First impressions of Camilla restaurant in Wan Chai – pig’s trotters, goose liver among classic and quirky Chiu Chow dishes

Camilla, a newly opened restaurant in the Cosmo Hotel, has five private rooms and no communal dining area

Most of the dishes were recommended by the manager and the bill was a pleasant surprise

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Pork trotters and abalone at Camilla, a newly opened Chinese restaurant at the Cosmo Hotel in Wan Chai that serves classic and quirky Chiu Chow fare. Photo: Susan Jung

Published: 4:30pm, 29 Nov 2019Updated: 4:30pm, 29 Nov 2019

Our meal at Camilla was full of surprises – all pleasant, I’m pleased to say.

Well, the first experience was neutral. When my guest called to book, she was told that it’s a private kitchen (although open to the public), so we’d have to pre-order most of the dishes. We had a quick discussion, and I requested a few “standard” Chiu Chow dishes, while the rest of our meal was from recommendations by the manager.

When we walked into the space in the Cosmo Hotel, we realised it had previously been another Chiu Chow restaurant, Chiu Tang, which has since moved to Central. As with the original Chiu Tang, at Camilla there’s no communal dining area, only five private rooms in varying degrees of luxury. We had a great, attentive waitress who served the entire meal.

We knew we were in for something special with the peanuts and kimchi – the two appetisers that diners would normally be munching while looking at the menu and deciding what to eat. As we’d already ordered, we could fully enjoy the fantastically crunchy peanuts, which were better than almost any others that we’ve tried. The kimchi – only lightly fermented – was good, too.

Goose liver and intestines. Photo: Susan Jung

The classic Chiu Chow soup of pig stomach with pickled mustard (HK$88 per bowl) was excellent. The broth wasn’t as peppery as usual, but had a rich flavour, while the preserved vegetable added a light salty-sour flavour, and the pieces of pig stomach were chewy/tender.

For the lo sui platter, we ordered goose liver and intestines (HK$180). The liver came in thick slices that were fully cooked but very soft and succulent, while the goose intestines were light and properly crunchy.