dim sum – Page 2 – Check Please!

Eating like a banker at Mott 32 in Hong Kong

Mott 32 in Hong Kong was recommended to me by a friend. He usually makes great recommendations. And this was another home run.

Without his recommendation, I would have probably skipped this restaurant as it is part of a group and sounded too pretentious. And the name is just confusing: it is supposedly the address of the first Chinese-owned convenience store in New York. But why this name if the company is from Hong Kong? Ok, to honor the emigrants that showed the kind of business acumen that will make Hong Kong great… but it seems a very loose connection. And that “originated 1891” in the logo is totally misleading… the restaurant opened in Hong Kong in 2014.

The company that started Mott 32 in Hong Kong has successfully opened branches in Las Vegas, New York and Vancouver (and there is one coming soon in Bangkok at the time of writing… they seem to be on a roll) so it has become an international brand.

The visit

The restaurant is located in the basement of the Standard Chartered Bank building in Central.

You need to climb the stairs and enter the bank building.

On the left inside you will find the reception of the restaurant (probably the guy in the picture will have finished to look at his phone by then). You will need to take an escalator down and…

…descend an additional spiral staircase. You are in the bedrock of Hong Kong!

Someones says that the dining room used to be a vault, others say that it used to be a more mundane storage room. Either way, the environment is remarkable: the main dining room has high ceiling and a octagonal shape. Here and there references to New York City as the name would suggest.

They have a very extensive menu of Cantonese dishes prepared with fancy ingredients. Their signature dishes are the Applewood smoked Peking duck (advance order necessary, 825 HKD) and the honey glazed pork, which I did not have, but everything I ordered was extremely good.

Both the dim sum menu and the full menu were available.

I was there at noon, the room got filled pretty quickly. I had a reservation made by email and the process was painless. No deposit or other nonsense required.

Their choice for still water.

My first dish was crispy roasted pork belly. Man, I like this dish and this was perfectly executed. Every bite was succulent and crispy at the same time. I did not feel the need to use the accompanying mustard.

Then I ventured in some dim sum dishes. The first was a turnip cake with a lightly spicy chili sauce. The turnip cake is a vastly underrated dim sum dish, this was excellent with and without the sauce.

Then there was some theatrics with the lobster Har Gow. This was a huge dumpling that came with a sinister eyedropper containing lobster oil to be used to add the oil as one would see fit.

The next dish perfectly illustrates Mott’s philosophy. Take a Cantonese classic and re-engineer it with fashionable Western ingredients. This siu mai was filled not with the regular run-of-the-mill pork, but with iberico pork (speaking of being fashionable), but also with a soft quail egg and with black truffle. The combination of the three was really good; an effective transformation.

My main dish was the smoked black cod. For a moment a thought to be at the Ultraviolet table as the dish was served covered to leave the smoke (cigar?) lingering around. The sauce was not too sweet and helped stressing the cod’s flavor.

I did not find anything attractive in the dessert list.

The check

Total check was 869 HKD (110 USD) that places Mott 32 in the blog’s category of the luxury dining establishments. A place for bankers, even if most of the customers on the day of my visit looked like tourists from Mainland China particularly interested in the instagrammable properties of the food.

I am not sure what an expert in Cantonese cuisine would have to say, but for a Western palate like mine Mott 32 did a good job in re-creating Cantonese classics with the use of internationally-acclaimed ingredients. Is it worth the hefty price? Well, that’s debatable, but I can think of worse places where to spend this kind of money for a lunch or dinner in Hong Kong.

Where in Hong Kong:
4-4A Des Voeux Road Central, Central.
Check the website for menus and reservation.

Feasting on luxury dim sum at Seventh Son, Shanghai

Continuing the Shanghai Michelin Guide Scramble, this time I visited Seventh Son. It was a Saturday for lunch, so the fact that the establishment is famous for their dim sum was very fitting. Seventh Son is a chain of Cantonese restaurants that originated from Hong Kong and they have branches also in Japan and in Beijing and Shenzhen. In Shanghai they have two locations and only the one at the Kerry Centre (in Jingan) gained a Michelin star (the other is located inside the Shanghri-la in Pudong).

The visit

I had made a reservation with a phone call (the website did not work when I tried, now seems fine). I arrived punctual like a Swiss watch at 11.30 and my name was not on their reservation list. But no worries, they still had space for me. It is a large dining room, but it did fill quickly as expected on a weekend.

