(Bloomberg) -- This is a review originally published on Sept. 5 as part of the Hong Kong Edition newsletter.
Sheung Shing Chiu Chow Seafood Restaurant, with its spartan interior and deafening ambience, may look better placed in an old neighborhood in Kowloon than in the middle of Central’s skyscrapers and posh bars. But make no mistake, this is where Hong Kong’s rich and famous often come to eat.
The late Cheng Yu-tung, founder of the New World business empire, was a patron, while Kung Fu Hustle maker Stephen Chow is a regular. I haven’t been able to confirm this, but even Li Ka-shing is said to have dined there when the tycoon gets a craving for dishes from Chiu Chow, his hometown.
Better known by its former name, Shung Hing, the restaurant recently relocated from Sheung Wan to Central. So I decided to check out the new place on a recent Wednesday evening with two guests. The family-run establishment, which has been in business for more than half a century, was packed. Despite its wealthy clientele, the three of us were able to have a hearty meal — plus beer — for a grand total of HK$1,250 ($160).
The vibe: Though interior designers may not think much of it, the decor is an upgrade from the borderline seedy place in Sheung Wan.
The long, brightly lit dining hall is filled with big, round Chinese tables, where middle-aged waitstaff were busy attending to the loudest customers yelling for their attention.
But the service is deceptively up to snuff. As per tradition, diners are served “kung fu” tea, an intricate tea ceremony famous in southern China. Plates are regularly replaced, and cups quickly refilled. Oh, and in a disappearing practice among Hong Kong restaurants, there’s free dessert.
As for what passes for decoration at Sheung Shing, photos of the staff and the restaurant’s regulars grace one of the walls. A glass display near the entrance showcased famous Chiu Chow dishes — seafood served cold and various sorts of ingredients braised in a spiced stew.
It’s the type of place that would impress out-of-town guests looking for an authentic experience, but it’s also the worst venue you could bring a date for a romantic candlelit dinner.
Who’s next to you: We sat near a jolly but rowdy dozen celebrating something. They were dressed in casual and modest attire, so we took little notice of them until we saw their order arrive: shark’s fin soup (at least HK$358 a head) in the biggest serving bowl I had ever seen. Most tables in our vicinity ordered multiple seafood dishes with seasonal pricing — meaning each one could easily cost above HK$1,000. And while our beer seemed to go down well with our meal, we were clearly in the minority as everyone else seemed to be having wine, cognac or fiery Moutai. We were clearly surrounded by people with a lot of spending power.
Can you conduct a meeting here? Yes, if your meeting involves shouting. I didn’t mind the noise as it’s usually a telltale sign of a good Chinese restaurant, but if you’re looking to discuss something discreet, the main dining hall is not the place. For that, there are a couple of private rooms — each big enough for eight to 10 people — with a minimum charge of HK$4,000.
What we’d order again: The soy sauce marinated raw crab (HK$520) was really one of a kind, even though it did require some effort and a lot of sucking to get the plump, juicy meat out of the shell. The sauce was incredibly savory, infused with the fragrance of coriander and a hint of tanginess. The crab roe was extremely creamy and full of umami. It’s so good that a restaurant staffer snarked at our audacity to leave a bit of roe behind, which we quickly rectified.
The crab did get very salty after the first few bites, however, which is why I recommend having it with the oyster congee (HK$60 for the small portion, HK$148 for the large). We ordered the small one, but it was plenty for three. Unlike Cantonese congee, where the rice is boiled for so long it dissolves into a smooth, gentle bowl of porridge, Chiu Chow congee is more al dente by retaining the shape and texture of the rice. It was refreshing, with a generous amount of fresh and plump oysters, and presented a welcome break from the bold punchy soy sauce in the crab.
The fried baby oyster with scrambled egg (HK$108), a classic that often signals a Chiu Chow restaurant’s overall quality, was great. The dish, which is more of an omelet-pancake hybrid, had a generous portion of oysters that were packed with flavor. The egg had a charred fragrance to it, and the texture was pleasantly chewy.
We had mixed feelings about the goose with soy sauce (HK$148), another Chiu Chow classic. My Malaysian guest, who has family links to the Chinese region, didn’t enjoy the stringy texture and ruled it to be too bland, while my British guest, who’s been living in this part of the world for decades, appreciated that the meat didn’t taste gamey. As for me, I’d recommend seafood over goose in this joint.
Need to Know: Sheung Shing is located on the ground floor of Man Yee Building at 68 Des Voeux Road in Central. The restaurant is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch, and from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. for dinner. Booking at least a few days ahead is recommended. To reserve, call +852 2854-4557 or +852 2544-8776 or book via OpenRice with this link.
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