Cantonese Cuisine at its Finest in Lung King Heen, Four Seasons Hong Kong

There is certainly no shortage of outstanding restaurants in Hong Kong with menus highlighting international as well as local dishes. Our lunch at Tin Lung Heen whetted our appetite for authentic Cantonese cuisine and after asking a few knowledgeable fellow foodies my mind was firmly set on booking a table at Lung King Heen in Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Thanks to the executive chef Chan Yan Tak, Lung King Heen became the first Chinese restaurant to be awarded the coveted three Michelin-star rating and currently ranks as #10 on the list of Asia’s best restaurants by San Pellegrino. Numerous accolades and positive reviews made us excited for the evening of ultimate culinary indulgence ahead of us. The name of the restaurant translates as the View of the Dragon. Indeed, I made reservation well in advance to make sure we had a table at the floor-to-ceiling windows which granted us an unobstructed view of the Victoria Harbor and vibrant skyline of Hong Kong. The dining room is elegant with low-lit fixtures, wavy brass ceiling and beautiful bouquets of flowers. I loved that despite its formality the ambiance did not feel pretentious. We started our dinner in style with a glass of bubbly served from a champagne trolley while also nibbling on a complimentary amuse bouche – a delicious bite of smoked pork with string beans and BBQ sauce which set the tone for what’s to come. Three traditional sauces were served on a side to compliment anything served during the dinner – spicy soy sauce with cut chilli, flavor-packed mushroom and tofu XO sauce and chilli sauce (the latter two being more of the artisanal takes on Dim Sum condiments). Since we already had our minds set on trying restaurant’s highly appraised Peking duck (chef’s specialty which I had to pre-order in advance), our extremely attentive waiter recommended to go light on the appetizers. We listened and opted for a set of four bite-size appetizers which would allow us to sample little bit of everything. It was my first time trying jelly fish, which had a crunchy texture and, honestly, didn’t have much of a flavor except for the light hint of sesame taste. We rather enjoyed our beautifully cooked scallop which was enhanced by the shrimp paste and came with pear and turnip for a nice balancing sweet touch. Thanks to Tin Lung Heen and then Lung King Heen I left Hong Kong craving more of the suckling pig. Feeling the combination of that perfect savory crispy skin and tender lean meat on your palate is a true epicurean magic. The skin was separated and caramelized like candy with a thin slice of fried mantou bun in-between. A bit of sweet and savory hoisin sauce brought everything together. Although, J and I both agreed that Char Siu pork was a true showstopper. Our waiter humbly noted that they pride themselves in serving the best BBQ pork in HK. I wouldn’t be able to concur until I try them all, but this particular one is definitely worth all the accolades. The pork melted in my mouth like tofu and it was so tender that I barely had to chew it, yet it still had structure and kept its shape. It had just the right level of sweetness and I could taste a bit of ginger in the marinade. You really have to try it when visiting the restaurant.As finished our starters, the waiters began to set the stage for the pièce de résistance of the meal – Peking duck served along with house cooked pancakes, vegetables and classic plum sauce. Soon after, the cooked duck with that beautiful glossy skin was showed off. The meat is served two ways – wrapped in pancakes and minced in the fried rice. We started with the former. The skin and the second layer of less fattier yet still incredibly juicy fillet meat is stripped off the bird and neatly arranged on the plate for us to enjoy one at a time. The pancake dough itself also had shredded duck skin in it. We enjoyed the delightful combination by wrapping our slices of skin and meat together with vegetables and the sauce of our choice. I absolutely loved how rich and flavorful the meat was without feeling overly greasy. I quite honestly couldn’t get enough of the scrumptious flavors and J was way too delighted to utter a word. I can certainly say that the Peking Duck will never be the same unless it matches Lung King Heen’s standard. The second serving of duck comes minced combined with fried rice and red onion. Once again it was utterly faultless, although we were getting pretty full and when we said we couldn’t finish more than one serving our waiter kindly offered to wrap it up to-go. Being a huge fan of fried rice I thoroughly enjoyed my leftovers the next day. No dinner is complete without a proper dessert and we again decided to go the traditional route. J enjoyed his choice of the Chilled Mango and Sago Cream with Pomelo. Meanwhile, I opted for a double-boiled egg white milk custard with Bird’s Nest -something I have never tried before. Apparently, it is believed that edible bird’s nest has high nutritional qualities and is particularly very good for your skin. Being very hard to harvest, it is also considered to be a rare delicacy in China. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but the texture and the taste was quite pleasing (quite gelatinous with a slight crunch to it) and worked well with the custard, which was served piping hot. It’s not the best dessert I have ever had, but I appreciated trying something new and exotic, especially when it brought some beauty benefits. Finally, we were served a plate of petit fours which we enjoyed alongside a cup of tea. I can most certainly say that the dinner at Lung King Heen didn’t fail to excite our taste buds and left nothing but a lasting impression.  I also want to highlight that the standard of service we experienced was absolutely world class from start to finish, which makes Lung King Heen a restaurant I would never hesitate to recommend.

xoxo, nano

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