Surprise Dinner

Dinner at Ru in Tsuen Wan turned out to be one of the biggest surprises this first half of the year. I didn’t recall anything particularly remarkable in this side of town as far as fine-dining is concerned, so admittedly I was a bit hesitant about travelling this far out for dinner on a weeknight. But it turned out to be a very enjoyable experience.

A smooth ride got us to the doorstep of Nina Tsuen Wan West Hotel right at our dinner booking time, with the restaurant located on the seventh floor. The main dining area was spacious and I like the light-colored décor and large window on one side overlooking the town, and I am more impressed with a few private room on the other side, somewhere we would bear in mind when we are looking for somewhere for special celebration or friends’ gathering. 

We were served the tasting menu by the young chef Edmond Ip. While many chefs of this generation chose to be more creative and adventurous in their style, the dishes from Chef Edmond’s tasting menu were more of the classic side, recreating some of the more traditional Cantonese dishes and doing it right. The elaborate tea ceremony where the wild chrysanthemum tea was brewed by their tea sommelier was a good start with the soothing, refreshing flavor. Then it was the equally refreshing chilled appetizer of cherry tomatoes marinated in preserved plum juice. The touch of acidity and sweetness balance was just perfect. The char-siu was served in thick slices using collar butt cut and finished with a honey glaze. It’s on the sweet side (which I like) and I also love the slightly charred crust – that would easily make it to my Top 5 this year so far. 

The double-boiled soup with almond and lily bulb was great with the creamy flavor and in the soup was a large piece of fish maw with nice bouncy texture. And later on we had our second dose of fish maw in form of a Cantonese-style casserole. Similar ingredient but slightly different flavor with ginger, scallions and shallots done in a sizzling earthenware casserole. The pork ribs were done in more of Shanghainese style with dark vinegar glaze, but this time it’s done with the Italian balsamic vinegar reduced to syrup consistency for a more complex flavor profile. 

The stuffed crab shell and braised pomelo skin were both classic Cantonese dishes and both were done true to the original version. Love the sauce that went with the pomelo skin and the texture, with the softened skin soak up the flavor from the sauce prepared with superior broth and topped with dried shrimp roes. Finishing up was a simple bowl of fried rice topped with dried Japanese Sakura ebi, giving this a bit of crunchiness and plenty of umami flavor. 

Chef was definitely showing off his knife skills with the blob of tofu carefully carved into flower shape for our dessert of “To Fu Fa” and finished with the sweet ginger syrup. That’s followed by another crafty (and traditional) dessert of black and white sesame rolls. That led me into thinking maybe we should make another trip some time soon for their dim sum dishes available only during lunch service. 

(Dinner was by invitation)

When? June 3 2023
Where? Restaurant RÚ, 7/F Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West, 8 Yeung Uk Road, Tsuen Wan, Kowloon
Menu Highlights? Honey-glazed Char Siu
Drinks?
2021 Deinhard Green Label Riesling, Mosel, Germany
2019 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA
Web: www.ninahotelgroup.com/en/nina-hotel-tsuen-wan-west/dining/ru