Chinese cuisinary, Man Hing, Greater China Club, presents a slice of traditional Chaozhou cuisine to guests from now till 23 September, all thanks to the expertise of guest chef Chen Zejia, who counts ex-Chinese Premier Li Peng among his loyal customers.

At Man Hing, Greater China Club, Chef Chen offers a resplendent 12-course dinner set for 12 people, with such cherished culinary gems on offer as double-boiled sea whelk soup with green olives (HK$10,888 per table) and double-boiled vegetarian shark’s fin soup in pork knuckle soup (HK$14,888 per table).

For guests visiting in fewer numbers, a good place to start would be the Chaozhou-style goose and goose liver – a perfection in taste and tenderness, that literally justifies that oft-used ‘melt in the mouth’ expression. The steamed cabbage rolls stuffed with minced pork and shrimps are another worthy appetiser, striking a perfect balance between crunchy and savoury, without compromising on nutritional value. Those looking for other healthy options can do far worse than order the braised sweet potato leaves soup in traditional style, said to be declared a ‘national dish’ by a young emperor of the Southern Song dynasty who was fed the dish by monks while fleeing to Guangdong from invaders. Well, it’s easy to understand why the dish met with royal approval, with a hint of garlic and chives, the humble soup has truly been elevated to majestic levels.

Chef Chen’s expertise is equally evident in his dumpling dishes. Both the deep-fried pork and water chestnuts dumplings and the deep-fried mashed shrimps dumplings were free from the oily sogginess associated with deep frying, but while the execution was perfect, the actual flavour of the dishes left something to be desired. This was more than made up for by the next dish, wok-fried squid in Chaozhou style. The squid was soft and fresh, and was perfectly complemented by a mild garlicky, savoury flavour.

To compliment his menu, Chef Chen has also come up with a ‘kung fu’ tea set and a collection of fine Chinese tea from Chaozhou, including Feng Huang Mountain Phoenix Classic and Big Red Robe.

Man Hing, Greater China Club
Unit A, 10/F, D2 Place One, 9 Cheung Yee Street, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon
(852) 2743-8055
www.greaterchinaclub.com

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay