When you are talking about quintessential Cantonese
Dim Sum/Yum Cha restaurants in Hong Kong, you are spoilt for choice, but now
you have another reason to expand your horizons and try something new while
retaining the essence of conventional Cantonese cuisine, stretching from
delicious dim sum to royal Thai Specialty. myslifetylenews
explores The Greater China Club in Lai Chi Kok’s new vibe dining
precincts……
The Greater China Club is a relatively new destination in Lai Chi Kok that has only been open for a few months and you may have confused with the restaurant name with some other existing ones in Central and yet this is another absolute stand out within neighborhood.
The Greater China Club began with its set up for Members Only for their exclusive patrons but now anyone is able to enjoy the menus offers at an affordable prices, particularly considering the surroundings. With the Gastby era Art Deco Urban retreat themed they have created intertwining local chic and a vibrant, fun-filled 1920s mood adding a fine dining feel. And yet you can still relax and not feel out of place with the warm service they deliver and the attention to detail.
As you arrive at street level just across from Lai Chi Kok MTR D2 exit, you will be struck by a cavernous lobby of polished concrete and high industrial style ceilings. Once you get out at the 10th floor, two distinct and eye catching large red doors right on your face and by then you will begin to think this would not be your average Cantonese restaurant.
The main lobby and dining area are thoughtfully designed, with the right touch of soft furnishings and comfortable seating, the choice of chairs creating a more residential feel. Once you enter the main dining room, there is a quasi-art deco feel to the traditional Chinese window treatments blending with some modern design elements.
Led by a Michelin 3 Star Executive Chef who has achieved various gold and silver medals from many food competition, the creative nouveau dim sum has his signature touch especially on the presentation.
Traditional classic dim sum seems won’t satisfy the Chef and his team’s itches by showing their skill on what they can do better. With what you already known to be good and we can assure you that the chef have reinvented dim sum into a new gastronomy dimension and with new flavours of course.
Modern contemporary decor with Chinese Art painting contrasting the ambience with harmony.
We picked the set menu consisted of the following: <Steamed Scallop Dumplings with Beetroot> were cooked with a perfect translucence and the beetroot added a little twist to the usual combination of ingredients. The beetroot was evident but not overpowering at all with the think casing wrapped around the delicate ingredients.
<Baked Seafood Tartlets with Curry> was very playful in presentation. With a piece of pastry in the shape of a crab on the top, the curry sauce is very well executed and gave everything the right balance. A must order dish.
<Steamed Rice Flour Rolls with Prime Iberico Pork> is another highlight. The pork had that distinctive Spanish flavor and texture. The roll itself has a delicate touch with that ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ experience.
<Pan-Fried Hairy Crab Meat Roe with Pork Dumplings> The hairy crab meat roe and pork dumplings were were equally delicious, the predominant pork flavor was tender and flavoursome. These dumplings were superb in presentation and full of very delicious juice, you need to proceed with caution when biting into the dumpling avoid spilling out the juice as you don’t want to waste any of the juices inside.
<Baked Mince Pork Puffs with Yunnan Ham and Spring Onion> The puffs was one of the highlights, with incredibly delicate flakiness to the pastry and loads of flavor inside that we were tempted to order more.
<Pineapple Fried Rice with Seafood and Vegetable> This value for money Thai influenced fried rice comes in a rather generous portion. The havled hallow pineapple filled with plenty of seafood. A small disappointment in taste as the seafood was cooked separately and made no connection with the tasty fried rice underneath. It would have made more sense to also cook the seafood in the rice and imbue it with the pineapple and rice flavours.
We perused the a-la-carte menu in addition to the set menu by ordering some classic dishes, as well as some new dishes with a twist to get a better overview of what the kitchen can do. We started the second part with the <Steamed Golden Fish Dumplings with XO Sauce> which looked exactly as per the description and the filling from within was rather delicious. For once, you can eat without dipping it into the accompanied XO sauce.
One of every restaurants quintessential dishes is the <Har Gau> - the steamed fresh shrimp dumplings did not disappoint with large shrimps that were clearly very freshly cooked to a la minute.
Next was the nostalgic <Steamed Pork Dumplings Stuffed with Quail eggs and topped with Caviar> is something most current dim sum restaurant won’t serve for their very own particular reasons. A heavy yet sinful dish as each dumpling consists of the entire whole quail egg, less is certainly more for not letting your cholesterol go north.
Beside the dim sum menu and for a complete palate change, we ordered the <Cold Silky Fowl Sichuan Style> that had a real kick to it because of the Sichuan pepper, but we loved the level of spice and the complexity of the chicken being beautifully marinated.
We couldn’t resist the <Deep-fried Chicken Coated with Crispy Rice and Garlic> since it was highly recommended from the menu with the Chef’s hat on the side that is the significant must-order. With the crispy rice giving another textural element to the already deep-fried crispy skin and the meat was so still juicy and tender, this is a winner for sure as it does require certain skills to get this right.
There is always room for dessert no matter how much we have had over the sumptuous meal. To cleanse the palate somewhat, we finished with the <Layered Pandanus Pudding with Coconut Milk>, this Thai influenced dessert is flavoured with rich coconut milk and the hint of fragrant from the pandan leave creates the color and adds the aroma to the dessert.
We were quite sated after trying so many dishes, but there were enough contrasts and regions to truly show that the kitchen can deliver delicious and consistent food. The Great China Club is not only just a pretty face but the substance from its culinary have truly excelled from within.
Tried & Tested:
Location: 4.5/5
Design & Decor: 4/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Highlights :
Modern Dim Sum with A Twist
Chef' Signature Dishes
Chef' Signature Dishes
A, 10/F, D2 Place
9 Cheung Yee Street
Lai Chi Kok Hong Kong
Lai Chi Kok Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2743 8055
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