Reviews

• 

  Feels like a private kitchen

  Verseater | Aug 31 2011

  The low ceiling is not most comfortable but it adds to the charm, along with the narrow staircase. The menu is not very big but all dishes very attractive. All these make it feel like a private kitchen, although it is not. Really fantastic starters including the deep fried yellow fish, served with real aged balsamic vinegar. The soy sauce chicken is also seriously good.

  • How much did you spend?
    500
  • Overall Rating
    Good
  • Food 9
  • Service 8
  • Ambiance 7
  • Price 3

• 

  Extraordinary

  Happyeater | Jul 26 2011

  Tucked away on the end of Kau U Fong is this ordinary-looking Chinese restaurant. The food is out of this world. Just classic Chinese dishes that are executed so well that put other so-called famous Canto restaurants to shame. Waitstaff are knowledgeable about the menu and specials but would not push diners to order expensive dishes. Highly recommended.

  • How much did you spend?
    450
  • Overall Rating
    OK
  • Food 9
  • Service 8
  • Ambiance 7
  • Price 3

• 

  Good but not wonderful

  Charlie Brown | Aug 30 2010

  People say all sorts of good things about this place, and it is true that some dishes are outstanding. I especially like the deep-fried small fish (酥炸小黃花魚) that is served with aged balsamic vinegar. Very good combination of Chinese and western ingredients without trying too hard.
  
  The soy sauce chicken is one of the signature dishes. You can really taste the chicken, but then it is not exceptional. On the other hand, the congee (腐竹白果粥) is the best I have tried. Not cheap but worth ordering.
  
  It is difficult to book a table and it is understandable, given the uneven quality of Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong. Is it worth the price? Once in a while, maybe.

  • How much did you spend?
    500
  • Overall Rating
    Good
  • Food 9
  • Service 7
  • Ambiance 6
  • Price 5

• 

  A wonderful meal

  live2eat | Aug 21 2010

  Dinner here is awesome.
  Had the most incredible crab in shaoxing wine, which the rice noodles soaked up all the goodness.
  Also highly memorable are the spare-ribs cooked with preserved vegetables, and the incredible soya sauce chicken!

  • How much did you spend?
    450 for a set menu per person
  • Overall Rating
    Good
  • Food 10
  • Service 8
  • Ambiance 8
  • Price 3

• 

  The best new Cantonese in town

  Peech | Jan 13 2010

  My foodie friends and I hit one of the hottest tables in town tonight. The Chairman (大班樓) opened late last year to rave reviews, so of course we were eager to try it out. We sat at a table upstairs, and the restaurant was clearly buzzing.
  
  Deep-fried small yellow croakers with balsamic vinegar (酥炸獅頭魚配陳醋) - very nice and crispy, espcially the head. What a way to kick off the meal!
  
  Longjing tea and chrysanthemum-smoked pigeon (龍井菊花燻乳鴿) - wow! This was pretty amazing. The smoke was really intense, and hits you right away. The meat was soft and tender. I happily grabbed it with my hands and tore it apart.
  
  Spicy beef tongue marinated with preserved orange rind (陳皮麻辣牛舌) - nice, thin slices. Pretty spicy indeed, and I had to scrape off most of the chili seeds...
  
  Marinated pork chin with honeycomb tofu (鹵水豬下巴蜂巢豆腐) - the fatty pork had a chewy texture which was pretty nice. The pork used here has been sourced by Tam Keung (譚強), who is well-known in foodie circles for having raised pigs locally.
  
  Pan-fried pork patties with salted fish (馬友咸魚煎肉餅) - pretty decent. I do like my salted fish...
  
  Daily soup (是日靚湯) - there were two choices and I picked the one with cordyceps (冬蟲夏草). Nice and herbal.
  
  Flower crab steamed in chicken fat and Huadiao wine (雞油花雕蒸花蟹) - the flesh was fresh and sweet, but as usual the best thing was the sauce. Unlike the thick and viscous version at Manor, the sauce here was lighter. Fragrance was amazing, with an orange marmalade aftertaste. This was served with riceflour rolls (陳村粉) which soaked up all the yummy sauce.
  
