- Wine writer Natalie Wong knows her spices, being from Chongqing in southwest China. She reveals where she indulges her craving for fiery food in Hong Kong
- Her other love is Cantonese food, whether it’s high-end at Duddell’s or dim sum from Fung Shing
Award-winning wine writer and Chinese social media strategist Natalie Wang is the founder of media platform Vino Joy News, which covers the wine industry in China and the rest of Asia.
I like Sichuan food. Nothing speaks more about home to me than the aromatic flavours of chilli tossed in searing hot oil or the numbing sensation from a bite of Sichuan peppercorn.
As a Chongqinger living in Hong Kong for over eight years, I am always seeking out places that sate my Sichuan cravings, ideally with a friendly corkage policy or a delectable wine list.
Sijie (10/F, Bartlock Centre, 3 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay, tel: 2802 2250) is an old warhorse in the Sichuan restaurant scene. I visit this private kitchen regularly. There's nothing fancy here and you won't find surgical precision cooking or dishes, but I like its rustic and homely charm.
A set menu is HK$350. The cold noodle is one of my favourites, so is the boiled fish in pickled vegetables.
The best part is that there's no corkage. I have spent many fun nights there.
More upscale, I prefer Sichuan Lab (Lodgewood by L'Hotel, 28 Tai Wo Street, Wan Chai, tel: 3126 6633). I do not think I could love Sichuan mutton stew more than theirs. This is a winter must.
Despite its fiery look with gobs of dried chillies, the dish is not full-on heat. The mutton is fork tender, swimming in a thick and flavourful broth. It's rich and balanced with bean curd skins, Chinese leeks and stem lettuce, further enhanced by the dipping sauce, a mixture of chopped Chinese leek and fermented tofu.
It goes nicely with an aged riesling or a northern Rhone syrah. I also love that they have an interesting wine list. The sommelier can waive corkage if you order a bottle from their list. Everyone wins!
Aside from Sichuan, I also love Cantonese food. A favourite is the elegantly decorated Duddell's (Levels 3 and 4, Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell Street, Central, tel: 2525 9191). The barbecued Iberico pork with honey glaze is quite decadent. I also love the succulent and soupy xiaolongbao with crabmeat, and I don't leave without a plate of crispy salted chicken in front of me.
Unlike most people, I probably spend more time looking at a restaurant's wine list than its food menu, and Duddell's head sommelier Derek Li is never short of surprises. Beyond the usual Bordeaux and Burgundy, there are choices from Sicily, Greece, a skin-contacted white from Croatia and, even more adventurous, a Burgundian style chardonnay from Silver Heights in Ningxia, northwest China. For the city's winos, this is like an amusement park of wines.
For dim sum, Fung Shing restaurant (Goldfield Mansion, 62-68 Java Road, North Point, tel: 2578 4898) is my go-to Sunday spot.
The time-capsule restaurant is among the few places that still offer the traditional soupy dumping, which is served piping hot in bamboo steamers, and its paper-thin skin is so translucent one can see the fillings inside. The broth would ooze out with one small bite. It's such a delightful treat. The steaming hot ma lai gao (steamed sponge cake) is favourite as well.
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