Food Review: hit and miss at Landmark Atrium's China Tang
Local businessman and socialite's largest restaurant is pricey and inconsistent, writes Susan Jung
It's impossible to avoid comparisons between China Tang - the David Tang import (the original is in London) in the Landmark Atrium - and his other two restaurants, Island Tang (nearby, in the Galleria) and Kowloon Tang in Elements mall.
China Tang is much larger, but the style of the decor is recognisable to diners who have been to the other restaurants, or the China Club. While much of what we tried was good (and it should be, at this price), I prefer the intimacy of the sister restaurants.
The large main room was almost full on our visit, and many private rooms were occupied (in one, we saw some Legco members making merry). I had a hard time deciding what to order from the extensive menu, although I knew that the signature barbecue pork (HK$238), which I'd tasted (and loved) at Island Tang and Kowloon Tang, would be part of our dinner. It was excellent - very rich and fatty, but with more pepper than other versions.
Chiu Chow marinated goose liver (HK$98 per piece) is also on the menu at yet another sister restaurant, Chiu Tang (at the Cosmo Hotel in Wan Chai). This dish paled in comparison. Served on a slice of bean curd, the goose liver was silky-smooth but didn't have much taste of the master sauce.
From the Lunar New Year menu, we ordered pan-fried fillets of spotted grouper with premium soy sauce (HK$498). The pieces were tender and lightly coated with a glossy sauce and accompanied by sweet stalks of choi sum, which we polished off in a flash. We also ordered wok-fried, minced, sun-dried oysters with preserved meat (HK$198). They were served in nicely trimmed lettuce cups and were an upscale version of the homey and auspicious ho see soong.
Two of my guests were in the mood for soup, so one ordered a bowl of double-boiled fish maw (HK$368), while my other guest and I had double-boiled pig's lung soup with almonds. At HK$268 per bowl, it was shockingly expensive, but it was the best version of this Cantonese classic I've tried. Would I order it again? Almost certainly not.