Crystal Jade has eight restaurants in Hong Kong and is originally from Singapore. Most outlets are extremely popular and the specialties of the restaurants are its xiao long bao and its range of noodles dishes.

The restaurant recently received a Bib Gourmand rating by Michelin, which is given to restaurants that provide tasty food that is value-for-money. While I may not agree with some of the star allocations or inclusions in the Hong Kong guide, I am in agreement about Crystal Jade.

Aromatic Stimulation
We began with Double-Boiled Beef Soup. The comforting and nourishing broth had a wonderful aroma, with hints of five spice. The beefy flavour was balanced with the addition of sweet longnan and wolfberry, and pieces of beef that literally melted in the mouth.  

For appetisers we had Cold Sliced Pork Roll with Cucumber and Garlic, and Assorted Vegetable Wrapped in Deep-Fried Beancurd Skin.

The pork rolls with their perfect texture and taste combinations was one of our favourite dishes of the night. Thin slices of tender roast pork rolled around fresh cucumber and carrot topped with a fantastically piquant sauce that made this simple dish something memorable. The lashings of raw and cooked minced garlic in the sauce gave it its bite, while the coriander, lychee vinegar, chilli and soy gave it balance.

The beancurd skin appetiser had great texture but was rather bland in taste, especially when compared to the pork rolls. Even the mostly mushroom filling was lacking in flavour.

The Main Event
Sauteed Prawn Ball with Sweet and Spicy Sauce was the restaurant's version of sweet and sour. I have never been a fan of sweet and sour and while this sauce was pleasantly spicy and not too sweet, the prawns were drowned in the sauce, which totally overwhelmed the prawn flavour and made the dish one dimensional. The prawns themselves had a firm yet soft texture and I enjoyed them with just a hint of the sauce.

Of course no visit to Crystal Jade is complete without sampling some of the xiao long bao. We tried the Shanghai Steamed Pork Dumpling. For me these were easily the best I had tried, while my dining companion (an ex food critic and Hongkonger) said that they were some of the best in Hong Kong in their price range. The dumpling skin was not too thick and had sufficient elasticity to hold the soup inside. Both the pork and the soup were flavourful and delicious. They were served with fresh ginger slices and Zhenjiang vinegar.

Noodle Time
The restaurant is also famous for its hand-made noodles, which you can see being freshly made in the semi-open kitchen. We tried the La Mian with Seafood in Double Boiled Shark's Bone Soup, and La Mian Sichuan Style or more commonly known as Dan Dan noodles.

I enjoyed the interactive presentation of the seafood noodles, with the seafood, noodles and soup all served separately. The slightly overdone seafood consisted of sea cucumber, prawns and fish and the broth had a surprising salty chicken taste, which resulted in a disconnect between the ingredients instead of harmony. The Dan Dan, looked suitable spicy and I enjoyed the thick nutty broth. I found the dish a little cloying and the overall aftertaste was sweet and nutty, although at times chilli notes did dance joyfully on my tongue. It was not as spicy as I expected. My dining companion thought the heartier than usual Dan Dan was very good. In both cases the noodles had an al dente mouth feel.

We followed this with Fried Mixed Grain Rice with Conpoy. Like many of the restaurant's dishes the fried rice was very aromatic when first placed on the table. I liked the textural and taste contrast between the red and white rice, which also contained egg, pine nuts, corn kernels, and pickled vegetable, topped with shredded conpoy. I was thinking to myself it was a particularly outstanding fried rice when my companion said that the dish had "wok hei" or "wok qi". For those that don't know wok hei is the breath or energy imparted from the wok to the food through the cooking process. There is a scientific explanation for the special flavour that comes from wok hei food but I prefer the romantic version of energy or the breath of the wok being transfered. I now know that I have had wok hei experiences previously but had not known what it was that had made the dish so memorable until now. This flavourful dish was one of our favourites.



For dessert we went with Glutinous Dumpling in Ginger Sauce and Sweetened Osmanthus & Lotus Root in Honey Sauce. I particularly enjoyed the dumplings with their black sesame filling and the pungent ginger sauce was not too sweet, instead it had lots of zing and was warming and calming for the stomach after so much food. The creatively presented lotus dessert (holes stuffed with glutinous rice) was also enjoyable with a good balance of savoury (lotus) and sweetness from the honey sauce and the delicate osmanthus. I am not a big dessert fan, but enjoyed both these because they were not too sweet, instead just giving a hint of sweetness which is appreciated by the palate after a big meal of salty, sour and spicy flavours. 

Overall, I really enjoyed dinner at Crystal Jade. The food is fresh, aromatic, diverse and good quality given the prices, which I image can be kept low due to the high turnover. It is also a good place to take visitors to Hong Kong as there is such a wide choice that even the most timid of diner while find something that appeals.

Ambiance, Decor, Service, Price

The ambiance at the Harbour City branch was noisy, bright, busy and lively...everything I expect from a popular Chinese restaurant in this price range. The decor features light colours of ochre and tans, mostly booth seating and Chinese decorative touches. One wall of booths has glimpses of the harbour. Overall, it is a fun ambiance with a focus on food and not surroundings.

The service is efficient and friendly and the manager on the night was happy to make suggestions. If you are a westerner who doesn't eat Chinese food often but want an authentic experience it is probably best to go with a Chinese friend as some of the recommendations were clearly made because I am not Chinese. While I appreciate why a restaurant does this I wish they wouldn't.

This really is a value-for-money group of restaurants as the most expensive dish on the menu is $78 and the majority are between $38-54. Without drinks and service charge our total food cost was just over $400 for nine dishes! The bilingual menu is extensive and there are pictures of all dishes.



Crystal Jade
Shop 3328, Level 3,
Gateway Arcade, Harbour City,
TST
2622 2699