I was a Ming Court Wanchai a couple of weeks for the special collaboration event featuring the dishes created by their Chef Tsang Chiu King and guest chef Cheung Yat Fung from Beijing's Michelin 3-starred Chao Shang Chao Restaurant.
The special menu offered a rare glimpse of Chef Cheung's cooking which earned him numerous accolades and a homecoming of sorts for the Hong Kong-born chef which made his name in Mainland China in recent years with restaurants now spanning from Beijing to Shenzhen, and I am glad they prepared a special lunch for a few of us as a preview in the restaurant's private room right before the actual 4-day, dinner-only event.
Most of us are familiar with Chiuchow cuisine given the proximity of Guangdong Chaoshan region in which the regional cuisine was rooted, but both chefs designed the menu based on the most traditional style taking inspiration in both Chiuchow and Cantonese cuisines that required more refined techniques using premium ingredients.
One perfect example is the double-boiled pigeon which was presented as the soup course by Chef Tsang. The young pigeon was deboned by hand, stuffed with delicacies such as abalones, sea cucumbers, fish maw, crab meat and bamboo pith, then slow-boiled with Cantonese superior broth for hours, so the soup absorbed all the flavor from the ingredients. Chef confided to us that the team started preparing 3 days prior to the event.
Equally, the braised fish maw presented by Chef Cheung required days of preparation taking the premium ingredients over a multi-day process and slow briasing using the rare 30-year-old aged pickled radish on top which the chef sourced from Chaoshan Region which gave the dish a unique mellow flavor. The green olive sorbet that served right after this as a palate cleanser was a nice touch, making use of the common local ingredients in a western cooking style.
My favorite dish of the day was the stuffed pig intestine which was served as part of the appetizer trio in a Japanese Arita-ware porcelain layered dome. The tradition of using animal innards ran deep in Cantonese cuisine (long before there's the concept of head-to-tail cooking) and here the dish involves long preparation of the intestine (cleaning, soaking, drying, deep-frying) and the freshwater eel separately and then stuffed to become one before finishing and served. I love that interesting combination of land and sea flavor, and the contrasting textures too.
In true collaboration spirit, the chefs also created a new dish just for the event, combining the traditional Chiuchow dish of stir-fried beef with satay sauce with Japanese style Kamameshi. Slices of Australian wagyu was grilled on charcoal then stirred with rice cooked off the traditional Japanese casserole with satay sauce mixed in while the pot is still sizzling. Love the smoky, savory flavor with a hint of sweetness and nuttiness. Even the dessert was presented with a mix of Chiuchow and contemporary local styles, with steamed egg white with taro cream and milk, Hong Kong-style candied winter melon pastry and pineapple bun served in mini sizes.
The meal left us wanting for more - maybe a visit to Chef Cheung's restaurants in Shenzhen or Beijing is in order.
The Special Event is by invitation. More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72177720325074632
When? March 26 2025
Where? Ming Court Wanchai, 2/F Great Eagle Centre, 23 Harbour Road, Wanchai
Menu Highlights? Deep-fried Crispy Pork Intestine stuffed with Eels
Drinks? 2020 Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Setilles
Web:
Ming Court Wanchai: www.mingcourt.com.hk
Chao Shang Chao (Beijing) (Michelin Guide) guide.michelin.com/hk/en/beijing-municipality/beijing/restaurant/chao-shang-chao
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