The best of Hong Kong in 8 stops (2)

see part one

One of the best Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong is on the 102nd floor of the ICC Tower, inside the Ritz-Carlton hotel. It’s called Tin Lung Heen. The setting is very luxurious and elegant, with impeccable service and extraordinary raw materials, the prelude to an unforgettable dinner.

We chose Signature, the most complete tasting menu, including 11 courses. It’s demanding but manageable with a little exercise! Impeccable cooking enhances out-of-the-ordinary ingredients, without ever spoiling them or silencing them. Be it fried food, grilled meat or broth, everything is prepared with great care and skill, resulting in a very realistic overview of the best Cantonese cuisine whose roots lie in millennial traditions.

Dishes to remember? Iberian pig, first glazed in honey then chargrilled, or the fried crab filled with its meat: it’s so light it could well compete with the best Japanese tempura.

Once the dinner is over, getting the lift up to the 118th floor is mandatory: there’s Ozone, the tallest bar in the world. Very glamorous setting, deejay set and fashion-addicted clientele. There’s a nice cocktail and spirits list. Always crowded, especially during the weekend when it closes at 3. For the hardened night owl.

Another stop not to be missed is restaurant Lung King Heen inside the Four Seasons hotel. Guided by executive chef Chan Yan Tak it’s the first Chinese restaurant to receive 3 Michelin stars. It’s simply considered the best of its kind.

We tried it on a Saturday at lunchtime, the day of the traditional dim sum ritual, which in China is a bit like our Sunday lunch or brunch. Always fully booked, the restaurant is a real institution. Service of the highest standards and a series of extraordinary dim sum. There are many and all made and cooked right there and then by an extraordinary team.

The Rice rolls with lobster and mashed fermented beans and the Beef dumplings with mushrooms and kimchi were unforgettable. Dip them in a choice of sauces made by the chef: sweet and sour, hot, and very hot. It will be an unforgettable experience.

The last address is again for mixology lovers: the name is Quinary and it’s one of the 50 best cocktail bars in the world. It’s directed by iconic Antonio Lai, deus ex machina of this and other very popular places in Hong Kong. You can sip extraordinary multi-sensorial cocktails such as Earl Grey Caviar Martini, their signature cocktail made with vodka and Cointreau and finished with scenic spheres and tea mousse. Wonderful.

2. the end

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso