Tai O Lin Heung

Tai O Lin Heung 大澳蓮香

G/F, 52 Kat Hing Street, Tai O, Hong Kong

Date of visit : 8 Mar 2013 (Fri) 7:15pm

No. of diners : 5

Average cost per head : $195

Food quality : 8.5/10

Environment : 8/10

Service : 8/10

Value-for-money : 8/10

Overall rating : 8.45/10

Tai O is a very unique district in Hong Kong where traces of old Hong Kong a century ago can be found. There are many reports and reviews of street stalls selling local snacks such as the soft bean curd pudding, glutinous dumplings or the spongy mini cakes.  For dinner, we didn’t try 東方小祇園菜館 which is on the highest rank among restaurants in the area, we picked the Tai O Lin Heung as recommended by friends. We only reserved our table on the same day, being told by the receptionist, they usually replenish seafood on Saturday when their business was at peak. And some other special dishes such as the fried glutinous rice生炒糯米飯, sweet walnut soup合桃露 and steamed custard bun奶黃包were all required to order in advance.

Without trying those recommended dishes, the food were on the above average side, however, the seafood were generally pricey given the location and environment. If you are not keen have seafood not caught in the surrounding, the bill can be pretty thrifty.

a) Wok-fried chives 韮菜小炒 ($68) – 7.8/10

Wok-fried chives with cashews and dried shrimps, the dish was pretty oily and spicy.

b) Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Shrimp Paste 蝦羔蒸豬腩肉 ($58) - 8/10

Made with local preserved shrimp paste, the pork was as salty as expected. On the contrary, the meat was coated with the umami flavour of the shrimp paste. Good to go with rice.

c) Sea Fish Soup 海魚湯 ($120) – 8/10

Line caught fish 石九公similar to tiny groupers were used. Unlike other fish soup that will be simmered and reduced to a milky base, this sea fish soup was semi-clear. Bean curds made in Tai O and bunches of pak choi were added to enhance the flavour of the soup. Except for the price, the soup was still my like.

d) Deep Fried Wanton and Cuttlefish Cake墨魚餅餃子 ($68) – 8.6/10

This was the only signature dish that we could have for the night and it really deserved the recommendation. The deep fried wanton (dumpling) was stuffed with shrimps, pork and tree fungus. The wanton sheets were nicely fried to bring the crispiness and the tree fungus added another source of chewiness. The cuttlefish cake in the middle of the plate was fresh in umami flavour. Worcestershire and satay sauces were on the side but I didn’t dip either the wanton or cake into another of them because they’re tasty enough.

e) Preserved Salty Fish and Chicken Fried Rice咸魚雞粒炒飯 ($60) – 7.2/10

The ingredients were finely chopped and the preserved salty fish was good. The preserved salty fish should be the highlight of the dish, however, the damp rice used could ruin the overall impression like the one we had that night.

f) Baked Chicken盬焗雞 ($120 for half bird) – 7.8/10

This was an average baked chicken marinated with salt.

g) Steamed Crab with Fa-diu and Egg White花雕蛋白蒸花蟹 ($367) – 8.3/10

The receptionist managed to source two crabs and we decided to have it steamed with egg white and Fa-Diu, a Chinese yellow wine. The crabs were meaty and with much fat on their shells. An extra shot of Fa-Diu should be added before the dish was tabled. The egg white absorbed the essence of the crab and was delicious. Quite pricey though.

Q : When will I go again?
A : For dinner.
Q: What will I next order?
A : Glutinous rice, walnut sweet soup, steamed custard bun, etc. that have to be pre-ordered in advance.

03.2013