I’ll spare everyone the long winded accolades that Lung King Heen has managed to rack up since 2010 and get straight to the food.
LKH is located on the 4th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel.
The much coveted windows seat…but honestly, it’s not much of a view compared to Tin Lung Heen at that super tall building across the harbor.
Nice touch with the artistic placement of the name of the restaurant on the plate.
You don’t touch the tea here. It’s refilled by the servers.
Vintage 1999 Pu’Erh - I have 0 expertise in tea so no comment except that it’s pricey
Complimentary dip trio: Garlic hot sauce, XO sauce, Spicy soy sauce
There’s also a small metal tin container on the table with the restaurant’s name engraved on it. What is it?
It’s a toothpick holder! Very Chinese indeed…
Baked barbecued pork buns with pine nuts
A surprisingly thin and light bun topped with a slightly sweet coating encloses meaty but extremely savory BBQ pork, crunchy sweet onion, and nutty toasted pine nuts. This winning combination really elevated a simple BBQ pork buns that I’ve had a million times.
Steamed Shanghainese pork dumplings with conpoy
This rendition of XLB is still nowhere close to Benu’s but better than The 8’s. This XLB surprises you with the amount of soup it holds while the savory pork fillings have a rather delicate texture as opposed to the dense fillings that I often encounter with at places like 101 Noodle, Mama Lu’s, and name-your-XLB-place. The skin is quite thin with a slight chew, but it lacks the elasticity and droop that I’m after.
Steamed scallop dumplings with vegetables and silver fish
Nothing can go wrong with scallops! The dumpling tastes of flavor of the ocean with a variety of textures from different ingredients. Meanwhile, LKH has perfected the “Q” texture of these dumpling skin.
Steamed shrimp and pork dumplings with crab meat
I’m first hit with the sweetness of the crab meat followed by the classic shrimp and pork flavor before being punched in the face by the incredibly fragrant and earthy shroom…perhaps LKH uses dry shitake? The ingredients really shined through…
Steamed lobster dumpling in fermented bean sauce
First thing to note is the size of the dumpling! It’s unusually big and individually served in its own steam basket. Secondly, there’s a ton of lobster inside the perfect “Q” skin. Heck, almost the whole thing is filled with tender but snappy lobster that’s flavored with just a hint of the fermented bean sauce. You would think that the strong tasting sauce would overwhelm the lobster flavor…but nope…perfect balance. The “filler” includes what tastes feels like jicama with that typical crunchy texture.
Superior pottage with shredded chicken
High viscosity. Intensely chicken-y and supremely fragrant. Chicken, shroom, carrots and scallions are finely shredded to layer in additional flavor and texture. It’s the best chicken soup ever. My only complaint is that the shredded chicken is a bit overcooked.
Baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken
Imagine the best ever chicken and mushroom tart with a supremely buttery and delicate pastry crust. Let’s not stop there, let’s top this delicious tart with succulent abalone that’s bursting with ocean goodness. It’s that great!
Chef’s signature appetizer selection (L to R): Barbecued pork with honey sauce, Crab spring roll, Crispy eel
Perfectly fried piece of fatty eel with a semi-crispy crust.
Accompanying the eel is a classic Hong Kong delicacy…small dried fish…but the twist here is that this is fried into a thin chip.
Fatty. Juicy. Semi-crispy.
Perfection.
Extremely crispy and stuffed full of sweet crab that’s been shredded while the onion added another spectrum of crunchiness and sweetness. On the other hand, the shiso leaf wrapping layers in brightness and peppery notes.
A succulent and splendid rendition with fantastic blend of sweet and savory flavors. But it didn’t quite reach the height of Tin Lung Heen’s that uses Iberico pork. If I can only get it at Sam Woo…
Sweetened almond cream with glutinous rice dumplings
The almond cream is smooth, fragrant, mildly sweet, and tastes more almond-y than almond. The accompanying glutinous rice balls are stuffed with a sweet and rich sesame filling that oozes out when you bite into their soft white skin.
Petit Fours: Red bean coconut gelee and walnut pastry
Two wonderful bites to end the meal.
LKH is every bit as good as The 8’s dim sum despite the “minimalist” approach. Naturally, this also means that it’s the best dim sum I’ve ever had along with The 8’s.
Lung King Heen
4/F, Four Seasons Hotel
Hong Kong
8 Finance Street