ReviewYat Tung Heen in Yau Ma Tei review: oversalted dishes on the chef’s night off mar a decent meal

The respected restaurant has been revamped, and still delights with well-executed Cantonese food, although the seasoning and flavour of two of the dishes was a little disappointing for a Michelin-starred venue

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Honey-glazed barbecued pork at Yat Tung Heen. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 12:32pm, 4 May 2018Updated: 12:31pm, 4 May 2018

Yat Tung Heen at the Eaton Hotel in Yau Ma Tei isn’t a new restaurant – it opened in 1990 (the branch in Wan Chai was established six years later).

But the one-Michelin-star restaurant recently reopened after a six-month renovation, so we took the opportunity to review it.

Interior of Yat Tung Heen in Yau Ma Tei. Photo: Edmond So

We decided to skip the grand opening set menu (HK$1,580 plus 10 per cent for two) and ordered à la carte. We found out after the meal that the head chef was away on the night we visited, which probably accounts for a couple of the dishes being too salty.

The oversalting wasn’t overwhelming on the honey-glazed barbecue pork (HK$238). Although it looked too lean, it was actually succulent.

However, the salt was the first thing we tasted on the pan-fried chicken off the bone with ginger and mandarin peel (HK$298 for half). While the chicken pieces were tender, the dish was dull, and we couldn’t taste any mandarin peel.

Stir-fried suckling pig with conpoy, bean sprouts and scrambled eggs. Photo: Edmond So

We liked the other dishes, though. Stir-fried suckling pig with conpoy, bean sprouts and scrambled eggs (HK$380) was an excellent version of what is often called shark’s fin for the poor because the strands of mung bean vermicelli resemble the expensive and prohibited (to me and many others) ingredient.

The topping of the suckling pig – which was roasted, not stir-fried – was an unusual addition and we weren’t sure if we were supposed to eat it with the other ingredients, or separately (we chose the latter).