Last Saturday, I got up late and had breakfast and lunch together. As we were going to the cinema somewhere near Mong Kok, we made a point of popping into the Michelin-recommended ‘Ah Chun Shandong Dumpling Shop’ to give it a try. Once again, we put our formidable appetites to good use and ordered several of the shop’s specialities… Shandong-style roast chicken noodles, garlic-marinated pork belly, preserved egg and tofu, watercress and minced pork dumplings, cumin lamb, and chive and pork pastries. Thankfully, the portions of each dish were quite modest.
The 2013 Michelin Guide featured this dumpling restaurant in the Prince Edward district. Although it is not a ‘starred’ restaurant, nor is it a Bib Gourmand ‘quality dining for under $300’, I believe that any establishment worthy of a full page in the guide is certainly no pushover.
‘Ah Chun Shandong Dumplings’ – a handmade dumpling shop opened in Hong Kong by a recent immigrant from mainland China. Ah Chun is the owner’s name; originally from Shandong, he trained in the art of dumpling-making for over twenty years in mainland China and now serves authentic Shandong cuisine with a homely flavour in the Prince Edward district. Currently, 2,000 traditional dumplings are freshly handmade every day, and in a bid to preserve the authentic flavours of Shandong cuisine, the shop insists on importing its seasonings directly from Shandong to Hong Kong. It is said that many Shandong natives living in Hong Kong visit this shop in search of the flavours of home.
At first, we weren’t sure how generous the portions would be, so we started by ordering two or three small portions each. We chose the ‘Shandong Roast Chicken Noodles’ because we were worried the snack-sized portions might be too large; by ordering this dish served with noodles, we could have a little of the noodles whilst also trying the famous Shandong roast chicken. The number of chicken pieces was about average—around five or six. Preparing Shandong-style braised chicken requires a fair bit of effort: it’s marinated, then deep-fried, and finally steamed. If you’re having it shredded by hand, that’s yet another step in the process.
A well-made roast chicken is full of the aroma of spring onions, garlic and soy sauce, and although the meat in Ah Chun’s version wasn’t particularly tender, it was still full of flavour—it was really quite good. Adding a dash of vinegar and some crushed garlic makes it even more delicious; just thinking about it makes my mouth water!!! Unfortunately, the noodles were rather unremarkable; they lacked any distinct floury aroma and were far too mushy – exactly the sort I dislike the most. So I’d suggest just ordering the ‘Shandong Roast Chicken’ as a small dish next time.
The star of the menu at ‘Ah Chun Shandong Dumplings’ is, naturally, the round Shandong-style dumplings. Shandong dumplings are quite different from the boiled dumplings you’d find in other noodle shops in Hong Kong, the wrappers are thick, and they’re eaten dry without soup, one at a time. We ordered the ‘Watercress and Fresh Pork Dumplings’, which were prominently featured on the menu; the first bite revealed the aroma of watercress, complemented by a filling of fresh pork – they were juicy and generously filled!!
I ordered my usual favourite, ‘preserved egg and tofu’, but unfortunately the quality was shockingly poor; the preserved egg wasn’t of good quality and had been cut into tiny pieces. The texture of the tofu was coarse; I don’t know if this is how the traditional Shandong-style version is supposed to be, but overall it put me off my food, so I decided not to eat it.
The ‘Garlic-Pounded Pork’ wasn’t much better either. The poached pork lacked any meaty aroma, the texture was coarse, and I couldn’t detect any natural flavour to speak of; it was merely seasoned with garlic cloves and soy sauce. It didn’t seem as though the chef had put much effort into it, I strongly feel that the portion size, flavour and price are not in proportion to one another; I was rather disappointed with this ‘Garlic-Pounded Pork’.
There are several regional variations of ‘cumin lamb’; the Shandong-style version is less commonly found in Hong Kong. As soon as Ah Chun’s ‘cumin lamb’ was placed on the table, the aroma filled the room, so much so that even those sitting nearby could smell the cumin. The lamb was stir-fried until quite dry; although it was perhaps slightly overcooked, the excellent flavour more than made up for this.
In the end, seeing that we still had a bit of room left, and noticing that the pastries just served to the person sitting next to us looked rather tasty, the two of us had to choose between the ‘lamb and spring onion pastries’ and the ‘chive and pork pastries’. As she doesn’t like spring onions, we opted for the ‘chive and pork pastries’. After waiting a few minutes, the piping hot ‘chive and pork pastries’ finally arrived; the filling was rich and flavourful, whilst the thin pastry had a lovely toasty aroma. Each serving consists of one pastry, about the size of a palm, which is then cut into four pieces, so each person gets half. It’s absolutely delicious – definitely worth a try.
The interior is very spacious, and the owner says the shop stays open until 11 pm, so it’s well worth a visit for those out and about at night.
Address: Ground Floor, 60 Lai Chi Kok Road, Prince Edward
Transport: MTR Prince Edward Station, Exit C2; approximately a 3-minute walk
Tel: 852 2789 9611
Opening hours: Monday to Tuesday, Thursday to Sunday: 11:00–23:00; closed on Wednesdays
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