We realized it's been more than one full year since our last visit to VEA... don't know what happened and how time just flew by but we quickly made amend by making a booking to go one evening a couple of weeks ago. And we managed to catch up with Chef Vicky "in residence" in between his overseas trips.
We thought by coming in slightly earlier than usual (at 6:30pm) we would catch the quieter time at the restaurant, but nope, we were almost the last party to arrive, with all of the counter, table and private room seats all taken up by eager customers by then. Vicky and his team were very kind to arrange everything for us so we just sat back and enjoyed a gorgeous evening with way too many food and drinks with the view of the kitchen counter right in the middle.
The latest iteration of "salted fish and bokchoy" snack came in the form of salted fish aoili and cabbage puree served on deep-fried fish skin. Of course, you couldn't go wrong with the combination of crab and uni served in a small steamed buns and last but not least, the mini spring rolls with mashed egg plant and soybean paste with a touch of added exotic spices (cumin?). Another chilled seafood starter course followed, and that's the Iwate oyster served in a white asparagus vichyssoise sauce and scallion-infused oil. The two accompaniments with its contrasting flavor worked well with the oyster, more of a milder flavor but plump and came in good size.
Caviar and coconut sounded like an unusual combination, but the aromatic coconut did work well with the rich caviar, and even better when combined with water bamboo (or jiao bai sun 茭白筍, for the crunchy texture) and shellfish jelly (for the umami taste) for this unique dish that's new on the menu and made use of seasonal regional ingredients.
Moving on to the warm dishes. The sea cucumber dish needed no introduction as this has been the restaurant's signature, and this time it's paired with mashed tiger prawn and a rich sauce made with crustacean shells and spritz of aged Shaoxing wine. The sea cucumber was not as "crispy" as it normally is, but the flavor was outstanding. We thought we have tried every single way of cooking Ma Yau (threadfin) that Chef Vicky did but somehow he pulled another trick from his hat, this time done similar to saikyu-yaki or tataki style with a caramelized top over the piece of ma yau fillet and served with sweet peas, fox nuts and sauce prepared with preserved turnips.
For the next course we were each served something different so we could have a little taste of two different dishes. Mine was scampi, slow-poached and served on a bed of crispy crumbs and topped with beurre blanc with scallions and salmon roes. Hers was the sauteed fish maw, served a rich creamy sauce with caviar and quinoa. Both were outstanding in their own rights, but I do prefer the scampi with slightly more complexity in terms of flavor and textures.
With the palate cleanser of hawthorn sorbet served, we moved to our final savory course, which was Pyrennes lamb. The meat was done two ways - rack was frenched and slow poached wilk milk, then saddle finished on the pan with a richer taste. On the side was pumpkin puree, morel mushrooms and the green Sichuan peppercorn jus.
Two dessert courses were served on top of the series of Mignardises presented at the end. We began with the straight-forward combination of Japanese strawberries and burrata ice-cream (with sable underneath and the sweet local Pat Chun dark vinegar reduction poured on top), followed by a pear tartlet with Chinese almond ice-cream and shaved black truffles.
A flight of well-chosen wines accompanied our meal by the new somm plus the cocktail pairing by Antonio. The Chardonnay from Jura went well with the sea cucumber dish – rich minerals on the palate, buttery with some ripe stone fruits. I also like the chenin blanc that went with the dessert - bordering between off-dry and sweet, this beauty from Loire has less of botrytis and a tad lighter which worked well with the desserts which showed more of acidity (the strawberry one) or earthy (the pear and truffle one) characters than just sweetness.
One good thing about keeping a blog is I can always go back to my earlier posts to rekindle some of the memorable meals I had over the years. And I do often check back on my first post on VEA 8 years ago and appreciate the long journey of evolution of the place and chef's cooking style. They really set the standard in local dining scene and we are just happy to be there reap the harvest.
More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72177720307200344
When? April 1 2023
Where? VEA, 30/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington St, Central
Menu Highlights? Ma Yau, Spring Pea, Preserved Turnip
Drinks?
Champagne Krug Grande Cuvee 170eme Edition Brut MV (ID: 321049)
2018 Pierre Sperry Riesling Grand Cru "Winzenberg", Alsace
2020 Donnafugata Sul Vulcano Etna Bianco DOC
2019 Domaine Rolet L'etoile Chardonnay Arbois AOC
2019 Domaine du Doc des Boutires Poiully-Fuisse AOC
2016 Massimo Rivetti Barbaresco DOCG
2020 Domaine De La Taille Aux Loups "Moelleux" Montlouis sur Loire AOC
Web: vea.hk
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