4 January 2014
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New Year’s Eve at China Club in Hong Kong
New Year’s Eve was spent at the China Club, a retro-chic private club in Hong Kong, for music from the early 1900s, atmosphere from all over the place, and food that was mostly Cantonese.
Tawn and I dressed to the nines. We didn’t realize that the theme for the night was for Great Gastby-ish dress, otherwise we would have worn some vintage crushed velvet dinner jackets. I’m proud that I achieved one of my 2013 resolutions: being able to tie my own bow tie without watching the YouTube video to guide me. Success!
The interior of the club, which occupies the top three floors of the old Bank of China building, has the feel of a Chinese tea house but with loads of contemporary art on the walls. It was a happening place with lots of young professionals crowding the tables. Someone needs to remind these young men that gentlemen do not remove their jackets at the dinner table.
The menu is mostly Chinese, with an emphasis on Cantonese cuisine, the style indigenous to Hong Kong. We did order a few variations, though. Appetizers began with these deep fried prawns with foie gras, wrapped in tofu sheets, which featured large, fresh prawn meat.
Soups are usually available per-person, that way everyone can order what they want. One of our friends had this crab claw meat (one perfect, unbroken piece) served in a lovely consommé broth with vegetables.
The other friend and Tawn both ordered the sweet and sour soup, a classic that was very nicely done. (Yes, I tried a bite of everything!)
I tried one of the special soups, which was braised beef brisket in hand-pulled noodles. The brisket was nicely tender and flavorful while the noodles had a pleasant “al dente” texture.
One of the recommended dishes was the charsiu, or roasted, honey-glazed pork belly. This staple of Cantonese cuisine is succulent and, when done well, is the perfect balance of flavors and textures. The chef did a good job with this and another plate would have been welcome.
This is a Szechuan style dish: sautéed diced chicken with garlic, star anise, chilies, and spring onion. It isn’t as hot as you might imagine and was one of my favorite dishes.
For variety, I ordered another Szechuan dish: dan dan noodles. This dish has a spicy chili sauce made with preserved vegetables and minced pork served over noodles. This particular version had a lot more sauce than usual and the sauce had less of the tongue-numbing Szechuan peppercorns than I have experienced in other versions. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable.
Sautéed lotus root, sweet peas, water chestnuts, and various fungi served in a nest made from deep fried taro root. This was a wonderful example of the clean flavors, simple preparation, and elegant presentation of Cantonese cuisine. Of course, it can also be heavy and oily when poorly done.
I ordered this dish as an appetizer and it arrived near the end of the meal. Familiar to people who dine at Vietnamese restaurants, it is chopped shrimp made into a paste, formed around sugar cane, and deep fried. Always tasty.
We concluded the meal with some fried rice, this one a mixture of different meats and vegetables. As with most Chinese banquets (although this meal was ordered a la carte), the rice is served last so that you do not fill up on it during the meal.
For dessert, we shared a few items that didn’t photograph well plus these lovely egg custard tarts. With a very flakey and not-too-oily crust, the tarts were a nice conclusion to the meal.
We also inexplicably received fortune cookies. I say “inexplicably” because these are an American invention and not authentic in the least. To top it off, there seems to be a trend of fortune cookies increasingly reading like “advice” cookies. As one Chinese friend pointed out, the quality of writing must be suffering because the fortunes are now outsourced to a factory in China. Ha!
All in all, China Club was a good meal and a fun place to dine on New Year’s Eve. For more info, here’s their website. Note that the club is members-only so to go, a member needs to make reservations for you.
Comments (10)
This is a switch! You in a bow tie and tawn in a regular tie!! What other wild and crazy things do you have planned for 2014?!!? hehe! You both look very sharp and the ZZTop song is spot on. The food looks delicious. I wish the restaurant we frequent would make egg tarts like the ones pictured… instead they are in a nasty crust and so dry that they are “gummy” tarts.*sigh* It isn’t lunch time yet and I’m all drooly.
Yes, it is kind of a switch, isn’t it? I’m thinking of making the bow tie my look for 2014, although ties are not required in the office.
I think ya’all look perfect for the way you dressed.
Mom used to say that you look like you stepped out of the band box. I guess that’s from the 40′s?
Dave and I have never been to the Fort Worth Petroleum Club or is it in Dallas. You have to have a member ask you,too.
Well, we once had a four course meal at our little country club here that is no more and it was on Valentine’s and I told hubby that I could get used to a chef cause we had music in between and it lasted all evening and it was so relaxing to be pampered.
It sure is relaxing to be in a place so plush, isn’t it? I could get used to that kind of life, at least a bit of it. But would still want to visit my buddies in Mae Sot.
Happy new year, may this upcoming year be kind to you.
I have been away from the computer for a while,but the exercise that I do have made me stronger.
Cantonese style is what most people here in America seem to know, Thats because thefirst Chinese in America were cantonese.
Happy new year to you and welcome back to Xanga!
Congrats on learning to tie a bow tie. You look great.
I’ve never seen a crab soup quite like that, but I love crab, so I’m sure I’d have enjoyed that. Oh, and fried rice is another favorite. Yum. I am glad that you got to go out, eat, enjoy and feel posh.
Yes, it is nice to dress up every once in a while, isn’t it?
very nice. the whole ‘private club’ thing kinda intimidating for me to visit the place. plus, i never travel with a suit unless for business trip or wedding. that beef brisket and hand pulled noodle looks real yummy. hope i get to try it someday.
My goodness, lots of intimidation going on for you today.