovers must not miss this dish.
Another main dish, Peter’s Farm Dutch veal chop 'Milanese'
was heavily seasoned on the skin, but it was a bit overcooked, at least to me.
Although I had had a lot of carbo, I could hardly resist the
sweet corn polenta. It was very sweet and light. A little less watery would
perfect it.
By then, I was pretty satisfied with the whole meal, but the
best had yet to come. The country clotted cream whipped mascarpone
"cheesecake" with raspberry and shortbread crumble forcefully
challenged the idea that cheesecakes are always heavy. The one I had was silky
and light.
Dark chocolate fondant with salted caramel and homemade
Tahitian vanilla ice cream was quite nice too; would be better if the chocolate
was more bitter and richer.
The best was the last to come. The Sicilian lemon tart was
definitely worth fighting for. The tangyness and sweetness, and the proportion
of the tart base and the lemon curd was perfectly balanced. I would be the
first one to join if the pastry chef of F&M offers a baking class.
Like her sister restaurants, F&M offers great food; but
it is the fabulous dessert that makes her stand out. There are several dishes
that I would like to try, such as the duck egg ravioli and the chocolate pot. I
shall arrange with my husband...
Fish & Meat
2/F., 32 Wyndham street, Central
Food: wwwwwwww
Service:wwwwwwww
Environment: wwwwwwww
