Hoi King Heen     海景軒  

Fried Carp Fish Balls 鳳城鯪魚球 -
These were strong in fish taste and springy, actually not many shops do this well nowadays except some local or Macau’s noodle shops. I thought this was easily the best one I’ve had. with Freshwater Clams Condiment Sauce - 蜆介. There seems to be 2 varieties I encounter, one is salt-cured and alcohol fermented in taste. The version here was the fresher variety and also great. Loved it but thought it could have more alcohol influence too. Not too salty. ~ 9/10

.Roasted Pork Stuffed with Chinese Sausage 明爐臘腸卷 -
A Signature dish here and not available anywhere else. This was still good but tonight seemed to be a little harder than usual. You can also order the specially ordered Liver Sausage version. ~ 7/10

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I heard so much... but was it AS good?
I actually expected more. Especially reading those thoroughly written reviews. I'm not being upsetting, but I was disappointed. Some of the food was OK. It was seriously NOT worth my money. I think you paid more for design and technology more less the food taste. The designs were cute-- yes they were, and they made simple sweet rice into a design masterpiece-- but I wanted more of a balance of beauty and taste...

The service was great, the waiters were kind. I don't know of the waiting time was annoying or not (because I kept myself busy on phone apps... ) but I guess it was okay... again. The food just wasn't worth it. It was beautiful like I've said, but the taste wasn't too special for a 200$ HKD diced beef dish. I didn't find it as "Wowing" I expected, just because the taste was... bland...

I expected more for the money, and I was disappointed.

It just didn't taste SPECIAL, especially the bill was EXTREMELY SPECIAL (if you know what I'm saying).

Thanks for the try, but I think I'll avoid this restaurant again. There won't be a next time...

(THIS IS MY REVIEW, SO YOUR OWN TASTE BUDS MAY DIFFER FROM MINE.)

The story behind Hoi King Heen is a mystique in itself and to be read like a “local‘s secret”. Somehow most Local local’s already knew and unanimously declare it to be the ABSOLUTE BEST CANTONESE RESTAURANT in Hong Kong, whereas it took 3 years after the arrival of Michelin to finally stamp it with a seal of approval, putting them on the history books as a coveted 1 Star contender. Better late than never! So when will it be Gaddi’s turn? A dim sum session with some overseas guests on one occasion was a little mediocre so that jettisoned our plan a bit to organise a grander dinner, yet non-stop persuasions firing in from all sides by numerous foodies confirms that it’s only their A La Carte dishes where they shine. We finally organised a group dinner to try out their High-Canto dishes and it was a superb meal relatively speaking and there were certainly more highlights than many restaurants in town…

.明爐臘腸卷 - 9/10
This is one of the signature, off-menu dishes here. A very good start.
Absolutely works with beers

.明爐燒鳳肝 - 5/10
This looked better than it tasted. It was cooked a bit too solid rather than silky.
Not many people enjoyed this on the night.

.玫瑰花煙燻帶子 - 8/10
This was quite smoky and the caramelized exterior from sugary smoke imparted a nice flavour.
Cooked to the perfect degree. Very good starter. Loved the fried Rose petals

.蛋白花雕蒸蟹鉗 - 8/10
Compared to the one in 天龍軒 , this one had a better egg white texture by far, although the Hua Diao influence there was stronger. Claw wise? Very similar. But at least this came in 1 piece, not 3 self-imploded pieces

.黃金花膠紙芙蓉夾 - 10/10
This is one of Chef Leung’s specialty creations. And it was fried pretty well and crispy, with just the right amount of Salted Egg Yolk coating. The fish-maw inside gave it an extra dimension

.明月抽香豆腐 - 2/10
Braised Pearls of Winter Melon are stuffed with 2 Kinds of Preserved Olives
This is presented as a cluster of grapes, a Signature Dish. Don’t think most people got this dish, as the exterior was undercooked and the inside wasn’t salty enough to balance the dish. Think everyone knew beforehand it’s just art for art’s sake than for taste?

.萬壽果牛肋肉 - 9/10
It’s interesting this has been everyone’s favourite dish here, and not only for this particular night! This tasted really beefy and tender, with the papaya softening it up as a natural tenderiser as well as giving it a sweet fruity flavour. From my point of view however, this is probably one of the easier dishes to make from the kitchen as requires less precision ..

