Krug Room + Mandarin Grill: Pictorial

I've always been a fan of the Mandarin Oriental restaurants. Why? Well, because of the below...

Krug Room: "Meat Fruit"
- Liver pâté disguised as a mini pear (thank you, progressive gastronomy). Served with black truffle brioche.

Krug Room: "'Rain' Flower Pot Salad"
Mix of steamed and raw greens arranged in arugula "soil" purée.

Krug Room: "Bounty Bar"
Coconut and chocolate with pop rocks = :D

Mandarin Grill: Amuse Bouche
Spherical olive + spun sugar sitting on some black sesame situation.

Mandarin Grill: "RAW" ($268)
Kindai, salmon, hamachi, botan shrimp, sake, cucumber.

Mandarin Grill: "Black Cod" ($428)
Cod with coriander, ginger, miso, sesame, praline. And Oyster leaf.

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.75/5

THE KRUG ROOM // MANDARIN GRILL ($$$$$)
1/F, Mandarin Oriental
5 Connaught Road, Central
2825-4014 // 2825-4004
www.mandarinoriental.com

Ta Pantry: J'adore

(Bread and butter)

I am definitely way behind in my postings. It’s been over a month since the wonderful Tata invited the bunch of us up to her cute little private kitchen, Ta Pantry. The occasion? To test out the new “L’Indochine” menu ($500/person) she designed for the summer season.

I’ve always been in love with how Tata’s décor’d up her little Star Street apartment space. It’s got a cozy, rustic French charm, with cute knickknacks here and there (but all artfully placed, of course), a huge shelf of magazines and cookbooks, pink kitchen utensils, and an impressive collection of wine bottles. We arrived to find Tata all aproned up and busy in the kitchen, chopping up this and cutting up that to the medley of classic French pop playing on the sound system.

(Hokkaido scallop green mango curry roule: tastes like the start of summer)

After a few glasses of Veuve Ambal Peche, peach sparkling (yum), we took our seats and prepared to feast. First up was the Hokkaido scallop green mango curry roulé on sea urchin foam. Loved the creaminess of scallop and the subtlety of the dish. The light foam carried brief flavor notes of the ocean without giving away too much too early on. This dish tasted like the start of summer and we eagerly waited for the rest to come.

(Citrusy crabmeat ravioli: summer lovin')

The citrusy crabmeat ravioli was next and oh-my-G I loved this one. The seemingly unassuming single, round ravioli was plumped up with sweet, fresh crabmeat and floating atop a clear chicken broth scented with lemongrass. Now, I’m a big fan of lemongrass so this dish hit all the right notes with me. It’s amazing how light yet satisfying this dish was. It tasted like something you should be eating alfresco in the summer sunshine in a floral day dress. A hands-down winner.

After the crazy-amazing ravioli, a meat-fest ensued. Tata threw in her signature melting onion duck (usually supplementary $150). This beautiful fowl is slow-cooked to tenderness and lovingly carved into small, thick pieces and served atop the caramelized onions. Soooo rich and soooo good. Pork followed duck with the Iberico pork cheek cooked with star anise. The fork tender pork was topped off with a paper-thin slice of mint-infused pineapple, which gave the dish an interesting dimension and depth. It was then drizzled with a blue cheese sauce which, as much as I lurve blue cheese, I personally thought was a tad much for this particular dish. It overshadowed the beautiful flavor of the pineapple a little. But I lapped it all up anyways.

(Melting onion duck: mmmm... rich)

(Melting onion duck: plated)

(Iberico pork cheek: blue cheese or no cheese?)

Another highlight was the coco balsamic linguine with mushrooms. When this arrived at the table, I was thinking, “Fark. I’m full to the brim, there is no way I can polish off a whole bowl of carbs.” I took the first bite, then another, and another, and… before I knew it, it was poof – all gone. It was absolutely genius to use balsamic in this dish. The tart vinegary taste shook me up from my near food-coma state and refueled my appetite. G-e-n-ius!

