Hong Kong's best dim sum
Recommended: One Harbour Road's abalone tarts
When he's in the mood for "refined, elegant, but expensive dim sum" WOM Guide co-founder Fergus Fung heads to the Grand Hyatt's One Harbour Road.
Presided over by chef Li Shu Tim, a former dai pai dong cook whose talents are now put to use in a five-star kitchen, the menu features innovative items like abalone tarts.
Chef Li is known for taking foreign ingredients and preparing them in a traditional manner, such as taro dumplings with scallop and cheese, or chicken dumplings with celery and carrots.
He's at his most intense when it comes to dim sum.
"People should be attentive to their dim sum and not let it get cold while they read newspapers and chat," he admonishes.
Open Monday-Saturday, lunch: noon-2:30 p.m.; dinner: 6:30-10:30 p.m.
Sunday, lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; dinner: 6:30-10:30 p.m. One Harbour Road, Grand Hyatt, 1 Harbour Rd., Wan Chai, tel. +852 2584 7722
hongkong.grand.hyatt.com
Fu Ho Restaurant's beef balls
Fu Ho seems like any other dim sum joint in town, but a bite into their traditional dim sum and we can see they are on a pinnacle.
Seemingly ho-hum standards become outstanding achievements here at Fu Ho. It's all in the premium ingredients.
Beef balls -- made with the good stuff. "Most dim sum restaurants use third grade beef for their beef balls," says Fu Ho owner Yung Yeung Kwong.
Shrimp dumplings -- made with wild shrimp, vacuum packed, not frozen, for transportation.
Siu mai -- the ingredients are hand chopped, giving it a better texture.
Open daily, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Fu Ho Restaurant, 454-456 Lockhart Rd., Causeway Bay, tel. +852 2893 6565
Recommended: Fu Sing's cha siu pastry
Fergus Fung takes guests to Fu Sing when they're in the mood for a rowdy dim sum meal -- it's always crowded and noisy.
Particularly popular is the cha siu pastry bun, a sweet take on traditional cha siu bao. A tender pastry holds the cha siu filling, like a miniature cha siu pie.
The shrimp-paste turnip pudding is another Fu Sing favorite.
Open Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sundays and public holidays, 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Fu Sing Seafood Restaurant, 1/F, 68 Yee Wo St., Causeway Bay, tel. +852 2504 4228
Winner: Hoi King Heen's pan-fried Chiu Chow dumplings
Food critic Michael Lam gushes over Hoi King Heen chef Leung Fai Hung
"Leung has a great attitude," says Lam. "He is 50 years old, but he still tries to learn new things and create new dishes constantly."
Lam loves chef Leung's pan-fried Chiu Chow dumplings. Leung adds an extra twist to the traditionally steamed dumpling by pan-frying it until the bottom is crispy.
The sweetness of the glutinous rice becomes concentrated on the fried bits and contrasts with the overwhelmingly gummy texture of the steamed glutinous rice skin.
Served as a meal closer, chef Leung recommends drinking iron Buddha tea with his dumpling.
Open Monday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. B2, InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong, 70 Mody Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, tel. +852 2731 2883
www.hongkong.intercontinental.com
Best Eats 2010
