YAN TOH HEEN

Hong Kong

When it comes to fine Chinese dining in Hong Kong, it doesn’t get much better than Yan Toh Heen, located in the legendary Intercontinental Hotel on Kowloon Bay. With breath-taking panoramic vistas of Hong Kong Island, this two Michelin starred institution is globally revered for its cuisine and impeccable service. I dined at Yan Toh Heen on my very first night in Hong Kong as a way to kick-start what would be a very busy five-day break of non stop eating and partying. I am glad to say that even though Yan Toh Heen did not top my list of being the best in Hong Kong, it very much delivered and left a good impression. What disappointed me about Yan Toh Heen was not the food but the ambience. My friends and I were expecting a lively buzzing dining room with spectacular views, and what we found was a very quiet space with many business suits and an older crowd; the mood I have to admit was a bit of a buzz kill. Despite this, the food resurrected my impression of the place; it was just that good! Highlights from the dinner include the barbecued fresh water eel, which was prepared with an Osmanthus honey sauce, which is very fragrant and sweet, and worked perfectly with the eel; it was the best dish of the night. The crispy fresh water prawns with black truffle are definitely worth ordering, although the serving was a bit small and thus we had to order two more portions. A favourite of the night was also the wagyu beef with black peppercorn, which is not the most inventive dish, but the quality of the beef was terrific and just melted in my mouth. To balance out our meal with a vegetarian option, we ordered the very delicious and mouth watering wok fried white asparagus with bamboo pits and mushrooms. As an emblem of Hong Kong fine dining, I would definitely recommend Yan Toh Heen, but don’t go expecting a lively scene; at least not at dinner time. 

www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com

LUNG KING HEEN

Hong Kong

Lung King Heen, meaning “View of the Dragon” is a seafood and dim sum restaurant located in the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. The View of the Dragon refers to the spectacular harbour views that this restaurant presents; and like with many Hong Kong dining spots, the view is amazing. What sets Lung King Heen apart from these is not only that it boasts the highly coveted three Michelin star rating; it is also the world’s first Chinese restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star. Suffice to say expectations were exceptionally high, and not only were they met, they were surpassed. Dining at Lung King Heen was a pleasure and just made me feel good. The combination of the attentive smiling staff, the stunning view, the great ambience and delicious food made this an unforgettable experience. I went to Lung King Heen during lunchtime on my final day in Hong Kong. I was saving it for the last meal, which I now regret as I would have liked to go multiple times. Since it was lunchtime most of the ordering concentrated on dim sum, which is what it is renowned for in any case. Highlights included the steamed lobster and scallop dumpling, which was sublime in every measure; the texture was spot-on and the flavours fresh and not overbearing. The mushroom, prawn and black truffle spring rolls were also an interesting option, although quite heavy on the truffle and oil and thus rank to be the least favourite item from what we had ordered. A delicious and very successful dish were the baked morel mushroom puffs with chicken; they were light, full of flavour and just begged us to order more, which we did. As the meal progressed, the food just kept getting better, with the scallop and prawn dumpling which not only looked perfect, but tasted perfect; it was a delight merely to look at it. The best of all however, goes to the Baked Toro Dumplings, which are essentially filled with lobster, black truffle and mushroom. These dumplings go down as being one of the most delicious things I have ever tried, the baked texture is so unique and the explosive flavour of the black truffle complimented both the steamed lobster and mushrooms; this is a must and I will gladly attest to it being one of the finest dishes there is. Superb! To conclude our light and quick lunch we ended on frog legs that were very delicious indeed, and finally lettuce wrapped vegetables in order to end the meal on a lighter note. There is not much more to be said about this excellent restaurant, except that it will go down as being one of the most memorable meals I have had, and not only do I recommend it, I insist that you visit it if and when in Hong Kong.

www.fourseasons.com

YAUATCHA

London, UK

Yauatcha is a Chinese dim sum restaurant in Soho from the owner of Hakkasan. The colourful and elegant display of macaroons and desserts in the window was what drew me to it the first time, but this restaurant has so much more to offer than just pretty sweets. The interior is sleek, and dining downstairs is almost like a nightclub experience. Yauatcha always seems to have a table free, and I often use it as a backup if the queues are too long in other Soho places. It works for any occasion; I’ve celebrated New Years Eve there, but also dropped by for a small meal after coming straight from the workshop with paint all over my clothes. Every time I go I order the Prawn and Beancurd Cheung Fun, which is prawn in deep fried beancurd and an amazing white, squishy, gooey rice noodle wrap. The mushroom version is equally tasty, and both portions are very generous. You can’t go to Yauatcha without ordering one of these two. Other of my regular orders include the Blue Swimmer Crab Shu Mai and the Har Gau. These are light and delectable, but not as satisfying Cheung Fun, as the portions are a lot smaller. Some of their cocktails are quite generic and sweet considering how elaborately and tastily they are described in the menu, but a couple that are worth trying is the Lalu and the Chilli Martini with Aperol and Champagne. The service has never been good, but the last time I went it was disastrous. When we were still on starters, my friend had to grab onto her plate in order to stop the waitress from taking her last Chive dumpling. Even after telling the waitress that she was still eating, she took her chilli dipping sauce. They really rush their customers in order to stay within their 90-minute time limit, even when there is no one waiting for the table. Despite this, I’ve been there more times than I can count, sometimes twice in one day, so I think this means Yauatcha qualifies as one of my favourite restaurants in London. 

www.yauatcha.com

HAKKASAN

A London institution for Chinese food, Hakkasan continues to tickle my palette with every bite and every visit. My latest visit to Hakkasan was with three of my best friends, and we went to the Hanway place restaurant; the original. The vibe of the restaurant is super trendy, chic and glamorous. The icy blue lit restaurant is contemporary in its presentation yet authentic in its cuisine and Chinese accents of the latticed screens that adorn the interior. To start we ordered the dim sum platter, the crispy duck roll and the sesame prawn toast. All came on time, and the dim sum was cooked perfectly with the scallop dumpling being the best one, whereas the chive dimpling, har gau and shimeji dumplings were all good but not exceptional. The crispy ducks rolls and sesame prawn toasts were also good, but not extraordinary in that they did not ignite any sirens. To follow we ordered the Rib Eye Beef, the Lamb Chops, the duck and a side of asparagus. The rib eye beef was perfectly cooked medium well, and had the refreshing zest of black pepper, and the lamb chops were also a delectable choice and were soft and melted in my mouth. Compared to the other dishes the duck was quite underwhelming, but in its own merit it stands to be quite decent, however I wouldn’t recommend it over the lamb chops or rib eye. The asparagus also stood to be quite good and was smothered in black bean and soy sauce. For drinks we ordered the Chinese Mule; it is highly refreshing and recommended. The cucumber martini is also a delight with a twist of ginger. Despite the steep bill, Hakkasan is highly recommended and is a Mecca for Chinese food and comes as no surprise in being the first Chinese restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star. 

8 Hanway Place, London W1T 1HD