“Are you sure you want to review this restaurant?” my friend asked during the meal at Tasting Court. He was only half joking. His reason: the food was so good that he was afraid that if it became too popular, we wouldn’t be able to get a table. It’s by far the best, most refined Cantonese restaurant I’ve reviewed in recent memory.

Tasting Court takes the space that belonged to Dragonville, which has merged with sister restaurant Sen Hotpot, one floor below. It’s run as a si fong choi (private kitchen); it’s open to the public but bookings are required and you need to pre-order almost the entire meal at least one day in advance, except for some vegetables and starches.There was only one other group on the night of our visit, and the manager – also the sole waiter – was attentive to both parties.

We started with a seemingly simple dish of Chinese bacon (called “sealed smoked pork” on the menu, HK$88). The thick pieces of well-layered pork had a subtle, sweet-smoky flavour, and were served with lightly pickled cucumbers that balanced the fattiness of the meat.