Fine Dining Takeaway Part 4: Roots Eatery

I messaged Chef Stephanie the night before to order our takeout dinner so we could pick it up at her restaurant Roots the next day. I was intrigued by the dishes she posted on the restaurant’s social media account (@RootsEateryHK) and we were curious to check it out. 

The food was ready just as I walked in at the arranged time, nicely packed in the paper bag with all components arranged in individual boxes. Only when we got home and began unpacking did I start to appreciate more of the effort and thoughts put in to make sure the dishes arrived home in mint condition. Most of the boxes are made of paper or biodegradable materials so extra credits for that too. 

Most of the dishes were ready to eat as is, but worked better if reheated slightly in the oven before eating. So that’s what we did. We began with the snack course with the food in bite-sized portion. Shrimp toast was an elaborate version of the Cantonese classic, with the piece of shrimp – butterflied and baked with a piece of toast underneath served with pickled onions and ikura on top. There’s a nice contrast of textures and flavors. Madeleine and Cheese Mousse had this unique savory-sweet taste, with the honey-glazed pastry topped with the mousse made of Comte and Goat cheeses. Comte was the dominating one and I like the creamy texture. 

As the set meal we got to choose 2 starter courses from the 3 options. Beef tartare is definitely a must-have, with the beef well marinated and topped with dots of chili espuma made of the local Yu Kwan Yik hot sauce, XO Sauce and the whole egg yolk. Love the attempt to give this classic dish a local touch. The Chicken Wings were fine too – stuffed with foie gras and roasted in the oven – I think it tasted well enough without the sweet and sour sauce that came with. 

We went for the chicken with glutinous rice stuffing as our main course. This has become one of our favorite dishes at Roots and it tasted fine as takeout at home. All I did was slightly reheat both the chicken and the rice in a cast-iron casserole on stove-top and brought the whole pot to the table to serve – just like how it was done at the restaurant. I found the chicken slightly dry this time – possibly because of the need to heat twice, but the stuffing was great, moist and flavorful. 

Dessert and petit fours were another beauty – with the classic lemon tart and caneles. We pulled an easy-going bottle from our wine fridge – the medium-bodied Australian shiraz with straight forward flavor was just what we needed for a simple but enjoyable meal at the comfort of our home. What an effort to pull off such a lovely set dinner with just a small team in the kitchen! 

When? August 15 2020
Where? Kitchen at 17A featuring food from Roots Eatery
Menu Highlights? Beef Tartare, Yu Kwan Yik XO Style
Drink? 2019 The Spectacle Shiraz, South Australia
Web: https://www.rootseatery.com/