Claws for thought
FARE Cantonese.
AMBIENCE Contemporary interior with a purple and pale gold colour scheme. There are silk-embroidered screens on the first floor, along with artefacts of Cantonese opera that don't quite belong in the restaurant.
WHO TO BRING Business associates, anyone you wish to impress.
COST HK$1,300 for two without wine.
TURN-ONS You can't go wrong if you order dishes from the chef's recommendations on the menu. The steamed crab claw with egg white is very impressive, with a large, meaty piece of crab with its juices marinated in the smooth egg whites topped with supreme chicken stock. Another excellent dish is the crystal king prawn, cut so that it becomes a big fluffy ball, crunchy and an interesting contrast to the slice of Chinese ham that comes with it. A rare item on Chinese menus these days is the braised pomelo skin with shrimp roe and it practically melted in the mouth, rich and flavourful. Don't forget to try the crispy chicken, the skin a dark russet colour, and the meat very tender. The almond tea with egg whites was a nice finish to the meal.
TURN-OFFS The saut?ed fresh sliced garoupa with asparagus was on the salty side, but kudos to the kitchen for keeping the fish's original flavour in tact. The poached pea shoots with finely diced ham was average.