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2011-08-21
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******************************Man Wah Restaurant has always been one of our favourite Dim Sum spots, despite the slightly highish price tag which is properly justified depending on how much dosh you have in the bank! I guess visiting once in a while is perfectly ok to spoil yourself. Having visited this restaurant no less then 4-5 times over the recent years, I've always thought that the Dim Sum items are pretty darn good, whereas it is their A La Carte dishes which fell slightly short o
Man Wah Restaurant has always been one of our favourite Dim Sum spots, despite the slightly highish price tag which is properly justified depending on how much dosh you have in the bank! I guess visiting once in a while is perfectly ok to spoil yourself. Having visited this restaurant no less then 4-5 times over the recent years, I've always thought that the Dim Sum items are pretty darn good, whereas it is their A La Carte dishes which fell slightly short of being spectacular, and sometimes, even falling short of expectations in terms of execution. Enter a New Chef Mr. Man Sing Lee since September 2010, who had previously worked in man prestigious restaurants including the exclusive Cantonese restaurant in the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Having first tried his revamped menu and multiple award winning dishes at the end of 2010, we decided to come visit for another Quick Test of his skills after he has settled, as I could not possibly make it to the media invited lunch a few weeks down the track. I'll be overseas by then.
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Double Boiled Silk Hen Soup, Pearl Clam, Chinese Herbs - (竹絲雞石斛杞子燉珍珠肉)A very sweet Wintery Soup with an incredible amount of Chinese medicine taste, superbly done and had depth, despite looking quite transparent! ~ 10/10
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Stir Fried Lobster, Egg White and Slow Cooked Scallop Mousse - (海棠龍蝦)An Award Winning dish from Chef Lee, this was served a little differently from its normal presentation, as this was already divided into individual portions and plated with flowering chives. The lobster with egg white was good, but it needs some white rice to go with it. And the slow cooked Scallop Mousse definitely stole the show this time, as that’s like eating a pillow full of scallops flavour ~ 8/10
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Honey Glazed Char Siu - (蜜汁叉燒王)The version served here is very unique in the Hong Kong context, as only a very specific muscle from the pork which is trimmed from the Chuck-Rib muscle by hand can be served, which is also found in Island Tang. The Island Tang version has been frozen twice in order to make the meat more tender, too tender even and losing the pork flavour. Chef Lee on the other hand opted to forego that additional freezing process - which means the meat is slightly more bouncy in its chewy texture but retaining as much of the natural pork taste as possible. Texture and flavour wise it’s hard to argue against as it was superb over the Island Tang version. However the sauce is served separately here and there needs to be more honeyed glaze. Very promising, but needs some work to bring it onto the next level. On par with Island Tang for now with different judging criterias ! ~ 7/10
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Prawn Dumplings with Bamboo Shoot - (筍尖蝦餃王)Any restaurant which can’t make this properly should go back home and contemplate on what exactly went wrong! The fresh water prawns here were tasty and sweet, and the pleats on the dumpling were neat. I personally thought the skins were a little too thick even if it’s of a highish standard. Could do with some more improvements in this aspect. 7.5/10
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Taro Nest Basket with Abalone - (蜂巢鮑魚盒)This is the Signature Dim Sum here and looked after by the dim sum kitchen. It seems to have shrinked slightly in size and shape over the last few visits, but this was better than before. Under the abalone is a few hand diced pork and mushroom filling, and the taro shell is perfectly fried. Yan Toh Heen also does a similar version, but I liked this a smidgeon more and the abalone actually tasted more stronger and natural than the similar dim sum at 3 Star Lung King Heen. Very addictive dim sum, albeit a little pricey ~ 9/10
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Beef Black Pepper Puff - (黑椒牛柳酥)This was a little overly powering or me, in terms of Black Pepper sauce. The crispy pastry however was flaky and non-oily, very addictive and one of the best in its field. 8/10
