Location: 27/F, QRE Plaza, 202 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai
Overall Dining Experience: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Atmosphere: 6/10
Service: 8/10
Cost: $540HKD($70USD) for 2 in Sept 2011
Worth Returning? Yes

Hairy crab is considered a huge delicacy in Chinese Cuisine with those from Yangcheng Lake being the most expensive. Our crab was from Tai Lake but if it had been from Yangcheng Lake, it would have been $240HKD for the same 4 taels. Beware of fake Yangcheng Lake crabs. Only go to a reputable restaurant or seller when buying/ordering hairy crabs.

The two of us opted for a preset menu for two which included a female hairy crab each. There are many debates on if the female hairy crab’s roe is better or the male. But I am not a connoisseur nor do I like roe, so I am no help in this. Overall the preset menu was pretty good in that we got to try a variety of dishes between the two of us.

 Two tiny appetizers. Drunken chicken and jellyfish head with cucumbers. Both were pretty bad. The chicken was not tender, and the jellyfish was not crunchy.

 Crabmeat and crab roe soup with silken tofu. This was pleasant but nothing memorable. 6/10 for taste.

Hairy crabs are probably the most photogenic of the crab species. It almost looks too cute to eat after being steamed. I like how it is so proportional. The thing about hairy crabs is that while they are small, they are full of meat, which means it takes a long time to eat one. This crab took me a good 20 minutes. The roe was pretty good especially if you dipped it into the house prepared vinegar. The meat of the crab was really sweet especially the legs. 9/10 for taste.

This square saucer contained the vinegar to dip the crabmeat and roe. The elongated small spoon the on the left is for you to dig the roe and meat out the crabs. For people who hate to work for their food, steer clear of the hairy crab, you have been warned. After we finished the crab, we were served a cup of ginger tea. Chinese people think that crabs have a cooling effect. In order to counter that, they serve ginger tea which has a warming effect. Ginger tea was not bad considering I usually dislike ginger.

This dish was the star of the meal for me. This is the restaurant’s signature 蜜汁雙方. It is basically Yunnan Ham(a delicacy) with fried bean curd paper. The Yunnan Ham and the fried bean curd paper is served with a xie bao(mantou/bun like texture). Basically, you take the xie bao open it up and put 1 piece of Yunnan Ham and 1 piece of fried bean curd paper wrap, close  everything together and take a bite, similar to the way you eat Peking duck. But this was so much better than Peking duck, even the Peking duck from Made in China, Beijing. Perhaps it is because this is my first time eating Yunnan Ham while I had Peking duck innumerable times. But I really think it is the umami flavor of the Yunnan Ham which made it so delicious. Additionally, while I like Peking duck, I find the Hoisin sauce lacking. 10/10 for taste for the 蜜汁雙方.

This is crabmeat/roe xiao long bao. This was pretty good, on par with Joe’s Shanghai & Ding Tai Fung. 9/10 for taste.  A vegetable course was served prior to this, but I forgot to take a picture as it was nothing special.

The meal ended with some delicious sesame glutinous dumplings in ginger soup, along with some watermelon slices. 7/10 for dessert.

Overall, this was a very good meal. And kudos to Vicki for suggesting this restaurant. The Yunnan Ham really blew my mind, and the hairy crab was tasty as well. The dishes were served tasting menu style which was a nice touch and ensured that all the food was served hot. Service was pretty good in that we were in no way rushed which is a huge plus in hectic Hong Kong.

Other points of note: (1) There is a 10% service charge, as well as tea charge, and pickle charge. This is pretty much standard in the nicer Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. (2) This is also a Michelin recommended Hong Kong restaurant.