.南乳吊燒雞 - 7.5/10
Fried/Roast Chicken with Fermented Red Bean Curd Sauce
For me, this fried chicken should carry some Red Been Curd flavour on its skin to distinguish it from it’s 炸子雞 cousin. The version here was fried pretty well, the skin was slightly crisp and the meat was moist. The sauce was too diluted weak to my liking

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Having heard so much praise about this restaurant, I’d been really looking forward to trying it. I really wanted to like this place. But sadly, I’m afraid the food, for me, was not good as it is made out to be. Perhaps it was anomalously off its game that night?

萬壽果牛肋肉

hoi king heen is run by chef leung (梁輝雄) who has been with the restaurant for more than 15 years. the restaurant situates at the basement of the inconspicuous intercontinental grand sanford hotel (next to hotel nikko) in TST east, a district once frequented by the rich japanese but since then had been spiraling down. on a side note, i recently spoke with savills the real estate agent and was told that the TST east retail rental rate had plunged 20-25% in the last ten years, whereas the canton road area went up exponentially. the most expensive retail rental in hong kong (and the world) is the LV shop at canton road amounting to HK$5000+ per sqft per month, dwarfing the new york saks fifth by a far, far margin. do not underestimate the shopaholic mainlanders…

winter melon stuffed with olive leaves (欖菜玉珠) – first came the award-winning winter melon dish. presentation was impressive – the melon balls were arranged to shape like a bunch of grapes and colored with a dash of finely shaved carrots. it looked so cute that i did not even want to eat it taste-wise was rather refreshing and subtle; the olive leaves were a bit salty and bitter, but matched nicely with winter melon’s light sweetness.

beef brisket with papaya (萬壽果牛肋肉) – i do not eat beef, but i was told the beef brisket was tender and flavorful, while the papaya surprisingly matched the beef well and lightened up the otherwise slightly heavy dish.

glass prawn (玻璃蝦球) – this is one of my favorite chinese delicacies (功夫菜) that calls for skills and long preparation time. glass shrimps are usually made of tiger prawns, and in order appear snowy white (compared to the regular pink color), the prawns need to first be chilled overnight, then the shell, head, tail, intestines, and outer gray membrane removed (the memebrane gives the classic pink color) together with the ligament near leg area. marinate with egg white, pepper, salt, sugar, oil, for a couple of hours. blanch in boiling water for a couple of minutes then in hot oil (yes, you will get oil splattered all over so wear long sleeves!) et voila. the glass prawns at hoi king heen were excellent, but the truly remarkable was actually the shrimp paste that came with it – it was deeply flavorful, with heavy brine taste and slightly sandy texture that screamed shrimp roe. marvellous!

sweet spare ribs in secret sauce (蜜梅京燒骨) – this was my favorite dish for the night. the spare ribs had perfect fat proportion, and the secret sauce was simply addictive – it was sweet with a hint of tartness, and the spare ribs had a thin caramelized crust outside while the meat inside was crispy and juicy. the dish was chopstick-licking good – kudos!

pan-fried rice cake (家鄉煎茶果) – minced pork and pine nuts inside the glutinous rice cake. i really liked the shell, which was soft, fluffly, and less chewy than the regular chinese rice cake that gets stuck between your braces like bubblegum, if you have them.

it was a good dining experience, one of the best cantonese restaurants i have eaten at and yet not bloodsuckingly priced. the winter melon dish looked better than it tasted, and glass prawns were good though not great; but the spare ribs were very impressive while the soft rice cake was a nice finish. next time i would love to try the black truffle chicken...

full post with pics: http://randomnomad.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/hoi-king-heen/

Dinner here with my family for my mum's big birthday. ordered some signature dishes. Nothing grand, no lobster, no shark fins (i'm totally against eating shark fin after watching the documentary Sharkwater. ) or sea cucumber...etc

Good old honest cooking. simplicity, great attention on details. absolutely brilliant!

萬壽困牛肋肉 is what is still keeping me up now to write this! I love beef brisket. This is simply the best I have ever had! beautifully tender and juicy. after a few chew, it just melted . nuff said!

Go there and you will not be disappointed!

海景軒 has always been one of the most reliable Chinese restaurants in my experiences. Our Christmas celebration was set there to ensure both food and entertainment would be perfect for the guests. Some dishes we had that night were popular signature dishes there: 茶香燻帶子, 玫瑰花香肉, 沙魚骨湯四寶元肚, 招牌富貴雞, 萬壽果牛肋肉, to name a few. They were mentioned in my previous Hoi King Heen’s review (http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2029260) so I am not going repeat myself.

