Nice and Easy

We ended up eating at One Harbour Road at the Grand Hyatt on a Friday evening when we managed a last minute table booking. It’s been a while since we were last here and we wanted something nice and easy so that fits the bill. 

For the size of the restaurant that spanned over 2 levels in the hotel, the place feels quiet and cozy with the gorgeous harbour view to show forth through the ceiling to floor window on one side of the dining area. We didn’t want to think much about what to eat so we went for their set dinner with six savory courses plus desserts. 

It started off fine with the piece of suckling pig and the chilled appetizer of shredded chicken, glass noodles with sesame and vinegar dressing. Not the most memorable one but decent with the crispy (albeit slightly burnt) pork skin. The soup was brilliant though, served in a nice porcelain bowl and in potage consistency, with braised bird’s nest, crab meat and crab roes which gave the soup a tint of golden orange color. Similar to the one we had at another restaurant a couple of weeks before but this one was richer in flavor – thanks to the addition of crab roes. 

Steamed lobster was next – served halved in individual portion. Simple, traditional preparation with the piece of baby lobster steamed and topped with soy and black bean sauce with rice vermicelli at the bottom to soak up the sauce. Nice bouncy texture with good umami taste from the tender lobster. Love the piece of black cod fillet, wrapped with a thin layer of shrimp mousse, gently battered and deep-fried and served with leeks. It was my favorite dish of the evening. 

The second main course was the beef cheek, slow cooked with the black truffle gravy sauce and served with layers of tofu sheets at the bottom. Nice presentation in  a mini earthenware casserole and perfect texture for the beef cheek, though I could live with a more intense flavor or something more to take up the sauce. Same with the fried rice which was our final savory course – nicely cooked and presented, but I didn’t taste much of the minced Iberico pork or the Yunnan termite mushrooms so it did seem like that didn’t do the ingredients much justice. 

We got to choose our own dessert to end the meal with from the menu, and both of us reached for the mango pudding, not the most traditional per se but an old-school dessert items at many local Chinese restaurants, so in a sense it’s nostalgic. A bit disappointed that they didn’t serve it with drizzle of evaporated milk as per the common practice, but it’s delicious. 

Went for a single bottle from their wine menu. Can’t go wrong with something from Rhone Valley. Medium bodied, mild black fruits with some smokiness. Something nice and easy, just like the restaurant and the meal. 

When? October 9 2020
Where? One Harbour Road at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Bird’s Nest Soup with Crab Meat and Crab Roes
Drink: 2016 Francois Villard Saint Joseph “Poivre et Sol”
Web: www.hongkong.grand.hyattrestaurants.com/restaurants-and-bars/one-harbour-road