I like to do expansive restaurant research ahead of a trip; this Hong Kong trip is no exception.
But now I looked back, sadly only a few were covered, since most of the times went for yum cha.
Why? The reason is simple: something to suit everybody’s taste (especially in a big group) and allow them to sit for a long time. Yum cha seems to be the only choice that fits all bills.
I always love these evergreen Chinese tapas; the only problem that annoys me is the noisy setting and, to my taste, the gradually declining mass-produced mediocre quality.
Although there is no yum cha highlight in this trip, two Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurants (one in Macau) deserve to be mentioned here.
Tai Wai Dining Room 大圍小館
One of the strong appeals of this cosy Chinese restaurant is the nearly extinct traditional Chinese dishes. If you want to try, a 4-day-ahead pre-order is required to allow them to prepare those extremely complicated delicacy. They are quite pricey though.
Instead, I opted for an amiable approach—half a Tea Leaf Smoky Chicken (茶燻雞 $268). Not known as Korean fried chicken, but I like it so much more: a drift of delicate smoky scent empowers every mouthful, and the soft, tender, flavoursome chicken with an amber-coloured skin just makes it worth every penny.
Their Char Siu (第一叉 $188) and Crab Rice in Bamboo Basket (籠仔薑米蒸蟹飯 $468) are also popular, but we were out of luck since they couldn’t source good ingredients.
Other menu highlights:
Top left：Fried Sweet Doughnut (冰花蛋球) $58, Squid Coated with Salted Egg Yolk (金沙鮮魷) $158, Rich Sesame Roll (特濃芝麻卷) $48
Tip 1: They serve complimentary Chinese sweet soup at the end. But if you have a sweet tooth, go for the giant doughnut and sesame roll; both were great!
Tip 2: Given that it’s Michelin-listed and has limited capacity, online booking is almost a must.
Son Tak Kong 順德公飯店 (Macau)
At first I suspected it maybe a tourist trap, given that the Google-ratings are so-so; and on Boxing Day night, a staff needed to step outside inviting passersby in. But my confidence was soon restored after a range of lip-smacking dishes arrived.
The Southern China region with the blessing of a wide selection of fish, Shun Tak cuisine offers something different than typical Cantonese restaurants. Flip open their menu, many home-styled fish-based foods with affordable prices caught my attention.
Here are some impressive dishes from this Michelin Bib-gourmand restaurant.
Fried Fish Skin Stuffed with Pork (懷舊煎釀魚皮 $68). Crispy on top, with a firm bite of pork and fish filling. I believe it’s a lot of work behind and it tasted superb! Very reasonably priced, too!
Other delicious dishes:
Top left: Salted Egg Yolk with Bitter Gourd (櫻花蝦金沙翡翠白玉 $80), Fish Tofu and Veg in Fish Soup (魚腐竹笙魚湯浸農夫菜 $88), Shun Tak Stir-fried Vermicelli (順德公炒米粉 $78)
As a veg lover, I was excited to have bitter gourd, a Shun Tak easily-seen ingredient; the fish tofu with various seasonal veg in milky fish soup was homey, healthy, and very delicious; and the signature Shun Tak vermicelli was absolutely perfectly stir-fried with generous ingredients!
Besides the regular menu, there are a handful of seasonal dishes such as lamb stew with bamboo shoots (羊腩煲). Very tempting. Hopefully next time I could try more!
If you don’t take those pricey seafood items but go after the normal regular Shun Tak homey dishes, it’s really purse-friendly: like in our case, 4 people ended up paying $550 for 5 dishes.
They don’t have a website, but you can take a look of their Facebook or Google Map to find out more info.
Happy dining!