New dishes we tried did not disappointed. 明爐燒鳳肝 (BBQ Chicken Livers) and 明爐臘腸卷 (BBQ Chinese Sausage Roll) demonstrated the superb skill of the BBQ kitchen with the luscious chicken livers slightly charred with a sweet glaze and the Chinese sausage 臘腸 burst with juice. The cold appetizers like 瑪瑙水晶片 (Crystal Beef Tendons) and 鳳凰三色蛋 (Three Egg Terrine) refreshed the tastebuds with subtle and mild flavors.

Besides the 沙魚骨湯四寶元肚 and 招牌富貴雞 (please see previous review) that provided interactive counter-serving activities, another highlight of the night was for sure 龍皇白玉卷. The dish was presented as a single plate for each individual, featuring a slice of delicate grouper meat wrapped around the yunnam ham placed over shrimp mousse stuffed shitake mushroom. The bottom was a spinach sfomato flavored with salty egg white surrounded by a vibrant pool of egg yolk and crab roe sauce. The construction was meticulous, the presentation stunning. The flavors were complex, yet different components complemented each other creating a light and memorable harmony. The dish certainly showcased the creativity, originality, and the superb skills and techniques of Chef Leung, who always found new ways to excite us!

欖菜玉珠(Winter Melon Balls Stuffed with Pickled Vegetables) is an award-winning dish and just by the appearance one can understand the detailed work behind it. Winter melon was scooped into tiny balls and each stuffed with pickled vegetables 欖菜 to enhance the mild flavor of the melon. Looking and eating this dish, I couldn’t help but to feel completely soothed and comforted. I don’t mind eating vegetarian food every day if they are always this good!

鳳凰香煎紫米雞(Pan-fried Forbidden Sticky Rice) was a variation of the traditional 煎珍珠雞 using black glutinous rice as the sticky rice base and then pan-fried with an egg coating. At this point after all the fabulous dishes it was a bit too heavy as an ending. But no matter how stuffed you are, you don’t want to miss the signature 家鄉煎茶果 which in my opinion is the best n town. Arrays of desserts including 香芒糯米卷, 奶皇春卷and 生磨蛋白杏仁露 (please refer to previous review) and some Tong Wong’s birthday cakes filled the night with sweet endings and endless laughs and joy.

Even after trying all the new hyped restaurants such as Chairman and Cuisine Cuisine @ Mira, I still find 海景軒 to be the most reliable and most consistent restaurants in delivering delicious Chinese food. Chef Leung brings originality without forgetting the fundamental elements of traditional Chinese cooking, and every time I come out of Hoi King Heen, I found myself satisfied and fulfilled.

When it comes to pushing the envelope of Chinese cuisines, Hong Kong would undoubtedly be on the top of the list. With the arrival of Michelin ratings, many restaurants try to create contemporary Chinese food that go beyond just the traditional flavor-centric approach. Chefs often utilize exotic or uncommon ingredients to produce new flavor combination; presentation becomes more sophisticated and refined resembling Western fine dining. However, the results are mixed in my opinion. Often time to accomplish “creativity” and visual appeal, some other elements like texture and flavor are compromised. I have long heard that Chef Leung at 海景軒 is a master of contemporary Chinese cuisine affirmed by those who have attended previous Openrice gatherings there. Much anticipation was built up before I had the opportunity to sample Chef Leung’s creations a few weeks ago.

Since several at the tables have been regulars at 海景軒, the menu was customized to include both old favorites and new dishes. Of course everything was new to me, which just added up to the overall excitement! First up was an impressive array of 5 appetizers 嘉福小美點 in the order of my liking:
玫瑰花燻帶子 was excellent with succulent and meaty scallops carrying an aromatic smokey flavor.
酒香五花腩 couldn’t possibly be better when fatty pork belly was flavored with port wine (a fusion touch?) and fried to become crispy on the outside and juicy inside. Best of all, it didn’t feel a bit greasy! The fried shredded lemongrass on top was rather mild, but the attention to details was much appreciated.
瑪瑙拌雞絲 was another winner with the shredded chicken and the strips of cold meat terrine (肉凍)harmonized with a light scallion sauce.
蒜香肥牛卷 brought ordinary beef rolls to another level with the beef so naturally tender and the garlicky vinaigrette cutting down on the grease.
富貴火腿片 was well balanced with sweetness from the honey and the melting lotus seeds complementing the savory ham which was a tad chewy.

