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2015-02-21
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We were here on Chinese New Year's Eve. A visiting friend really wanted hotpot and we had on good authority that He Jiang did hotpot. Warning: either they don't ever, or they don't sometimes, but don't count on the hotpot. We settled on some Sichuan classics instead.The cold cucumbers to start (this is two orders in the picture) were insanely garlicky and consequently bitter. If you don't like that sort of thing, I'd advise to skip, but I thought it was pretty good. BMa Po tofu always disappoint
The cold cucumbers to start (this is two orders in the picture) were insanely garlicky and consequently bitter. If you don't like that sort of thing, I'd advise to skip, but I thought it was pretty good. B
Ma Po tofu always disappoints in my opinion. This wasn't really spicy. There was certainly nothing wrong with it, but nothing to recommend it either. C
I thought the dumplings were especially disappointing. The wrapper was too firm, the filling was flavorless, the sauce wasn't spicy, and in the end these dumplings could not justify their existence. Poor, D.
There was nothing wrong with the fried chicken and bone shards. The disappointing aspect of the dish was just how tiny it was. Normally one gets a giant pile of chicken and chilis, but here there were only a handful of pieces of meat-- and I've certainly had better, at many places in HK. OK, C+
The mandarin fish in fiery broth was different from other iterations, but not necessarily in a bad way. In particular, there was a lot less sauce, and the sauce was a lot thicker. The fish was in large chunks and was nicely cooked and plump. There were some large noodles in the dish that were very difficult to chew (as in: difficult to bite through). I could've used a higher level of spice. Good, B
I unfortunately did not get to try the eggplant. No rating.
I've complained a few times about restaurants making this dish too salty, but perhaps I'm in the wrong, and it's supposed to be very salty. Be that as it may, this wasn't spicy at all, and had very little else besides green beans, so I'd describe it as "very salty beans" and say that it's OK, C-
I was slowing down by the time the duck came, so I only had a little. The little I had was good, however. It was a little cold, and of course there were bone shards, but I had some meaty pieces, well-seasoned and cooked firm but not over-firm. The dish is what it's advertised to be and you won't be disappointed. (Note: we got the whole duck, you have the option for a half) B+
Last came the filler: noodles. Someone described it as (American-style) lo mein. It was mostly just noodles and cabbage. Some at the table were disappointed; I, on the other hand, believe that good noodles are rare in HK, and I relish any competently done noodles, which I take these to be. Not perfection, but good enough. BLet's look at the range of scores I gave the dishes: (D, C-, C, C+, B, B, B, B+). Giving that the eye test, I'd say the restaurant is a solid B-. It's decent, but not worth coming back to. I recently reviewed 渝川菜館 and I think that's a much better bet for quality Sichuan food. I also want to note that the bill here was $420/ person, and a quick look at the menu suggests that only about half of that price tag was for food. I'm guessing that they were charging steep prices for the beer (which we consumed in not small quantities), so just keep that in mind.
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