Eating with chefs: suckling pig over turkey

A foodie friend is swinging through Hong Kong three years after we first met, and we decided to meet for lunch at Seventh Son (家全七福).  This was, of course, my second visit to the restaurant in 4 days, and I was ever so thankful that it wasn't gonna be 5 of us trying to finish off another suckling pig.  With many of my regular "rice feet" being away due to the holiday season, I was pleasantly surprised when we became a table of 10 - with three chefs among us.

Barbecued whole suckling pig (大紅片皮乳豬全體) - it's traditional to kick off with the pig, and this was what our visitors - and even Hairy Legs - came for.  It's interesting that once you've got 10 mouths to feed around a table, you suddenly wonder whether there's actually enough pieces of that amazingly crunchy crackling to go around...

Steamed dumplings with minced pork and shrimp (鳳城蒸粉粿 )

Steamed prawn dumplings (七福鮮蝦餃)

Steamed rice rolls with minced beef (爽滑牛肉腸)

Fried wontons with crab and chives (韮王炸蟹盒)

Spring rolls with shredded chicken (雞絲炸春卷)

Steamed rice rolls with bamboo piths and vegetables (竹笙上素腸)

Steamed spare ribs in black bean sauce (豉汁蒸排骨) - this seemed to be popular with our visitors.

Steamed pork dumplings (蟹皇蒸燒賣)

Stir-fried suckling pig with ginger and spring onions (薑蔥炒乳豬) - at lunch 4 days ago, The Man in White T-shirt was lamenting that the restaurant actually has no "second serving" for their signature suckling pig after we chomp on the crackling - the way restaurants serving Peking duck come up with different ways to deliver the rest of the duck after the skin is taken off.  So we asked the manager to check with the kitchen for a solution.

And this was what we got.  The rest of the pig - which are normally hand-shredded and then served as-is - was chopped up and stir-fried with ginger, spring onions, and a little soy sauce.  Not bad, I guess...

Xiaolongbao with crab roe (蟹粉小籠包) - this is a seasonal specialty, so we made sure that our visitors had a chance to try it.  Not bad.

Deep fried frog legs with garlic and chili (椒鹽田雞腿) - always a good dish to savor here.

Deep-fried chicken kidney mixed with egg custard (雞子戈渣) - yes, we told our visitors about the interesting ingredient used in this custard... and it ain't no "chicken kidney"...

Roasted crispy goose (脆皮燒鵝) - I gotta say that this was probably one of the best roast geese I've had.  The skin was thin and crispy, and not at all chewy.  Very, very happy that our visitors got a taste of this.

Black sesame roll (懷舊芝麻卷) - a playful dessert to share with friends.

This being a Sunday lunch just before Christmas, it seemed like a good time to pop open a few bottles.  Knowing that Mrs. White T-shirt was joining us, I brought along a special bottle.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 166ème Édition, ID 117003 - nice toasty nose with notes of honey.

2004 Figeac - really fragrant and lovely, with smoke, ripe and sweet fruit, vanilla, coconut, eucalyptus notes.  Later on a little bit of coffee.

2011 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos des Mont Luisants, en magnum - This was harvested 100 years after the vines were first planted, making the wine truly special.  Beautiful, with lovely, toasty notes.

2000 Ornellaia Archivio Storico - more concentrated, with heavy smoky notes.

2014 Los Astrales Astrales - very ripe and jammy nose, stemmy, potpourri, and a little alcoholic.  Very concentrated on the palate.

We had a good time, and hopefully new friendships were forged over the lunch table.