Talking about traditional Chinese restaurants, there are not that many remaining in town. One of the most famous is Luk Yu Tea House in Central. We have visited many years back, and today we return to Stanley Street to experience the historic vibe once again.
Seated at a small booth on the side, the décor is dated but give a good glimpse of the ambience of traditional tea house, with high ceiling and hanging fans, wooden chairs of hard surface, and also the large mirrors on the walls with Chinese calligraphy and paintings while at the same time there are some Western stained-glass panels. A true testimony of how different cultures are integrated in HK.
To start, we have Double Boiled Pig’s Lung & Almond Soup 杏汁白肺湯 ($150 small portion). The staff has helpfully recommended us to go for the small portion as it would be too much for the normal serving. The soup is their signature, really delicious with rich almond taste, while the pig’s lungs are washed thoroughly and without any weird taste. With also some dried pak choi and finely shredded mandarin peel to add sweetness and fragrance, it is a must order and no wonder we see almost all tables are having this.
Next comes Fried Sliced Pigeon with Ham 燒雲腿鴿片 ($420). The sliced pigeon is fantastic, seasoned well and cooked perfectly to preserve the tenderness. The ham on the side provides some savoury and sweetness, not salty in fact. I also like the straw mushroom and bell peppers added to give some contrast on the bite and making the dish even more delicious. Another dish I recommend.
The Braised Frog with Pomelo Skin 柚皮炆田雞 ($360) combines the two ingredients we like. The pomelo skin takes a lot of effort to prepare, and here it is done well, soft and good in taste, without any bitterness. The frog is a bit tough on the bite for me though. With also some shiitake mushroom, the overall taste is still very good but probably is not the most popular dish.
The final dish we have is Pan Fried Pork Patty with Lotus Roots 香煎蓮藕餅 ($280). A pleasant surprise, the pork patty is very good, with the lotus roots finely chopped to give a nice crunch on the bite while the patty is pan-fried beautifully to golden brown. Also, it has a milder seasoning than most restaurants, making the patty more refined and delicious. Even after the other dishes we manage to finish all eight pieces. Another must order in my opinion.
There are only two desserts available, Walnut Soup 合桃露 ($75) and Egg White Almond Soup 蛋白杏仁露 ($75). The walnut soup is rich in flavours, apparently made in-house from scratch. It is of appropriate sweetness to make us feel fulfilled but not excessively indulgent. The egg white almond soup is equally good, also of the right sweetness. Although we are full to almost bursting, we do not regret ordering these sweet soups.
I heard from social media there are some bad experiences on services, but I honestly feel the staff here are all friendly and helpful, serving us soup and refill water in the teapot diligently, answering our questions about lunch booking for dim sum, all without any hint of impatience or dark faces. The bill on the night is $1,637. It is not cheap but considering the quality of the food and the unique experience, it is worth a visit for both locals and foreigners.
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