(Coco balsamic linguine: co-co-crazy good)

(Red wine poached pear crumble: layers and depths)

To end, Tata fed us a super comforting red wine poached pear crumble with tapioca and tiramisu ice cream. Loved the layers to this – the crunch of the crumble, the soft pulpiness of the pear, the chew of the tapioca and the smoothness of the ice cream. Needless to say, this menu got the big fat thumbs up from all of us.

(Financiers to end!)

For those who haven’t tried the new menu yet (there are five menus in total to choose from), you should definitely do so. And for those who haven’t tried out Ta Pantry yet, you should most definitely eff-initely do so. Note though that Tata only does one table per night and advanced booking is required. She tells me that she’s just recently waived corkage as well so… :D !

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 4.75/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

TA PANTRY ($$$$$)
1C, Moonstar Court
2D Star Street
Wan Chai
9403-6430
http://tapantry.wordpress.com

[TAIWAN] Really Good Seafood: What the Name Says

On Tata’s (aka the Taiwan food expert) recommendation, we booked ourselves a table for Really Good Seafood on our last evening in Taipei. And no joke – that really is the restaurant’s name.

When we arrived, we were quickly ushered to our table by a crew of unsmiling ladies. Intimidating. They seemed more like prison wardens than professionals in the hospitality business. “Have you ordered already?” unsmiling lady #1 asked as she handed us the menus. Uhmm… you’re handing us the menu. Meaning, we haven’t even looked at the menu yet. How the eff could we have ordered already? Well, apparently, she’s assuming we’re regulars who know how the complicated ordering system at Really Good Seafood works (we do not know how it works). Basically, you can:

1. Order from the multi-fish tanks out front and have the kitchen cook the seafood to order.
2. Order one of the many set meals in the menu
3. Order one of the “Chef’s Recommended” set meals

We went with option 3, going with the NT$2000 option. Head Chef Li was very kind. Realizing that we looked like lost lambs and finding out that we were first-timers from Hong Kong (which is also where he hails from, explaining his fluent tongue of Cantonese), he came up with a long list of suggested courses, running it by us to make sure we approved before he fired up the grill.

(Seafood salad: ocean-fresh and delectable)

(Deep-fried baby oyster rolls)

First up was the chilled seafood salad which mixed together crab leg meat, scallops and some uber fresh octopus. Western influenced but not in tired way and, most importantly, it was absolutely delicious. Everything stood out – even the simple mound of lettuce, which was particularly crisp. Everything was shrouded under a light drizzle of creamy, yolky dressing. So simple and elegant.

Next was the Tainan style deep-fried baby oyster roll. Designed to be wrapped and eaten in a lettuce leaf. A little on the greasy end, even with the lettuce and personally, I’ve never really been a big fan of deep-frying oysters. I prefer them au natural so this wasn’t a course I could fully enjoy. What I did enjoy was the next dish – two whole, succulent slipper lobsters. Again – so simple but executed so that the freshness of the seafood itself becomes the main focal point. All it needed was a slight drizzle of lime juice to bring out its sea-freshness. Same goes for the following course of steamed crabs. Being the good man that he is, Chef Li chose a variety of crabs favored particularly for their rich, sweet roe. I love Chef Li.

(Slipper lobsters: a whole loada' meat)

(Steamed crabs: a whole loada' roe)

Taking a break from the seafood extravaganza, unsmiling lady number something served us a dish of sponge gourd – a famed local produce from Penghu Dao in Taiwan. The jade green gourd was again simplicity done well. After the brief healthy interlude came a French style beef tenderloin. A smoky cracked pepper sauce blanketed the beef, which was, of course, perfectly pinked and juicy on the inside. Delish, but definitely not as good as the preceding seafood dishes.

