Doesn't TaZte Like Chicken

Location: Hong Kong

Author: My Husband

Of all the different types of Chinese cuisines available, it is no secret that Christina and I like Cantonese best. While those who misunderstand the cuisine describe it as “bland”, we feel that good Cantonese cuisine is all about highlighting and enhancing the natural flavors of the main ingredients in a dish. This is best done by carefully balancing the textures and flavors in a dish to ensure that the main ingredient is not overpowered by the other things in it.

In good Cantonese dishes, you can always find harmony in the flavors/textures: the sweetness of fresh steamed fish is complemented by the subtle saltiness of a light soy, the heaviness of a thick stew is cut by a few drops of vinegar, the softness of tofu is contrasted with a crispy deep fried prawn paste, etc. Cantonese food can be subtly flavored, or it can be strongly flavored, but whatever the case, it is the balance found in those flavors that creates the depth and complexity in taste that so satisfies those of us who appreciate the cuisine.

On the flipside, it is difficult to cook good Cantonese food. The freshness of ingredients and the talent of the kitchen staff are of paramount importance in determining the success of the food, and cut-corners or missteps in the cooking process will result in a “faulty” dish. In North America where the majority of Chinese restaurant dishes are cooked to meet a price point, it is challenging to find good Cantonese food indeed.

But what happens if menu prices take a second seat to food quality? What happens when a chef decides to cook the best food he can by using the freshest ingredients without worrying about food costs? Lung King Heen happens, that’s what, and the inspectors from the Micheline Guide liked it enough to award this restaurant and its chef three stars.

On this Hong Kong trip, my foodie aunt insisted that we go to Lung King Heen to try the dim sum for ourselves. Will we find the balanced flavors and textures that we so prize? Read on to find out…

We were seated at a very spacious four-top next to a bank of huge picture windows. Some seriously nice china was used for the place settings.

Nice view of Kowloon from our table.

When the Michelin Guide awards a restaurant three stars, it’s not only about the food. That the food is excellent is a must, but service and ambiance must be also be top notch. And Lung King Heen delivered.

The service was excellent – warm hand towels and finger washing bowls magically appeared when needed, tea cups were kept filled (teapots were kept warm at a nearby service console, keeping our table clear for the dim sum), water glasses were constantly refreshed, and a simple glance at the waiter had him by our table in a jiffy. The two waiters assigned to our table anticipated our every need and brought us stuff we wanted before we could even ask. For instance, after I ate a bun without using cutlery, a silver finger washing bowl appeared by my side. After I washed, the bowl disappeared. Even more impressive was the unobtrusive manner in which the service was delivered; we spent the entire lunch chatting amongst ourselves and despite all the freshening of the drinks and china at our table, our conversation was not disturbed at all. Who says good service at a Chinese restaurant doesn’t exist?

A trio of sauces. Note the perfect alignment of the three teaspoons…

Steamed dumplings (潮州粉果). A thin and delicate thin skin holding a filling made with shrimp, pork, chives, and mushrooms. Very nice.

Prawn dumplings (I蝦餃). The prawns were fabulously succulent and fresh. One of the best I’ve had.

Pork/Prawn dumplings (燒賣). The bouncy pork filling was topped off with prawn. Looked pretty and tasted great.

Lobster and scallop dumpling. This is one of the more renowned dim sum dishes at Lung King Heen. The dumpling skin holds a generous portion of scallop and lobster, which are topped off by half a shrimp. Each dumpling is served in its own steamer. This was wonderful.

Grated daikon pastry. A flaky pastry shell enclosing a savory daikon filling. See how the pastry takes the shape of a daikon?

BBQ goose buns. Perfect sweet/savory balance in the BBQ goose encased in a delicate bread shell. This was fantastic.

BBQ Pork (叉燒). The presentation left a bit to be desired, but tasted decent. I’ve definitely had better BBQ Pork elsewhere.

BBQ Pork Jowl. Perfectly fried, each slice was beautifully crunchy. Best pork jowl I’ve had. This was so good, we ordered a second serving.

Deep fried squab. This is Christina’s favourite, and she loved it. She said it blew the Tai Ping Koon version away, and I agreed. Definitely one of the highlights of this meal.

[Dry] Fried glutinous rice. There was an optimal ratio of rice to other ingredients in this one, which gave the dish a wonderful texture.

Abalone fried noodles. This was fried with abalone stock and some slices of abalone. Good textural contrast, but the abalone rice at Thai Village in Singapore is still our favourite.

Toothpicks in a solid silver holder were offered after we finished our savory selections.

