This Chinese restaurant is located in Hotel ICON, on the top floor of the hotel and commanding a panoramic view of the harbour and the TST area. It is definitely a very popular restaurant, with the night having full house. We are fortunate to be able to sit on the window side.
The decor is modern and high-end, with comfortable seating and spacious tables, soft lighting offering diners a relaxing and cozy ambience. The tables on the window side are quite nicely separated, giving nice privacy while on the other side the banquette seat might be a bit crowded when all tables are occupied.
We ordered the Seafood Set Dinner ($988 each). The starter is Deep-fried Crab Claw with Wasabi Sauce, Wok-fried Cod Fillet with Honey and Ginger, and Marinated Cucumber and Jelly Fish with Minced Garlic. My favorite is the cod fillet, with the glazing of honey an ginger giving great flavors and the fish moist and tender. The other two are also nice, but I found the crab claw is only warm and might have been cooked for a while, but the taste is still good and the texture bouncy. A little bit dropping the marks on that one.
The second course is Double-boiled Fish Maw, Lily Bulbs and Wolfberry with Almond Cream. Opening the lid brought a nice aroma of almond coming up, and the soup is very tasty, with the fish maw of a nice size of good bite, and the wolfberry and lily bulbs giving delicate complexity to the soup.
The third course is Baked Crab Shell Stuffed with Truffle. The crust is an appealing golden brown in color, and the crab meat is sweet and tasty, and apart from the typical onion the fillings are further added with black truffle, bringing the aromas to another level.
The fourth course is Braised Lobster in Superior Broth. The serving is half a lobster, with a nice big piece of tail. The chef has braised in the superior broth to infuse the lobster with flavors, though I would say it is a bit too salty. Still the lobster meat is certainly fresh and firm, and if the broth can reduce the saltiness it is for sure the best dish on the night for me.
The fifth course is Fried Rice with Abalone and Scallop in XO Sauce. Coming to the end of the meal, the rice is always a closing and often another final test of the skills of the chef. This one delivers quite high marks, with the rice each distinct and the mix of XO sauce and egg has the right level of spiciness to stimulate the appetite once more but not overly so. The abalone is a nice supplement, with tender texture and braised nicely. A nice wrap up for the meal.
The final course is Double-boiled Papaya and Snow Fungus Sweet Soup with Chinese Petits Fours, Chilled Osmanthus Jelly, Walnut Pastries. Honestly papaya is not my favorite fruit because of its unique taste, but this sweet soup is not bad at all. The osmanthus jelly is a bit too delicate and close to without flavors so is a bit disappointing. Among the three the walnut biscuit is the best, crunchy and rich in walnut notes.
Service is very good, with the staff attentive and I have seen they are watching each table on their progress and following up with the kitchen over the microphone to push and expedite for the necessary courses to come, so giving a nice pace and continuity. But because the restaurant is simply too full on the night, during the first few courses the speed of serving is a bit long. But gradually they adjusted and become good again.
The cost is $2,251 and considering the overall experience I would say it is quite good for money. Next time though I would probably go for a la carte and sample their signature dishes, and I believe probably there are much more wonders and pleasant surprises in store.
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