Page 91 - Hong_Kong_&_Macau's_Best_Restaurants_English_edition

HONG KONG RESTAURANTS
HIGH-END CHINESE

MAN WAH ONE HARBOUR ROAD SPRING MOON
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25/F, Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central, 7-8/F, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1/F, The Peninsula Hong Kong,
Hong Kong 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui,
TEL: +852 2825 4003 Hong Kong Hong Kong
www.mandarinoriental.com TEL: +852 2584 7722 TEL: +852 2696 6760
www.hongkong. www.peninsula.com/
There are many restaurants located in the heart of Central with stunning grand.hyattrestaurants.com springmoon
views of the surrounding cityscape; but there are not many who combine
a jawdropping vista with top-notch Chinese food. Man Wah, located on the With two-storey ceilings, stoic In a storied hotel such as The
25th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, is that rarity. Although there is dim stone pillars and a splendid view Peninsula Hong Kong, one would
sum on the weekends, they serve more than just Cantonese food. Notably, of Victoria Harbour, One Harbour not expect anything less than
one of its signature dishes is a very crispy Peking duck; which can also be Road at the Grand Hyatt hotel is an elegant Chinese restaurant
accompanied by an equally northern hot and sour soup. And whoever as grand as they come. Serving with the charms of yesteryear.
thought sweet and sour pork was just for foreigners have not tried Man classic Cantonese dishes with The dining room at Spring Moon
Wah’s excellent rendition. Man Wah is also one of the few places in town a modern presentation, the is reminiscent of Cantonese
that offers Peking ducks in half-orders, making it a must-try even for small menu is a dizzying tome filled teahouses in the 1920s, with
parties. The ingredients are top-quality; the service with seafood, poultry and other touches of Art Deco melding
anticipatory; and the wine list wide-ranging. Suffice luxurious meat- and vegetable- seamlessly with carvings of
to say, it is a must-visit for anyone new to Hong based selections. Although Chinese rhyming couplets. If
Kong; as well as an old favourite for many locals. traditional Chinese restaurants you have a group, try the hearty
are geared towards communal traditional stewed goose with plum
dining and big platters, at One in a clay pot, served with a side
MING COURT Harbour Road many of the dishes of potatoes braised in the same
can be ordered as an individual delicious sauce as the goose.
8 10 10 6 portion—making it easy for Throughout the restaurant is
groups with differing palates to beautiful tea ware, used for serving
6/F, Cordis, 555 Shanghai Street, get along. There are many must- their considerable collection of
Mong Kok, Hong Kong tries, but the chef-recommended premium Chinese teas. Should
TEL: +852 3552 3330 steamed Patagonian toothfish you prefer wine with your meal,
www.cordishotels.com/en/ Although there fillet with preserved vegetables there are a good number of
hong-kong in bamboo basket stands out Chinese wines, and the cellar
is dim sum on in particular, with its creamy possesses grape wines from a
Ming Court’s sister restaurant T’ang and savoury-sweet notes that diverse range of producers, a nice
the weekends,
Court may get all the attention, but remind us of a Cantonese surprise for an establishment
it delivers just as distinguished an Man Wah serves version of miso cod. Round off expected to be conservative.
experience, especially amid the the meal with a carb-based Slight hints of modernisation can
more than just
din of Mong Kok. The baked stuffed dish as per Cantonese banquet also be seen on the plate—for
crab shell with onions and cheese, Cantonese food customs, with the beautifully example, the presentation often
a signature at both restaurants, rich Australian wagyu beef and shows aesthetic awareness,
arrives in a golden crab plate and foid gras fried rice with egg, and sustainable ingredients are
is bold with sweet and savoury spring onion and Yunnan termite increasingly being utilised. Despite
flavour but can get a tad too rich mushroom sauce Enjoy with a all this, Spring Moon never strays
if you’ve ordered a succession of glass of wine from the extensive from the experience of eating itself,
dishes. Veer instead for the roast 24-page menu featuring tipples and holds the fundamentals of
pork belly and suckling pig if you from around the world. high-end Cantonese cuisine dear.
seek a treat: the glistening skins
on each morsel are so crisp they
emit a satisfying crackle when you
bite in. Many dishes are available in
single serve portions, and award-
winning dishes are highlighted
upfront—the restaurant has so
many they get their own section.
The two tasting menus offer good
value-for-money and are the best
way to parse through the extensive
menu. Ming Court’s iPad wine
menu is extremely well-designed
and packed full of information in
a multimedia format, with wine
and specific dish pairing charts.
But while the restaurant excelled
in their cooking, they faltered in
service, which was prompt for
neighbouring tables that speak
Cantonese but halting for tables of
English speakers. It is a shame that
the effort put into the dishes, which Man Wah’s elegant
do warrant further description and dining room
context, could be lost in translation.

T .DINING 2018 | 89