This Chinese restaurant is located in Kerry Hotel in Hung Hom. After going up to the 7th floor, the first sight greeted us was the interesting iron gate we often seen in the entrance of the apartments, when we were still young, but nowadays disappearing in newer buildings.
Greeted warmly by the staff we were seated at a table on the window side, looking out at the Victoria Harbour. With the lights on the opposite side of the harbour, it is a great view to accompany our dinner.
The interior decor was nice, featuring different elements to echo the traditional HK household, like the iron gate, brick column, and window panes. Quite comfortable with a cozy setting, the lighting was dimmed to offer a more relaxing ambiance.
We ordered the Premium Set Dinner Menu ($1,688 each). The first course was the Hung Tong Appetizer Trio, comprising of Barbecued Premium Pork with Maple Syrup, Marinated Jellyfish and Greenhouse Cucumber in Aged Vinegar, and Deep-fried Crispy Tofu with Spiced Salt. Among the three, I like the BBQ pork the most. The meat was grilled perfectly with the right char but not too burnt and dry. The maple syrup was appropriate on sweetness and got an unique fragrance. The jellyfish is crunchy, matching well with the aged vinegar. The tofu was also nicely done, with a thin crispy crust and soft interior, seasoned with the spiced salt. A good appetizer indeed.
The second course was Bird's Nest Soup with Crab Meat and Peach Resin. Upon serving we were surprised by the amount of bird's nest in the soup. A very sizable and generous portion, the soup had appropriately seasoned so that even after mixing the bird's nest the soup would not be diluted too much to affect the taste. There were plenty of fresh crab meat and the supreme broth was also rich and of great taste. I would prefer the soup to be even hotter in temperature though.
The third course was Stir-fried Coral Mussels with Vegetables and XO Sauce. The coral mussels are really the intestines of sea cucumber, and the chef had stir-fried beautifully, just cooked well to maintain the crunchy texture. The asparagus was also tender, but I think the cut made them difficult to be picked up by chopsticks. Might be something to think about by the chef to improve the dining experience.
The fourth course was Braised Abalone (6 Heads) with Goose Web in Oyster Sauce. The goose web was braised nicely, allowing the skin to easily detach from the bones. The oyster sauce was tasty, not overly salty, and imparts the savory notes to both the goose web and further stimulate the deep and intense flavors of the abalone, which was also greatly braised with tenderness. A nice dish worth ordering even in a la carte.
The fifth course was originally a signature of the restuarant, Sauteed Garoupa with Wild Mushrooms and Asparagus. But the staff informed us that the garoupa was not good and requested to change to the Sauteed Prawn with Scallop and Broccoli. I believe that with the coronavirus going on the restaurant might not be ordering the big fish, and accepted the switch. The prawn was nice, very crunchy and flavorful, easily able to tell it was fresh and not those frozen ones.
The sixth course was Braised Seasonal Vegetables with Conpoy and Bamboo Piths. The Chinese lettuce was tender, with the bamboo piths offering the special crunchy texture, and fully absorbed the flavours from the oyster sauce. Further adding the umami of the conpoy this is also a nice dish, simple as it may seem, but important to do it right.
The seventh course was Fried Rice with Seafood, Black Truffle and Pumpkin. Fragrant with the black truffle aroma, the rice was nicely fried with each individual grain separated. There were plenty of seafood added, with prawn scallop, and then having also some finely diced pumpkin which added a bit of sweetness to the rice. A nice and filling conclusion before dessert.
The eighth course was Chilled Mango Sago Cream with Pomelo and Steamed Royal Red Date Cake with Coconut Milk. The mango sago was very good, with the right acidity and sweetness to make it refreshing and not just sweet. The pomelo and mango pieces also adding nice tropical flavours. The red date cake was equally impressive with a nice chewy texture, rich in the taste of the red date with a coconut milk layer in between.
The overall experience was quite good, except that throughout the night the speed of serving was rather slow. I also overheard from the table behind that they had the same issue and complaint. While I did not ask the staff to speed up, with the restaurant not in full house on the night that might seem a bit disorganized.
The bill was $3,713 and fairly reasonable considering the premium ingredients used in a number of the dishes. Maybe next time it is worth coming to try out some of the more signature dishes and order a la carte.
Ingredients (for 4):
