°C
Eat & Drink

Hot Tables

Fook Lam Moon

Adelicious meal, paired with the right wine choices, is one of life’s true pleasures. Thankfully, wine-pairing dinners have gained much popularity in Hong Kong as the city’s wine culture continues to grow and mature. Not surprisingly, the art of pairing dinner with wines has crossed over to Chinese cuisines, especially Cantonese food, with its more refned and less overpowering flavours.
 

We chose Fook Lam Moon, one of the city’s most iconic and famous Cantonese seafood restaurants known for seafood delicacies such as dried abalone, fish maw, and fresh-caught deep-sea fish. In its 70 years of operation, the restaurant has endured as a favourite of the city’s traditional elite, many of whom still prefer their food prepared in just the authentic and traditional manner, and we agree. And given its clientele, most of whom do order wine to accompany their meals, Fook Lam Moon is clearly adept at pairing their wines, so we are in good hands.
 

The restaurant décor is classically opulent and spacious, which provides a sense of privacy and oldworld comfort. Our Wine and Dine Dinner set starts with Three Signature Hors d’ Oeuvres paired with a glass of Delamotte Brut N.V. Champagne, one of the classic non-vintage Champagnes from a Grand Cru vineyard. The starters include deliciously tender Chinese roast pork (Char Siu), deep salt-fired fish fllet, and vinegar-marinated wood-ear fungus; the Chardonnay and Pinot blended Champagne’s slight acidic and fruity flavour is a nice complement.
 

Next is the Shredded Fish Maw and Chicken Soup, an old classic and highly tasty, the key being its slow-cooked soup base packed with quality ingredients. No wine needs to go with the soup, we were told.
 

The Sauteed Prawns with Special Mayonnaise Sauce and Walnuts and Baked Stuffed Crab Shell with Onions and Fresh Crab Meat are served next, matched by a full-bodied yet refreshing Chardonnay, Ferarri-Carrano, 2014 from California’s famed Sonoma Valley. Both dishes are classic Hong Kong Cantonese, as evidenced use of mayonnaise on the juicy prawn. And we were impressed with how much fresh, sweet tasting crabmeat is packed into the shell – the wine brings out the seafood flavours very pleasantly.
 

It’s time to bring out the red wines! Sure enough, a 2015 Wairau River Pinot Noir, from New Zealand, is paired with two signature dishes: Braised Whole Yoshihama Abalone (30 heads) with Dried Mushroom and Vegetables, and Roasted Crispy Baby Pigeon. The light bodied, cherry flavour Pinot Noir gently balances both the abalone and the pigeon.
 

Fried Rice with Premium Salted Fish and Diced Chicken is the fnal offering, paired with a 2011 DOCa Luis Cañas Reserva, a nice medium-bodied red from Spain’s famous Rioja wine region. Both food and wines go surprisingly well together, and serve as a ftting end to the wine-paring.
 

We rounded out our meal with another traditional favourite, Sweet Almond Soup with Egg White, and Chinese petit fours, all consumed with glee. The dinner is priced at $2090 without and $2580 with paired wines, which – given the quality of seafood that is served – is most reasonable. A trip to Fook Lam Moon should be your culinary highlight in Hong Kong, and the better with wines paired.

 

35-45 Johnston Road, Wanchai

2866 0663

 

 

(Edited on 30 Sep 2017)

Comments

Add your comment


Please enter the Verify Code