A friend was back in town and wanted Chinese food for our get-together. With the delicious roast pig still on my mind from last month, I dragged everyone across the harbor to Kimberley Chinese Restaurant (君怡閣) in the Kimberley Hotel. There were a few complaints about making the trek just for dinner, but I assured my friends that it would be well worth it.
I appeared to have over-ordered, despite my promise to myself that I wouldn't do that at this restaurant. Well...there were 11 of us so I thought we would be able to finish it all...
pan-fried prawns in soy sauce (頭抽煎中蝦) - not a bad way to start the evening. Very flavorful and the accompanying fried spring onions and garlic were tasty.
garoupa done two ways (大海中斑兩味) - stir-fried with vegetables (西芹炒斑球) and deep-fried head and tail braised with tofu and pork (豆腐炆頭腩). The stir-fried fish tasted of dirt so I dabbed on a bit of sauce. For the deep-fried tail, the combination with tofu and fatty pork made for an interesting experience.
goose feet braised with pomelo skin (柚皮炆鵝掌) - I always love goose feet, and the pomelo skin is always really nice. Quite surprised that a few people never had the pomelo skin...
pig's lungs in claypot (砂鍋粉絲白肺) - I thought someone wanted to have the lungs, but it turned out the request was for the lungs in soup... This was not very well-received, and I myself only had half a piece. There was cabbage as well as thick vermicelli, all done with a mustard-dominated sauce.
claypot chicken cooked with three flavors (砂鍋三杯雞) - this evokes memories of the famed Taiwanese dish, where the chicken is cooked with a cup each of soy sauce, sesame seed oil and rice wine. However, this tasted nothing like what you'd find in Taiwan. The chicken tasted a bit Cantonese, but the meat was pretty tender, and the chicken was pretty fat under the skin. There was a bowl of flavored soy sauce on the side, used to drip over the chicken.
veggies in soup (上湯莧菜) - nice and refreshing after a number of pretty heavy dishes.
Finally the two dishes that I had to pre-order:
ox bones braised in claypot (香茅汁炆牛脇骨) - this was very well-received by the party. The ladies loved the presence of lots of tendons - and collagen - which would be good for keeping youthful. I loved the bone marrow that I dug out from the inside. The big claypot looked intimidating but it just mostly just big pieces of bone...
stuffed roast suckling pig (金陵全豬烤金苗) - the piece de resistance, and the biggest reason for me to come here. My piece today was very close to the head, and was fatter than usual. I can't say enough about this pig... I think everyone else liked it too! A great way to finish the meal.
For wine, we started with a bottle of 2006 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Rieslig Spatlese. I knew this would have a bit of sweetness but this was more than my expectations. I think the ladies did like it, though... In any case this is a stellar year.
We followed up with a magnum of 1994 Chateau Montelena. This was just too big for my cellar at home, so this was a good opportunity to drink it up. It was pretty classic Cali Cab, although the acidity was a bit high at the beginning.
Looking forward to the next visit for pigging out...
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