The shadow of the epidemic has finally faded away. After experiencing the home office, study and travel restrictions during that period, does travel have a deeper meaning in your heart? As many popular countries and cities gradually open up, every trip, whether revisiting old places or exploring new territories, seems to become more rare and precious.
A Hidden Culinary Gem
I have been back to Hong Kong during the epidemic, and this time my trip back home has become more relaxed and enjoyable due to the lifting of epidemic prevention restrictions. My friend knew that I would definitely want to eat Chinese food when I returned to my hometown, so I strongly recommended me to eat at the Cantonese restaurant at Harbor One in the Grand Hyatt Wanchai. Although my family often eats at the Italian restaurant Grissini in the same hotel, and every time I return to Hong Kong, I will refer to the guides of Tatler Dining and Michelin or be recommended by public relations in the food industry to choose restaurants, and sometimes I will visit popular restaurants repeatedly. I don’t have much impression of this Harbor One recommended by a friend.
To my surprise, Harbor One’s production is actually very good, and can even be said to be the best meal I have had so far in 2023! Before leaving Hong Kong, I made another special visit and decided to introduce this restaurant to readers in this writing.
Baked Sea Cucumber Pomelo Peel with Abalone Sauce Cooking pomelo peel does require certain skills and experience. Sea cucumber pomelo peel with abalone sauce is also a dish that pays attention to every step. Chef Chen Hanzhang chose to add the element of baked puff pastry, not only because he loves baked puff pastry soup, but also this kind of creativity injects fresh elements into Chinese dishes.
Braised Boston Lobster with Salt and Pepper Hundred Flowers Lobster Claws and Wuxi Sauce
The Wuxi sauce is spicy and has a sweet and sour taste, and the balance of various flavors is just right; while the fried Baihua lobster claws are crispy on the outside and springy on the inside. The combination of the two presents a surprising visual effect, and the taste is also rich in layers.
Forgotten quality restaurant
Before visiting a new restaurant, I always search for foodie reviews. However, when I summed up the multiple reviews, I was surprised to find that Harbor One was never awarded a star rating, or even included in the recommended list. After tasting it myself, it made me think more deeply about the standards and models of food evaluation today. There are many food lists and star rankings in China and the West, but which ones are really worthy of people’s trust?
Fresh Pepper and Cordyceps Flower Steamed Giant Grouper with Willow Pepper Fragrant Ma makes the freshly-supplied Hong Kong Grouper’s tender meat even more shocking to the taste buds, and the mild and healthy Cordyceps flower has a pleasant taste. This combination can be regarded as ingenious! The dragon grouper selected from the Hong Kong fishing ground is just pursuing the concept of sustainable seafood ingredients, which further improves the quality.
Steamed abalone siu mai spicy fresh shrimp fish rice dumpling bamboo shadow mountain delicacy ruyi fruit These three dim sums have their own unique characteristics and are very addictive. Personally, I especially like the spicy shrimp and fish rice dumpling, which breaks the framework of traditional Cantonese dim sum. The Zhuying Mountain Treasure Ruyi Fruit is wrapped with wild bamboo fungus and steamed fresh, which makes the vegetarian dim sum look extraordinary.
Crystal Preserved Egg Ginger
This is Chef Chen Hanzhang’s signature dish. Its unique flavor breaks away from traditional methods and contains subtle molecular cooking styles. The fresh taste is unforgettable, and it is enough to arouse people’s expectations for the follow-up dishes as a starter.
If you visit Hong Kong, I sincerely recommend you to try Chef Chen’s signature dishes at One Harbor Restaurant. I hope that when they return to Hong Kong next time, they will already be on the hall of international food critics. Whether it is each dish, service attitude, or even the decoration that recreates the style of the Grand Shanghai Hotel, as well as the unusual large floor-to-ceiling glass facing Victoria Harbour, these details complement each other. I personally think that this restaurant has already reached the Michelin two-star rating s level.
Chef Chen Hanzhang Harbor One is headed by Chef Chen Hanzhang, the executive chef of Chinese cuisine. He has more than 30 years of experience in the industry and was the executive chef of the one-Michelin star restaurant Ming Court. After taking over Harbor One, he has maintained the direction and tradition of exquisite dishes established by the late master Li Shutian, while also adding his own creative elements.
During the two visits, I was very lucky to meet Chef Chen Hanzhang, who personally showed me the kitchen and Chef’s table, the private banquet room. We also chatted a lot about his thoughts on Cantonese cuisine and the creativity and breakthrough of each dish.
Mango jelly pudding This mango jelly pudding can be said to be the best in Hong Kong, and it has been mentioned in many online reviews. The chef team selects the freshest mangoes and disassembles them to make puddings full of mango essence in every bite.
Apricot Juice and Egg White Spinach Sprouts This vegetarian dish is fresh and delicious. The nourishing apricot juice is rich and fragrant. The nutritious black fungus and yellow fungus are paired with tender green spinach sprouts to make this dish richer and more rounded.
Stir-Fried Red Rice with Preserved Vegetables, Barbecued Scallops and Scallops This special red rice is made of beetroot soaked in white rice, which makes the rice not only healthy but also softer. With the rich taste of preserved vegetables, char siu pork, and scallops, the flavor of the overall dish is enhanced.
French Fine Dining with a Japanese Twist
After waiting for a long time, I can finally go to Tokyo! Looking for food in Japan, it seems that they are never afraid of being ambush. You can definitely feel the spirit of the Japanese hanging their lives to do one thing well in their restaurants. Whether it is a century-old store or a new taste, they must achieve the most extreme and unique style.
One of the restaurants I specially reserved for this trip to Tokyo is the Michelin two-star Japanese-French cuisine Hommage managed by Chef Arai Noboru. Chef Arai has been to French Michelin two-star restaurant Le Close des Cimes and one-star restaurant Auberge la Feniere to learn. I chose Hommage because I want to experience the more unique contemporary innovative colors in the “most Japanese” Asakusa area besides Ningyoyaki and Sensoji Temple.
The first course of the appetizer is air-dried beef, broccoli cream and chickpea crisps. The prosciutto made with beef has a special flavor.
The display has a visual effect similar to contemporary art.
Yamagata beef mixed with Bordeaux sauce and yam Feel the collision of Japanese Yamagata beef with deep fat aroma and classic red wine Bordeaux sauce.
Rice cracker flavored ice cream Japanese dessert Rice crackers are presented in the form of French desserts,
A fusion of Japanese minimalist aesthetics, French elegance and luxury to the point.
Four of the 11 dishes at Hommage were desserts, and frankly, they were a little too sweet. Due to the limited space, I will briefly introduce three dishes that I am more satisfied with. Because after the experience, I feel that the name of the restaurant is not worthy of the name, which makes me think unconsciously, whether the Michelin evaluation and mechanism need to be improved?
