Review: Fishsteria, a seafood restaurant in Wan Chai (update: moved to Kennedy Town)
New Crudo brunch is a total seafood extravaganza
Fishsteria has long been a dependable seafood restaurant for those in the know. Its storefront in Wan Chai may be unassuming, but the doors open to a woodsy bar on the ground floor and an absolutely massive restaurant on the second floor. The decor is classic and comfortable with ocean-inspired decor and multiple banquettes. I’d heard good things about their oyster happy hour deal, but never had a chance to check it out for myself. When the opportunity came to try their new Crudo brunch ($378), I was excited to finally experience the food.
While reviewing the brunch menu, I was honestly a bit taken aback by how seafood-heavy it was: 100 percent raw seafood, with the only exception being the dessert. Three of the four optional main courses were also seafood based. I mean I like seafood, but this seemed like it might be a bit much.
What did we tuck into?
Round 1: Six freshly shucked oysters
These little babies were freshly flown from Brittany, one of the world’s largest producers of oysters. They had a crisp, clean taste that I enjoyed accented with a squeeze of lemon.
Round 2: Five types of unlimited raw seafood
We started with the tuna tartare. The quality of the tuna was excellent: smooth and not too lean. It was simply garnished with some fresh dill and served alongside a tartare-like sauce. Absolutely delicious, and I wanted seconds right away (but I paced myself, *pats self on the back*).
Next up was the prawn ceviche. There’s something about the light, sweet flavour of raw prawns that gets me everytime. The prawns used for this dish were nice and juicy, accented with passion fruit, olive oil, and citrus. Personally, the tanginess of passion fruit is too much for me, but this was my dining companion’s favourite of the raw dishes.
The gravlax was one of my favourites (accidently ate this dish before snapping a photo). The salmon was almost jammy in texture, with a nice dill crust and lightly salted.
Those that are used to having hamachi in a Japanese-style may enjoy this dish at Fishsteria. It was served simply with olive oil and lemon, but the fish itself was like butter and the high fat content had it almost tasting caramelly.
The last of the raw dishes was a chorizo-spiced sliced octopus. The sliced tentacles were absolutely massive and soft; fans of octopus will enjoy this.
Round 3: Main courses
Those who really enjoy raw seafood will find the Round 2 dishes to be more than enough, especially if they go for seconds or even thirds! We couldn’t resist trying the hot main courses though ($158 each), and were glad we did.
The Crab Meat Pasta dish we had was awesome. Little chewy al dente balls of pasta with amazing flavour throughout.
However, the snapper absolutely wowed us. The fish was moist and tender; there wasn’t a dry bite. The richness and sweetness of the tomato sauce and the saltiness and juiciness of the pitted olives went perfectly with the fish without overwhelming its natural flavour.
Round 4: Dessert
While Fishsteria definitely knows what it’s doing with seafood, their desserts are also surprisingly excellent. We loved the pear tart, with its cookie crust, lightly spiced poached pear base, and white chocolate cream topping.
Bonus
Fans of Bloody Mary’s should not miss their “Bloody Amazing Mary” menu. I tried the Yellow Submarine, with a yellow tomato base, smoky salt, balsamic, basic and vodka. Easily the best Bloody Mary I’ve had in Hong Kong.
Verdict
There was really nothing not to like about Fishsteria’s Crudo brunch. The seafood was fresh and plentiful. The ambiance was relaxing with a classic feel. The service was friendly and attentive. If you and your loved ones are into seafood, definitely check out Fishsteria. It’s a cute place for a date, but can easily host a big family too.
111 Queen's Rd E, Wan Chai, 2343 8111 *By invitation
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