Amid the hustle and bustle of Central’s busy streets comes a fine-dining Cantonese cuisinary that has elevated the city’s traditional fare to new heights. We are speaking, of course, of Ying Jee Club, the two Michelin-starred restaurant located on Connaught Road’s Nexxus Building. Part of the ZS Hospitality Group – which owns four other Central-set restaurants including Lee Lo Mei, Moi Moi and Sakana No Aji – it recently upped the epicurean stakes even further with the unveiling of an all-new seasonal tasting menu.
Personally curated by Chef Siu Hin Chi, the culinary genius who has collected 15 Michelin stars in the past decade, the new tasting menu at Ying Jee Club serves up seven separate courses that each boast a unique flavour profile. Yet, when taken as a whole, the experience is nothing so much as an homage to the very best of Cantonese culinary traditions and ingredients.
The line-up opened with Chilled Sliced Sea Whelk with Jelly Fish and Caviar, Wok-fried Kagoshima A4 Wagyu Beef with Scallion and Soy Sauce. A two-part appetiser that blends succulent seafood morsels with heartier bites of melt-in-your-mouth beef, it deftly showcased Chef Siu’s ability to create dishes that are far greater than the sum of their parts.
Then it was onto back-to-back lobster courses. First up was Baked Lobster with Cheese and Garlic, which sees baby lobsters baked in a heavenly garlicky concoction and topped with cheese. An umami bomb from start to finish, it served as a perfect counter point to the next dish – Steamed Whole Lobster with Egg White and “Hua Diao”. Here, subtlety was the name of the game, with the steamed egg custard and lobster bites enhanced and sweetened with the judicious use of hua diao, a traditional Chinese yellow wine.
To follow, and in a knowing nod to local appetites, was Braised South African Abalone with Pork Belly and Vegetable in Oyster Sauce. Once again, Chef Siu’s adept handling of his ingredients sees the tender pork belly and delicate abalone merge to form a superbly mouth-watering dish.
Next to hove into view was Poached Fish Maw with Wolfberry in Chicken Broth, a deliciously wholesome dish that called nothing to mind so much as a childhood favourite reborn – albeit with a fine-dining twist – before the final savoury course arrived tableside: Fried Rice with Barbecue Pork, Roast Duck, Shrimp, Crispy Conpoy and Vegetables. Boasting an amalgam of flavours and textures that came together in a uniquely cohesive manner, this was Cantonese comfort food at its very finest.
To end proceedings on a truly sweet note, the beautifully presented Ying Jee Dessert was unveiled. From the flaky Lotus Seed Paste Puff and Glutinous Dumpling to the decadent Double Boiled Bird’s Nest with Almond Juice, it served as the perfect sampling platter to satiate the sweet tooth of even the most discerning diner.
The new seasonal tasting menu at Ying Jee Club is priced at HK$1,980 per person. Oenophiles can also opt for the wine pairing menu for an additional HK$600 as well.
Ying Jee Club. Shop G05 G/Fl & Shops 107~108, 1/Fl, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Rd Central.(852)2801 6882. www.yingjeeclub.hk