Located in The Mira, this Michelin 2-star restaurant has a long history in HK, opening in 1969 and famous for the shark's fin soup and other Cantonese cuisine. It had in fact been awarded Michelin 3-star in 2011, the first non-hotel restaurant in HK then, and one of the only two Chinese restaurants in the world winning this prestigious award.
Arriving on this Easter Holiday Saturday we were shown to a booth seat, very comfortable and offering good privacy. The whole dining area is artfully and very nicely decorated, offering a cozy and premium setting, with tables separated to give room for each group to enjoy the meal with minimal disturbance from other diners.
We ordered the Signature Michelin Menu ($1,988 per person). With the first course an award-winning dish - Roast Suckling Pig Stuffed with Minced Shrimp. A very innovative dish, the suckling pig skin is very crispy while the minced shrimp underneath provided a bouncy texture for a great contrast. Both are seasoned perfectly, very tasty already without the need to dip any sauce. A must-try in my opinion!
The second course was Shark's Fin in Superior Soup. Meticulously prepared, the generous portion of the shark's fin was first shown to us, and then the staff heated some superior soup at the table side for our tasting, in order to adjust the intensity of the soup by adding more supreme broth from Chinese ham. The soup was then added to the smaller pot with the shark's fin and re-heated to boiling. Absolutely delicious, I also found the soup from Sun Tung Lok more delicate than other restaurants of the same caliber.
The third course was Crown Brand Superlative Dried Abalone, 33 Pieces / Catty, from Yoshihama with Pomelo Skin. This is again prepared on the table-side, with the plate first sprinkled with some shrimp roes and then the pomelo skin and abalone was re-heated at the clay pot. Once reaching the right temperature they were carefully plated, adding the sauce on top. The taste of the sauce was rich and amazing, bringing tremendous flavors to the vegetable and pomelo skin, which was very soft and without any bitter taste. The abalone was also very good, having a nice tender bite and with a sweet umami interior. But personally I found the pomelo skin even more appealing.
The fourth course was Spanish Red Prawn in Shrimp Stock with Bamboo Pith and Steamed Egg White. Another of the award-winning dish, the red prawn is very large in size. Scooping up some egg white I found the flavors simply came bursting, with the silky smooth texture reinforced by the great taste of the shrimp broth used to mix with the egg white. The head of the prawn was so full of flavors I could not help to suck up every single drop. Another great dish that I strongly recommend to sample.
The fifth course was Braised Prime Rib of Beef with House Gravy. This is the third award-winning dish in the menu, with the prime rib marinated in beer and other seasonings for 6 hours before braising. It was so tender that the meat simply fell off the bone, and the meat was full of flavors, including both the taste of the beef and the house gravy. This dish is certainly very tasty, but it was a bit too intense. It was good to have it after the other main dishes otherwise your palate would be dominated by this dish.
The sixth course was Steamed Minced Pork Dumpling with Hairy Crab Meat and Yolk. The bun is large in size, and steaming hot so one need to be careful eating. In order not to waste the juice inside we ate it carefully, making it a bit tough for us. The mix of the hairy crab meat and yolk provided a wonderful enhancement to the pork fillings. I would recommend providing a small bowl for diners to take the bun out and eat on the bowl though.
Coming to the dessert, we were first served the Fresh Fruit Platter to cleanse our palate. There are some premium fruit including strawberry, pear and yellow pitaya. The strawberry was a bit disappointing on sweetness, but the pear and yellow pitaya were certainly juicy and sweet. A good way to transition for the remaining of the desserts.
Next was Baked Barbacued Pork Puff. The large-sized puff was freshly prepared and one could easily tasted that through the fluffy pastry. The BBQ pork fillings were very good too, enabling a great sweet and savory mixture of taste. In another way this also demonstrated the skills of the chef in preparing not only the big dishes but also the dim sums, and made me want to come back again to try out those during lunch-time.
Last dessert was Sweet Bird's Nest Soup with Coconut Creme and Wheat. Honestly the first impression was like oatmeal for me, but not in any bad way. It was of appropriate sweetness, with the amount of coconut creme not dominating the taste but bringing the unique flavors. The bird's nest was plentiful as well. A great finale to our wonderful meal.
The service throughout the evening was impeccable, with the staff friendly and attentive, coming over to explain each dish and also checking with us whether the food was good and sufficient. The bill was $4,439 and considering the quality of the food and overall dining experience I would say it is very reasonable. No wonder i saw many patrons were frequent customers.
沒有留言:
張貼留言