Lung King Heen @ Hong Kong

Some trivia:

• Lung King Heen is on the fourth floor of the Four Seasons hotel;
• It has a majestic view over the HK harbor;
• It has very comfortable chairs;
• It is the only Chinese restaurant in the world that got Michelin 3 Star rating;
• It was a The National Day of the People's Republic of China: Friday, 1 October 2010;
• You want more? The former dim sum master Mak Pui Gor now works at Tim Ho Wan.

The dining room with majestic view.

We had "National Day Fireworks Dinner" menu, a 7-dishes menu including a wine menu.


Starting with a long and quite serious fireworks viewed from the top of the Four Seasons terrace...


Lung King Heen appetizer selection - Crispy Suckling Pig, Barbecued Pork with Honey, Fried Scallop with String Bean, washed down with Auxerrois Vieilles Vignes Dom. Mann, France 2007


Braised Shark’s Fin Soup with Bamboo Piths and Shredded Chicken


Simmered Prawns in Supreme Broth, washed down with Twinwoods Chardonnay, Australia 2009


Braised Fresh Abalone Cube with Star Garoupa Fillet in Supreme Oyster Sauce, washed down with Riesling Grunsilber, Schloss Vollrads, Germany 2008


Wok-Fried Diced Beef Tenderloin with Lily Bulbs and Green Peppers in Black Bean Sauce, washed down with Château Roque Le Mayne, Bordeaux, France 2006

Fried Rice with Fresh Crab Meat, Mushrooms and Vegetables; unfortunately, in the midst of enjoyment I forgot to take a picture...


Chilled Mango and Sago Cream with Pomelo, washed down with Muscat De Beaumes de Venise Dom. Coyeux, France 2003

Ending up with a standard petits-fours.

The restaurant wine list is very subtle, but some choices are difficult to comprehend, such as Petrus 1970...

All dishes were with a clean flavors, precise spicing, well cooked, tasty and with wonderful silky texture and lingering aftertaste. The only thing I didn't like was the shark’s fin soup; but maybe this was subconscious political decision:-)

Wok dish was quite ordinary and I was not expecting this at three-starred restaurant.

The wine paring was remarkable and frankly, it has been a big experience and an eye opener.

Highly Recommended.

Rating: 9.3 (out of 10.0)

Lung King Heen
Four Seasons Hotel
8 Finance Street
Central
Hong Kong
China

Sushi Mizutani - Is the best sushi in the world?!

Continuing with my Japan trotting, on Day 6, thanks to Rie, I got reservations at lunch time for Sushi Mizutani. The Tokyo Michelin Guide 2008 awarded Sushi Mizutani three stars.

A tiny restaurant, can accommodate only 10 people seated around the counter, and sushi master Mizutani him self in the middle.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is quite formal and we’ve been asked not to wear any perfumes… Some trivia, sushi master Mizutani worked previously at Sukibayashi Jiro, the other three Michelin stars sushi restaurant in Tokyo. This for sure makes him one of the best sushi chefs in Japan.

I would never be able to locate this humble restaurant in Ginza, on a small street, in the basement level.





We were genially greeted by the master Mizutani and as first arriving customers, we were allowed to take few pictures.



Of course, we order “omakase” the chef’s choice. The order had move from non-fatty to fatty sushi or sashimi and than finish up with an omelet and a maki roll, unleashing my five senses. Some of the sushi pieces we had:

• Karei (Japanese flounder, flat fish): first time I've ever had. It has semi-transparent meat, very delicate sweetens, subtle scent, refreshing feeling.
• Kawahagi (File fish, skinpeeler): first time I've ever had. Served with the liver on top. Isn't fishy and it has a light flavor. Intense sweetness from the soft liver.
• Uni (Sea urchin): Gunkanmaki. This yellowish delicacy, the moment I've placed it in my mouth, the rich sweetness has filled my senses. Buttery after taste.
• Aoyagi (Japanese orange clam): Concentrate umami and texture. Each time I chewed the soft meat, more flavor is released.
• Maguro (Bluefin Tuna): Sweet and acidic. Perfect.
• Chutoro (Bit-fatty belly from Bluefin Tuna): Just perfect, melting in my mouth.
• Otoro (Fatty upper belly from Bluefin Tuna): Melt-in-my-mouth texture, major umami factor, absolutely ridiculous. I never tasted anything like this in my life!

In a nutshell, it cost us about 110€ per person, including green tea. This is one of absolute best sushi experience for me, in a comparison for everything I've had before, inside or outside of Japan, save aside sushi Kyubey (see other post).

Rating: 9.8 (out of 10.0)

Next time I'm around, I'll go back.

Sushi Mizutani
Ginza Seiwa Silver Bldg. B1F
8-2-10 Ginza, Chuo-ku
Tokyo