That Killer Suckling Pig

It’s been a long while since we got together as a group and glad we did that late last month over dinner at The Celestial Court at the Sheraton. I have visited the restaurant a few times before and the place didn’t change much from what I remembered, except Chef Jack Chan who came on board late last year. And it’s crowded as always on the Friday evening we were there, just before the Father’s Day weekend which understandably is one of the busier weekend of any Chinese restaurant around town.

We have seen numerous social media posts about Chef Jack’s roasted suckling pig and that’s the dish we most eagerly wanted to try, and it didn’t disappoint as the whole roasted pig was brought to our table before carving into individual portion and served. This version of the dish, the one stuffed with sticky rice, was not as common as before these days, but Chef Jack added pearl barley, bits of black truffles and Yunnan ham for rich aroma and flavor to the already-rich stuffing soaked in meat flavor from the roasted pork. Of course the best part was still the skin, which was roasted thin and crisp just like it should. We finished the whole dish in no time.

While the suckling pig was surely the highlight of our evening, the rest of the meals was impressive too, which included sautéed lobster, fish and vegetables. One I particularly enjoyed was the cod fish fillet, coated in a light batter and deep-fried, and served with a drizzle of sweet and sour sauce. It’s salivating and I love the texture of crispy batter crust and flaky, juicy meat underneath. The sautéed lobster was served on top of scrambled egg white and superior broth gravy plus a dollop of caviar on top for the extra umami touch, and house-cured pork belly was added to the sautéed vegetables for the smoky flavor – both were excellent.

The trio of desserts were served at the conclusion of our dinner – with a style mixed with old and new. Black sesame jelly roll was one of those old-school dimsum dish, and Chef Jack added a thin layer of white sesame jelly sheet for better presentation and a more balanced flavor. The deep-fried pumpkin dumpling was another visually attractive dish – with the sweet dumpling shaped like a mini pumpkin with the sweet pumpkin puree inside. And to complete the set, we had a small bowl of double-boiled egg white with coconut cream and peach gum, which was sweet and soothing.

No wonder the place is always packed.

(Dinner was by invitation)

When? June 15 2018
Where? The Celestial Court, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Towers, 20 Nathan Road, Tsimshatsui, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Roasted whole suckling pig stuffed with pearl barley, black truffle, glutinous rice and Yunnan ham
Web: www.sheratonhongkonghotel.com/celestialcourt