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Morel and Wild Mushrooms Dumplings - (羊肚菌野菌餃)Compared to the above, this had a better elastic and thin skin, but it was the presence of the prestigious morels and other wild mushrooms which gave this an earthy flavour, which is really addictive. I personally think this could have been developed further to incorporate even more mushroomy flavours … nevertheless ~ 8/10
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Winter Melon with 8 Treasures - (八寶冬瓜盅)The Winter Melon soup also comes with the all important Roasted Duck and also plenty of Conpoy. The broth was also carrying a deep depth of flavour. Very good ~ 9/10
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Ginger and Egg Whites and Steamed Grouper Fish - (酥薑珊瑚蒸星班球) This came adorned with some fried ginger strands on top and also a very well cooked egg-whites and conpoy sauce. The Grouper fish was cooked perfectly to a medium state but minus any fishiness. Very very very utterly good, one of the best fish dishes I remember ever having, and retaining so much of it’s original seafood taste without being spoiled by annoying ginger or scallions or MSG input. Perfect steamed fish, accentuated by the eggs. *Other diners on other visits thought this was not carrying enough fish taste, so this requires some more consistency and quality assurance from the Man Wah kitchen's side ~ 10/10
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Chinese Enoki and Snow Fungus with Roasted then Fried, Fresh Chicken - (金針雲耳吊燒雞)Chef Lee opted to use a locally slaughtered Gami chicken, which is known to carry slightly less fat but comes with a slightly brittle and thinner skin. This was cooked so silkily smooth, I honestly think this was one of the best chickens I’ve had. The red fermented beancurd sauce smothered onto the chicken as well as served separately. One of the best chickens ever eaten in my entire life, and beautifully plated ~ 9/10
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Wok Fried Pork Loin, Kuei Hua Flavoured Pear with Chin Kiang Vinegar - (桂花梨黑醋脆豬柳)Another multiple Award Winning Dish, plated like a flower and very artistic. The fried pork was very well done, way better than I’d envisaged. I had initially pre-formed an idea that its slightly unconventional and perhaps Westernised plating method will be more show than taste – but I was wrong because it was crispy yet light, not too fatty, and the sauce coating well balanced like an aged vinegar. This is actually better than 得龍飯店’s Sweet & Sour Pork and I’ve had that 3 times already to compare, and I sincerely hope this is not a once-off performance! The Kuei Hua flavoured Pear was pretty well done as a garniture but served way too cold to compliment the meat, it’ll be tremendously better if it’s served warmer ~ 9.5/10
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Scrambled Eggs and Flower Crab Meat with Fried Vermicelli - (桂花蟹肉炒米綫) This was cooked utterly perfectly. With the right amount of Wok Hei and very sweet crab meat, this was as good as it could ever get. Will be back just for this alone, which is cooked strand by strand by the head chef here . 10/10
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THESE RECENT VISITS particularly the latter two 2011 visits were as good as a Cantonese Meal can get. To begin with my personal criticism, I really wished the Char Siu can come with a slightly more thicker honeyed and sophisticated glazing, which is quintessential, a s a properly roasted Char Siu must come with this as a whole competent package. I don't mind if Chef Lee doesn't believe in what I've said, because each chefs or customers have their own preferences, but whilst the pork taste and texture were very enjoyable, it needed just that extra dimensional change. Not far off, and definitely close enough to perfection!
The Chicken 金針雲耳吊燒雞 however was easily one of the best chickens I've ever tasted in town and beautifully presented - easily better than a few 1-3 Michelin Star restaurants' rendition. The 桂花梨黑醋脆豬柳 was super addictive. Others have drawn parallels of it to a normal sweet and sour pork, but the combination of the kuei Hua wine soaked pears and the black Chin Kiang vinegar, really brought this dish into another dimension in terms of thoughtfulness and complexity at tastebud level. The 桂花蟹肉炒米綫 was as good as it could get, with plenty of crab sweetness and very well fried egg yolks bits, and the vermicelli carried a sophisticated elegant wok-chi without that ubiquitous MSG hit. It was very addictive, and well worth a visit alone in itself - including coming in to try out Chef Lee's signature stir fried noodles and other signatures. The new menu also seems to be priced a little below it's previous level too, which makes it more affordable for its quality!
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