Each of us foodies have our own preferred favourite Cantonese restaurants, and this happens to be one of mine. I would rather eat here than at the Fook Lam Moon or brother series that split from there onwards, because I personally find the dishes here to be cooked more precise. Precision or neatness doesn’t affect the taste much, but when I see a dish presented neatly on the table or a chicken butchered up evenly, I appreciate the thoughtfulness behind and know that the Chef and Kitchen Team took their food with immaculate seriousness. It’s also like baking – home baking is nice and homely and I love making wonky looking banana loaves or muffins with asymmetrical muffin tops, but not everyone of us will become a Professional Pastry Chef with perfect presentation nor can most of us even divide up a tray cake with perfect straight lines. Originally well known for his Abalone dishes due to Executive Chef 阿翁's tutelage under Ar Yat the Grand Master, he has two restaurants in Hong Kong and this Tsim Sha Tsui side has consistently been awarded Michelin 1 Star over the years. 2ndly as mentioned in a previous review of here and in fact I skipped a couple of meals in between as usual, they have a Free 1 Bottle Corkage policy here ! I came a bit late for the New Years dinner so not everything is covered below and thanks for friends for bringing some lovely Burgundian Vosne Romanee and Echezeaux.
Pumpkin Puree with Birds Nest -
I missed some appetizer dishes but some responsible friend saved some for me, and when my next real course arrived, I was like oh mine, this is going to be an expensive meal… This was done really well here, not much huge surprises but naturally you drink it all before asking what’s going on with the Menu planning. ~ 8/10
Braised Japanese Yoshihama Dried Abalone with Polish Goose Web -
Didn’t expect any Abalone tonight but we all got some and this was done fantastically, and considering the end bill was only in the mid $1500 range per person. No expert on rehydrating and braising webs and abalone but I think this was very likeable with the penetration of flavours, texture and braising liquid’s deep but not salty taste itself. ~ 9/10
Fried Taro and Prawns -
Due to modern eating preferences and the richer guys wanting healthier food, most taro cases nowadays are more denser than before as they don’t fold in any pork lard anymore. This remained the case here and even after frying it was not greasy either and reminded me of a similarly high standard dim sum I had here before. One wonders if they secretly air-fry these things in the kitchen nowadays! For some reason I thought the prawn can carry a little more crustacean taste. But overall likeable. ~ 7/10
Lemon Chicken using Fresh Chicken -
Interesting to eat this in a different restaurant inside Mira Mall because Tsui Hang Village’s version was my all time favourite all these decades, back then Tsui Hang Village was still opposite on the Mira Hotel side. Modern Lemon Chickens definitely won’t taste as good as the older Pan-Fried versions which takes too long to prepare. The modernized version in Tsui Hang Village these days still has a sauce made of 2 types of lemons and tastes the same as the past, slightly more sophisticated in layering than the version here. Yet Fu Ho is famous for their poultries and especially fresh chicken as I encountered during my previous visits. This lemon chicken actually carried real chicken taste within! If only the sauce could be more sophisticated, this could well be the best lemon chicken in modern day Hong Kong ! ~ 8/10
Fried Silver Oysters with Grilled Semi-Dried Golden Oysters -
The 2nd item is very prized in Cantonese cuisine, and interesting enough often sourced from Japan these days. This duo presentation of oysters in two forms was well received, and provides a nice contrast, especially when it’s getting close to the festive Chinese New Years. ~ 9/10
Thin Noodles Cooked with Abalone Sauce and 4 Kinds of Mushrooms -
The original menu said E Fu noodles but this was changed at the last minute, pretty decently flavored but not too spectacularly special. I much prefer their Claypot Rices here, which previously came highly recommended by another Foodie who comes here regularly and she was totally right. ~ 7/10
Red Date, Lily Bulbs, Dried Longans and Snow Fungus Dessert Soup -
Soothing and old-school. Classic.
Traditional Slow Fermented Ma Lai Go – Sponge Cake
Modern versions cheat a bit and use different rising agents to mass produce these, but traditionally these need to be fermented overnight and to develop it’s intense dark sugary aroma and almost chocolaty flavour, just like here. Off the top of my head I can at maximum point out 3 restaurants which does this properly in HK and this is one of them. Not even Fook Lam Moon’s version compares. Surprisingly Tim Ho Wan still does a really good one too, despite other dim sums falling backward in standards.. ~ 8.5/10
Fried Triangles filled with Red Bean Paste -
These were fried with precision and not too sweet, the inside red beans paste is the moister modern version too. In the past desserts like these had a drier red bean paste filling and less lubricated, almost gritty. I kind of miss that version too!
We opened some really Nice Burgundies and Ardbeg to go with the meal,
thanks to the Wine and Whisky Lovers on the table. Great way to celebrate New Years ! I have had numerous other dishes from this restaurant before and their Poultry dishes are sensational here !
Price: $1400 + 10%
Food: ♕♕♕♕ 1/2 to ♕♕♕♕♕
Address: Shop 4C, L4, FoodLoft, Miramar Shopping Centre, 132 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀彌敦道132號美麗華商場食四方4樓4C號舖
Ph: 2736 2228
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