One star too many

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Another intimate team lunch today, again on pretty short notice, so I decided to get us a table at Ying Jee Club (營致會館). I wasn't really impressed with my first visit a couple of years ago, but it's close to the office and fits the requirements.

No surprise that I was tasked with ordering

Honey glazed barbecued pork (蜜汁極上豚肉叉燒) - this was pretty good as one would expect. Very fatty, very tender, charred here and there, and drenched in honey glaze. This used to be my style of char siu, and it's still very tasty, but these days I prefer less sticky glaze.

Fish maw broth with abalone (濃雞湯鮑魚花膠羹) - I needed a soup while the others are slurping theirs, so I chose something that didn't quite break the bank. This was OK.

Wok-fried sea cucumber with leek and dried shrimp roe (蝦籽京蔥爆遼參) - I do love the combination of shrimp roe with sea cucumber, and of course leeks and sea cucumber are a classic combo. I do wish, though, that the leeks were more cooked and more flavorful.

Crispy suckling pig with goose liver pâté, sautéed pigeon and sea cucumber (鵝肝醬乳豬件伴海參乳鴿脯) - I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this, as there were four different ingredients listed. I was a little stunned when this arrived, as there was basically no integration whatsoever. The sautéed pigeon filets had nothing to do with the chunks of sea cucumber, while the crispy suckling pig crackling were paired with liver pâté and a piece of steamed bun. Then we've got the wings and the head of the pigeon on the side. OK, so the different parts didn't taste terrible, but why are they on the same plate?!

Poached pea sprout with fish maw and dried seafood in chicken broth (濃雞湯花膠海味浸豆苗) - at least the pea shoots are still nice and tender, and they made this more "luxe" by adding some sliced fish maw.

Fried glutinous rice with chinese sausages, dried shrimp and conpoy (生炒臘味糯米飯) - this was pretty decent, although I would have liked it to be a little less wet and slightly more chewy. Always happy to have fried glutinous rice in the winter.

I didn't expect to open a second bottle when there were just three of us at lunch...

2017 Dugat-Py Pommard La Levrière Très Vieilles Vignes - first bottle showed a bit of smoke, along with leather and black fruits. Second bottle was more smoky, much more open, nicer nose with eucalyptus notes.