Chiuchow Garden Restaurant     潮庭  

I was excited to have some Chiu Chow food, and was looking forward to a great evening. As usual it is advisable to make a reservation when you go have dinner on a Saturday evening, as this is Hong Kong and everybody goes out to find good food on the weekend. We arrived promptly at 7:00pm and were seated immediately. Our tea order was taken and little complimentary appetizers were served. The waiter was very friendly and helped us place our order. We sat back and waited, eager for some quality dining.
Presentation was beautiful and this dish looked so inviting. The sauce was perfect and added great flavour to the goose. The goose itself was delicious, cooked perfectly, super moist, and tender. The meat was just the right pink colour. The portion was also perfect for nine people to share. I especially liked how the best part of the goose was placed on the top of the dish in thin slices.
The colour of the soup was very vivid and bright and it was steaming hot. The quality of the pig lung was low, but it was not cut as thinly I would like. That being said the flavour of the soup was spot on. The almond juice might have overpowered the soup a bit, but when it all went down in my mouth the feeling was great. There was still enough for half the table to have another round.
Its really difficult to come up with a chicken dish that is truly unique in Chinese cooking. This exceeded any other chicken I have had before. The chicken meat itself was not dry at all, in fact it was super moist and rich. The meat did not need the extra moisture from the sauce as it was cooked just right. That being said, the sauce complemented the dish super well. The consistency was just right, nice and thick. It was not over seasoned and although it looks like a sweet and sour sauce, it most definitely is not. The colour was so appealing, and I happily dug into this dish and loved it so much. A must have!
The colour of this sausage is a bit off putting to be honest. I took my first bite and it was cold, which was disappointing. I took a second bite and notice that at least it was not super oil. I took a third bite and noticed there was taro in the sausage too, which I thought was a good combination. Finally I finished the sausage off and notice that it had been wrapped in a dry tofu skin that had been cooked perfectly. There were many different elements that went very well together, but it was cold which really shot this down for me.
The fish was served steaming and was presented beautifully. The soup was full of flavour and I appreciated the contrast of the soft fish and the crunch peanuts. I love dishes that have a variety of textures. The white radish was soft and sweet and added great colour to the dish. The fish was a good size, it was perfectly cooked, well seasoned, and was very silky and smooth. The thinly slice peppers added a great little pop of colour. The fish skin was a bit wrinkly and hard to digest though, which is the only fault of this dish.

fatty pork

This looked breathtaking, however visual appeal can be deceiving. The sauce was nice and thick, but over seasoned. Every piece of pork was just really a piece of fat with minimal meat. I had one bite and did not want anymore. Now, I know the whole point is for the dish to be super fat, juicy, tender, but I guess its just not my cup of tea. If you want a really good fat pork, then you should order this.
There was not enough tofu for everyone to have a piece. The tofu was very smooth, and soft, however the patty on top was definitely over seasoned. Despite that, if you bite the bland tofu with the patty cake then the flavours meld together wonderfully. What I really appreciated was the onions. It is very difficult to cook onions wells. If you overcook them they become to soggy and loose all their sweetness, if you undercook them it will make you cry. These onions were cooked to perfection, they were sweet and still had a slight crunch to them. There were also some different mushrooms scattered throughout the bottom of the pot which were very fresh and delicious.

young vegetable roots in soup

Great presentation. Very fresh, very crunchy. All the vegetables had the crunch and crackle of bean sprout, which I loved. The soup base was great, except I would have love more soup soaked cloves of garlic.
The fried rice was way too oily, however the colour was very appealing. What was good about this dish was the use of olives. Olives are naturally very sour and gave the fried rice a very unique flavour. It had been yellowed perfectly and the portion was great. There was also choi sum that had been finely chopped and scattered throughout to give great colour to the dish.This was a very special dessert. I have never had it before, and it was truly delicious. The colour was inviting. It is a mix of savoury, with vingar, and a sprinkle of sugar. The fried noodles have a great crunch to them, and the combination is surprisingly excellent. This I was told is a very traditional dish.

Overall, the meal was very enjoyable and the atmosphere was great. If you want good Chiu Chow food, I would recommend this restaurant, although there are better out there for a higher price.