This Michelin 1-star restaurant offers authentic Cantonese cuisine under Chef Li, with over 20 years of culinary experience and had joined the restaurant since its opening. They also prided themselves with a great cellar of over 400 wines from different parts of the world to pair with the food.
We came early in the evening and was seated at the main dining area, with a circular raised platform with tables on the side. The décor was nice, giving a premium ambience, with the wooden floor, the glass walls featuring many bronze utensils of ancient design highlighting the Chinese heritage.
Seeing the wide selection on the wine menu, I decided to open a bottle of Domaine de la Janasse Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2017 ($500). Balanced and fruity, the wine was simple but a good pairing with most of the dishes on the night.
Instead of ordering the Michelin menu, we decided to go for a la carte. To start off, we had the Deep-fried French Frog’s Leg ($238). I liked the way it was done, with the frog’s leg meaty but not dried out, keeping the level of deep-frying well in control. The minced garlic added the crispy and intense taste but still we could taste the delicate flavors of the frog’s leg. An additional highlight was the chef using the dried small white fish to prepare a cracker on the side, which was a great treat by itself.
Next, we had the soup, with me going for Eight Treasure Soup ($208), while my wife had Double-boiled Fish Maw with Whelk, Honeydew Melon and Pork Loin ($188). From the presentation mine was like a snake soup, and in fact on the taste it was also quite similar, with a lot of ingredients, including abalone, fish maw, chicken, shiitake, bamboo pith, black tree fungus, 15-year dried tangerine peel, and ginger. Adding a bit of crisp crackers further added a contrast of texture to the soup, and if you want to try a nice snake soup but did not dare, ordering this would be a close proxy.
From the seasonal menu we picked Braised Chicken with Eel Maw in Clay Pot ($438). Served sizzling hot in the clay pot, the dish smelled wonderful, with the ginger, garlic, shallot, and spring onion giving nice fragrance. The chicken had been de-boned, with the meat tender and juicy. The eel maw got a ‘spongier’ texture than the fish maw, which helped to absorb the sauce and all the flavors, making them even more tasty. Another good dish to try.
We also ordered a signature and award-winning dish of Fried Giant Garoupa Fillet with Minced Shrimp ($598). It was great in presentation, with the shrimp heads and tails standing up on the two ends, while the fillet, with the minced shrimp on the side, creating the look of a golden wallet in the middle. Beautifully seasoned, the fish fillet was tasty, pan-fried with the top soy sauce. It demonstrated also the great skill in pan-frying the two sides with different ingredients requiring different cooking time to ensure done properly. After tasting I could understand why this dish got the prize.
My wife picked Braised Pomelo Skin with Dried Shrimp Roe ($268) for the vegetable as it was her favorite. Served in a clay pot, we were surprised by the big portion of the pomelo skin. It had been well-prepared and cooked, with the supreme broth used to braise the pomelo skin so that it was very soft in texture, fully absorbing the flavors from the broth, and supplemented by the umami notes of the dried shrimp roes. It might be a bit too much for just two people but in the end, we finished it all because it was so delicious.
For dessert I had the Pomelo Jelly ($52) while my wife had the Red Bean Soup with Aged Tangerine Peel ($58). With delicate note from the pomelo on top of a red bean pudding, plus some plum sauce decorating on the side, it was refreshing and not too sweet. Good if you want a lighter and less sweet dessert to wrap up your meal.
Service was very good, with the staff very friendly and attentive, striking up some nice conversations with us throughout the meal. However, lacking the introduction of dishes, its ingredients and how it was made was a bit of a letdown, a common mistake which I had repeatedly mentioned in reviews. This could create an even more amazing experience if done properly. Nevertheless, with the price at $2478 (after 15% discount with dining club membership), it was very reasonable and definitely a good place for social and business gatherings.
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