Hong Kong - Whisk

For C's very belated birthday dinner (sorry!), an unfortunate and unforeseen project by me meant that once again,  I left it too late to get reservations on a Friday night.  I even had the audacity to call Mirror to see if I could get a table for 3, and pre-empted the laughter of the very nice man who picked up the phone to take reservations.  Despite his "great" efforts, it was not meant to be.  Fortunately, Whisk was there to save the day (or in this case, the evening).

I had first gone to Whisk in March of 2010 and while not whisked away, was happy enough with the experience.  The same sentiments apply this time, and while there were some hits, there were definitely misses to take away from the experience.  Still a nice and comfortable place to dine and entertain in  quiet surrounds, away from the bustle of TST, but the nits still need work.  The bread is not as good as it used to be, the service not as professional as I remembered.  But overall, still a decent place in TST.

  

Amuse bouche of escargot in a deep fried noodle case with wasabi mayo

A nice little welcome to the restaurant.  A spongy slug encased in a crispy noodle basket with a creamy wasabi mayo.  A good showcase of textures, and promise of things to come.

Here's the Taste of Whisk Menu (with wine pairing if you like).

  

Japanese Scallop Sashimi

The pretty starter of a green and white island made from a base of creamy avocado and fresh crunchy scallop carpaccio was delightful.  Decorated with a colorful garden and laced with Yuzu and Oscietra caviar, the freshness on the palate was very welcomed. 

Steamed Escargot

The steamed escargots brought warmth and an unusual way of serving snails.  Wrapped in spinach, the slugs were steamed to retain the smells and tastes of a lovely spring garden, and given colour and spice from the red radish and galangal.  The combination worked and this was enjoyable to the last drop of foam.

Pan-fried duck foie gras

While the piece of liver was very well fried to a crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, the combination of pickled ginger in a Dashi broth with a twist-tie of soba didn't quite do it for me since the crispness was quite quickly lost to the dash.  I tried to push the liver to a dry spot in the bowl plate and was semi-successful, so still managed to savor the piece of liver.

Spanish Mackeral

Either the quality of the mackerel or the treatment thereof disappointed because the result was a very dry piece of fish that was a chore to get through.  The accompaniments of Zucchini, Aioli and Fish Soup did little to lift this dish.  

Iberico Pork

This dish was full of promise on the menu.  What should have been a good cut of pork, served with Jamon Iberico laced Cepe Tortellinis,  and pumpkin, onion and apricot was very disappointing in its execution.  The piece of pork was dried out and had little taste to speak of.  The condiments from the pumpkin puree to the tortellinis were also very bland.  The only thing I enjoyed were the 2 paper thin pieces of Jamon Iberico.  I left half of this dish since there was little incentive to finish it.   

Flaky Apple Tart

We swapped the menu's Mango Parfait for what we thoroughly enjoyed the last time we visited - the Flaky Apple Tart.  Perhaps it was getting this carved up for a one person and not being served in the traditional copper pan and therefore less than hot wen it got to the table, perhaps the almonds were not the best as they could have been, but our memories of this dessert were a tad marred after this day. 

Petit Fours

To end, the petit fours were an ok distraction while we continued conversation to the end of a girly dinner.  Happy Birthday C, we hope you enjoyed it despite the few glitches.  Whisked away or not, it is still one of TST's pride and joys on the fine dining scene.

5/F, The Mira
118 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2315 5999