(Sponge gourd)

(Beef tenderloin)

(Tainan noodles: too much carbs)

(Pudding: sad)

To round off the savory courses, we were presented with individual bowls of Tainan Tan Tsai noodles topped in traditional fashion with a single prawn. The heavy carbs probably wasn’t such a good idea after the giant seafood feast but I did lap up the beautiful broth like nobody’s business. Everything up to this point had been fantastic, which is why it was such a shame that they served dessert. The bland and uninspired cold pudding seemed so out of place in this restaurant that churned out stellar salads and perfectly prepared lobsters and crabs. I took one bite and left the rest. But that one small glitch wasn’t about to ruin the great dining experience Chef Li had created for us. The food really is topnotch and Chef Li has a knack for drawing out the natural essence of every ingredient. That’s real talent. And as lame as the name is, it truly is Really Good Seafood.

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 2/5 (4/5 for Chef Li)
ATMOSPHERE: 3/5

REALLY GOOD SEAFOOD ($$$$-$$$$$)
No. 222, Fushing Road South Sec. 1
Taipei City, Taiwan
(886) 2 2771-3000
www.reallygoodseafood.com

[TAIWAN] L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon: No Surprises

For my first ever trip to Taiwan, I had my heart set on dropping by Robuchon’s newest baby – L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Taipei. Strangely enough, I’ve heard and read very little about this new outlet. For a city not particularly known for it’s fine-dining scene, this dinner was bound to be interesting…

(Bad bread...)

Thursday of our reservation, we cabbed up to the stunning Bella Vita (officially my favorite structure in Taipei) and elevatored up to floor number five. The set-up is almost identical to the HK L’Atelier, albeit a tad smaller and a lot emptier.

After being greeted and seated, I eagerly awaited for the waitress to plop down the bread basket. Sad to say - the bread falls far short of Hong Kong’s (a little too “fluffy,” lacking that lovely bit of French rusticity) A shame since the breadbasket is one of my favorite things about Robuchon. Still hopeful, I decided to go with the Menu Club (NT$2680) – after a brief struggle, trying to make sense of the Chinese and French only menu, I made my four-course choices.

(Amuse bouche: citrusy...)

First up was the amuse bouche – a shot glass filled with a tart lemony custard of sorts. It was difficult catching the names and explanations of the dishes with our waitress’s jet-speed mandarin. Moments after downing the amuse bouche, first course arrived at the table in a giant glass bowl. It was a “salad” made with tomato mousse layered with celery jelly and topped off with chilled langoustine. The tart tomato worked beautifully with the grassiness of the celery, creating a Bloody Mary-esque sort of taste. Refreshing.

Salad was followed by La Saint-Jacques – a delicately flavored, creamy turnip velouté adorned with a giant succulent scallop. I was most impressed by the thin round of waxy potato floating on the velouté and the similar round of beetroot that was staining the ivory soup purple. So far so good but no real surprises yet.

("Salad" - Bloody Mary-esque)

(La Saint-Jacques)

The star of the meal revealed itself in the main course, L’Amadai. The fish was prepared à la japonaise, sprinkled with shiso flower buds and Japanese pepper leaves. It had the most amazing crisped skin and the milkiest smooth flesh. In other words – addictive. Of course, it also helped big time that the fish was accompanied by a huge vat of Robuchon’s famed potatoe puree. I am deeply in love with these potatoes and easily polished off every single last spoonful of that buttery, velvety, beautiful beautiful stuff.

Pretty satiated with the savory courses, I opted to go light with dessert. Les Fruits Frais was a summery sweet of grassy green basil sorbet dotted with seasonal fruits. Again – good but no surprises, which seemed to sum up the Taiwan Robuchon experience. It also seemed that the Taipei Robuchon sucked at everything its Hong Kong sister excelled at. Like the breadbasket, the petit four chocolate macarons were, in one word – disappointing. They were soggy and airy without the least bit of crispness and chew. Sad, compared to Nakamura-san’s near-perfect concoctions at Robuchon, HK. Ah well, at least I could satiate my macaron needs at the basement level’s Sadaharu Aoki.

(L'Amadai: Fish done Japanese)

(Potato puree: I LOVE YOU!)