Reading the three or four menus I was handed required its fair share of time. They have an impressive array of options. In the end I ordered mostly from their dim sum menu. After completing my order the waiter commented that I must have not been hungry… that I found very funny since I ordered a ton of food. But I soon noticed that other guests would order even more and then take the left over at home. Not my modus operandi.

I first got the stir-fried turnip cakes. Six pieces. All delicious (I could not imagine turnip could be so good).

Then I got a dim sum classic like the shrimp dumplings. Good, but not particularly impressive.

The spring rolls (recommended by the waiter) were remarkable. I have eaten them dozens of times, but never with such a thin and crispy pastry.

Finally I had one of their most popular dishes, the crispy fried chicken (half). The skin was similar to the one that you usually get with the suckling and very tasty. Unfortunately, not sure why, but in the end there was not much meat.

The check

The bill came at 492.80 CNY (70 USD). This is high-end Cantonese cuisine and you can expect this price point for dim sum. If you start ordering abalone and bird’s nest dishes of course the bill will be much higher.

I certainly enjoyed to try some high-end dim sum. I am not an expert, but I could taste the difference with cheaper versions that I had elsewhere. I would recommend going in a group and trying several dim sum dishes.

Where in Shanghai:
1515 NanJing West Road, Jing’An, Jing’An Kerry Centre 2F
For reservation and more information check their website.

Dim Sum feast in a Michelin starred restaurant for just 36 USD – Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong

Tim Ho Wan story is quit recent. It all started in 2009 when Mak Kwai-pui, formerly a chef in a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, opened a dim sum diner in Mongkok. The restaurant earned a Michelin star of its own in the 2010 Hong Kong and Macau Guide and it has retained the award ever since. The Mongkok location does not exist anymore; three locations in Hong Kong are listed under the one-starred restaurants in the 2018 Michelin Guide: Sham Shui Po, North Point, and Tai Kwok Tsui (Olympian City 2). A bit of clarity is in order: this is a real starred restaurant, not a Big Gourmand (a category introduced to acknowledge affordable restaurants standing up for good value) or a street food entry. Second point to be made: the famed Michelin Guide rates specific locations, not brands. This means that only the locations mentioned above deserve to be regarded as “starred”; this is not the case for the plethora of locations elsewhere in Hong Kong and across Asia and other countries (while this does not mean that other locations are bad of course, especially considering that the Guide does not cover all countries were Tim Ho Wan is present).

The visit

My visit to the Sham Shui Po branch dates back to early July 2018. I showed up at noon on a weekday and I was promptly offered a seat for me and a friend. Service is fast and people keep churning at an impressive rate. You can easily spot both tourists (with their trolleys) and locals. The venue is relatively small and do not expect any privacy: you will seat shoulder to shoulder with other customers. But this is the beauty of real dim sum in Hong Kong.

A word on dim sum in case you are not familiar with it (otherwise skip to the next paragraph). Dim sum refers to the small bite-size dishes designed for brunch in Chinese cuisine, in particular Cantonese (that exercises the largest influence on Hong Kong Chinese cuisine). Tea is a mandatory complement. Someone claims that there are hundreds of such dishes. In a typical dim sum restaurant you get a menu where you can tick off the specific items you like to order. Dim sum is not really the everyday breakfast for people in Hong Kong or elsewhere in China, it is more like the weekend or holiday treat. Having said so, in a city like Hong Kong, dim sum restaurants are open and busy all week long both for lunch and dinner. Nowadays, luxury dim sum venues are common in cities like Hong Kong, however dim sum remains a popular cuisine and, in my opinion, it is best experienced in places characterized by a mildly chaotic atmosphere. (Make no mistake, in a place like Tim Ho Wan they are ultra-efficient and very quick in delivering orders.)

Tim Ho Wan has a menu divided in six sections: steamed dishes, deep fried food, steamed rice, congee, vermicelli, and dessert. I could count 36 items, including a few seasonal offerings (marked by an asterisk). In the gallery below you can find a detailed description of the dishes we ordered.

Just a few general comments. The baked bun with BBQ pork (also known as Cha siu bao) lived up its reputation. Technically it is a pineapple bun (no pineapple involved, but the bun is sweet). The sweetness of the bun combined with the savory flavor of the pork and its sauce generate a unique irresistible fragrance. My favorite were also the deep fried shrimp toast (with sizable pieces of shrimp on a crispy toast) and the beef balls (right tenderness and texture). Also the classics did not let us down, including the dumplings and the glutinous vermicelli with shrimps. I was less impressed by the chicken. The green bean cold soup was listed as a dessert, but I found it appropriate to accompany the meal as a refreshing drink.

