STAR GRAZING
After new kudos from Michelin, T’ang Court’s kitchen team has no time to rest on its laurels. Mike Peters explores why critics love this Cantonese gem in Hong Kong.
Kwong Wai- keung, the executive chef for Chinese cuisine at The Langham hotel in Hong Kong, has a problem. His culinary domain, T’ang Court, is now a Michelin three- star restaurant. It’s the only restaurant that moved up from two to three stars in the 2016 Michelin Guide for Hong Kong and Macao. Furthermore, it’s one of only three Cantonese restaurants on Earth to grab that third star.
You might think that’s hardly a “problem”. You might think Kwong doesn’t have a care in the world — that he’s a guy with a big smile, dancing from one champagne party to the next ever since he got the good news late last year.
Kwong’s problem, however, can be summed up in two words: What now?
“There are quite a few two- star restaurants out there,” says Langham publicist Jenny An. “But getting the third star is much rarer – and keeping that third star can be even harder.”
That’s why Kwong is already busy thinking about the day, a few months from now, when the next secret tasters will slip in to make a judgement for next year’s guide.
“Receiving three Michelin stars is a true reflection of our commitment to serving quality Cantonese cuisine. Our mission is continuing the tradition of excellence and making every dining experience at T’ang Court memorable for our guests,” says Kwong.
There is a particular challenge for Chinese chefs and restaurants, many observers believe. While critics and guidebooks reward European chefs for molecular flights of fancy and other bursts of creativity, top- rated Chinese restaurants tend to be masters of their traditional fare.
That’s certainly true of T’ang Court, which Kwong has shepherded since more than two decades ago when the local family restaurant later absorbed by the luxury hotel.
“Even today, 50 percent of our restaurant business is repeat customers — two and three generations of families that have eaten here for years.”
So while Kwong is planning a new menu to stay on his game, An says, tradition must be served, too.
Both longtime customers and anonymous judges from outside apparently appreciate that. A Michelin- starred restaurant since 2009, T’ang Court serves a wide selection of authentic Cantonese culinary masterpieces and delicacies, earning international culinary acclaim over the years. Kwong and his team have won awards for dishes like the sauteed prawns and crab roe with golden- fried pork and crabmeat puffs, as well as the stir- fried Fresh lobster with spring and red onions and shallots.
This week the focus is on the imminent Chinese Lunar New Year. Hotel guests celebrating the Year of the Monkey will enjoy “hero dishes” including the sauteed sliced lobster with crab roe, Chinese kale and water chestnut and the steamed egg white with bird’s nest, minced Yunnan ham, crabmeat and crab roe, which features premium- grade bird’s nest from Indonesia. Among special dim sum offerings, meanwhile, the baked pastry filled with bird’s nest, crabmeat, Yunnan ham and coriander bursts with extravagant filling that symbolizes abundant wealth and fortune, while the golden- fried goose liver and shrimp paste dumpling also represents prosperity.
The kitchen has also prepared three of its legendary homemade puddings — traditional New Year Pudding ( HK$ 168), classic Turnip Pudding with preserved meat ( HK$ 188) and Taro Pudding filled with conpoy and dried shrimp ( HK$ 188) — with carefully sourced ingredients for taking home and sharing with family and friends.
The festival menu is available from Monday through Feb 14, while puddings can be ordered through Sunday.
I stopped by the restaurant for lunch last weekend to sample some of Kwong’s classic creations, including the baked seafood rice with cream sauce in crab shell, a dish that requires elaborate preparation but so popular it will never leave the menu. Between the elaborate presentation in a shiny crab- like plate and the creamy smoothness of the dish, it was easy to see why. The sauteed prawns and crab roe with gold- en- fried pork and crabmeat puffs are also fan favorites, while a new “green menu” is an area that allows Kwong to experiment a little, with such gems as a stuffed tomato with stir- fried mixed mushrooms, fungus and black truffle in pumpkin soup.
The signature dessert was a little something old, something new. Sago with lotus seed paste was baked as a pudding, lightly toasted on top and a silky treat at meal’s end.
Innovation meets tradition? Yes, and sometimes such a meeting includes a bright extra star from Michelin.