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2010-09-05
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I rarely post reviews of my dinners these days even though I joined almost all the gatherings, big or small, organized by my friends. However, this night turned out to be such an amazing experience that I wanted to share with my friends. A true memorable dining experience requires a combination of flawlessly executed dishes, attentive service, comfortable atmosphere, and of course a group of great companions, which isn’t easy to come by. But on Sat night it happened, and it was amazing in eve
I rarely post reviews of my dinners these days even though I joined almost all the gatherings, big or small, organized by my friends. However, this night turned out to be such an amazing experience that I wanted to share with my friends.
A true memorable dining experience requires a combination of flawlessly executed dishes, attentive service, comfortable atmosphere, and of course a group of great companions, which isn’t easy to come by. But on Sat night it happened, and it was amazing in every aspect, with some impromptu “craziness” that turned the dinner to my favorite one in a long time!
The restaurant was occupied by only 3-4 tables last night (almost all foreigners). We sat in the semi-private room and received super attentive service. Dishes were served one by one as requested, and plates were changed for each course with the Island Tang’s logo facing 0°C to the diner every time.
For the service section, I think it is better than a lot of 3-starred restaurants.
Here comes the food:
1)蜜汁叉燒 Honey Glazed BBQ Pork
Look at these gorgeous 叉燒! Obviously carefully selected to get the almost uniformly “round” loin, it gives a great mouthfeel compared to the “flatter” kind of 叉燒 we normally had. The tenderness of the meat is not compromised even with the thickness, and each bite maintains a “chew” while still very easy to bite in.
Even it looks lean at the surface, the 叉燒 is very juicy when the marbling embedded in the meat. Honey and BBQ flavors are both spot on.
One of the very best in Hong Kong indeed.
2) 梨香炸釀帶子 Deep Fried Scallops with Pear and Shrimp Mousse
Already covered by others many times, this signature dish at Island Tang shows a great balance of “sweetness” between the seafood and fruit and the bouncy vs crunchy textures.
The presentation is contemporary. Who wouldn’t be attracted by these eye-candies?
Each one is constructed carefully so that each layer is about the same thickness. The little garnishes on top are cute!
3) 乾蔥焗生蠔 Oysters with Braised and Fried Shallots
Substituting the eels we had oysters this time with braised and fried shallots. The oysters are plump and juicy but the true star is the shallots! Full of sweetness and flavors, I swear I can have 2 bowls of plain rice just to go along with these shallots.
Even if you just give me the shallots I will still be happy!
4) 海山骨 Deep-fried spare ribs w shrimp paste
Juicy meat with robust shrimp paste. It’s hard to find deep fried ribs that are not greasy nor too salty nowsday.
5) 炸子雞 Signature Roasted Crispy Chicken
One of our main targets for the night! Someone said this is the best 炸子雞 in Hong Kong, and I wouldn’t disagree! The chicken meat was so silky (ok, I did take the leg meat…) complemented by the crackling crispy skin! Again, perfect seasoning not just on the skin but also for the meat! !
Look at the paper thin crispy skin in the picture! And you can see the juice flowing in the meat.
It is the best 炸子雞, at least among the ones that I had tried!
6) 柱侯醬燴和牛面肉 Stewed Wagyu Beef Cheek with “Zhu Haw” Sauce
Similar to the oyster dish, the leeks here seem to have overshadowed the beef cheeks as they are so delicious and bursting with leek aroma! That’s not to say the beef cheeks aren’t good. These tender nuggets have great beefy flavor, though I would prefer a thicker cut. The sauce again will be great with plain rice!
7) 荔芋鴨 Deep Fried Taro Duck
The taro duck is ordered as we are interested to compare it with the version we just had at Fung Lum. I SUPER LOVE the flakey coating surrounding the creamy taro puree. Tonight the fried patty was not greasy at all, which was complaint by others last time. This one is less “filling” than the Fung Lum’s version, which contained a super thick layer of taro with a relatively thin (and dried) duck meat underneath.
The proportion of taro to duck ratio is more adequate than Fung Lum's version in my opinion. You feel like eating delicious taro + duck and not just taro….
This may not be the most authentic version but I personally like this one more.
8) 乾炒牛河 Wok-Fried Rice Noodles with Sliced Beef, Silver Sprouts, and Yellow Chives
Classic Cantonese comfort food executed properly. Not heavy and greasy like your ordinary乾炒牛河. The beef is tender without any “special” treatment. I like this more than the one (with Chan Chu Fan) at Chairman.
9) 薑米蘆筍蛋炒飯 Fried Rice with Crushed Ginger, Spring Onion, Vegetable and Egg
Food has been great so far so we decided to try out more! Each grain of rice is separated (no clumps!) without unpleasant greasy coating of oil. The rice is cooked to the perfect texture, not too soft and maintaining a little bite.
The simplest fried rice demonstrates the great stir-fried skill of the chef.
10) 片皮鴨兩食 Crispy Roasted Duck – 2 ways
This is where our craziness goes! We are getting so hyper at the moment with our all-over-the-world discussions! Despite being stuffed we decide to place an impromptu order of Crispy Roasted Duck just before the kitchen closes.
With the usual condiments of cucumbers, scallions, and wheat crepes, the duck pieces are served with plain skin and plain meat.
The skin is crispy as expected, and the meat, while not juicy, is tender. We took a bit too much time to take picture so it isn't hot enough for me, but overall the duck delivered what I expected. The condiment sauce here is homemade and very delicious!
The 2nd way is the normal stir-fried diced duck meat. Plenty of other ingredients go into the stir-fry, with fried cruller being the most unusual. Not very surprising but nicely done nevertheless
11) 馬拉糕, 咖啡糕, 綠茶紅豆mochi Ma Lai Steamed Pudding, Coffee Pudding, and Green Tea Mochi with Red Bean
To round up the meal, the kitchen actually gave us complimentry coffee pudding and green tea mochi since they didn't have enough of the 馬拉糕which we originally ordered.
Always good to have complimentary desserts, esp. when it comes in duo.
The night ended with tons of laughters and great fun! I haven't been so satisfied with a meal for a long time, which is what drives me to post this review.
Overall, I had high hopes for the food before the dinner, but it turned out to be beyond expectation! It’s amazing how we, a group of people who simply love food, came together, and share some serious thoughts from food to gatherings, from daily lives to philosophy, and most importantly, a lot of hilarious moments! This is the MOST IMPORTANT element that contributed to a great dinner – your companions!
Thank you once again for being part of my memorable night!
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