Tatler Dining Guide - Hong Kong
PAK LOH CHIU CHOW
The quality of a Chiu Chow restaurant may be determined by how complex its traditional marinade tastes, but Pak Loh is the kind of a place that offers a wider spectrum of reference points. Located within the arcade of Galaxy Macau, Pak Loh leaves its doors wide open to welcome guests into the stylish dining space, where crystal chandeliers and ornate wooden panels add to the room’s pleasant ambiance. The restaurant tends to get rather packed, and it is often at full capacity. Pak Loh’s esteemed Chiu Chow marinade is worthy of its reputation, and makes the case for the restaurant to be considered a frontrunner for great Chiu Chow restaurants in the area. The kitchen also excels in seafood such as conches, flower crabs and pomfrets, which are prepared the traditional way and presented as courses best shared among larger parties. Pork lung soup with almond cream gives a taste of the slow double-boiling process, the purity of meat soup base enhanced by a smooth puree of almonds with a savoury touch. Homely dishes such as stir-fries and braises are of a jolly good standard, but one must save room for carbs, as Pak Loh’s crispy noodles with sugar and vinegar and rice noodles with beef in satay are excellent examples.