Absolute stunner, from the friendly and approachable service to the composition of the tasting menu, to the decor and views. I laugh at the few negative reviews on Yelp, which range from "they dropped my menu" to "I didn't like the [insert dish here]".
Maybe my approach to fine dining is different then most - particularly with a specific regional cuisine. I like to go outside my comfort zone, challenge my palate, and I don't really assign negative marks if a dish doesn't fit my specific tastes.
Case in point at Lung King Heen: when choosing between the "Chef's Tasting Menu" and the "Traditional Canton Tasting Menu", I bypassed the safer route and went with the Cantonese tasting - because who cares if sea cucumber and abalone isn't my favorite? I'm on the chef's turf and I'm here to expand my horizons, not try to fit his menu into my specific box. And with that, my dish-by-dish review:
* Crispy suckling pig: Only criticism is I could've eaten a kilogram of it; the skin was crisp and carmelized, and the pork was perfectly cooked
* Deep fried crab: One of the "stars" of the show, this dish was perfect in every way; the cream and onions made for a fantastic texture and flavor profile, and the breadcrumb crust was light enough so as to not interfere with the crab. The truffle was just barely a hint in the crab filling, when it could have easily overpowered the dish.
* Sea cucumber: Served as a soup in a light broth, this was my least-favorite protein. The broth was excellent, with a hint of red chili, the spice of which cut the bitterness of the sea cucumber. Again, not my cup of tea, but I respect the fact that this is a traditional Chinese ingredient and gave it the benefit of the doubt.
* Australian Wagyu cubes with vegetables: This is a perfect example of where it would be fairly easy to grade the dish solely on the protein (wok-fried perfectly to a medium-rare), but the real magic was in the light, oil-based sauce and accompanying onions, snow peas, lily bulbs and lotus seeds. This dish was stratospheric.
* Abalone and conpay (scallop): prepared such that the two pieces of dried fish were enveloped by their carrot and mushroom accompaniments. Served with a light beef gravy that layered lots of flavor over the boldness of the fish and scallop.
* Braised vegetables: Again, the broth was stellar, and the maitake mushroom is a new favorite of mine. Texture, and flavors of this dish were excellent.
* Seafood fried rice: Exceptional flavors, perfectly cooked shellfish. I'm not sure but it seemed like there was a hint of saffron in the rice - overall just a really interesting take on a classic dish. Light and airy, left me wanting more.
* Almond cream rice dumplings: Again, I could've eaten a kilogram. I've had rice dumplings that were too gelatinous, but these were the perfect texture. The almond cream was amazing, and I have a new favorite Chinese dessert.
I would say that the wine pairings were nice but unnecessary - they helped the transition between dishes, and there were some unexpected choices (I'm not a sherry or dessert wine guy but was pleasantly surprised), but they weren't fundamental to the enjoyment of the meal.
I should note that my wife has the exact opposite approach to food: she likes what she likes and won't stray outside her comfort zone. She got the crispy chicken, with sides of steamed rice and wok fried asparagus. All I can say is she nearly licked her plate to clean every last bite. The lemon sauce reduction had the consistency and sweetness of maple syrup - if you're dining with a picky eater, this dish will blow their mind.
Finally, there's something special about threading the needle between formality and approachability. For the price point where LKH resides (HKD $4000 for the tasting plus wine pairings), the service needs to be on point. But there's nothing worse than pretentiousness or theatrics to ruin what's supposed to be a fun experience, and there's none of that at LKH. The staff is cheery and courteous, the dishes are served professionally, the kitchen was timed well with the dish sequence, and we were made to feel comfortable and appreciated. We even struck up a chat with our service coordinator for 15-20 minutes after our meal, since we were the last seating in her area.
Bottom line, this is a phenomenal restaurant, and if you go in with an adventurous spirit and an expectation of being treated well, you will be very happy with the outcome. read more