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2012-01-27
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we literally stumbled into this restaurant when looking for lunch on a wednesday, attracted by a sign that says 30% discount on all lunch menu dishes (except dim sum). afterwards we were so impressed with the place & food that we returned for a sunday dinner with 6 people.the entrance to the restaurant is low key, but the spacious inside is western style décor. we were seated at the front section where all the chairs are small, low-rise, armed sofas. they are much comfy than straight back chairs
the entrance to the restaurant is low key, but the spacious inside is western style décor. we were seated at the front section where all the chairs are small, low-rise, armed sofas. they are much comfy than straight back chairs. the tables are placed far more apart than usual, resulting in lower conversation noise around.
since we are new to hunan cuisine in hong kong, we took time to choose only those dishes that are uncommon or unavailable in most cantonese or shanghainese restaurants.
洞庭豆酥鮮魚 fish fillet with fried minced bean ($45/piece) rated A: the strangely paste on top of each piece of fish was very tasty & not salty like other similar sauce pastes. the poached cod was almost without added oil – the meat was tender & full of natural flavors. funny thing was: the menu says $45/2, which was explained to us by the waitress to mean “$45 each, with minimum order of 2 pieces”!
蒜椒紅燒田雞braised frog with garlic & chili sauce ($98) A-: there are not only one frog dish on the menu, but four, each with a sauce of different degree of hotness. the whole frog was cut into small parts including bones. the meat was just delicious, period!
樟茶鴨 smoked duck in camphor wood & tea leaves ($140/half) A-: this version had the most crispy skin I ever had before, almost looked like peking duck from afar. the duck meat was more tender & juicy than normal. i think this can be a “cheap” substitute for peking duck! the small buns were a tad dry & hard. on a minor note, i would like to have stronger tea leaf flavor in the duck.蝦仁小蔥炒飯 fried rice with shrimps & chicken sausage ($88) A-: the dish looked unassuming, but when it was brought out hot, it made all the difference in taste. the shrimps were cooked just right, the rice was al dente, and the little bits of chicken sausage added aroma to the food. the only issue was to ignore the oiliness.
肉絲魚酸羹sour potage (soup) with shredded pork & fish ($88) A-: this soup tasted uncannily like shark fin soup! all ingredients were finely cut. the seasoning & soup stock were perfect. just a tad of vinegar flavor, not sour at all. consider this the poor man’s shark fin soup or environmentally correct substitute!
金陵驢打滾 sweet pancake roll stuffed with ground coconut & peanuts ($38) A-: when you have a dessert packed with authentic materials & low sugar level, automatically high mark!
桂花芝麻湯丸, 芒果核桃露 sesame dumplings in osmanthus sweet rice soup, mango walnut sweet soup ($25 ea) A-: can’t you taste them just from looking at the pics fantastically yummy!海鮮鍋巴crispy (sizzling) rice cracker with assorted seafood ($138) B+: weak seasoning, rice was not sizzling. but they give you lots of sea scallops for seafood.
芝麻叉燒酥 BBQ pork & black mushroom sesame pastry ($13 ea) B+: like a pastry version of BBQ pork bun, nothing stood out in taste or feel.
豆皮蝦仁 stewed shredded bean curd & shrimps ($88) B+: the bean curd ribbons were like noodles, the shrimps were crunchy. but the mild seasoning made this dish not impressive.
素菜餃 steamed vegetable dumplings ($32) B+: generic, but large stuffing with good flavors.the service was above average, in that all little requests were promptly noticed & attended to. the staffing ratio is probably higher than other restaurants in that building. i think it is uncommon to have a specialty restaurant that offers both great food & comfortable upscale place, yet not charging a whole lot more. in my mind hunan garden is one notch above peking house in that perspective.
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