(Les Fruit Frais: Summery)

(Coffee + Macaron = :( )

All in all though, I can’t blame this Taipei branch for the “meh” dining experience. After all, like I said, the city isn’t particularly well-versed in fine-dining and even with all its glitches and disappointments, you could tell they were trying. For one, our waitress forgot to explain the dishes upon arrival – by the time she remembered, we were already up to course number three. But nonetheless, she was friendly and helpful throughout (despite the jet-speed Mandarin). Serious props to sommelier Benoît, who recently joined their team after a brief stint in the U.S (he also happens to have been part of the opening team at Robuchon, HK). Hopefully, he’ll help sort out some of the problems… especially with the bread and macarons.

FOOD: 3.5/5
SERVICE: 3.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 3.5/5

L’ATELIER DE JOËL ROBUCHON ($$$$$)
5/F, No. 28, Song Ren Road
Taipei City, Taiwan
(886) 2 8729-2628
www.joel-robuchon.net

8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo: Comfortable

You know those restaurants that are all hype, $$$, and nothing at the end of it but disappointment and a couple thousand less in the wallet? Let’s not name names… but you all know which ones I’m talking about.

And really, when 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo opened, I had the same fate paved-out for the glitzy, Alexander Building’d restaurant. It had all the makings: celebrity chef (check), beautiful environs (def. check), Central location (duhr), and apparently sky-high prices. I was skeptical… but skeptical in the way that I’d be willing to foot the bill just to prove that my skepticism was unfounded upon. Ugh, writer’s ego. Unfortunaately though, I was proven WRONG… which, come to think of it, is actually really fortunate...

(Lobster salad: with mango)

I booked well in advance to ensure a seat with my equally cynical friend. Good thing we did since the place was p-a-c-kayed on a Monday evening. Awesome business. Before perusing the menu though, I did notice the roughly 3:1 waiter to table ratio. Now, I knew that Otto spared no expense with their restaurant, I just didn’t expect them to surpass hotel-grade service. This A-grade service shown through when W and I came to order. We were tugged between choices from the tasting degustation menu and the à la carte. Seeing how distraught we were, the waiter very kindly suggested we mix and match from the two menus. After knowing that was allowed, we started with the fresh lobster salad with mango. A slightly disappointed start—the flavors were imbalanced, with the tangy mangoes outweighing the fresh briny flavors of the creamy lobster. A shame, really.

BIG B. UUUUUUUUUUU. T.

(Burrata cheese ravioli: mmmmm...)

Just when I was about to write 8 1/2 Otto as another banker’s dining hall, the golden haired waiter placed a shallow bowl of burrata cheese ravioli ($210) in front of me. Unassuming to say the least in terms of appearance—a few triangles of sealed ravioli, plumped with soft cheese. So what? So EVERYTHING when I took a bite. So simple… so comforting. We both paused, looked at each other, and dove in for the second forkful. Things like this are hard to explain—it’s comforting satisfaction in a bite. It’s silky smooth handmade pasta (one of chef Bombana’s specialties) brimmed full of mild cheese, blanketed in a paunch sauce of salty olives, eggplant and tomatoes. If my mother were Italian (she is not), she would’ve fed me this through my Italian (it was not) childhood.

(Beef cheek n' tongue)

And gawd did it pick up from burrata cheese ravioli! For the mains, I opted for the beef tongue and beef cheek braised in red wine with orange and spice compote ($330). Very reminiscent of a dish I had at The Drawing Room. I will duck the “Roland vs. Umberto” question and just go ahead and say it was yummmm. The tongue was definitely more interesting than the beef cheek. But I didn’t really have enough time to appreciate the cow—when W let me take a bite from her lobster cassoulet ($320), I knew that I was a fool to go with meat. Seafood is where chef Bombana shone—the lobster was bedded on eggplant parmigiana, parsley, green peppers, and yummily creamy uni. So fresh, briny… luuuuuuuuuurvely. Food envy? Hells YES.

