Lung King Heen – Central, Hong Kong

Lunch at the Cantonese 3 Michelin star restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel in Central, Hong Kong. Overall it was very good, the setting was very nice with lots of natural light and a view of the harbour, the service started badly but recovered well (see below) and overall the food was excellent.

Cuisine: Cantonese
Service: A few problems here – the first dish to arrive was not something we ordered, the second dish was something we ordered but it was described quite differently to the menu so there was more confusion over whether it was ours. Not even close to enough to spoil the mood, but was surprising for a 3* venue! After these hiccups everything was very smooth and professional, so they recovered well. The service of tea was the best that we had across many restaurants, there was only water in the teapot then individual gaiwans for each guest with the leaves for steeping, then the gaiwans were emptied into another teacup to drink from. Solved the problem elsewhere where the tea would oversteep in the teapot if it wasn’t consumed quickly enough.
Food:
Steamed Lobster and Scallop Dumpling: Quite enjoyed this, was presented very nicely with a delicate skin and ingredients that I am quite partial towards. Fresh and juicy, I would have had a second if there wasn’t so much other food!
Crispy Taro Dumplings: Filled with seafood and vegetables, these were surpringly good. It’s an interesting combination of flavours, but it works and the gooey inside and crispy outside are a nice contrast.
Baked Barbecued Pork Buns with Pine Nuts: So good. Loved the crust on top, buns with just a touch of sweetness and delicious bbq pork and sauce with the pine nuts adding a nice background flavour element. Would come back just to eat these again, these were a highlight for the trip.
Steamed Vegetable Dumplings with Bamboo Pith: Liked the presentation with the translucent skin, and the filling was good, but not a standout.
Braised fresh bamboo piths with fresh crab meat: This sounded interesting on the menu, and it was interesting, but probably missed the mark a little bit for my taste. The crab was very good, the bamboo pith was a different texture and the vegetables were cooked well, but I just didn’t understand how it all fit together really.
Lung King Heen Roast Chicken: Liked that this was served tableside and we were offered the choice of having it on or off the bone. Excellent crispy skin and high quality, very tender and juicy chicken. Simple, but great anyway.
Baked Cream Custard Puffs: Light crumbly pastry and a delicate cream filling – a nice end to the meal.
Cost: HK$1100/ AU$130 all up for two people.
Score: 17.5/20