Osmanthus jelly (桂花糕). Very fragrant and not overly sweet, this was one of the better examples of this dessert.

Portuguese style egg tarts. Oh yeah Baby! Fabulous.

Double boiled bird’s nest served with almond & coconut cream. Very nice.

Mango flavored sago cream with pomelo. This one was a huge hit with all of us. It’s much nicer than the version available at Hung Fa Lau.

Complimentary desserts.

Suffice it to say, we were STUFFED after this meal. And yes, the flavors and texture of the dim sum dishes here were balanced, and overall food quality (save the BBQ Pork) was excellent. This is the best dim sum I’ve had in quite a while, edging out even the Shang Palace in Singapore. The food, service, and décor in Lung King Heen could not be faulted, and despite it being a Michelin three-starred restaurant, the price for the meal was not super expensive. This is another restaurant we plan on heading back to the next time we’re in Hong Kong.

To conclude this post, here are some pictures taken at (and outside) Lung King Heen:

Lung King Heen is located on the 4th floor of the HK Four Seasons.

Another view of Kowloon.

Nice view from the multi-storey atrium of the hotel.

Typical Hong Kong street scene. The trams are a good way to see the city, and cheap too, at only HKD $2 per ride.

Next post – my wife’s old stomping grounds.

Christina and I would like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2010!!

Author: My Husband

Before getting to the post about the world’s only Michelin three-starred Chinese restaurant, I’d like to write about a product that is sure to appeal to the chocoholics who read this blog.

What is in this bag? Read on to find out.

Those of us from my mom’s side of the family love our sweets. As long as it is a sweet high-quality confection, whether hot or cold, large or small, cheap or expensive, we are predisposed to liking it. It is in our genes; if we hear that it is sweet – and tasty – we will not relent until we hunt it down and devour it.

My foodie aunt and I both share a fondness for good chocolates. Actually, come to think of it, it was my aunt who got me hooked on chocolates, what with all the good stuff she brought back as gifts from her business trips when I was a kid. I especially liked it when she traveled to Europe since it meant I would be getting my hands on a large box of rich and sinful Swiss or German chocolates upon her return. That’s really where my liking of chocolates came from, and because I ate so much European chocolate when I was a kid, I grew up being very partial to them. North American ones, not so much…

I first saw the Royce’ chocolate counters in some of the higher-end supermarkets in Asia several years ago. As Royce’ chocolates weren’t from Europe, I never felt compelled to try them. So imagine my surprise when my aunt gushed about them when we were chatting last year. Though we shared similar chocolate preferences, she couldn’t stop singing praises about Royce’s Nama product.

So in Hong Kong, when we were making our usual rounds in the Time Square city’super (surely one of the best supermarkets in Hong Kong), my aunt got me a box of Royce’ Nama Bitter to try.

Like all things Japanese, the attention to detail in packing the item for transport was quite impressive.

Nama chocolates have to be refrigerated. So the sales rep. put the box of chocolates, along with a freezer pack, into a thermal envelope to prevent melting during transport.

And like many Japanese products, the product packaging is really impressive.

Attractive packaging.

Upon removing the outer wrapping, the box flips up to reveal a mini product pamphlet, a “spoon”, and the nicely air-tight package of chocolates.

Tearing away the air-tight packaging reveals a tray of chocolates that is protected by a clear plastic lid.

Lifting the lid reveals the precious nuggets of the chocolate they call Nama. To prevent sticking, the chocolate pieces are dusted with cocoa powder.

What do they taste like? Imagine a high-quality chocolate truffle, but without the outer chocolate covering. The Nama chocolates are rich, bold, smooth, and insanely sinful without being overly sweet. It was pure luxury, like eating semi-solid ganache, except better. The flavors were deep and complex with a long but clean finish. There was no noticeable aftertaste. This stuff could go head to head against some of the best brand name European chocolates, but costs only a fraction of the price. It was a revelation.

The Nama chocolates come in a variety of flavors. My aunt bought me the Bitter, which still had a pleasing sweetness to it. Interestingly, there was more than a slight hint of alcohol in it, which I found strange since there was no mention of it on the packaging. We later discovered that most of the Nama chocolates are flavored with alcohol, and where and how we made that discovery will be the topic of a future post.

For now, it suffices to say that I will be adding Royce’ Nama chocolates to my preferred chocolate list. And next time I’m in Asia, you can bet I’ll be making a beeline to stock up. If any of our chocoholic readers should find themselves in the vicinity of a Royce’ counter, I highly recommend that they do so as well.

(Unfortunately, Royce’ products are not yet available anywhere in North America…)