One of the unusual things about the dining scene in Hong Kong is the quality of dining at the city's leading hotels. Dining in a hotel restaurant is a common occurrence and is often the first choice when it comes to special occasions, unlike many other cities. Hotels are now also an internationally star-rated place for dining options, especially when it comes to Chinese cuisine. It was for all these reasons that I recently had dinner at The Langham's fine-dining, two-star Cantonese restaurant, T'ang Court. 

Creative Touches

Our meal started with a complimentary amuse bouche, a nice touch. It consisted of flat rice noodles, shredded chicken, chilli and sesame. This spicy, tasty (excellent chicken) offering was just the thing to stimulate our appetites, as well as keeping us satisfied while we studied the extensive menu, which is found in so many Chinese restaurants. I like several things about the menu, including the seven-course set menu for one, and a page of vegetarian options; I have a lot of vegetarian friends! And, like many of its competitors has entire pages dedicated to the three biggies of luxury Cantonese dining - shark's fin, abalone and bird's nest. One thing that surprised me was the absence of century eggs. 

We began with one of the restaurant's more unusual signature dishes, Baked Blue Point Oysters with Port Wine. At first I thought that this was a dish that failed to make the oyster shine, but then I realised that no, this is a clever dish, where the enormous oyster is not the star but the vehicle for the flavourful sauce that it had been baked in. The oyster flavour peeping out at times to reassure the palate of what it was eating. Not normally a fan of the cooked oyster, I loved this dish.

Roasted Suckling Pig and Duckling was our other choice for starter. The suckling pig was out-of-this-world, truly wow. The skin was outrageously crispy, and in between it and the lovely meat a Chinese-style mini pancake had been placed, which ensured that your heart didn't stop when eating the uber rich morsels. My hongkonger dining companion thought it was up there with the best he has tried, perhaps even the best! It was served with sweet sauce, while the duckling was served with plum sauce. The duck was also very good, but with lots of bones was not as pleasurable to eat. 

I had been convinced a few months ago to try the Sweet Corn with Crab Meat Soup at Langham Place's Ming Court, which I found to be excellent, so with some expectation we thought we would try the version at the sister hotel. T'ang Court's version was OK, and definitely disappointing after the strong start to our meal. We found the corn to have a canned taste and the crab was a bit lost, although there was the occasional large piece of crab, which redeemed the soup a little. 

Chef's Recommendations

Next was the award-winning Stir Fried Fresh Lobster with Spring Onion, Red Onion and Shallots. The combination of onions, cooked to different levels, was integral to the dish, imparting different levels of sweetness and bite. The lobster itself was sweet and together it made for a rich dish, with depth. It became a little oily when it cooled.

Our other seafood choice from the chef's recommendations was the Sautéed Prawns, Sliced Pomfret and Scallops in Taro Nest. This dish was accompanied by the littoral shrimp paste, which was designed to go with the prawns. The prawns were fabulous, flavourful with great bite. The rest was less enjoyable, the scallops were not as fresh as I have tried, with a disappointing flavour and texture, and the pomfret had been substituted for garoupa. My dining partner had been really looking forward to the pomfret and picked up that the fish was a substitute the moment he saw the dish, which was confirmed only after I asked...I thought it strange that we were not told previously that there was no pomfret or asked what fish we would like instead. The nest itself added textural contrast but was a little oily. 

We followed this with one of the best dishes of the night, Sautéed Sliced Pigeon with Pine Nuts Wrapped in Lettuce. The pigeon had a wonderful smokiness that was the first flavour to burst through the lettuce, followed by the richness of the roasted pine nuts, and completed by the superb sweet sauce that heightened the flavour of the bird. An excellent dish. My dining companion was only too happy to eat the remainder of my share that I was becoming almost too full to finish.

Ending on a High

Choi Sum with Garlic was our vegetable choice. Although it was a tad oily, this was soon surpassed by the texture and the flavour, which were both outstanding. To finish the savoury part of the meal we order the Fried Rice with Shredded Abalone and Chicken. A surprisingly light rice given the richness of the abalone, we both enjoyed the flavour and texture. 

For dessert we chose the classic Mango Pudding, and Banana Balls. T'ang Court's interpretation of the mango pudding was OK, but not as good as we had expected or had tried elsewhere and we wondered abut the cream, which had a slightly artificial flavour. The banana balls had a good mouth feel and texture, but couldn't help but wish it had a little chocolate inside too, like we had recently experienced. Wishes aside, the balls were tasty. The meal ended on a high note, with the refreshing honeydew melon, heart-shaped petit fours pudding.

T'ang Court holds its own against its Cantonese fine-dining competitors, using quality ingredients to create well-executed dishes. While a couple of dishes may not have lived up to our two-star expectations, others were exceptional and would be a reason to return. 

Ambience, Service, Price

The elegant restaurant is set over two levels with lots of space between tables. The decor is refined with its subdued Chinese red and gold, accented by traditional decorative touches and modern art (a signature of the Langham brand). Sophisticated fine-dining while still being relaxing. It is on the quiet side when it comes to Chinese restaurants.

The service is professional as to be expected. While I am sure the staff would have been happy to make recommendations if I asked they were not forthcoming with suggestions.

Prices for appetisers begin at $120, while main prices begin at $150 for non-vegetarian dishes.