This month begins my 2009 quest, or perhaps it is more a culinary resolution, to feature more Chinese restaurants on the website, from the inexpensive to fine dining. One of the first to be highlighted is Ming Court, an award-winning restaurant that was recently given a Michelin star.

The fine-dining Cantonese restaurant features an extensive menu of classic dishes, with a focus on high-end ingredients such as shark's fin and abalone. Chef Tsang Chiu King however is not resting on his laurels of just producing the classics, he also presents the familiar with modern twists, and in some cases some highly creative and unique dishes.

Classic and Modern
It took us quite a long time to order as many of the dishes were tempting. For appetiser we finally decided on the Roasted Crispy Pork Loin with Five Spices, and Smoked Duck Breast.

The pork was all it should be...succulent, tender, fatty, with crispy skin, and was a pleasure to eat. There was little hint of any spice on the pork itself, perhaps it was in the mustard sauce that it was served with. The sauce did have an high intensity and kick, and served both to cut through the fattiness and also stretched the pork flavour so that it lingered on the tastebuds.

A wonderful smoky aroma wafted from the warm and tender duck breast slices that were simply served with pineapple. As a fan of duck I found this to be some of the best I have enjoyed in Hong Kong, yum! We were told the duck was smoked inhouse.

Braised Lobster and Prawn with Pumpkin and Black Truffles in Broth was such an interesting sounding soup that we decided to share a serving. A tasty soup, although a little unexpected for the palate at first, with an intense stock that included a hint of dried seafood. It was topped with a large piece of lobster and prawn and also included silken tofu. The flecks of truffle were sure to have added to the intensity but were more an aromatic addition than a discernible flavour element.

Creative Kudos
One of the restaurant's award-winning signature dishes, Deep Fried Lobster with Cheese and Simmered Abalone with Vinegar accompanied by Angel Hair had intrigued me previously so this time I just had to try it. I found the dish to be a strange melange of many individual dishes served as one, without any cohesion or continuity.

The grainy, cheesy lobster was enjoyable to eat, but odd at the same time, like high-end comfort food for kids. I felt that the abalone was wasted encased in its doughnut like batter, which sat atop an uber sweet sauce; we nicknamed it the abalonut. It came with a mango and melon salad, which was refreshing plus angel hair pasta topped with roe, and a jug of hot and sour soup. To the chef's credit the dish did represent the five taste elements, had strong flavours, and a variety of textural and temperature contrasts. Certainly the most curious fusion dish I have come across recently but kudos to the chef for stepping outside his comfort zone and as a diner taking me out of mine.

This was followed by Stir Fried Shredded Beef with Enoki Mushrooms in XO Sauce. I selected this dish largely because of the XO sauce, which is made by the restaurant. I had tried a little earlier in the evening and was curious to see how its clear notes of dried shrimp would work with beef. My dining companion loved this tender beef dish, but I found it to be a tad sweet for me, although the chilli notes did come through at the end. I don't think it warrants the spicy warning it is given on the menu.

The Standouts
One of the best dishes of the evening was the seasonal Dau Miu (snow pea leaves/shoots) with garlic. My dining companion, who was born in Hong Kong, and by his own admission has eaten a lot of dau miu, said it was the best he has ever had and should be a benchmark for this simple dish. It certainly was outstanding, perfectly cooked with textural depth from the soft leaves, crunchy shoots and garlic that seemed more steamed than fried.

An example of a classic dish given a modern treatment was the Pan Fried Rice Noodles with Ling-Chi Mushrooms and Diced Scallops. The noodles had been pan-fried into one round piece that had then been cut into triangles and the mushrooms and scallop were served separately in a sauce. We enjoyed the balance of the crispy noodles and the softness of the topping, which had great flavours. The scallops had a certain intensity to their flavour normally associated with dried scallops. The surprising presentation of this dish combined with traditional flavours was impressive.

Artful End
Our dessert choice had already been decided upon because when you order the lobster dish it comes with a pre-chosen dessert of Deep Fried Mash Taro with Hazelnut and Twin Chilled Pudding. A ball of taro and hazelnut had been wrapped in shredded spring roll wrapper and deep fried, and resembled a dragon's flaming pearl. It tasted as good as it looked, the sweet hazelnut syrup turning a starchy tuber into a delightful dessert, clever. It was served with Chilled Jelly with Osmanthus and Wolfberry that my friend described as tasting like China Products (department store) used to smell when he was a kid (not a bad thing). And, a sample of the creative signature dessert Shark Fin Crystal Extravaganza, traditional mango pudding topped with jelly containing suspended shark's fin. An artfully plated dessert.

I have had two consistently good meals at Ming Court (I also recommend the Marinated Young Ginger with Vinegar served with Thousand Years' Egg and the Fresh Prawns fried in Salted Egg Yolk) since it won its Michelin star, and would definitely return to try more of this contemporary, classic, and sometime surprising, Cantonese fare. On both occasions diners at the restaurant were mostly locals, for me a sign of a place serving authentic food.

Ambiance, Service, Wine, Price
The restaurant is tastefully furnished and has a formal, yet comfortable ambiance, while retaining the essence of a busy Chinese restaurant. The service is professional and attentive as to be expected in a fine dining restaurant, thankfully the staff are not stuffy, they are friendly and informative. The managers also have a sense of humour about them, which is a nice counter to the formal surrounds and serving of dishes.

There is a decent wine list of new and old world wines and a small selection of wines by the glass; the wines suggested paired perfectly with the dishes. The restaurant also has a good selection of teas.

Appetisers range in price from $78-$128, and BBQ meats begin at $108. Prices for main vary widely depending on the inclusion of high-end ingredients, our beef dish was $138, while the signature lobster with dessert was $318.

Ming Court
Level 6,
Langham Place Hotel
555 Shanghai Street
Mongkok
3552 3300