Rare Weekday Lunch in Town

I took advantage of my rare weekday appearance on the island side of town to eat at One Harbour Road at the Grand Hyatt. It wasn't that long ago since my last visit but they recently went through some renovation and re-opened with some slight changes in decor and table setting. 

And this is my first time seated in their private room near the entrance, with the space perfect for small group gathering with great harbor view. Chef Chan Hon-cheong has created the menu specifically for us with some of the new and classic signature dishes. 

We started with the delightful bite of young ginger roots and century egg - but rather than the conventional version with a thin slices of ginger paired with wedge of century egg and a dip of sugar, Chef Cheong combined all ingredients as a agar jelly to be eaten in one bite. And I love the refreshing and balanced flavor on top of its nice presentation. It was quickly followed by "Dum Sum Garden" with three different kinds of dimsum dumplings served in a porcelain basket. My favorite one was the steamed fish and shrimp dumpling with a hint of Sichuan spicy sauce, giving it a nice color and a tasty kick. 

The menu struck a fine balance between classic and creative cooking, with inspirations drawn not only from Cantonese cuisine but other parts of China, which is well-suited for a restaurant inside a hotel with out-of-town visitors in mind (thinking ahead for post-COVID, I guess) The lobster was served two ways - on one side was piece sauteed with a sweet and sour sauce (said to be inspired by Wuxi cuisine) and the other was the claw stuffed with minced prawns and deep-fried with batter. I love the rich flavor presented.

The sea cucumber and pomelo skin was another creative dish that I love. Taking a play from bistro-style soup gratinee, Chef Cheong presented the braised sea cucumber and pomelo skin with the think abalone gravy sauce in a rimmed soup bowl topped with baked puff pastry sheet. And the flaky pastry did add to the dish for the buttery flavor and texture when mixed with the rich sauce. 

The “baby duck” was done like a pigeon, roasted and basted with soy sauce – the duck was so tender that even the bones were edible with a crunchy texture. The fried rice was served in a mini casserole with the appealing red color. Chef explained the rice has been infused with beetroot juice hence the color and stir-fried with crispy rice for some different texture. I thought the rice may be overwhelmed by the grassy taste of beetroot juice, but they got none of that, and I love the bits of scallops, charsiu and scallions added in. 

We finished with a dessert platter, with the chilled Taiwanese guava cream with sago, coconut and red bean pudding, and a pineapple pastry shaped like a handbag but inspired by the classic Taiwanese pineapple tart.

Went simple for drinks because it’s a weekday afternoon. Started with a bottle of sparkling tea, then just a bottle of red followed by a comforting cup of rose tea to wrap up. There should be more weekday meal such as this.

(Meal was by invitation)

Where? One Harbour Road, Level 8, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
Menu Highlights? Braised Sea Cucumber and Pomelo Skin with Abalone Sauce
Drinks?
Saicho Sparkling Cold Brew Tea - Jasmine
2012 La Parde de Haut-Bailly, Pessac Leognan
Web: www.hongkong.grand.hyattrestaurants.com/restaurants-and-bars/one-harbour-road