The flavours of Hangzhou tempted Steve and me to venture to Kowloon to sample it. Touted to be the best Hangzhou restaurant in China, not only Hong Kong...yes, including Hangzhou...I needed to taste for myself.
We started with a curious (to me) starter...I am not sure what the pickled vegetable was...but it tasted gorgeous. Crunchy, and firm to the bite.
The first course was freshwater shrimps stir-fried with Longjing tea leaves.
Smallish, freshwater prawns, expertly stir fried. The prawns were soft, mild, and sweet. Very nice dish. I could not taste the tea leaves...not was it evident by looking at the dish.
Next we had the deep fried fresh water eel.
Fresh water eel was coated in a light batter and deep fried to a crispy consistency. The eel had not retained any of the muddy freshwater taste as sometimes eels do, but the outer crispy batter/skin gave way easily to the soft, rich taste of the eel meat. Coupled with a beguiling brown sauce, this was truly excellent.
We had a nice plate of dow miao, but though this was done very well, it was nothing exceptional...just good vegetable.
The píece de resistance for the evening was the hairy crab roe noodles.
At first whiff, it had a slightly fishy odour, but with the accompaniment of a vinegar and ginger sauce, the fragrance of the crab meat and roe was exhilirating. The dish tasted divinely wonderful. This is a must eat dish in this restaurant.
A fine meal...I was told there is no longer a regular menu, but the waiters (who all look like they have worked there for the last 30 years) will steer diners to a few of their classical dishes...of which I sampled.
Tien Heung Lau Restaurant
18C Austin Avenue
Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
tel: 23689660, 23662414
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3 comments:
I miss Hong Kong so much! Have yet to travel out of Singapore to eat for a really long time!
THL is one of my favourite restaurants in HK, ^^
Wow, I gotta visit this restaurant when I return! Flying on CX from SFO, so I will get a chance to sample your recommendation!
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