Visited 9th July 2010
Zone D was the scene of what become a rather boozy dinner with a group of my work colleagues. The tiny restaurant - located up some dodgy stairs near Times Square - styles itself as a private kitchen (though I’m not really sure what makes this a ‘private kitchen’ rather than a small restaurant?). Inside it's a dark, intimate space, with
room for our group of eleven plus a couple of other tables (and I did feel a bit feel sorry for the bloke who had the serenity of his date shattered by certain of my friends).Zone D styles itself as an Italian restaurant, though I can't see how as the food on our visit was pretty generic western fare with only one pasta dish remotely resembling Italian cooking. Dinners are offered a five course set menu with a choice of main and dessert. The bread basket to start I thought was pretty average; some of my mates got excited about the ‘pizza’ in it, though I felt it was all way too dry. I enjoyed the first course of seared tuna; crusted with black pepper and served with finely chopped tomatoes; it was well executed and tasty. Next up was my favourite
dish; a mushroom cappuccino soup. The soup was thick, balanced and flavoursome and had a hint of truffle. The spaghetti with pawns that followed was pretty boring. Served it a scallop shell there was no hint of scallops, but just two average prawns and a gluggy wine flavoured sauce. For a main I selected the beef short-rib at an $80 surcharge. I wasn't asked how I wanted the meat cooked, but it arrived medium, served atop a pile of mash. I'm not normally one to order a steak, but I had cravings and was really looking forward to a hunk of beef; unfortunately I was disappointed by tough, flavourless meat and boring mash. The final dessert was a great looking crème brûlée accompanied by a couple of delicious marinated strawberries. While the custard was tasty, it was kind of difficult to eat because the toffee top was so hard and thick that actually getting into it was near impossible. 
So was Zone D in the zone? I actually had a really enjoyable and fun night; the company was great, the wine flowed and the cosy atmosphere perfect for our group. However we were at a restaurant and the food is what really matters and the food at Zone D just did nothing to inspire me. Some of the dishes were good, some not so good, but most of it just simply OK. The couple of staff working the floor were pretty good, though a bit frustrating with the wine service, there were times when I was rather parched and one bloke didn't quite seem to get the point of decanting. $300 a head for five courses isn't a terrible price; especially as we were able to save a packet by bring our own wine corkage fee free. The $80 supplement for a bit of average beef took things to $380 which starts to look a bit pricey for a meal of questionable quality. While it's obvious I didn't love the food, I didn't dislike the restaurant and enjoyed my evening at Zone D. 
Visit restaurant website.
The theme for my tasting group's wine dinner this month was Riesling, and we headed across to Fook Yin to match it up with some Shanghainese food. I'm not a 100% certain about how I've translated the name, but the Chinese is '福宴'. Private Kitchens are all the rage at the moment, but many aren't really 'private’ kitchens at all, but just tiny, purpose built restaurants. This however is not the case with Fook Yin where you really feel like you're dinning in someone's home. The room we were ushered into had just enough room for a table, trinket filled side boards and the very homely touch of a TV.
There’s no choice at Fook Yin; just a list and a never-ending stream of Shanghainese dishes. First off we munched our way through an extensive selection of snacks. I loved the delicious, rich and earthy sautéed mushrooms, though I wasn't as impressed with the uninspiring mashed broad beans. The fillets of fried fish were pretty good; tasty, but dry. I'm a fan of flat noodles with cucumber and sesame and wasn't disappointed with the big pile we got. The pigs’ ear salad was also really good; crunchy slithers of pig ear contrasted with fresh herbs and crisp salad leaves. Rich, smoky and flavoursome the preserved chicken was tasty, but really intense. I was a bit uninspired by the plate of chicken feet and bowl of tofu topped with preserved egg, but these aren’t dishes I particularly get excited over. 
The table full of dishes I listed above was just the appetisers so when the mains started to arrive I was almost overwhelmed by variety and amount of food. The first of the main dishes was a plate of beautiful smoked eggs; these were magnificently cooked with delightfully runny yokes and plenty of flavour. Next was a bowl of noodles with prawns in a chilli based sauce. The dish was sweeter and milder than I expected but still pretty tasty. Then it was a couple of different types of handmade, tofu wrapped dumplings served in a tasty soup. The steamed Grouper atop tofu that followed was probably my favourite of the mains. The fish was beautifully cooked and the well complemented by the silky beancurd and mild sauce. Next where three massive 'lion head' meatballs with bok choy and a sweet and sour sauce. The huge balls of pork were pretty good and appropriately meaty, though the sauce seemed to lack richness needed to complement so much meat. I enjoyed the sea cucumber and fish soup that followed; it was fresh, clean and rather delicious. The final main was a smoky, roasted chicken that was OK, though nothing special.
I'm a big Riesling fan, but I was a little underwhelmed with the line-up of wines we tried. As a result my favourite was pretty easy to pick; the rich and complex Domaine Weinbach 'Cuvée Sainte Catherine' Alsace Grand Cru 2000; a truly lovely drop. 
I enjoyed my feed of authentic, fresh and tasty food at Fook Yin. A lot of the guys I was with thought that at $300 a head the meal was over-priced, but I thought it decent value considering the amount and variety of food. I was also impressed with how well the food worked with the Rieslings we tried. I’m sure people will argue that there’re better Shanghainese restaurants out there, but for me Fook Yin was perfect for our needs. The intimate ‘private’ environment worked well for our group and the wine, food and company all contributed to a lovely evening.
It' a steep trudge up Peal Street, but when it’s for dinner at a private kitchen, along with a sparkling wine tasting it's definitely worth it. Our meal was at Fridge; a restaurant that's recently relocated from Causeway Bay. It's a small, thin space without four tables inside and a couple on their balcony. One wall is lined with 
Along with a selection of American, Italian, German and French sparkling we also had an overly grassy Cullen Margret River Semillon and great value bottle of Cote du Rhone. My favourite wine of the evening was Delamotte Brut Blanc de Blanc Champagne 1999; a rich and textured wine with plenty of fruit and an interesting spicy edge.
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