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2008-06-15
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A local food columnist wrote in his recent piece about a place for local ChiuChow fare. Authenticity was nowhere to be found in the article, but praises and compliments were all over the place. With a genuine tone in the writing we decided that it may be worth the try. For several days before the visit we think of all the things we can do to prepare for the meal, which is also a celebration to my father's birthday, we did the research -- summarizing all reviews (good and bad) and a greenlight fr
The menu was short and did not leave us many choices. Dishes named in the column were exactly the plates we ordered, except the chicken due to the recent findings on Avian Flu (yet again). No go for the chicken but Mustard Chicken Tendons ($35) were amazingly on the menu. The mustard flavor is potent and tendons are crunchy with a soft meaty aftertaste. A surprising concoction of sesame paste and mustard gives an otherwise less-flavored meat a strong impression to our meal. We ordered ChiuChow Platter 1 ($75) made up of Sliced Goose, Pig's Intestines and Pork Belly, all sliced neatly and arranged on a plate lined with Tofu. While the marinade was strong on aromatics like the traditional Star Anise, Cassia Bark and Soy Sauce, we could barely taste it in the tofu. Pig Intestines were tender with a light crunch while goose and pork belly were cooked until tender, perhaps so tender that we could've sworn it's a chewy piece of jelly more than pork belly. The gelatinous texture is putting us off into thinking it could be anything but pork. We weren't satisfied, but would be willing to give it another chance.
A second trial on yet another the Platter 2 ($75) with combinations of Cuttlefish, Goose Kidneys and riblets. The Cuttlefish and kidneys suffered from the previous platter's mistakes. In fact the cuttlefish doesn't even taste like cuttlefish except an occasionally chewiness resembling the seafood item with tentacles. Kidneys were sliced thin, so thin but flavorless that you could've told me it is ox tongue or pig pancreas and I'll believe you. Riblets were honey-sweet and bear a flavor unlike the rest of the platter food. It's been slow cooked to tenderness on its own. Marinated Duck Tongues in Wine ($40) comes in a plate of neatly arranged tongues. The wine flavour did not penetrate into the tongues but the tongues are of the right texture.
Vegetables in sweet fermented tofu sauce, a staple dish in this joint, was a disappointment. A huge one, in fact. The napa cabbage slices are not cooked through while red jujubes were turned to mush. Flavours were too sweet on one bite and too salty on the next. A sloppy presentation was out of expectation here. And let's me frank about this, if you would've made this from scratch at home, you could've made it better too. We rounded off our adventure with a tossed noodle ($40), which was ok, because it did not feature anything strong flavored and we could taste the noodles and the accompanying broth.
While too busy tackling the difficult dishes and wondered why so many have raved about this little joint of delicacies, we looked up and saw what we did not expect to see -- photos of the owner and local celebrities and writeups about how wonderful food here has been. I wondered if the celebs have made a decent meal themselves, a homely meal they spent time and lots of love making for themselves and others. A meal that didn't have to feature expensive ingredients or complex recipes, indeed can be the best kind of reward you get. I disappointedly thinking on my way home that Hung's Delicacies was more than the reputation and rave it has gotten over the years. Maybe they once flourished with the best tasting ChiuChow platter in the whole district, maybe their chicken championed other big names alike. But as I walked in a rather full belly but dissatisfaction, I felt somewhat cheated, and over and over again thinking about all the people who have been turned down for a table by the owner while we were eating there. I wish I could've been the one turned away as well.
张贴