The check

Tim Ho Wan is consistently listed as one of the cheapest Michelin starred restaurants in the world. Truth be told, I and my friend spent 283 HKD, or around 36 USD, for a feast that left both completely satisfied. Tea was included in the 2 HKD per person cover charge. Yes, for once the value for money is out of question and not only because this experience does not cost you a kidney, but also because the food is genuinely good and fresh. I should clarify that in this case the lunch was a treat, but the final receipt, in this case two, is provided on the table as a form of order confirmation so I got the picture anyway and I am not letting out any secret. My friend from Hong Kong commented that the price is reasonable even within the same category of dim sum eateries: you can easily find worse places around Mong Kok or Sham Shui Po and end up paying more. I won’t discuss the heated topic of whether the Michelin Guide applies different standards to different territories (it kind of does…), but I want to say that I appreciate the fact that this restaurant did not sell out after earning its award but continued to offer excellent food at reasonable prices.

Where in Hong Kong:
9-11 Fuk Wing St, Sham Shui Po
See website for other locations in Hong Kong and other countries.
Michelin Guide entry for the Sham Shui Po branch.

Fine Cantonese cuisine in an English-style club at Duddell’s in Hong Kong

From the end of the first Opium War that started the British rule the island and its territories to today’s megalopolis ultimately controlled by China, Hong Kong has always been a meeting point between East and West. This is reflected in so many details of its material culture and heritage. This premise to say that it should come to no surprise that you can find a place like Duddell’s in Hong Kong, British in style, beginning with the name, but with a strong Cantonese soul. Duddell’s is a restaurant, an art gallery, an elegant tea room and a club all in one. I visited it for the first time in July 2018 intrigued by its one Michelin star award.

The visit

I reserved a lunch through their website (that connects to Opentable). They confirmed the reservation calling me on my Hong Kong phone number the day before. I visited Duddell’s on a Monday; while I was one of the first diners to arrive at noon, by one o’clock the restaurant was almost full (and pretty noisy).

The entrance is from Duddell street 1, next to Shanghai Tang flagship store (you need to step into the unassuming lobby and take the elevator to the third floor). You are meters away from the bustling streets and offices of Central Hong Kong, but as you get off on the third floor you are taken in a different atmosphere.

I ordered their business lunch that, with its 6 courses, was expected to provide me a good introduction to Duddell’s cuisine. Here’s what I got:

Dim sum and barbecued selection: two pieces of glazed iberico pork (must be from Spain these days to get a Michelin star!), a shrimp dumpling and two spring rolls. All the three samples were excellent and I was impressed by the intense fresh flavor of the prawn.
Abalone broth with mixed dried seafood: it was a good soup, I cannot say that it was anything life-changing.
Steamed garoupa fillet with bean curd in soy sauce: very delicate seafood and the tofu was a perfect match keeping the dish refreshing.
Sautéed prawns with vegetables in X.O. chilli sauce: meaty and tasty.
Fried rice with crispy pork belly and preserved vegetable: I guess a rice dish could not be avoided. Excellent, but not much pork belly. If I am not mistaken, the rice also included some tofu that was a good complement to the other condiments.
Duddell’s dessert selection: it included a delicious red bean soup (with some nutty flavor), one more red-bean based jelly and a mini lemon bignè.

In the gallery below you can take a look at the individual dishes.

The check

The check came to 834 HKD (around 106 USD) after adding service charge and a bottle of still water. There was also a slightly cheaper set menu for lunch, but make no mistake, this was the cheapest option to get an introduction to the restaurant. The tasting menu starts at 1480 HKD (and it is available both for lunch and dinner) and you can easily spend thousands of HKD (if not USD) when you start ordering delicacies such as abalone, bird’s nest, lobster etc. Nothing surprising, you are in a Michelin starred restaurant in Central Hong Kong. Considering that you can easily spend close to 1000 HKD even in mediocre restaurants in Hong Kong, I think overall the check was reasonable to experience fine Cantonese cuisine with creative touches, fresh ingredients in an elegant establishment.

Before leaving the staff let me have a look at the tea room on the fourth floor: with a terrace and comfortable and colorful furniture seems a great place where to meet friends or just hang out (they have a separate snack menu for the tea room). I enjoyed the experience and I think I will go back to try more of the dim sum options, possibly during their weekend brunches.

Where in Hong Kong:
Level 3 Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell St, Central
Menus and link to booking system on their website.