Treasures of the Sea

In the middle of last month we were at Cuisine Cuisine to check out the new seafood dinner menu available every Tuesday at their TST branch. It's a good thing that after a few rather heavy meals in the past few weeks I got to try something lighter for dinner.

This popular restaurant in TST inside The Mira was busy as ever - if there's any slowdown in local economy or consumption as many analysts have predicted it certainly showed no sign of it here. With the restaurant being in such close proximity to our church we have been here a few times for afternoon yum-cha after Sunday service, but I think it's our first time coming for dinner.

The set menu featured 5 courses of seafood and the dessert, served in individual portion. I loved the first course of appetizers, both the deep-fried abalone done "shelter-style" with a coating of spicy garlic salt and the crispy soft-shell crab with a light glaze of sweet mandarin oil were well prepared with punchy flavors, or we basically just loved everything deep-fried.

The tiger prawn was another dish I enjoyed - with the prawn butterflied then rolled with fried vermicelli noodles outside giving it an attractive golden crust. It's served with a lemon dipping sauce on the side for some sweet, tangy flavors. The only dish I found disappointing for the night was the sea cucumber stuffed with shrimp mousse. Despite the long, slow cooking to get that soft texture, there's not a lot of flavors in the sea cucumber piece, even with the addition of oyster sauce.

We finished with the chilled sago cream with pomelo and mango dessert, which may be a bit predictable but nonetheless delicious. I think the menu was right on par with what I expected from a high-end hotel Chinese restaurant with a few dishes that stood out, and with two glasses of house wines included in the price, I would say it's pretty good value for a decent night out especially if you are looking for something more formal.

When? March 15 2016
Where? Cuisine Cuisine, 3/F The Mira, 118 Nathan Road, Tsimshatsui, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Crispy Noodles Rolls with Tiger Prawn in Lemon Juice 檸汁金絲大虎蝦
Web: www.themirahotel.com/category/dining/cuisinecuisine/

(The meal was by invitation and paid for by the hotel)