  Preserved plum and cinnamon-flavored sweet and sour pork spare ribs (話梅肉桂糖醋排骨) - O-M-G! This was definitely the best dish of the evening. I didn't taste any cinnamon but the plum flavors were ultra-yummy. All of us chewed the meat off the bones in no time, and we had a contest to see which one had the cleanest bone left on the plate. It was so good that we actually ordered a second plate, because we couldn't imagine having only one of these ribs. I could have done with at least four...
  
  Claypot prawns with garlic and scallions in sate sauce (蔥蒜沙茶大蝦煲) - this is the Chinese version of sate (沙茶醬), and the light spiciness went well with the prawns.
  
  Shiitake and morel mushrooms with tofu skin (冬菇羊肚菌炆腐皮) - the intense flavors of the morels dominated, and lent support to the tofu chunks and tofu skin.
  
  "The Chairman" (十八味豉油雞) - Wow! This is probably the best chicken I've had in a while. All these Cantonese places that talk about their special chickens... couldn't possibly match this. Our friend who was here for her fifth visit complained about the bland flavors of the chicken before we arrived, so I think the kitchen added a little extra something tonight. The meat was very soft and tender, and the dish was definitely worthy of its moniker.
  
  Braised fatty pork with preserved mustard greens and dates (梅乾菜南棗炆豬肉) - this has always been one of my favorite dishes in Chinese cuisine, and they did it pretty well here. We ordered the congee with preserved orange rind, tofu skin and gingko nuts (陳皮腐竹銀杏粥) to go along, and I happily dropped the yummy preserved mustard greens into my bowl and mixed it up.
  
  We had two types of ice cream for dessert: osmanthus and wolfberry (桂花杞子雪糕) as well as ginger (子薑雪糕). The ice cream was a little too milky and overpowered the subtle flavors of the osmanthus. The ginger was pretty strong so that worked well.
  
  This was a great meal. I definitely understand why the whole town is abuzz with excitement about this place, as this has got to be one of the best new Cantonese restaurants around. I look forward to coming back real soon.
  
  original blogpost with pictures and wine notes: http://chi-he-wan-le.blogspot.com/2010/01/hottest-cantonese-table-in-town.html

  • How much did you spend?
    500
  • Food 8
  • Service 8
  • Ambiance 6
  • Price 4

• 

  Dinner @ The Chairman

  Madam | Nov 16 2009

  I love to walk around Central on Sunday, the peace and quiet that contrast deeply with the hustle and bustle on the weekdays in the heart of the financial center.
  The Chairman is at the end of a cul-de-sac in Central, the street has the tranquility of a small town in Europe. The restaurant is promoting a cooking style that respects the natural flavor of the food. They select the best quality for all the ingredients that will exemplify the flavor of the food. The signature dish is steam live crab cook in chicken oil and Chinese rice wine. It is a dish that all wine lovers will savor.
  There were several paintings on the wall and the Manager told us the artist is one of the restaurant owners. I loved the staircase with the paintings hanging on the top; it felt more like a gallery than a restaurant.
  We picked the tasting menu, which had the same concept as some of the Western style restaurants. They served what they bought fresh for the day. It was a 12-course dinner with soup and homemade dessert.
  We brought a Grand Cru Burgundy for the dinner. It was a Antonin Guyon Corton Bressandes 2002 from Cote D’or. Burgundy reds are generally lighter in style than Bordeaux wines. The Burgundy showed cherry, floral and a hint of vegetal. The finish was long. It was medium bodied; the tannin and acidity were not strong. It was very smooth and matched quite well with the variety of dishes for the evening.
  It was a relaxing meal to end the weekend!

  • How much did you spend?
    $1200 for 3 people
  • Food 7
  • Service 8
  • Ambiance 7
  • Price 4