![[Hong Kong Cuisine] Savour award-winning dishes and Huang Rong’s creative cuisine at ‘Yung Kee Restaurant’ in Central](https://jonathansin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/39680068573_07aef35cbf_z-1.jpg)
A great deal happened in 2018, and one of the things I found particularly saddening was the passing of the martial arts novelist Mr Jin Yong. Twenty years ago, Wing Kee Restaurant launched the ‘Banquet of the Hero Who Shot the Eagle’, a ten-course meal inspired by his novels that sent shockwaves through the culinary world. Rumours later circulated that Wing Kee would no longer host this banquet, but these were, in fact, nothing more than unfounded urban myths.
The dish my friend fondly remembers most is ‘Moonlit Night at the Twenty-Four Bridges’, the most famous of the ten courses, but we also wanted to try some of Yung Kee’s other nostalgic dishes, Fortunately, as we are on friendly terms with Yung Kee, we received special permission from the owner and head chef to design this menu featuring only ‘Moonlit Night at the Twenty-Four Bridges’ and other award-winning classic dishes.
Usually, we tend to go to the first to third floors of Yung Kee for rice dishes and home-style dishes, but this time we dined on the fourth floor, the VIP level, where the kitchen gives priority to preparing dishes for guests on this floor. In addition, the eighth floor features a separate kitchen and is a premium VIP level dedicated to private dining.
‘The Five Blessings Gather at the Orchid Pavilion’
Yung Kee has been invited to compete in the Japan Iron Chef Competition on numerous occasions. In 1995, they created this evocative dish, inspired by the Orchid Pavilion, which went on to win the competition. The entry at the time consisted of five goose dishes prepared using different techniques; what we enjoyed that evening, however, was a selection that included ‘Jade Curtains and Pearl Veils’ (which won the Gold Award at the 1986 Hong Kong Food Festival), braised frog legs, deep-fried frog legs, and braised fish skin and sea cucumber – all five of these flavourful dishes were adapted into appetiser portions and served on specially designed appetiser plates. As soon as the dish was served, everyone was captivated by its ethereal charm and couldn’t stop taking photos!
‘A Moonlit Night on the Twenty-Four Bridges’
The highlight of the evening was, of course, the chapter ‘A Moonlit Night on the Twenty-Four Bridges’, in which the book’s heroine, Huang Rong, goes to great lengths to win Hong Qiugong’s favour so that he will teach Guo Jing the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Huang Rong first carves twenty-four small holes into a whole, steamed Jinhua ham, then stuffs the tofu—carved out using her signature ‘Orchid Palm’ technique—into the ham before steaming it again, allowing the ham’s essence and rich aroma to be fully absorbed by the tender, handmade cloth-wrapped tofu. In the book, those twenty-four savoury and delicious pieces of tofu are the true stars; the Jinhua ham is merely a vessel, to be discarded and not eaten. In real life, of course, we eat them separately—we can’t be ‘wasteful gluttons’ and let food go to waste, can we?
‘Supreme Grade Young Goose Stew’
We usually eat pig’s blood, so goose blood is already quite a treat in itself; little did we know that hidden beneath the generous layer of goose blood lay a variety of goose offal, including goose meat, goose liver, goose intestines and goose kidneys. The geese used are the rare, top-quality Black-maned Geese, and they are just 120-day-old goslings, making them exceptionally prized. The tofu puffs, soaked through with the rich, flavourful broth, are also an absolute must-try.
‘Li Yunzi’s Steamed Soft Egg Whites’
‘Li Yun Zi’ is actually the roe of the finger-sized fengli crab, which thrives at the interface between fresh and salt water. Do not mistake this dish for a simple steamed egg white with crab roe; a single serving requires 200 fengli crabs and is a dish that has almost been lost to history. The silky-smooth egg white, paired with the savoury and briny crab roe, is simply superb with rice.
‘The Moon’s Shadow Casts a Delicate Silhouette Through the Lace Window’
The name alone is quite poetic, and the dish looks absolutely exquisite, with generous portions of ingredients! The milky-white, slightly translucent ‘moon’ encircling the plate is actually a crispy, chewy fried pigeon egg! The snow-white ‘screen’ on top is crispy bamboo fungus. And who would have guessed that beneath the ‘screen’ lies an abundance of delicate bird’s nest threads!
'Foie Gras and Pig's Intestine Steamed Buns'
This goose liver sausage combines tender goose liver with pork, marinated in a secret blend of spices and rose wine, resulting in a rich, vinous flavour and a lovely fatty aroma. Served with fluffy flower buns, it is an absolute delight.
‘The Rice of the Immortal Elder’
It is a dessert symbolising longevity. ‘Immortal’s Rice’ is actually a nutrient-rich wild seaweed with a texture somewhat similar to sago; due to the complex preparation process, only wealthy families could afford it in the 1960s and 1970s.
Every single dish at this banquet revealed the chef’s careful thought and attention to detail. Whilst the overall flavour wasn’t the most outstanding, the ingredients used were incredibly varied and distinctive, and the portions were extremely generous—not a hint of skimping—which truly took me by surprise. I feel that, as an opportunity to sample traditional signature dishes from a Hong Kong establishment with decades of history, and to experience the ‘creative cuisine’ from the world of Mr Jin Yong’s martial arts novels, it was truly an eye-opening experience and well worth a try.
Address: 32–40 Wellington Street, Central
Transport: MTR Central Station, Exit D2, approximately a 4-minute walk
Telephone number: 852 25221624 (general bookings) / 852 25234686 (VIP private rooms)
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 11:00 – 23:30
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