Yung Kee

One of the older and more famous restaurants in Hong Kong is the formidable Yung Kee. This restaurant has several levels and obviously the bigger the punter you are [as assessed by them] you get to sit at a higher level. The restaurant is huge and seats somewhere close to a 1000 people. It’s a Cantonese restaurant and has had the privilege of a star from the Hong Kong edition of the Michelin guide.

We were to meet our Mumbai friends who have now settled down in HK for dinner. A table was booked and we decided to quaff a few beers before dinner. The restaurant is in “Central” which is the main business district in HK and this area has plenty of bars which cater to the expatriate population. So we popped into one and had a quiet beer. We were pretty sick of Chinese Beer. Actually all Asian beers are just too sweet. So it’s Carlsberg, Heineken etc for us.

A punterless expat bar

Yung Kee’s specialties are Roast Goose and Preserved Egg with Pickled Ginger. Naturally we ordered the Goose as well as the Preserved Egg. They were wonderful. Preserved Egg are preserved by placing them whole and raw in a mixture of salt, clay, lime [calcium oxide], ash and God knows what else. This acts on the egg resulting in the yolk turning into a surreal dark green almost grey colour and the white turning brown. The egg has a very mild taste and the preserved ginger [the same as you get with Sushi] pairs wonderfully.

Preserved Egg with Pickled Ginger in the centre

The Roast Goose is as you would expect quite similar to Duck in taste and texture. Frankly, I could not make out the difference. We ordered a half portion, it was delicious. To complete our meal we also ordered some Bok Choy with Garlic and a most wonderful Pork with Chilli.

1/2 Roast Goose

A good meal and a place you must visit if you are in HK. Be sure to make a reservation at least a day in advance. The restaurant also sells Chinese Sausage and cured meat. Buy some sausage if you go there. Chinese sausage is truly a delight and a fried rice with Chinese Sausage is a wonderful accompaniment.

Bok Choy with Garlic

Fried Rice with Mix Meat

Pork & chilli. Note the absence of the red `tikha' Sichuan chilli sauce we  get in India

Tofu with mix meat - Goose liver, Mushroom, Prawn Squid