(Strawberry melba)

(Coffee Trio)

But I didn’t want food envy to affect the rest of my meal. So I was DETERMINED to beat W in terms of dessert choice. She went with a frilly Wild Strawberry Melba of fine strawberry jelly, milk vanilla foam, strawberry pannacotta ($110)—a lifting springtime sweet, to say the least. But nothing compared with my Coffee Trio—tiramisu, warm coffee tart and crunchy coffee ice cream—($110). Read ‘em and weep… I totally won the dessert round.

When the bill came, it was about $900 per person. Seriously, given the extravagant feast we’d just had (plus a cuppa wine each!), it was a steal. Sure, Otto has all that glitz and glam going for it. But more importantly, it also stays true to awesome, comforting food. If a simple bowl of ravioli can slap a smile on your face, or if a lobster cassoulet can make you go “oh wow,”… in the immortal words of Teenage Fanclub, “Ain’t That Enough?”

FOOD: 4.75/5
SERVICE: 4.4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 5/5

8 1/2 OTTO E MEZZO ($$$$$)
Shop 202, Alexandra House
18 Chater Road
Central
2537-8859
www.otto-e-mezzo.com

Xenri No Tsuki: Second Chance at Love

I don’t really remember any specifics from the first time I went to Xenri no Tsuki. I remember the food being up-to-par (we ordered a whole mess of à la carte items), I remember loving the low-key quiet atmosphere, I remember dropping a whole lodda’ money on the meal. I remember not really being blown away…

(Amuse bouche trio: setting the tone)

… but for some reason, I also remember telling myself that this place had more to offer. And that I should give it a second chance.

Thank God I did. Because if visit #1 was promising, visit #2 made me realize that Xenri no Tsuki was one of my favorite restaurants in the whole of Hong Kong. No joke. I’ve been back three times since my 2nd visit. Why? Because it’s crazy good.

(Rice bowl with minced tuna and uni: The Nelson's starting choice)

After polishing off our beautiful amuse bouche trio, The Nelson and I decided it would be wise to order a small bottle of chilled sake. I was in super girly mood, so meekly suggested we try the seasonal Arabashiri Junmai Ginjo “Spring” sake from Masumi Brewery. Beautifully sweet, with rich floral aromas—really tasted like springtime in a bottle :)

The Nelson went à la carte, starting with a rice bowl topped with minced tuna and fresh uni. Not really wanting to think about what to order, I went with the seasonal Chef’s Recommended Kaiseki set ($500 – $800. I went with $600). I had no idea what I was in for… and I had no idea I would be so blown away by what they had in store for me. First course rolled up—a thick round of daikon on miso paste. Clean, simple presentation to match the clean, simple flavors. A very classy start. Next up was the artistically-presented “five point” appetizer—five tidbits arranged on a giant white plate sprinkled with purple shiso flowers. Fish fin tempura on sliced cherry tomatoes, duo-colored egg, sliced tuber with miso on shiso leaf, chicken roll with burdock and sprouts, mozuku kombu… each item was carefully thought-out and delicately presented. I was definitely impressed by this point.

(Daikon + miso paste)

("Five Points" - prettiness on a platter)

The highlight of the meal though came in the form of course no. 3—seafood dashi teapot soup. The clear broth was fortified with all the goodness of the waters. The first cup was subtle but delicious already. I let it steep for a while. Second cup. Better. Third cup. Amazing. Fourth, fifth… it just got bolder and bolder, better and better. I’m being completely honest when I say that this is the first time I’ve ever been blown away by soup. It was magical almost…

(Seafood dashi teapot soup: the soup that blew me away)

But apparently, the Xenri chefs were just getting warmed up. The next plate to grace my table was a generous sashimi platter. This generosity included fresh uni that tasted like all the sweetness of the sea, a delectably rich jumbo sea scallop, and my personal favorite—creamy-fleshed sweet ebi shrimp. And as an extra testament that Xenri no Tsuki is the real deal—they serve their sashimi with freshly-grated wasabi. Don’t let them tell you otherwise—it does make an effin’ big difference.

