Located on Cross Lane, this restaurant is helmed by executive chef and owner Billy Chung. In fact, I have visited this restaurant many times for lunch when I was still working in Wanchai, as I am a fan of its curry. However, this is the first time I come for dinner, on the request of my mother who have seen its good reviews on the media.
The overall ambience of the restaurant is comfortable, but the furniture is a bit dated. There are photos on the wall showing images of the old Hong Kong, and together with the hanging fans from the ceiling, as well as the historic vacuum flask for hot water, all creating a sense of dining in the nostalgia period which brings back memories for customers of that generation.
As recommended by the restaurant, I have pre-ordered all the dishes, and starting with Hand-pulled Fresh Crab Meat with Chilled Bean Curds ($488). The small bean curb cubes are mixed with a sesame sauce, with some crab meat scattered on top. The taste is good, with the crab meat sweet and flavourful, but I would expect more crab meat to justify the price.
Next is Deep-fried Grouper Belly ($400 for half portion). The fatty grouper belly has coated with a thin layer of batter before deep-frying, resulting in a crisp outside while the flesh is still moist and soft. It is also seasoned well, and the onion and Chinese celery provides additional fragrance to the dish which we all like.
The Fujian Style Malaysian Bak Kut Teh ($488) is good for four persons. Very aromatic, the soup has intense Chinese herbs flavours, with also good amounts of white peppercorns to give a spicy kick. The chef also added a number of whole garlic as well. The meat on the spareribs can easily fall from the bones to show how long it has been cooked, which are good together with the special dipping sauce made with thick soy sauce, red chili, and garlic. There are also some deep-fried dough sticks to go along in the traditional style. A very good and authentic Bak Kut Teh.
The next is a signature of the restaurant, Hainanese Chicken served with Herb Steamed Rice in Clay-Pot ($800 whole chicken). The local chicken is very tender, with the chef marinated well to infuse the meat with nice flavours, in particular going well with the three sauces and spring onion. The other highlight is the rice, which has been prepared in clay-pot so there are also the burnt crisps for those who like it. The fragrance from the lemongrass and ginger supplemented with the chicken oil to add flavours to the rice. I also like the chicken innards too. A recommendation.
For dessert, we have Dumplings in Sweet Ginger Soup ($50 each). There is a minimum order for four persons, so we have to split among the three of us. But in fact it is fine as originally each serving has two small dumplings only. Strong ginger flavours, the chef also added wolfberries and dried longan to the soup, and the dumplings are soft with the sesame fillings appropriate in sweetness. A very good completion for the meal.
The service is good, with the staff attentive but like most Chinese restaurants, I hope they can spend time to introduce the dishes, the ingredients and how the chef has prepared them, which I have no doubt will significantly help the diners appreciate much more the food. The bill on the night is $2,693 and that high price tag is probably the biggest challenge. Considering that the dishes are not featuring high-end ingredients, most people will have hesitation to visit considering the price, and perhaps that is the reason why the restaurant is relatively quiet.
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