This Cantonese restaurant is located on 3/F Wharney Hotel in Wanchai, specializing in fine South Chinese cuisine. Started in 2013 by Head Chef Chui Wai Kwan, the seventh and youngest son of Chui Fook Chuen, the founder of the celebrated Fook Lam Moon, he is the only son to apprentice under the senior and inherited the amazing skills and knowledge of the traditional Cantonese cuisine to perfection.
The décor of the restaurant is decent, brightly lit with a high ceiling, using plenty of golden color to highlight the tone of luxurious and well-being. With many VIP rooms, the five of us were seated at one corner a bit of main dining hall, with good distance from other tables offering good privacy. The restaurant obviously is very popular with all the tables occupied on this Sunday evening.
Decided to order some starters, my mother wanted to sample the Centurion Eggs with Pickled Radish 皮蛋醬蘿蔔 ($160). Beautifully presented, the pickled radish was arranged to look like a rose, with the centurion eggs on the side as the petals of the flower. The yolks were oozing and not having any hint of acrid note, the centurion eggs were clearly of top-notch quality. The pickled radish was crunchy, marinated well. Eaten together with the centurion egg and adding a bit of sugar on top, the combination of the flavors and texture was amazing.
The second starter was Honey Roasted Fresh Eel 蜜汁燒鱔 ($380). With quite a generous portion, all the bones had been carefully picked out, and the eel was nicely roasted with a crispy skin while retaining a juicy and tender flesh. The honey provided a bit of sweetness to balance the savory, it was very tasty as well as visually appealing. Both the starters were highly regarded by all of us.
With the summer season one of the best soups is always Winter Melon Soup 迷你冬瓜盅 ($760 for 4 pax portion). The broth was clear, with great intensity of flavors, essentially driving me to spooning non-stop. There were also plenty of ingredients, with the soft winter melon, chicken dices, roasted duck, crab meat, lotus seeds and Tonkin jasmine to add delicate aromas to the soup. Although meant for 4 people, the soup could serve a total of 8 bowls. A healthy, delicious, and seasonal soup, no wonder I saw almost a lot of the tables had ordered this one.
Then came Seventh Son’s Famous Crispy Chicken 七福脆皮雞 ($520 for whole chicken). Named after the restaurant, the crispy chicken was bearing the high expectation from us, and it certainly delivered. The skin was crispy, while the meat was not dried up. I thought the interior of the cavity might want to season with a bit less garlic salt but adding a bit of lemon juice, the sourness worked magic to balance that out.
Trying out a dish that we also made at home, the Steamed Coarsely Minced Pork with Preserved Salted Fish 原件鹹魚蒸肉餅 ($470) brought a pleasant surprise. The salted fish was of good size, flaky and of the right level of saltiness, with fragrant aromas. There was finely shredded ginger to accompany as well. The minced pork was soft and smooth, and the juice from the salted fish, together with the soy sauce, seasoned the pork wonderfully, with a savory taste that was so appetizing, we could easily finish a bowl of rice with this dish alone.
As recommended by the staff, we had the Seasonal Chinese Amaranth in Supreme Broth 上湯浸莧菜 ($285) upgraded to medium-sized. While it might seem easy to prepare, such dish was always a differentiator among restaurants. The amaranth was so tender and young that we could not find any fibrous chew, kudo to the chef in controlling the quality of the foodstuff. The broth used to cook the vegetable was also amazing, flavorful with delicate umami, and we could not detect any hint of MSG, or a single drop of oil. It was certainly one of the best I had eaten for a long while.
Decided to have Fried Rice with Assorted Meat and Conpoy Wrapped in Lotus Leaf 瑤柱荷葉飯 ($210 for half portion), the first surprise was the use of fresh lotus leaf, which had helped to give a fresher and more intense aromas to the fried rice. Beautifully seasoned, the rice had many ingredients added, including conpoy, diced chicken, diced roasted duck, and mushroom. So good that I ended up eating two bowls despite feeling full.
Finishing with dessert, each of us ordered something different, including Sweetened Walnut Cream Soup 生磨合桃露 ($65), Sweetened Green Bean Soup with Herbs 香草綠豆沙 ($55), and Fresh Coconut Milk Pudding 鮮奶椰汁糕 ($55). I had picked the coconut milk pudding, which was appropriate in sweetness, rich in coconut flavors and the pudding was great on its texture. The only comment was that the restaurant had missed part of our orders and ended up having us waited for quite a long time for the walnut cream soup, and this had somehow dampened the whole experience.
Service was decent, and the bill on the night was $3,278. Yes, it was on the high-end but if you have expectation on the ingredients, and also want to sample some authentic and original Cantonese dishes, this is certainly one of the places you should visit.
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