Hong Kong Cuisine, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

This entry is on Good Friday, which was also six months since I got married thus making it a rather good day. As it was also a public holiday my wife and I had the day off and went to Hong Kong Cuisine just a short walk from our flat for a celebratory lunch.

It is located on the first floor of a side street so a little bit secluded. It has a fairly large dining area and we were able to get a seat no problem. We ordered a lunch set menu for two; some courses had a choice and this is how we got on.

A soup was on the menu and it was the first item to arrive. It was a 'Double Boiled Soup' with squid, marrow and pork. It was thin as expected and a very fresh taste to it with good flavour and nice chunks of meat and marrow.

Double Boiled Soup

Next came the dim sum dishes, where we were able to choose three types. We opted for 'Siu Long Bao', 'Har Gow' (Shanghai dumpling and prawn dumpling respectively) and Spring Roll. All the dishes came in two pieces, to match the number of diners. Usually in most dim sum restaurants, the portions served in the bamboo steamers number four so they are not too generous in their servings. However they make up in presentation and taste. The Shanghai Dumpling had a nice pork with soup filling and the prawn dumpling was had a really tasty prawn portion. The spring roll (not pictured) was crispy in its outer wrapping and had a decent vegetable filling.

Shanghai and Prawn Dumplings

Next came the 'mains', where we had the fried rice and stir fried choi sum from a list of their vegetables. Asparagus scallop egg white fried rice and served in a plate and then served in our bowls. This lovely dish was well fried (with healthy option of just using egg white) and finely chopped pieces of asparagus to add crunch to the dish and scallops for taste. The vegetables were fried in oil and probably some light seasoning only as there was no garnish on top but that did not detract from the good taste and crunchy texture, owing to the fresh ingredients they must use.

Fried Rice and Choi Sum

The set also came with a dessert choice, where I went for the green tea glutinous rice cake and my wife chose the red bean cake. My choice was sweet and sticky and an adequate finish to the meal. The good thing was that we were able to choose individual cakes as normally diners are only allowed one choice.

Red bean cake to the left, Green Tea Glutinous Rice cake to the right

Hong Kong cuisine is a very nice restaurant. It is expensive for the portions you receive (compared to a standard tea house) but they are obviously going for the higher end market, judging by the restaurant and  table setting and the way the food is presented and the way it tasted too. Although not overly generous with their portions we felt quite full in the end. The service was very good as well, with the waiters serving the food in  a friendly manner, clearing our dishes and tables efficiently ad pouring you your tea when they noticed your cup was empty. Worth another visit but on a nice occasion.

Table Setting

Scores:
Food: 3/5
Presentation: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Setting: 4/5

Overall: 15/20

Total bill: $405, approximately 17GBP a head.

We ate: All of the above.

We drank: Jasmine Tea, a fragrant refreshment that went well with our food.

We wore: Our wedding bands.