Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Ming Pavilion 茗悅

In HK one would be able to eat different types of Chinese cuisine, but one surprising miss has been Hokkien. Despite some dishes can be found in Taiwanese restaurants, there are very few dedicated Fujian diners in town. So, when I heard a new Hokkien restaurant has opened in Island Shangri-La, we quickly booked to see whether it is authentic or not.

Located on the same floor as the outdoor swimming pool, the restaurant is circular in shape, with full-height windows allowing natural light in. The décor is nice and relaxing, with cozy warm lighting, comfortable seating and murals giving a sense of garden, depicting flowers and plants matching with the greens in the poolside and the hills outside as background.

We started with some small dishes, first being Aged Yongchun Vinegar Jellyfish Terrine 永春老醋海蜇凍 ($88). The jellyfish had been marinated in two different kinds of vinegar, with a nice balance of sweet and sourness, really help to stimulate the appetize. The crunchiness of the jellyfish and the soft terrine provided a good contrast in texture.

For many Hokkien, the Deep-Fried Five Spice Pork Roll 閩南五香卷 ($118) would be a true test on the quality of the restaurant. This one checked off a few marks for me personally, with the tofu skin crisp, and the seasoning of the pork appropriate. Perhaps for some (including me) they would prefer to see more fatty pork added, but I could understand for modern diet this might not be welcomed.

Each of us ordered our own soup, with me taking Blanched Jumbo Surf Clams in Chicken Soup 雞湯汆海蚌 ($108) while my wife had Fish Maw & King Crab Meat Thick Soup 帝王蟹肉魚肚羹 ($188). The chicken soup was clear, with delicate good flavors, having bamboo pith and Chinese cabbage in addition to the surf clam. Tasty and made you feel good as a healthy soup.

The crab meat thick soup had an abundant of ingredients, with plenty of fish maw and crab meat. Delicious with a good umami note, I could smell the richness of the aromas even at a distance. For those who preferred stronger flavors this perhaps would be the better pick among the two soups, which could further adjust the taste with the vinegar and white pepper powder provided.

There were different portions of the Xiamen Ginger Duck 廈門薑母鴨 and we had opted for the lower side 下莊 ($388). Served on a clay bowl with tealight to keep the sauce heated, the duck was tender and juicy, with a nice taste. But it was quite different from my expectation, originally thinking it would be more like a hot pot with soup, plus plenty of ginger. I was honestly confused.

With the portion of each dish relatively small, we decided to add Chrysanthemum Shaped Fish with Sweet & Sour Sauce 菊花魚 ($458). The fish fillet had been deep-fried with very thin batter, still keeping moist on the texture, with the delicious sweet and sour sauce reminded me of a similar dish from Shanghai, but this one was more refined in presentation and taste.

For staple food we had Home-Style Wok-Fried Mian Xian with Dried Seafood 家鄉海味炒線麵 ($328). Again, the taste was quite good, having plenty of dried shrimps, fish cake, cabbage, carrot, spring onion, naming just a few, but the texture of the mian xian was quite different than those I am familiar, with this one a bit thicker and more similar to the Cantonese rice noodle.

For dessert I had Gelidium Jelly with Honey 蜂蜜石花凍 ($68). The texture of the jelly was similar to bird’s nest, and it was something we often enjoyed in summer while I was young. This is an up-level version though, with fresh fig and blueberry, sweetened by premium quality honey. A nice one to choose from especially given it was the only cold dessert available.

My wife had “Orh Nee” Sweet Taro Paste with Japanese Pumpkin 金瓜手工芋泥 ($68) instead. The taro paste was smooth and not lumpy, with appropriate sweetness but not excessive. There were some toasted sesames scattered on top to bring additional fragrance to the dessert which was a smart idea. Comparing the two desserts this one would be my recommendation.

Service was good, though the staff was very soft-spoken, and we could not hear well his introduction to the dishes. Another highlight was the tea. The restaurant had her own tea sommelier and a good assortment of different types for tea-lovers. The bill was $2,187 which was a bit pricey considering what we had, and while food was nice, it might not be your cup of tea if looking for authentic Hokkien dishes.