I’ve dined at ‘Xiang Gong’ on several occasions, but last week’s meal was a real treat. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the historic ‘Shangri-La Hotel’, and to mark the occasion, the hotel has commissioned Chef Mo of the two-Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant ‘Xiang Gong’ to create a selection of 35 lobster dishes prepared using a variety of cooking techniques – ‘35 Ways to Cook Lobster’. Thirty-five dishes is quite a number, and the creativity involved is not something everyone can match; of course, given Chef Mo’s skill, this was by no means a challenge. So, let me highlight a few of the dishes that left the deepest impression on me.
‘Nourishing and Health-Promoting Festive Stews’
Before tucking into the main course, we were served a bowl of soup—but this was no ordinary soup. Head Chef Mo Jieqiang explained: ‘This is one of the nourishing stewed soups developed by Empress Dowager Cixi during the Qing Dynasty in her quest for eternal life.’
The ‘Nourishing and Health-Promoting Celebration Stew’ is prepared in a giant stewing pot nearly three feet in diameter—so large that it takes both hands to encircle it— containing a ‘Five-Layered Chicken’ and a total of 35 varieties of nourishing and invigorating herbs, which were then sealed with muslin and simmered gently for six hours. What is a ‘five-layered chicken’? It involves stacking, from the inside out, twelve quail’s eggs inside a quail, followed by a mature pigeon, then a bamboo-thread chicken, and finally, on the outermost layer, another mature chicken—making a total of five layers. Such meticulous craftsmanship is truly a rare sight in the city.
In addition to the five varieties of chicken, the dish also features a wealth of other ingredients, including wild mountain abalone, ginseng, deer root, conch meat, chicken, pork belly, ham, sun-and-moon fish, fish maw, dried scallops, matsutake mushrooms, flower mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, morels… and so on.
During the six-hour slow-cooking process, the essence of the nourishing ingredients has blended with the five-set chicken. The resulting health-promoting broth is rich, clear and fragrant, with subtle notes of mushrooms and medicinal herbs; a single sip brings a wave of warmth to the heart. Among the abundance of ingredients, each person is served a generous piece of tender fish maw—a dish that ladies simply must not miss.
At this point, those who enjoy a tipple might ask Master Mo for a small cup of his private reserve, the ‘Ten-Treasure Tonifying Wine’, to add to the stew—this takes the dish to a whole new level of culinary excellence. No wonder even the ‘Empress Dowager Cixi’ fancied a bowl; it truly is a Michelin-standard delicacy!
‘Glazed Char Siu and Crispy-Skinned Roasted Pork Belly’
When it comes to the starters at Xiang Gong, one simply must mention their char siu and roasted pork belly. Made from carefully selected half-lean, half-fatty black-haired pork, the char siu is richly fragrant; the meat is tender and flaky, with just the right amount of fat yet still offering a satisfying chew—it’s absolutely superb! The sesame-crusted roast pork belly, made using pork belly with five layers of fat and lean meat, is also not to be missed. Each piece is about the size of a dice; having two of each as starters is just the right amount to whet your appetite and tantalise your taste buds.
‘Lobster Crossing the Bridge’
The lobster meat is carefully removed from the shell and then doused with piping-hot lobster broth, cooked using the ‘bridge-style’ method, The lobster broth is deliciously savoury, whilst the medium-rare lobster meat is sweet and succulent, with a tender and smooth texture; its depth of flavour is simply incomparable to the usual stir-fried or baked preparations. Paired with crisp bean sprouts, you could easily polish off another bowl or two without a second thought.
‘Lobster Stir-fried with Green Peppers’
Lobster meat has a delicate sweetness and is excellent in soup, but its firm, crisp texture also lends itself perfectly to stir-frying. This dish, ‘Stir-fried Lobster with Green Peppercorns’, carries a subtle aroma of green peppercorns; its mild spiciness does not overpower the lobster’s natural sweetness but rather complements it, bringing out the lobster’s flavour even more distinctly.
‘Lobster Stir-fried with Fresh Milk’
This stir-fried creamed fresh milk, with its exceptionally rich texture and a flavour even more intense than Hokkaido 3.6 milk, is stir-fried to a tender and delicious consistency—a dish that requires great skill to prepare. Paired with crisp, smooth and springy lobster meat, it creates a perfect marriage of smoothness and tenderness. Spooned into your mouth one bite at a time with a small spoon, it is utterly irresistible.
‘Sweet Peach Gelatin Soup with Uji Matcha Red Bean Mochi’
I won’t dwell on the final dessert either; my favourite was this ‘Peach Gelatin Sweet Soup with Uji Matcha Red Bean Mochi’, The sweet soup has a slightly tart, peachy aroma that cuts through the heaviness of the Uji matcha red bean rice dumplings; the red beans are fragrant and have a delightfully chewy texture – it’s rather tasty. Furthermore, on the tree-branch-shaped dessert stand, alongside the crumbly and delicious walnut biscuits, the sweet-but-not-cloying lotus seed paste biscuits and the white sugar cake, the film-like sesame rolls are also well worth trying again and again.
To mark its 35th anniversary, the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel will also be offering a series of dining promotions across its other restaurants, each celebrating the hotel’s milestone with distinctive dishes: Tan Wan’s ‘Miyazaki Wagyu Sukiyaki Rolls’, Angelini’s ‘Savoury Fruit and Vegetable Scallop Salad’ , Café Kool’s ‘Smoked Gurnard’, the Tapas Bar’s ‘Shangri-La Manhattan’ and ‘Half-Moon Pastries’, and finally Deli Kool’s ‘Intense Spiced Fruit and Chocolate Mousse Cake’.
What’s more, there are accommodation packages and a photo-sharing competition, with the grand prize being a trip for two to Tokyo, including accommodation. Let me share this with you all:
1) From 1 to 30 June, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays), the in-house restaurant is offering a set menu at a net price of HK$$350 (excluding service charge), comprising a five-course dim sum lunch at Xiang Gong, a seven-course kaiseki meal at Tan Wan, the Angelini Semi-Buffet Lunch and three-course lunch set, the Café Kool Buffet Lunch with unlimited soft drinks and fruit juices, and the afternoon tea set for two at the Lobby Lounge – each option is equally enticing.
2) Guests may also follow the hotel’s Instagram account (@kowloonshangrila) between 14 May and 17 June 2016, then share new or old photos taken at the hotel, tagging #Happy35KSL and #kowloonshangrila. Winners will receive a dining voucher worth $3,500 or 3,500 Golden Circle reward points.
3) Guests booking under the ‘35th Anniversary Room Offer’ can enjoy discounts ranging from 35 per cent to 15 per cent off the standard rate, provided they book any room category at least fifteen to thirty-five days prior to check-in.
4) Guests will receive one raffle ticket for every 35th-anniversary set menu or dish they order, giving them the chance to win a trip for two to Tokyo, including return flights for two and a complimentary two-night stay at the Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo.
Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/hongkong/kowloonshangrila/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/kowloonshangrila
Address: Basement 1, Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel, 64 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2733 8754
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