Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Yum Cha Omakase

It’s great to have run into Chef Jayson at his restaurant Man Ho at JW Marriott during our visit on the last day of January, especially on the heel of double good news for him personally and professionally this month. And that also meant we didn’t have to decide what to eat and just asked him to help sort out the menu for us.

We were here for some dim sum dishes as our weekend lunch so he prepared for us a few items served in tasting portion, plus a few other dishes from the a la carte menu. The Har Gau (Prawn Dumpling) and Siu Mai (Pork Dumpling) represented the two most recognizable Cantonese dim sum dishes, and they were perfectly made and served in these cute little bamboo baskets. Completing the platter was the baked char siu puff, again perfectly done in half-circle shape, with the golden colored crust and toasted sesame on top. 

Our second round of dim sum again came in a set of three – I am usually not a fan of kale but the steamed mushroom and kale dumpling was my favorite this time, with the beautifully wrapped piece with the colorful ingredients finely chopped and filled in a transparent “dough” (made with glutinous rice flour). 

I had the best fish soup the last time I was here and was happy for an encore – with the soup having the richest and most complex taste served with dried prawns, fish maw and venus clams (花甲蛤). It’s truly a class of its own. The beef stir-fried noodles was decent too, cooked using the Shuntak-style thin, flat and wide rice noodles (陳村粉) which has a softer texture. The sliced beef on top came with a bite – I thought it’s slightly too firm but then I like the contrast in textures along with the crunchy bean sprouts. 

Three desserts were served at the end. The baked egg tart arrived fresh and hot with the wobbling egg custard in the center of the flaky, buttery crust, and the Osmanthus jelly was lovely with the pleasant aroma and soothingly sweet taste. I thought the Crème Brulee with mashed jujube was a touch of genius, combining well the classic Cantonese steamed egg dessert mixed with jujube, and finished with a caramelized crust on top. It was absolutely enjoyable. 

More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72157718118873706

When? January 31 2021
Where? Man Ho at JW Marriott Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Fresh Fish soup with fish maw, clams and beancurd sheet


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