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2025-04-04
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Surprisingly, with the approach of April, the weather turns cold once again, dropping to 10°C. Under strong winds and a bit of rain, we came to this Michelin 2-star Chinese restaurant located at The St. Regis Hong Kong in Wanchai for some nice food to warm up our body, and to calm our heavy minds on the casualties and damages from the earthquake in Myanmar.It was our second visit, but the last one was already five years ago. The space continued to exhibit a cozy ambience, with dim but warm light
Surprisingly, with the approach of April, the weather turns cold once again, dropping to 10°C. Under strong winds and a bit of rain, we came to this Michelin 2-star Chinese restaurant located at The St. Regis Hong Kong in Wanchai for some nice food to warm up our body, and to calm our heavy minds on the casualties and damages from the earthquake in Myanmar.
It was our second visit, but the last one was already five years ago. The space continued to exhibit a cozy ambience, with dim but warm lighting, contemporary designs, comfortable chairs and spacious tables, created a relaxing dining experience. We were seated at a corner of the restaurant with the windows facing out to Gloucester Road.
After order, the staff brought us the Amuse Bouche, which included Honey Lime Cucumber Jelly 蜂蜜青檸青瓜凍 and Mashed Potato Ball with Onion 蒜香洋蔥薯仔球. The jelly had a refreshing taste from the lime, with the finely chopped cucumber providing a bit of crunchy bite. The potato ball got a crispy surface while the mash was soft and flavourful, with the sweetness of onion mixing well with the garlic. Very good small bites.
For appetizer, we had Chilled Salted Pork in Jelly, Preserved Plum 話梅水晶餚肉 ($208). Very beautifully presented, the salted pork knuckles were sandwiched between soft gelatine and the crunchy pig’s ear, in distinct layers. Not only flavourful, the difference in texture was also amazing. Paired with the preserved plum sauce to give a bit of sweetness to stimulate the palate, it was delicious and wonderful.
Next, we had Barbecued Iberico Pork, Honey 蜜餞西班牙黑豚肉叉燒 ($398). A signature of the restaurant, the char siu was very tender and juicy, nicely grilled with honey with a bit of burnt on the surface but not excessive, and the meat marinated well to infuse with rich flavours. On the side is the pickled radish and carrot, skilfully cut to a spiral screw shape, which helped to reduce the fattiness with its acidity. Another fantastic dish.
We decided to try a few of the seasonal seafood specialties, starting with Stir-Fried Mantis Shrimp, Chive Flower, Fermented Beans, Chili 香辣豉蒜韭菜花炒富貴蝦 ($428). This one reminded me of a popular dish in many family restaurants, but replacing the dried shrimp and squid with mantis shrimp. Nice with savoury taste, the slight spiciness stimulated the palate but not overbearing. The chive flowers were tender as well. Delicious.
Then we had Deep-Fried Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Sweet and Sour Sauce 咕嚕猴頭菇 ($228). Instead of the usual pork, this dish used the lion’s mane mushroom instead, offering a surprisingly similar texture to pork but was purely veggie. The sauce also had a good balance between sweet and sourness. If you liked sweet and sour pork but did not want to have too much meat, this one was the perfect alternative.
The other seasonal seafood speciality was Steamed Razor Clam with Pickled Chili, Crispy Rice Roll 剁椒蒸蟶子伴香煎腸粉 ($168 per person). The razor clam was sweet and not rubbery, with plenty of chopped pickled chilies added to provide the unique mix of spiciness and saltiness to add to the flavours, with also pan-fried rice roll on the side to absorb the flavours. If desiring a stronger taste, soy sauce was available on the side as well.
Still having a bit of room, we ordered a Fried Rice, Diced Abalone, Diced Chicken, Diced Shrimp 鮑魚雞粒福建炒飯 ($388). The fried rice was enough for four persons, with a delicious thick sauce and abundance of ingredients, all diced to the same size and providing a wide range of different texture on the bite. Even though we were quite full, the rice was so good we finished the whole portion.
For dessert, Ivy had Sweetened Pistachio Cream 自家製開心果露 ($88) while I opted for Chilled Pink Guava Cream, Sago, Coconut Jelly 椰果石榴甘露 ($88), an alternative to the more common mango and pomelo cream. The guava was probably not in season though, not sweet and mild in taste. The pistachio cream was much better, rich in taste and appropriate on the sweetness, with also some roasted pistachio for additional texture.
The complimentary Chocolate Almond Cookies 朱古力杏仁曲奇 and Yuzu Snow Fungus Jelly 柚子雪耳果凍 were good in taste, with the cookie having a nice crunchy texture, rich in butter and milk chocolate taste but did mask the more delicate almond notes. The jelly has a Q texture, refreshing with a citrus appeal that is liked by both of us.
Service was very good, with the staff attentive and friendly. They thoughtfully arranged the scheduling of the dishes so that it came in the right sequence and not all at once, keeping them in good temperature. The bill on the night was $2,528 and, in my opinion, value for money. No wonder it was fully occupied. Well-earned its Michelin 2-star.
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