Slipping in quality

RUNNING a restaurant is far from easy but maintaining its reputation is even more difficult. To make patrons keen to return, the food must be consistent in standard and the menu frequently updated to meet changing tastes.

Judging from the quality of the dim sum on our previous visits, House of Canton at Lee Gardens seems to fulfil these criteria. In fact, it is always bustling at lunchtime, with crowds waiting outside for tables.

When we returned for dinner on a recent Sunday, however, our impression of the restaurant was tainted. Though the large number of diners did mean inefficient service at times, it was the quality of the food that disappointed.

A good selection of traditional Cantonese delights was on the menu but some interesting innovations were also on offer. There were a few set meals featuring seasonal delicacies but we decided to order from the a la carte menu instead.

Covered in a light, crunchy batter, the deep-fried oysters ($88) made an excellent starter. The oysters were large and juicy, and the slightly spicy batter helped to elevate the dish. To our disappointment, the sweet and sour ribs 'Imperial style' ($85) were sold out so we went for the stir-fried beef and sea cucumber ($70). The rather unusual combination was bound together by a rich gravy which suffered from an overdose of salt and MSG. But it failed to infuse flavour into the sea cucumber, and to disguise the fact that the beef was bland.

Shanghainese hairy crabs, a seasonal favourite in Hong Kong, were available for $78 each. But we opted for the hairy crab xiao long bao ($32 for four) as they required more skill to prepare. Unfortunately, they turned out to be a real letdown: the thick wrapping was poorly made and the filling did not contain any crab meat. The only trace of hairy crabs was a hardly noticeable topping of crab roe on the dumplings.