(Sashimi: for the love of ebi)

After all the delicate flavors, it was finally time for something big and substantial. Enter the restaurant’s award-winning “Kobe Wagyu Housyou Yaki”—a thick slab of premium Wagyu beef blanketed in a thin, crispy parcel made from beancurd sheets. It was a huge serving… I was trying to calculate how these people are profiting from this $600 dinner, because there was even MORE after this prime Wagyu steak. Yes, a whole lot more. There was a whole salt-broiled carp fish more (milky fleshed and broiled to perfection). There was a seared nigiri platter, which included eel, tuna, uni, salmon and my love-in-fish-form of engawa (flounder dorsal fin). I will forever be grateful to Xenri no Tsuki for introducing me to the wonders of this cut of fish—it has such a wonderful taut bite that melts and melds into an addictive film of fish oil that coats the tongue. Oishii.

(Kobe Wagyu housyou yaki)

(Salt-broiled carp)

(Seared nigiri: bottom left = LURVE of an engawa)

To round off the near-perfect meal, I was expecting just some boring scoop of green tea or sesame ice cream (as much as I love traditional Japanese cuisine, I can’t say I’m particularly inspired by trad. Jap desserts). But thank God the Xenri team kept the surprises coming all the way to the end. My trio of tofu ice cream (silken and refreshing, with a subtle hint of nuttiness), matcha pudding and glutinous warabi mochi left me with a giant idiotic grin on my face.

(Dessert trio: inspiring until the end)

I was well fed and well sake’d. I was happy. It also helped that Xenri no Tsuki’s floor manager is one of the most attentive, friendly and professional people I know in the HK F&B industry. She was on the A-game all the way with her recommendations and explanations (and believe me, I asked many many many questions throughout the meal) and she kept checking in regularly to make sure we were enjoying our meal. And of the many times that I’ve been back, she’s always been just as awesome.

So there sums up why I love Xenri no Tsuki. As much as I love Hong Kong, it’s hard to come by a restaurant that combines kickass food, five-star service, comfortable environs and won’t-burn-a-whole-in-wallet prices (seriously, all that above food for $600…) in one neat package. So when you DO find a place that combines all those things—i.e. Xenri no Tsuki—you’re golden.

It may not have been love at first bite, but I know now, it’s definitely love.

FOOD: 4.75/5
SERVICE: 4.75/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

XENRI NO TSUKI ($$$$/$$$$$)
6/F, Jardine Centre
50 Jardine's Bazaar
Causeway Bay
www.xenri.com

The Chairman: FINALLY

September last year it was, I think. That’s when I first heard about The Chairman. The back-to-basics Cantonese fare I had actually never really known. It was big news. I had a chance early on to check it out. Something came up. Cancelled. I had another chance to go. Something else came up. Cancelled. I had a third chance to drop by. Something more came up. Cancelled.

Well, fourth time’s a charm.

Last week, I finally (no joke) nabbed myself a seat at one of the upstairs round tables. Attention to details followed my every step. Two sets of chopsticks for every diner – a pale beige pair for personal use and a black pair for communal use (both engraved with the restaurant’s name). A waistcoated server poured a thin stream of Chinese tea from the long-snouted pot. It was VIP service sans any sort of snootiness.

(Start it up: pig's ears, stomach,cantaloupe)

I took a nibble of the dried shrimps in front of me, wishing there was a bowl of steamed jasmine rice for me to lunge into. But knowing that it was just the start of the meal, I restrained myself. Our first course arrived shortly – a square plate piled with crunchy pig’s ear, unctuous pig’s stomach, cantaloupe strips and a flecking of fragrant chili. A flavorful mix which didn’t wow but had us prepped for the main meal. Two versions of baby duck followed – one plate Dragon Well and chrysanthemum tea-smoked, the other soy braised. Being, usually, a fan of the tea-smoked variety, I found myself surprisingly oohing more over the soy braised version. Such absolutely fresh, sweet-smelling meat braised to tenderness on the bone. Mmmm…

(tea-smoked BB duck)

(... and the soy-braised variety)

The next course definitely had me waxing lyrical. Deep-fried yellow croaker fish – split open across the belly, perfectly gutted and absolutely flawlessly prepared. Deep-fried to such perfection that the bones crunched up like potato chips. These were served with – get this – Italian balsamic (aged for 15 years, no less!), which, I have to say, was absolutely necessary. Without it, the fish was actually a little bland, with its beautiful flavors locked up inside. The balsamic was like the magical key, releasing all of the goldenness in the fish.