I thought I was pampered with these appetizers but the best were yet to come. When the large pot of 沙魚骨湯四寶元肚 arrived, one couldn’t help but to be in awe with the whole gigantic pork stomach! It was dissected tableside and one could only admire the elaborate work that went into the dish, with the whole silk chicken (原隻竹絲雞) inside the pork stomach stuffed with the “four treasures” (四寶) of lotus seeds, Chinese ham, glutinous rice, and red dates(蓮子, 火腿, 糯米, 紅棗). The fish soup didn’t have a single ounce of unfavorable fishiness and was fully concentrated with the sweetness of fish and pork stomach. Every drip was absolutely divine and ethereal and arguably one of the best Chinese soups I had in Hong Kong!

When I sampled the fillings of the 四寶元肚 I expected the long simmered meat to be tender. What I didn’t expect was how the meat remained so juicy and tasty. The pork stomach was soft and the chicken was not a bit dry, a rare case for chicken as 湯料. The 4 treasures inside were all softened, partly gooey and partly dissolving. Soy sauce was not needed for dipping as the all the flavors of the filings were accentuated and blended together with this cooking method. This dish really showcased the beauty of using 元肚 as a cooking vehicle to encapsulate all the essence. The soup costs $1200+ on its own, but considering that it feeds like 12+ people and its level of supremacy and complexity, I think it is worth the price.

香酥豆腐大蟹拑 was an makeover of the classic fried crab claw with a few Western twists. The presentation wouldn’t be shabby even for Western fine dining, with individual jumbo crab claw plated on a bed of frisée surrounded by lobster jus. The size of the claw certainly contributed to the great texture, particularly with tofu mash encrusting the claw meat to provide a crispy “shell”, a soft surrounding, and then a meaty and firmer crab innard. However, to get crab claw of this size I believe Dungeness crab was used, and the drawback was certainly the lack of sweetness and oceanic flavor of this crab species. The lobster jus also tasted a bit ordinary with a slight bitter aftertaste. This dish was a great attempt for sophisticated presentation with luxury ingredients, but with some rooms for improvement in my humble opinion

招牌富貴雞 is a legendary dish of 海景軒 and I could completely understand why. Besides the enchanting presentation, it was also a pleasure to all your other senses. When the lotus leaf package was unwrapped and the whole chicken revealed, the chicken and lotus leaf fragrance immediately permeated the room, awakening your appetite. When the chicken meat moistened with caul fat(豬網油)was mixed with the fillings of honshimeji (本菇), Chinese ham, etc, all the ingredients completely unified into a scrumptious hearty dish. Oh, of course we didn’t dare to miss out on the juice - this golden liquid that would have made cardboard taste good!

My stomach was nearly reaching the threshold, but our aggressive tastebuds asked for an impromptu order of Peking duck 北京填鴨(兩食). Fortunately it didn’t disappoint. To make the long story short it was simply crispy skins, tasty meat, and fresh and precise condiments. Even the stir-fried diced duck(炒鴨菘), which I normally bypass, was superbly prepared with the diced duck meat and vegetables all tender and moist! The Peking duck at 海景軒would beat most of the Peking restaurants in town, I guarantee!

I am in general not a big fan of using fresh fruits in Chinese cooking , but 萬壽果牛肋肉 proved to be an exception. Somehow the papaya worked wonders with the prime meat, lending just a hint of sweetness to the beefy flavor without overshadowing it. The meat was very tender without any trace of artificial processing (how did they do that??) The papaya wasn’t overcooked or mushy which often is the case for cooked fruits. I was completely surprised how well this combination went, though I think without the chef’s skillful execution it wouldn’t be the same even with identical ingredients at another restaurant.

湖南羊仔片 was probably the most ordinary dish of all, and it suffered from the marginal depreciation syndrome with all of us completely stuffed at this point. I don’t think any version of fried rice could get much better than the百子海鮮炒飯we had. Even appearing at the end of the meal, it didn’t feel greasy or heavy with the diced seafood like scallop, grouper (星斑粒) and the fish roes generously distributed in every spoonful of fluffy rice. It would be a mistake not to have the 家鄉煎茶果, another signature dish of 海景軒with the chef taking an elegant approach to the otherwise rustic little glutinous dumplings - simple yet comforting at the same time.

Desserts tend to be the least creative part of Chinese cuisine, and while the four desserts, 西西里卷, 奶皇春卷, 奶皇西米角, and 生磨蛋白杏仁露 weren’t particularly innovative, they were well-executed and delicious. In fact the 西西里卷was created specially for our beautiful friend and named after her!! How extraordinary! My favorite was the most traditional 生磨蛋白杏仁露 prepared tableside by Chef Leung himself. The egg white was like little strands of silk floating in the creamy and velvety almond soup. This was so heavenly and miles (I mean miles!) better than the one at HKUAA a few weeks before. Or in one word – Flawless!

