Bongwater and old school Canto

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Bong Girl and I wanted to get together for dinner along with her friend who was escaping Paris for the summer, and we had originally planned to introduce a few people to a restaurant I used to love. When I discovered that, for some inexplicable reason, the owner of said restaurant chose to block me on social media, I decided to no longer patronize them and introduce more of my friends. I asked Bong Girl to suggest an alternate venue, and as it turns out, Yung Kee Restaurant (鏞記酒家) is just down the street.

I haven't been back to Yung Kee since the last year of the dragon, as I wasn't too impressed on my last visit. And I certainly don't need to go there for roast goose or anything. But tonight I'm going with a regular, so maybe that makes a difference - as it does in many, many restaurants the world over.

The menu had already been set by restaurant management, so we didn't have to do too much in that department. I did, however, ask for a last-minute addition when I was shown a picture of the dish.

Deep-fried bean curd with special sauce (金鑲脆皮嫩豆腐) - the skin on that tofu looks beautifully golden brown, and I don't think I've ever had this here.

This was really fluffy inside. Lovely texture.

Steamed bean curd sheet with shrimp roe (古早味蝦籽紮蹄) - this is an old school dish that Foursheets loves, so she was definitely happy to see it on the table.

Just look at all those layers of tofu skin, and the tiny little shrimp roe sprinkled and sandwiched between the layers! So, soooo tasty!

Preserved trotter with soya sauce (錦上添花懷紮蹄) - Bong Girl showed me a picture of this dish, and I just had to order it up. Unfortunately for me, this came thinly sliced so I never got to see the whole pig trotter that had been stuffed... The flavor profile here was kinda interesting, with some fermentation coming through. Not sure I'd order it again.

Beef brisket in soup (極品清湯牛爽腩) - very nicely done. Just can't go wrong with butterfly brisket in clear broth.

Honey-glazed gold coin chicken (密味串燒金錢雞) - Bong Girl ordered it since she knows I love old school dishes like this, and I'm very grateful. Just looking at how the glaze glistens under the light was enough to turn me into Pavlov's dog...

I love the combination of char siu (叉燒), roast chicken liver, and cured pork fat (冰肉). They've also included some crunchy water chestnut (馬蹄) in the middle for a textural contrast. While I really loved the flavors, I do think they over-roasted this and everything got a little dry... but that meant we've got pretty good charring.

Crispy pork roll stuffed with ham, walnut and vegetable (美人玉捲抱珠簾) - this is apparently an old dish which had won awards back in 1986, and it's the first time I've heard of it.

In this season we have fresh asparagus (instead of bamboo shoots), Jinhua ham (金華火腿), celery, and walnuts rolled up with a slice of pork, which was then starched and fried. Gotta say I was really digging the fragrance from the walnuts!

Poached Chinese spinach with preserved and salted egg in broth (上湯金銀蛋莧菜) - this was very well-received by the ladies.

Steamed egg white with mini crab roe (禮雲子蒸嫩蛋清) - I know they always have dishes featuring river crab roe (禮雲子), but this would be the first time having it over steamed egg whites.

Needless to say the steamed egg white was very, very fluffy and jiggly... and perfect when taken with some steamed rice.

Noodle with wonton in soup, small portion (懷舊細蓉) - nothing wrong with ending the meal with a classic bowl of "small noodles", where the small, marble-sized wontons are at the bottom of the bowl to prop up the egg noodles so that they don't get soggy quickly. Slurp!

Deep-fried sesame balls (黃金芝麻煎堆仔) - I do love these deep-fried balls with the fragrant sesame seeds on the outside. The black sesame filling inside was also very fragrant.

Sadly there was a service slip-up at the end. I had wanted to add an extra dessert order, but somehow our server did not relay the order to the captain... so the kitchen knocked off early. Pout.

Tonight was all about bongwater, since I'm dining with Bong Girl.

Charles Dufour Bulles de Comptoir #11 Terrine et Jardin, dégorgée Novembre 2021 - nice acidity on the palate here. Very smooth and elegant.

2011 Anne et Jean-François Ganevat J'En Veux - the color was very, very light... basically a cloudy pink with a touch of ruby, but that would be the result of having white varietals in the blend. The nose was really fragrant and lovely, with floral and sweet fruit notes. So alluring... The palate displayed a higher level of acidity after tasting the preserved pork. The nose also showed some leather. The palate was also showing some light levels of stewed fruits. This bottle was just drinking really well, and I'm still dreaming about the bouquet.

2016 Anne et Jean-François Ganevat J'En Veux Encore - the color was much darker thanks to the dominance of gamay in the blend. The nose was definitely more pungent, with leather and animal notes dominating. Very toasty, too.

As we finished dinner relatively early, I thought we could stop by Caprice Bar for a drink, since these days they've got fresh tomatoes shipped in from Hairy Legs' home. Thankfully, my friend was able to hold a table for us when one freed up.

Tomatini - love, love, love this! The sprinkle of poivre de Penja on top makes it so much more exotic and interesting.

Old caramel - a drink with salted caramel is soooo up my alley.

We didn't need any more food, and it seemed a little late for the kitchen so send us any dessert, so I ended up devouring this box of mignardises instead...

A very happy and satisfying evening. I'll remind myself to get Bong Girl to book Yung Kee again.