July 5, 2023

Indulgent affair at Elegant Inn HK Cuisine

I was privileged to be invited for ‘a meal among friends’ by Jeanette of Elegant Inn (EI) Hong Kong Cuisine restaurant recently. And what a splendid affair it was, kicking off with a Happy Start platter that had crisp yet light Salt & Pepper Hong Kong Silver Fish & Cuttlefish with a mix of fried and raw garlic, silky smooth Steamed Silky Egg sweetened with the seafoody goodness of Pan-seared Hokkaido Scallops & Crab Roe Sauce, and Special Chilled Spoon Delight with Fresh Salmon and Crabmeat. Will leave the wonderful layers of flavours and textures to your imagination; this marked a great start to the meal ahead.

Helmed by chef Wesley Ng who has been with Elegant Inn for 21 years since he was 19, both chef and restaurant has grown by leaps and bounds since.

The traditional Hearty Double Boiled Soup of Pig Stomach, Peppercorn and Salted Vegetable had a clear yet sublime umami sweetness, with a gentle peppery edge at the end. Jeanette said this popular soup has remained a fav all these years with its unique subtle broth infused with chicken feet, Yunnan ham, free-range kampung chicken and pork ribs. The pig’s stomach, ribs, salted vegetables, scallops and wolfberries are served on a plate, as a separate dish if you will.

Delectable Dim Sum such as Crispy Vegetable Rice Rolls, Steamed Hokkaido Scallop Dumplings and Steamed Radish Cake with Hong Kong Prawn and preserved vegetable that proved EI’s prowess in making the ordinary into culinary art. My fav was the HK-fashioned ‘jar leong’ that had crispy Vietnamese rice paper, shredded carrot and jicama rather than just fried cruller.

Such indulgence – four superb fish dishes: Steamed Sea Garoupa Slices on Rice Noodles with Fresh Lemon & Chinese Black Olives, naturally sweet Steamed Atlantic Cod with Fiery Garlic Black Bean Sauce, Golden Fried Atlantic Cod with Chinese Leek Topping and Ichiyaboshi Threadfin. While each had its own merits, I enjoyed the pairing of fish with black olives on rice noodles the most, the contrasting flavours all the more distinctive thanks to the judicious use of ingredients. Fried threadfin was prepared ichiya-boshi (overnight-dried) style, a Korean preservation technique that encapsulated the natural sweetness and flavour.

My fav, the banquet classic Golden Boneless Stuffed Chicken with Chicken Tomato Salad, had crackle crispy skin layered with firm and bouncy prawn paste. What a treat! The chicken meat had been shredded and piled in tomato wedges drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Simple bitter gourd made for an interesting cleanser before serving chef Wesley’s famous Dancing Fried Rice. My personal comfort food Rice Noodles with Australian M9 Wagyu Beef in Egg Sauce had tender beef cooked in eggy sauce. Smooth and seductive, it would not be a stretch to say this was the best WTH I’ve had.

Not much she says, yet Jeanette prepared four desserts – EI’s signature Golden Custard Cake, House Made Jujube Cake with Grated Coconut, Teochew Style Tau Suan with Crunchy Sea Cucumber and Double Boiled Hasma In Fresh Almond Cream.