Hoi King Heen - ( 海景軒 )

 

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  The story behind Hoi King Heen is a mystique in itself and to be read like a “local‘s secret”. Somehow most Local local’s already knew and unanimously declare it to be the ABSOLUTE BEST CANTONESE RESTAURANT in Hong Kong, whereas it took 3 years after the arrival of Michelin to finally stamp it with a seal of approval, putting them on the history books as a coveted 1 Star contender. Better late than never! So when will it be Gaddi’s turn? A dim sum session with some overseas guests on one occasion was a little mediocre so that jettisoned our plan a bit to organise a grander dinner, yet non-stop persuasions firing in from all sides by numerous foodies confirms that it’s only their A La Carte dishes where they shine. We finally organised a group dinner to try out their High-Canto dishes and it was a superb meal relatively speaking and there were certainly more highlights than many restaurants in town…

Our Pre-Planned Group Dinner -
With printed menu.   Note that for this occasion we chose to sacrifice the Fortune Chicken and their Soup with Stuffed Pig’s Stomach,  to try out other Signature Dishes.






Very Oriental Dining Space -
With well laid out tables and enough space to hold private conversations





Appetiser and Sauces:   烤夫, 辣油魚仔,  豆辦辣醬 -
The Marinated Tofu is a Shanghainese invention.  The Chili Oil with Anchovies worked very well on some of the dishes as a compliment, loved it.   The Soy Bean based chili sauce is also more of a Northern Chinese chilli in my opinion but as usual lovely..

Chinese Pu Erh Tea -

 




明爐臘腸卷 -  Chinese Sausage Wrapped in Glazed Char Siu
This is one of the signature,  off-menu dishes here.  A very good start.
Absolutely works with beers !!    ~   9/10







明爐燒鳳肝  -  Roasted and Honey Glazed Chicken Livers
This looked better than it tasted.  It was cooked a bit too solid rather than silky.
Not many people enjoyed this on the night.  ~  5/10







玫瑰花煙燻帶子 -  Rose Petal Smoked Scallops
This was quite smoky and the caramelized exterior from sugary smoke imparted a nice flavour.
Cooked to the perfect degree.   Very good starter.  Loved the fried Rose petals   ~  8/10

蛋白花雕蒸蟹鉗 -  Steamed Crab Claw in Egg White and Hua Diao Wine
Compared to the one in 天龍軒 ,  this one had a better egg white texture by far,  although the Hua Diao influence there was stronger.  Claw wise?  Very similar.  But at least this came in 1 piece, not 3 self-imploded pieces  ~   8/10







萬壽果牛肋肉 -  Beef Short Ribs Braised in Gravy and Papaya
It’s interesting this has been everyone’s favourite dish here, and not only for this particular night!   This tasted really beefy and tender,  with the papaya softening it up as a natural tenderiser as well as giving it a sweet fruity flavour.   From my point of view however,  this is probably one of the easier dishes to make from the kitchen as requires less precision ~   9/10








黃金花膠紙芙蓉夾 -  Crispy Steamed Egg White & Fish Maw,
Coated in Salted Egg Yolk (Duck) -
This is one of Chef Leung’s specialty creations.  And it was fried pretty well and crispy, with just the right amount of Salted Egg Yolk coating.  The fish-maw inside gave it an extra dimension ~  10/10








明月抽香豆腐 -  Crab Meat and Pomelo Peel on Steamed Egg White
This is similar to above crab claw dish but since it’s recommended we’ll give it a try.  It turned out to be the least favoured of the night, as the crab meat was dense yet not sweet enough.  The egg white was spoiled by what we suspected was and is finally confirmed as Evaporated Milk on top.  The pomelo over-powered the crab in this instance and was also too over-cooked. ~  2/10

 

欖菜玉珠 -  Braised Pearls of Winter Melon are stuffed with 2 Kinds of Preserved Olives
This is presented as a cluster of grapes, a Signature Dish.   Don’t think most people got this dish,  as the exterior was undercooked and the inside wasn’t salty enough to balance the dish.  Think everyone knew beforehand it’s just art for art’s sake than for taste?   ~    6/10







南乳吊燒雞 (Fresh Chicken) -  Fried/Roast Chicken with Fermented Red Bean Curd Sauce
For me, this fried chicken should carry some Red Been Curd flavour on its skin to distinguish it from it’s 炸子雞 cousin.   The version here was fried pretty well,  the skin was slightly crisp and the meat was moist.   The sauce was too diluted weak to my liking   ~   7.5/10

 

鮑粒章魚雞粒飯 -  Fried Rice with Diced Abalone, Octopus and Chicken with Kai Laan
This rice polarized the diners?   Some thought the rice was not fried dry enough.   Some think the recipe is generic and once again a typical starchy based sauce.   IMO, most HOTEL FRIED RICES are not meant to be fried until dry and full of wok-chi from my experience,  you’ll encounter the same in many hotel restaurants.  It’s suppose to be slightly moist not dry, fluffy and with an elegant wok-chi.. which is very hard to achieve consistently.   Judged using this approach, this sophisticated version passed with flying colors.  The sauce?  Hmmm.  
I liked it but everyone is different right?  I learned that from drinking many styles of coffee too, you just got to see and understand them for what it is I suppose !     ~  8/10

 

家鄉茶粿 – Pan-fried Glutinous Rice Dumpling filled with Peanuts and Pork
The one and only sophisticated pan-fried version of this dumpling in Hong Kong that is famous,  you’ll see everyone order this towards the end of the meal here.   I’ve had this before -  and this time around it was less sweeter which is an improvement!  Needs more pickled veggies and minced pork to bring it to perfection.  But very good ~   8/10

 

 

生磨蛋白杏仁露  -  Hand Made Almond Cream with Egg White
Everyone looked forward to this so-called Signature dessert finale,  but it was outright disappointing.  Everyone absolutely dejected this tremendously.  Although the finishing touches were done table side stirring in the egg white,  it was the base Almond cream soup which was so cloyingly sweet yet missing a good almond taste,  almost like it was fakish.   ~   2/10

 

For me personally,  this was one of the best Cantonese/Chinese Meals I’ve had so far, if not the best in terms of execution,  at least the best in terms of Chef’s Creativity.   Others think it was pretty good but some dishes could have been better.   Another local favourite The Chairman was mentioned to be a better alternative,  whereas some on the table who’d dined at both didn’t really get that place,  or in that matter Island Tang.   So that’s the fun of eating out as a group – everyone is entitled to their own preferences and opinions !  But the quest goes on… 

 

Price:  $340 Per Person + 10%
Dinner:  ♕♕♕♕ 3/4

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sat -  11:30am - 22:30pm
Sun -  10:30am - 22:30pm

Address: 尖沙咀麼地道70號海景嘉福酒店B2層
B2, InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong, 70 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Ph: 2731 2883