Royal Park - Conventional Cantonese cuisine takes a walk on the wild side

Level 1, Royal Park Hotel, 8 Pak Hok Ting Street, Sha Tin, 2694 3939

Traditional Cantonese cuisine gets a quirky update at the Royal Park Chinese Restaurant, with innovative twists on old favourites as executive chef Marcus Yeung incorporates new flavours into conventional dishes while still retaining their authenticity. Whether we like it or not, shark's fin soup is one of the great Chinese delicacies, and few have succeeded at improving upon the timeless recipe. Yeung manages to make the dish work even with pumpkin in the soup base. The braised shark's fin soup with assorted seafood and pumpkin is surprisingly light, unlike its western cream-based counterparts, and crunchy slivers of celery are enough to offset the pumpkin's pulpy texture, but not so much that the texture of the shark fin is lost in the mix. The presentation of the sauteed fresh abalone with assorted peppers (HK$168) and the combination of textures were what made the dish exceptional. The abalone was served soft and springy, which was complemented nicely by the crunchy peppers underneath it, and was delicate. The crispiness of the rice flour basket held the dish together on the plate. Fans of Cantonese roasted goose will enjoy the home-made roasted goose with mustard (HK$488/whole). The goose was well-prepared, with a good ratio of fat to meat and the mustard sauce was sweet and subtle, and brought out the taste of the meat. Traditional steamed fish takes a quirky turn in Yeung's sliced fillet garoupa stuffed with mushroom (HK$68/person). Rather than the conventional soy sauce, the base takes on a papaya-inspired twist, and the dish enhances the fruity sauce with papaya chunks alongside the sliced fish. The papaya lightened the dish and the overall effect was quite refreshing, but it's more a dish to be tried once for fun than a choice to be repeated in the future. The Chinese-style toffee dessert (HK$60), a favourite for both children and adults alike, is delightfully presented with a 'bird's nest' of hardened toffee wisps and gold flakes. The toffee coating is crunchy and not too thick, while the fillings - apple, banana, chestnut or sweet potato - were hot and delicious.