This dinner proves to me that all the praises of 海景軒 were no hypes, and I would consider this dinner as one of the best Chinese meals I have had in Hong Kong so far. There are Luk Yu or Fook Lam Moon which always excel in the traditional dishes. But one must appreciate how Chef Leung continues to go beyond the commonly accepted boundaries by introducing new dishes or reinventing old classics, all without sacrificing the flavor or texture in exchange for visual or creative enhancements. It’s not an easy task to strike the equilibrium between pursuing originality and newness and maintaining long-established intricate execution in the culinary world. I am glad that at 海景軒 Chef Leung is able to do it well.

* The cost of the dinner was after a 25% off discount

After hearing so much good reviews plus attractive dishes, decided to suss out the place at lunch time. Unfortunately even though I really wanted to try the signature dishes of Crystal Prawns, Beggar Chicken, Grilled Beef shortrib slices, Goose Liver, Stir Fried Beef, etc, we did not ended up trying them out.
Had the folloing Dim Sims, which were quite disappointing. If this restaurant is suppose to be of such a high standard, I don't understand why they cannot get each and every item right - this is a pet peeve or mine. Why are only 2-4 signature dishes good in a restaurant boasting of 50+ menus, whereas all the other ones fall below expectations? QUANTITY is better than quality? Or is that a Chinese mentality? - if a restaurant has intentions to be a Top Restaurant, I would rather they make more than 60-70% of the dishes correctly, and the first step is to cut back on the menu items which are irrelevant and gap fillers :
蟹皇燒賣 - This was quite good but not exceptional. 8/10
虾交 - not bad, but skin thick. Prawn could be more crunchy and less floury. 7.5/10
潮式蒸粉果 - Looked over-cooked, but didn't try.
叉燒包 - Inedible, very bad. Hard exterior bread, inside was too sweet and tough meat. 4/10.
包鱼鳋 - Worst dim sim. Cannot compare to Lung King Heen or even Maxim's. Tang Palace was better than here. Filled with corn and chicken, hardly any abalone nor any specific taste but chicken creamy taste (from Campbell's canned soup). Skin was crumpling apart, no taste either. 1/10.
茶粿 - Signature dim sim, was quite good indeed. Surprisingly, slightly too sweet a meat inside, and not a lot of complexity. Nice external sticky rice texture though. 8.5/10
Egg Tart - No egg taste, pastry no pastry taste. Ordinary, though not bad. 6/10.
Noodles with Abalone - Green healthy noodles, but little taste and character. 2/10
Fried Rice Paper Roll in Soy Sauce with Bean Sprout - outright poor. Little soy taste, little wok chi taste, little rice taste. Bean sprouts not crunchy, no wok chi, not tasty. Only consolation is that the Rice Paper Sheets were of the right, chewy yet smooth texture despite being bland. 2/10.

Overall, not going to come for Yum Cha again.
Dinner however - might be another story.

my family and I come here for dinner at least once every 2 weeks. this place is truly our "canteen". great consistent good, great service, very comfortable seating. i've probably tried everyone on the menu and with a few exceptions, it is always very good.

the shrimp is exceptionally big, crunchy and tasty. all versions taste good - they have the plain "glass shrimp" version, the black seasame sauce version, the lightly fried w/ wasabi mayo versions are all good. their steamed fish is always cooked to perfection. soups are good, i particulary like their pumpkin soup w/ egg white and crab meat. their sweet plum pork ribs is a favourite and ordered everytime.

dim sum is also very good, must try the chinese sausage bun, juicy soft larp cheung. you won't be disappointed. i think this is the best hotel chinese restaurant in terms of value for money, food is on par with interncon, peninsula, four seasons, mandarin oriental, etc, but not as over priced and friendly service.

Went for their 大閘蟹 the other night.
Very professional and courteous service.
Everyone served us with a smile and nice greetings.
大閘蟹 was served by the waiter who would peel off the legs and crack open the shell for you by the table-side.
2 of us went, we ordered 3 dishes total, including the 大閘蟹. The other dishes (炸鱔片, 蟹粉冬瓜) were very tasty as well!
We also order plain congee, but surprisingly, it also tasted great and very 棉.
The price was not cheap, but you do get a 15% off with american express.
I think for a night of fine dining with great service, it was still worth it.
I would definitely go back again!