The deep-fried crispy tofu was very well done. Photo: Susan Jung
Source:
https://scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3163090/new-hong-kong-restaurant-review-woo-cheong-tea-house-stewed Food & Drink
New Hong Kong restaurant review: Woo Cheong Tea House – stewed chicken in clay pot at Wan Chai spot was perfect, but skip the egg tarts
- Almost everything we tried at the new Cantonese restaurant, which takes the place of The Pawn in Wan Chai, was good, save for the too-sweet Bailey’s egg tarts
- Don’t expect to be able to read the menu if you go at night, but do get the stewed chicken in clay pot with abalone, ginger and spring onions
The honey-glazed barbecued pork at Woo Cheong Tea House was succulent, thickly sliced and had a nice amount of char. Photo: Susan Jung
We had one major complaint about Woo Cheong Tea House, the new Cantonese restaurant by the Classified Group, which takes the place of The Pawn in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island – the menu.
Whoever thought it was a good idea to have a small, thin, sans-serif font in red printed on pink paper was wrong, wrong, wrong.
It might work during the day, but at night – with the restaurant’s dim lighting – it was very difficult to make out. I had to read the entire menu out loud to my guests, who couldn’t see it at all.
We visited on the first day the restaurant was open to the public, and had a friendly, enthusiastic waitress who, when we asked for recommendations, said all of the dishes were good. We were inclined to take that with a grain of salt, but from what we tasted, she was correct.
Sadly, we couldn’t have the Woo Cheong premium barbecue pork because it needed 24 hours advance notice, but we were happy enough with the honey-glazed barbecued pork (HK$288 [US$37]), which was succulent, thickly sliced and had a nice amount of char.
The deep-fried crispy tofu (HK$98) was very well done, with a delicate coating around the soft bean curd. The pan-fried soy prawns (HK$328) were large and juicy, with a bouncy texture.
Our favourite dish of the night was the stewed chicken in clay pot with abalone, ginger and spring onions (HK$488). The waitress lifted the lid off the small pot, releasing an appetising scent.
All the ingredients in the dish worked with each other to create something absolutely delicious: the fresh abalone, tender chunks of chicken, and the aromatic and plentiful ginger and spring onions. We loved the sauce so much, we ordered a bowl of rice to eat with it. This dish went very well with the seasonal vegetables (in our case, tiny pea shoots) with chicken broth (they were out of fish broth) and dried seafood (HK$328).
Our favourite dish of the night was the stewed chicken in clay pot with abalone, ginger and spring onions. Photo: Susan Jung
The stir-fried crabmeat rice noodles with conpoy (HK$298) was another winner. It was a “dry” noodle dish – no sauce – but it was skilfully cooked so the noodles, eggs, vegetables and crabmeat didn’t clump together, and it had a light smokiness from the wok. Even though we were full, we all had second or even third helpings of the dish.
For dessert, the steamed red date cake with coconut milk (HK$68) was nicely chewy, but we thought the Bailey’s egg tarts (HK$78) were too sweet. It was the only dish we didn’t finish.
The stir-fried crabmeat rice noodles with conpoy was another winner. Photo: Susan Jung
For dessert, the steamed red date cake with coconut milk was nicely chewy. Photo: Susan Jung
Woo Cheong Tea House, 1/F (bar) and 2/F (restaurant), Woo Cheong Pawn House, 62 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2866 3444. About HK$650 per person without drinks or the service charge.
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