(Looks kinda freaky: yellow croaker)

(Good for the skin: steamed fish)

The soup was a little difficult for me to appreciate being that I don’t really have much experience with and knowledge of good Chinese soups. But it was chock full of “stuff” (a whole duck, lychees, conpoy) and yet, was surprisingly unfat (especially with the duck!). a good stomach satisfier. The heftily portioned steamed fish mushrooms and shredded pork. As Isaac explained, the fish served is prized for its high collagen content and indeed, sandwiched between the firm flecks of white flesh and the skin was a layer of smooth, slippery collagen, which added such a richness to the flesh that without, would’ve made the fish seem tough and dry. But as well-prepared as the fish was, we all couldn’t help but turn our undivided attention to the next course – the huadiao steamed crab...

(Hello love: huadiao steamed crab)

(Flavor-soakers: Chan Chuen Fun)

Now, I have a confession to make: I actually don’t like the flavor of huadiao, which explains why I usually pass up the drunken chicken. And, true to my tastes, I was at first put off by the huadiao in the crab but, on a few more bites, I came to tolerate it and a few bites more, I fell more and more in love with it. Before I knew it, I was piling the accompanying thin, flat rice noodles (Chan Cheun Fun) and extra rice into my bowl just so I can bathe it in the crab water-huadiao sauce. Ugh, it was addictive. The alcohol brought out every ounce of freshness in the crab water – it was sweet, bitter, fragrant, LOVELY. The following steamed chicken with coarse sea salt, ginger and scallions was good but sorry, totally overshadowed by the predecessing amazing crab. Bad timing, chicken… but the crab was a tough act to follow.

(Maybe next time: chicken)

Next to the table was a silky smooth steamed egg custard with crunchy bits of pig lard. Welcome to cholesterol land. I scooped two big spoonfuls onto my bowl of rice. Then added more of the remaining huadiao crab sauce. Couldn’t get enough of that.

And can you please indulge me while I go on about how amazing the sweet and sour prune-marinated spareribs are? The meat around the bone were sponges of flavor. I wanted to lap it and lick it and just do nothing but love it. They added lemongrass to the marinade (a personal favorite herb of mine), a genius move that set this spareribs dish apart from any other of its kind.

(Smooth: steamed egg with lard)

(2nd highlight: marinated spareribs)

After a prerequisite dish of greens (morning glory stir-fried with salted fish paste) and a carbs dish to end (chan cheun fun stir-fried with beef. Funnily enough, it’s the second time I’ve had this dish in a single week), we were presented with tiny teacups of almond tea. Adorable. I sniffed and decided I wanted to turn the tea into a perfume that I could just spray around the office and my bedroom. The tea was so velvety, it slipped down my throat like a sweet, liquid almond butter. It’s a shame then that they decided to serve us two scoops of red date and ginger ice cream after that. Someone needs to read the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream book because The Chairman’s ice cream had huge ass ice crystals that seemed so out of place in a restaurant that, up to that point, was serving nothing but absolutely stellar fare. But let’s not let that small glitch ruin the dinner, shall we?

(Chan Cheun Fun with beef)

(Just like buttah: almond tea)

(Let's disregard this: ice cream)

The Chairman is a rare restaurant breed. I don’t expect many other restaurants to follow suit. But who needs other restaurants to follow suit? We already have this. We have The Chairman.

Thanks Isaac for organizing!

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 4.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 3/5

THE CHAIRMAN ($$$$$)
18 Kau U Fong
Central
2555-2202