After reading reviews about this restaurant from websites and the Miele Guide, we decided on a recent trip to Hong Kong that a visit to this place is a must. We were surely not disappointed. We arrived at the restaurant early, as we did not make a reservation, and were fortunate to get a seat as the restaurant filled up pretty quickly afterwards.
Dinner began with their house specialty, which is served to all their guests. Yung Kee’s century eggs are preserved by the restaurant’s chefs using a special recipe and hence tasted very different from the ones we are used to. The centre of the egg is still fluid, with the distinct flavour of century eggs, yet without the fishy smell. Absolutely delicious.
One of the house specials that night was their small braised abalone. We ordered one each and were delighted at the springy yet tender texture of the abalone. The braising sauce was very tasty and complemented the abalone perfectly.
And what’s a visit to Yung Kee if one does not try the famous roast goose? The skin of the roast goose was crisp with some of the mouthwatering fat oozing forth with every bite. The meat was tender and absolutely flavourful. Even though they provided a plum sauce for dipping, I preferred the meat just as it is. Perhaps it is not for the health conscious but who cares? The dieting can start after the trip.
To ease our guilt over the roasted goose, we decided to think healthy and order some vegetables. Though the presentation of the vegetables was nothing to shout about, we thoroughly enjoyed the crisp sweetness of the vegetables that still retained its crunch with every bite.
And now, drumroll please. We attempted something that could possibly be on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizzare Foods. That’s right – Sea cucumber intestines. In fact, this very interesting dish was not even found on the menu. One has to ask for it, and it’s seasonal. We asked for them to be done simply – fried and seasoned with salt and pepper, so that we could try its original taste. The texture was slightly crunchy, similar experience as if one was eating some fried tendons I suppose. Without the salt and the pepper, I supposed these would have tasted rather bland as the sea cucumber intestines did not seem to have much flavour on their own. It was tasty nonetheless.
We completed our dinner with their double boiled chicken soup, served with chicken feet and mushrooms. The soup was rich and totally gratifying. I only wish I could duplicate such flavour at home. I am almost certain there was some chinese ham in it.
And finally, a snapshot to seal our memories of Yung Kee – a row of mouthwatering chinese ham, prepared by the restaurant themselves. Unfortunately, the prices of these were as exquisite as the appearance of these hams. Coupled with the fact that they only sell them by the leg, we obviously did not purchase any.
Yung Kee Restaurant
32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
http://www.yungkee.com.hk
