Eat & Drink

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Greater China Club

D2 Place is a trendy venue in a commercial complex in Lai Chi Kok, in West Kowloon, offering upscale retail and dining outlets that cater to locals and visitors alike. One of its flagship dining establishments is the Greater China Club, an opulent club-style dining outlet offering refined Cantonese and French cuisines, complemented by live jazz, fine wine and cigars.

The club is open to both members and nonmembers, with members enjoying booking priority privileges and discounts. Word of mouth pulls in plenty of visitors, largely for the quality of its food and its exclusive ambience.

The spacious club has two outlets: the 8000-sqft Man Hing, which serves refined Cantonese food, and Cadenza, a smaller bistro offering contemporary French fare. For functions, there are seven musically themed private rooms, available in various combinations, as well as a spacious roof garden.

As expected, the club is luxuriantly decorated – Man Hing in a smart, contemporary Chinese décor, and Cadenza, which is warm and stately. We chose Man Hing, the Chinese restaurant, as our dining destination.

We started with Chilled Abalones with Pomelo ($188/4 pieces). We liked the flavour of the pomelobased sauce which adds a refreshing citrus taste to the succulent abalone. Assorted Dried Seafood Soup with Saffron ($148 per person) was next, a tasty savoury Chinese soup that is perfect for the cooler weather. Dried seafood – especially dried scallop, fish maw and shrimp – are staples in regional soups, as the liquid softens the dried seafood and liberates its flavour into the soup.

Barbecue Prime Iberico Pork ($268) was next served. In the latest fusion trend, many upscale Chinese restaurants now use Iberico pork in their traditional Cantonese char siu. We certainly appreciated the fine, tender texture of this meat as well as the subtly sweetened sauce used.

A signature dish came next – Deep-fried Boneless Chicken Stuffed with Glutinous Rice, Dried Shrimps and Preserved Sausage ($788/ whole chicken). This dish is a labour of love for the kitchen team. The chicken skin is roasted golden brown and crispy, but the meat remains tender and juicy. The stuffing is what makes the dish special – delicious rice infused with the flavours of the dried shrimps and diced Chinese sausage, kept moist inside the chicken. We ate just about the whole chicken and devoured the rice.

A nice vegetable dish helped wind up the meal and Poached Seasonal Vegetables with Iberico Ham in Soup ($188) did the job nicely. The Tientsin cabbage is tender and sweet, with the savoury ham providing a nicely balance on the palate.

Our dessert was Sweetened Black Sesame Rolls ($52), a light jelly treat that nicely satisfied our sweet tooth.

The neighbourhoods of West Kowloon – including Lai Chi Kok, Cheung Sha Wan and Sham Shui Po – are gaining a reputation among visitors as they provide an authentic and colourful look at Hong Kong local life, and are convenient to hotels and downtown. Do visit the area and be sure to try out a nice gourmet meal at the Greater China Club as part of your visit. Book early.■

Shop A, 10/F, D2 Place One, 9 Cheung Yee Street, Lai Chi Kok
2743 8055