The Big Fish

The dinner was months in the making, at least that’s how far the chat group went discussing every single details of the meal beforehand and rounding up enough people for a feast. It all started when our friend F who managed to get hold of the rare Ikan Empurau fish from Malaysia and organized a dinner just for that.

It’s said that Ikan Empurau, found only in the rivers of Sabah, is one of the most expensive edible fish species in the world for its rarity and unique flavor. And the most special ones were found in the wild, said to be eating only a certain kind of fruits that falls into the rivers from the trees along the banks. I have not tried nor seen one before but certainly heard of it, and for those who had tried the fish before swore by it tasted so good that it’s “unforgettable”, just like the alternative name of the fish in Chinese (“Mong Bat Liu” in Cantonese which means Unforgettable). And with one 10 catty (or 6kg) fish sourced and made available to us and shipped frozen from Malaysia just the day before, 20 of us gathered upon the dining room at the Royal Garden in TST one night in early April for a 10-course feast with the fish and more.

We didn’t come here often, but the fact that the place has been around since forever and was packed with people on a random Friday evening was a reliable testimony of how good the place is. Knowing the giant fish would be coming in the middle of the meal, most of us were very restrained with the few courses served as prelude. But those were pretty good, especially the sautéed beef tenderloin cubes, dace fish balls with fermented clam sauce, and also the roast whole suckling. All classic Cantonese dishes which were perfectly done by the kitchen team, though I can’t quite say the same of the prawn dish, sautéed and served with a heavy smothering of Mango-Miracle Whip glaze on top and mesclun on the side. Said to be their signature dish but it was just alright with the sauce overpowering everything.

Of course, everyone’s attention was drawn upon the two giant plates when our fish course arrived. It was done in the traditional Cantonese way, steamed with scallions, leeks, coriander and soy sauce with each table (of 10 people) sharing half of the fish. We quickly dug in as soon as we were done with taking the pictures of this prized fish (which cost us an arm and leg, which someone has commented that being the truly unforgettable part) At first taste, I think what surprised me most was the textures of the meat. Near to the tail the meat was firm with a slight bouncy texture with a mild and delicate taste. “Like chicken”, as some said and I understood what that meant after the first bite. But I personally prefer to the part closer to the head, with more tender texture yet with the same clean taste unlike any other freshwater fish I tried before. I balked at the assertion of this being “Unforgettable” taste-wise but nonetheless this is an unique and impressive dish.

And the skin was the interesting part – the ones near to the head was steamed with the rest of the fish body and it was thick with quite a bite and a crunchy texture, almost like those soft bones, and went well with the soy sauce and the garnishes. The rest of the skin (and the scales) was taken off prior to steaming, cut into small pieces, deep-fried and served as our second course of the fish. They were crunchy and tasty – made good bar snacks, I reckon.

By the time the fish was completely wiped clean we were only half way through the menu with a few more savory dishes to come. The baked crab shell was very decent, with good umami flavor from the picked crab meat baked au gratin in its own shell. The double-boiled soup of chicken, whelk, dried compoy, ham and goji berries was rich with a comforting flavor. I thought the braised goose casserole with young ginger shoot, chunks of taro and plum sauce was slightly overcooked plus the ginger shoot being a bit tough and fibrous.

I am sure everyone felt over-stuffed by the end of the meal, but we still managed to work through the baked sago pudding dessert, which was our final course. It was delicious with generous portion of sweet lotus paste stuffed inside the sago custard with a nice charred crust on top.

This may not be our best outing in terms of alcohol consumption with this group of crazy drinkers, but we went through everything from umeshu (Japanese plum wine) to sake to a few bottles of red and white. We kicked off the evening with a young Puligny-Montrachet (medium-bodied, good acidity and showing ripe stone fruit characters) and finished with the double magnum of a slightly more mature Bordeaux. My favorite one was the Kudoki-Jozu Junmai Daiginjo made using Hakutsuru Nishiki rice – super aromatic, rounded texture with a slight hint of sweetness towards the end – best pairing for the fish, I reckon.

While the fish may not be as unforgettable as many of us may hope, it was an enjoyable night of many laughter, chit chats and fishy gossip. 

When? April 12 2019

Where? Royal Garden Chinese Restaurant, The Royal Garden Hong Kong, 69 Mody Road, TST, Kowloon

Menu Highlight? Ikan Empurau two-way

Drinks? 

2015 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon

Azumaichi Honkaku Umeshu, Gochoda Shuzo, Saga Prefecture (東一 本格梅酒)

Abekan Junmai Ginjo Shiboritatesei Genshu, Abekan Shuzo, Miyagi Prefecture (阿部勘 純米吟醸 しぼりたて 生原酒 )

Kudoki-Jozu Hakutsuru Nishiki 33 Junmai Daiginjo, Kamenoi Shuzo, Yamagata Prefecture (くどき上手 白鶴錦33 純米大吟醸)

Kudoki-Jozu "Bakuren" Ginjo Karakuchi, Kamenoi Shuzo, Yamagata Prefecture (くどき上手 ばくれん 吟醸酒 超辛口)

2012 Kooyong Ferrous Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula, Australia

1990 Chateau La Dominique St Emilion Grand Cru Classe

2008 Joh Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese