Madame Ching pays tribute to Cantonese roasts while reinterpreting familiar flavours

The latest addition to the Star Street neighbourhood, Pirata Group’s modern Chinese restaurant and roast house - Madame Ching - pays tribute to Cantonese roasts while reinterpreting familiar Hong Kong flavours. The glass-fronted kitchen creates a welcoming atmosphere that is ideal for socialising, and the outdoor terrace is perfect for evening drinks during the summer.

We decided to order the Ching’s Banquet Menu (HK$320 per person), so that we could try and share the restaurant’s selection of favourite dishes.

We started with the sesame prawn toast (HK$110), which was served on milk bread and literally melted in your mouth - my favourite dish of the meal. Next, we tasted General Son’s Chicken (HK$95), crisp chicken pieces with a delectable sweet and spicy sauce.

The dishes were complemented by the tangy and refreshing Beijing lake (HK$90), a tequila-based cocktail with Mancino Amaranto vermouth and Sichuan pepper mango syrup. The interesting mapo “tofu” (HK$120) was served chips and dip style - with the tofu skin as the chips and the minced pork as the dip. However, I only had one bite before the Sansho peppers consumed my mouth and numbed my tongue.

We moved on to sample the barbecue roast mixed platter (HK$210 for a selection of three meats). I loved how tender and flavourful each meat was - definitely a treat for fellow meat lovers. The dan dan noodles (HK$75) was another winner, especially with the pulled pork twist.

The brussels sprouts (HK$85) were to die for, and I couldn’t stop shoving the buttery pieces into my mouth, even though I was already full by that stage.

We ended the meal with a sweet treat of sponge cake with Ovaltine custard (HK$48) that emphasised favourite Hong Kong flavours.