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2004-12-16
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The Hong Kong University Alumni Association, in short, HKUAA is one of those speakeasies in Hong Kong. Don't even dream of digging it out from one of those so-called Hong Kong's best restaurants guides. Being the antidote of advertisement and marketing, it is one of the best-kept gastronomic secrets in town that prevails solely by word of mouth.Put it bluntly, the setting of HKUAA is unassuming. No fancy d嶰or or slinky paneling of any sort –the dining room is functional –nothing more and nothing
Put it bluntly, the setting of HKUAA is unassuming. No fancy d嶰or or slinky paneling of any sort –the dining room is functional –nothing more and nothing less. The clientele come here for one reason only: good Cantonese food that is rightfully prepared. Under the helm of chief chef uncle See (ex Luk Yue Teahouse), the fare is ever consistent and impeccable.
As always, our Cantonese dinner the other night started with a bowl of soup. The soup we drank was the soup of pig's lung and almond cream. To me, the inclusion of this soup in the menu was real sign of dedication for good cooking in itself, since the preparation of it is painstaking. First the kitchen needs to hand wash the pig's lungs, which takes at least 2 hours; then the soup must be slow-boiled or else the lungs will crumble. The creamy white soup was sweet, refreshing and the cubes of pig's lungs, on the other hand, was tender and effervescent.
The stir-fried pigeon strips with Chinese dried ham showed why uncle See kept winning unstinting praise for his flair. The sweetness, as well as the juiciness of the pigeon was well preserved. The luscious Chinese dry ham added more complexity and power to this dish.
The fried Chinese pomfret was the highlight of the night. The pomfret tasted so fresh, moist and tender that it seemed like it came from sea seconds before the frying. All the essences of the sea and all the flavors of this exquisite fish were well pervaded, thanks to the first-class skills of the kitchen.
The saut嶪d shrimp with pine nut was idyllic, a dish that was simple in preparation and gentle in flavor. The fresh and plump shrimp proved to be a fitting match with the crunchiness of the pine nuts.
Another impressive dish was the salt-baked chicken a la 'Classic.' Not mere filler at all. The skin was crusty and the meat was succulent and smooth. The savory flavor was just right with a smoky overtone. Indeed a true classic.
The congee of chicken and partridge came next was ethereal. It was cooked in the same tried-and-true formula made fabled by the kitchen of Luk Yue Teahouse. All the ingredients were cooked in slow fashion that they were literally transcended into a bowl of creamy soup, oozing the spellbinding flavors of both the chicken and partridge.
The normal ending touch of a Cantonese dinner, the fried rice, was no less fascinating. Two varieties were served the other night. Of them, the fried glutinous rice steamed in lotus leaf was the most memorable. The rice was deftly prepared, preserving the moistness yet embracing ingredients like the dried ham and the mushroom well. And because the fried rice was steamed in lotus leaf, it also evinced the unmistakable earthy flagrant of the leaf with every bite.
张贴