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2018-09-13
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This Cantonese restaurant is located on Duddell Street in Central, founded in 2013 and now also having a branch in London. Awarded Michelin 1-star shortly after its opening, the restaurant has stylish interior design, with two floors connected via an internal staircase, one on dining and the another having a garden terrace for chill-out. It offers authentic Cantonese dishes with contemporary presentation.On the night we ordered the Tasting Menu, and opting to upgrade to the 22 head abalone ($318
This Cantonese restaurant is located on Duddell Street in Central, founded in 2013 and now also having a branch in London. Awarded Michelin 1-star shortly after its opening, the restaurant has stylish interior design, with two floors connected via an internal staircase, one on dining and the another having a garden terrace for chill-out. It offers authentic Cantonese dishes with contemporary presentation.
On the night we ordered the Tasting Menu, and opting to upgrade to the 22 head abalone ($3180 each). I included the Chinese wine pairing ($788), as there are some interesting wines originating from China I would like to try. The amuse-bouche was Braised Abalone with Yuzu, with the tender abalone of delicate taste pairing well with the slightly acidic yuzu to bring out the freshness. An appealing appetizer.
The first course was Duddell's Appetizer Selection, including Crispy Suckling Pig and House Made Jam, Diced Cod with Fresh Peppercorn, Chili and Vinegar, as well as Osmanthus-Scented Pear and Hawthorn. Starting with the lighter one, the pear was delicate and seasoned beautifully with the osmanthus to provide good fragrance. The hawthorn gave a nice tartness to open our appetite.
The cod was also nicely done, with a light corn starch coated to lock in the fish and retain the softness, avoiding them from drying out through the deep-fry process. They were great in taste. The suckling pig had crispy texture, sandwiched with the meat and bread, and complemented with the roasting sauce. Definitely a winning formula. The wine paired was Angelina Brut Reserva 2009 from Grace Vineyard, an interesting sparkling and first of its kind in China.
The second course was Double Boiled Sea Whelk, Silky Fowl and Morel. A nice aroma of the morel came out when the lid was opened, and the clear soup was also great in flavors. The bones of the silky fowl had been removed, and the sea whelk were also cut into small dices to allow one to eat them easily along with drinking the soup. A truly wonderful soup without any oil or fat, healthy and tasty.
The third course was the highlight of the set, Braised Whole Yoshihama Abalone 22 Heads with Shiitake Mushroom. The abalone was of a nice size, braised perfectly to provide a nice bite while easy to cut, wonderful in taste. The mushroom was equally impressive, fleshy and intense, with also the crunchy Australian choy sum to supplement, all serving with the great abalone sauce. A dish that would make any Cantonese restaurant pride. The wine paired was Chardonnay Reserve 2016 from Silver Height.
The fourth course was House-made Bean Curd with Fungus and Shrimp Roe Jus. The bean curd had a silky texture on the inside, while pan-fried to a nice golden brown on the skin. The sauce which was made from shrimp roe and chanterelle was intensely aromatic. So even if the dish seemed to be vegetarian, it offered nothing less than any dish with meat. My favorite in the evening.
The fifth course was Pan-fried Miyazaki A4 Wagyu Beef, with Fermented Black Soybean and Garlic. The beef was seared nicely with charred surface while juicy and tender inside, and cooked to our required level. Even though personally I am not a fan for beef, this dish delivered the promise, with the soybean and garlic adding the savory and complexity to the meat. The wine paired was Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 from Legacy Peak.
The sixth course was Fried Organic Jasmine Rice with Lobster and Chinese Doughnut and Oven. Honestly so far the portion of the dishes were rather small so we were a bit hungry still, but this course helped fill our stomach. Each grain of rice was distinct and cooked nicely, seasoned well with the lobster also tasty. I added some chili sauce and that brought the rice to an even higher level.
The seventh course was Double Boiled Imperial Bird's Nest with Almond Cream, along with Duddell's Dessert Platter. The bird's nest was fairly good, offering a nice bite. Again this is a dish commonly seen in many Cantonese restaurants in the old days, but increasingly fewer and fewer now. The other two desserts were Red Date Cake and Mini Tart with Lotus Paste. The sweetness had been adjusted to meet local preference. Nice dessert overall with Sweet BeiChun 2014 from Puchang Vineyards.
Overall the whole dining experience was great, with high quality food and nice service. Two main areas to consider paying more attention. First would be to do a more in-depth introduction of each dish which I had written numerous times and found most Chinese restaurant tend to underplay. Considering this restaurant offering such tasting menu I would imagine they would perform well in this area but unfortunately they didn't.
Secondly about the wine pairing. The sommelier had indeed paid a lot of attention and introduced the wines to us, particularly given they were from the lesser known wine regions in China. Yet they might not in my opinion paired so well with the dishes. A good idea to do the matching with local wines, but maybe it was not ready yet from the current portfolio of wines in China.
The total bill on the night was $7924, quite expensive but mainly due to us upgrading on the choice of abalone. Considering the original price of $1680 each, that would to me a more reasonable and value alternative I would recommend. But overall I would still say this restaurant earned my compliments and would come back again in future.
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