Lung King Heen reprises its position in Hong Kong's Three Michelin Starred list and it was my first visit to a three starred establishments.
My lunch reservation took a month's notice and a second reservation for a weekend was waved off citing that they were fully booked till March 2015. This was informed as of mid-November so adjust your dates accordingly if you are dying for lunch at Lung King Heen. Maybe dinner could be easier to book but dimsum items are so very limited then.
Shine it like silver.
I suppose a dinner view would be alot better BUT a window seat I hear over lunch is hard to secure, I must have had lady luck shining on me then.
Condiments that I surprisingly did not need to touch throughout the meal but truthfully, very well done sauces.
Baked Whole Abalone Puff with Diced Chicken (HKD 60 per piece)
Lung King Heen's signature, this luxurious dimsum has so many extraordinary things going on about it - the whiff of a freshly baked buttery puff pastry with a single whole abalone that fitted in it so snug and right beneath it was a layer of perfectly seasoned diced chicken. This may be the priciest dimsum around but surely, there is a price to pay for extraordinariness.
Baked Barbecued Pork Bun with Pine Nuts (HKD 69, 3 pieces)
The godfather of all baked barbecued pork buns I'd say given how Chef Mak of Tim Ho Wan gained much success having had some experience with Lung King Heen. This, is where all the magic started, the pastry and filling ratio is such a delicate number to master and then magic happened. Lean pork with pine nuts were as compatible as Mister and Missus, the rest I say is really history.
Lung King Heen Lobster Fried Rice with Seafood (HKD 340)
After scouring through enough food blogs, I decided despite how stuffed I may be, I had to leave some space for their famous fried rice. Mikuni's King Crab Fried Rice may have been heaven to me so far, well really until Lung King Heen's Lobster Fried Rice. This dish is greasy from the uncteous seafood ingredients, lobster roe being one of which together with the diced lobster that made it more than vavavroom in taste and texture. Wok hei is basic for a plate of cantonese fried rice, and sure enough the chefs took home top honours for a single plate of rice that sent me straight to paradise.
I could not resist giving their Executive Set Lunch sets though, value for money so says the friend who chomped through one weeks before my visit.
Chef's Dimsum Selection
Shrimp dumpling and seafood crystal dumpling was served up and in its petite portions, I found the true essence of dimsum - the freshest ingredients with nifty handiwork. Shame on all the dimsums that I have ever eaten that came with uneven layers of dough, unflavoured meat or fillers even. The skins were so finely kneaded, they almost melted in my mouth and good heavens, the shrimps were so fresh, they were nearly sweet.
Even a simple springroll showed us much insight into the world of dimsum, the layers are so thin and crispy.
Soup of the day
The server came and rattled off a string of ingredients that did not sound premium - most of them were easily sourced at the markets but the amazing thing happened - the flavours that made up this broth was mindblowingly so. Savoury yes but the layers that shown through with every spoonful was pretty spectacular. It is not just about the number of hours spent boiling or double boiling it but the combination of simple ingredients to pull off such a complex tasting soup.
Barbecue Combination - Crispy Suckling Pig, Beef Shin in Sweet Soy Sauce, Marinated Jellyfish
I may never see the barbecue combination the same way again, even jellyfish was not as plasticky and premade as eaten during wedding dinners.
One platter that scored over and over again with such freshness and flavours.
Sauteed Chicken Fillet with Sarcodon Aspratus
The hongkie claims this is a childhood dish and I say this is more than just child's play. I loved the colours of the dish and how something so simple was made right with enough wok hei. A bowl of rice to go with dish would have been great.
Shanghai Mee Sua
Since we ordered rice, the server recommended having an alternative carbohydrate. I thought it was just a noodle dish - and most definitely not, hand made noodles in a broth that left a lingering spicy aftertaste. So comforting and delicious.
Sweetened Red Dates Soup with Chinese Yam and Lily Bulbs
Chinese desserts are hard to go wrong and this was one of those that I enjoyed best - sweet, hearty and homecooked.
Petit Fours
Sesame cookies and chilled lemongrass jelly sweetened the deal even further. Just the right amount of sugars needed.
Loved it down to the toothpick holder too.
Impeccable dishes and service, there were several spectacular moments that made the meal memorable. We are making plans for a return soon. Oh wait, I did and it's six months in advance. The bestest thing about their reservation system is, they do allow email reservations instead of some other places that only insist on a hongkong line, customer service people!
HKD 580 ++ (Set lunch)
Lung King Heen
Four Seasons Hotel
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