Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Romantic Charm - King's Cuisine

Entrance from escalators, the double height ceiling of the lobby is so welcoming
Hidden away on the 6th Floor of the Windsor House (I didn't even know there was anything else higher than Toys R Us), King's Cuisine is a fresh new Cantonese restaurant that is ready for the wedding parties.  There are two entrances, one from the escalators, if you have the patience to ride up from the Ground Floor.  The other entrance leads from the elevators, but make sure you catch the correct set, there are two.  One set leads to the lower floors (retail shops)  and the other shoots up to the upper office floors.

Entrance from the elevator banks
The romantic decor in in white with flower motifs is a winning combination.  This restaurant is still fairly new so the carpets, wallpaper, and chairs are still fresh.  Tables are fairly spaced out so you get some elbow room.  There is also a lovely terrace with a lovely view of Causeway Bay which is ready with a tent and chairs for a wedding ceremony.

Must be the best 'Char Siu' in town!


Their signature dish is the King's BBQ Pork (Char Siu $38), absolutely THE BEST. It's moist, a little crispy on the outside, with just the right (small amount) of fat to make it tasty.  I don't know what the secret ingredient is but the BBQ chef at this restaurant has added one more flavor to the usual recipe here and it works like magic.

Crispy Roasted Pork

Their bi-lingual order card contain a 'thumbs-up' icon that denotes their Signature Dish.  Here is one of them, the Crispy Roasted Pork ($48).  I want to meet the BBQ chef because this guy knows what he's doing. Selecting the right ingredient is half the battle and he selects pork which is not too fatty and roasts it until the skin is crisp but the meat is tender.  Another excellent dish but the Char Siu is slightly better although it didn't get the Signature Dish icon.

Fukien Fried Rice
I loved their Fukien Fried Rice, which is a saucy version of the ubiquitous Yeung Chow Fried Rice.  With the Fukien Fried Rice, it is served with a wonderful gravy on top with bits of shrimp, chicken, pieces of carrots and green vegetables.  this dish was so good, I could taste the 火气 (transl. Fire air).  There is no English equivalent to this term, other than you can taste the way that the chef fired it up in his wok, because of the high heat, it tastes totally different from it would if it was cooked on a stovetop at home.

Shrimp with Spinach Dumpling

Mixed Vegetables Dumpling


The dumplings were a treat, especially the Shrimp Dumpling with Spinach and the Mixed Vegetable Dumpling.  We also tried the Steamed Rice Roll with King Prawn (very firm prawns) and the Steamed Rice Roll with BBQ Pork,  the BBQ Pork Buns and the Sweet Potato Buns (made with Purple Yams, actually) they were very nice, not outstanding but entirely adequate.

Sweet Potato Buns, fluffy


Congee with Chicken and Mushrooms


Another outstanding dish was the Congee with Chicken and Mushroom.  I was most pleasantly surprised to find that the congee was the tastiest I have had in years!  Sprinkled with Goji berries on top and served with fried wonton skins, the flavor was excellent. Again I could taste the 火气 (transl. Fire air).   Chinese people believe that Goji berries are especially healthy for women (replenishes the blood) and congee is breakfast/lunch and comfort food.

The meal came to under $80 per person because, like most restaurants in Hong Kong now, if you pay for the bill before 12:30, they offer a discount.  They work hard at this place, opening daily at 7 am for dim sum breakfast until late night.

King's Cuisine
6th Floor, Windsor House
311 Gloucester Road
Causeway Bay
Tel: 2332-9090
(They take reservations.)

3 comments:

  1. Liza - this place was so good, I'm taking my husband there. Having the menu in Chinese with English "subtitles" made it less intimidating and you're right, the food was very tasty. Thank you for scouting out this location and leading the way!

    Mary Barbara

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Lisa, Great to see you at the AWA Bazaar today. Can't wait to have a long look at it, but love this blog too. A reminder... name of the Dim Sum restaurant in Mong Kok? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Carol,

    It's Foo Lum Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant.
    3/F, Hsin Kuang Centre, 120 Lung Cheung Road, Wong Tai Sin
    2320 9080

    Liza

    ReplyDelete