Tim's Kitchen or Yung Kee 4F

[Jerry L]

We have only so many days in Hong Kong,undecided about Tim's Kitchen and Yung Kee 4F
Can you compare them? Cost and ambiance.
What would you order in either? Only the 2 of us.

[ulterior epicure]

I can't make the direct comparison, but I was - just a couple of weeks ago - at the Yung Kee 4F and Tim's Kitchen in Macau. Yung Kee was my biggest regret on a 7 day trip. The roasted goose was not very good, and everything else was fine, but not particularly stand-out. To be honest, I think my experience at Yung Kee would have been infinitely better in a larger group setting (we were a deuce): more options as far as what you can order.

Tim's Kitchen in Macau (very similar menu to the one in Hong Kong from what I understand) was one of my best meals. Fantastic ingredients, service, and execution. I really couldn't recommend it with more fervor.

[Indy 67]

You've described our experience at Yung Kee nine years ago except that my husband and I were part of a group of four and our companions were natives of Hong Kong.

Our biggest disappointment was the signature roast goose. The skin wasn't crispy enough to provide the necessary contrast between the hard, crisp skin, the soft fat. Admittedly, I'm not used to eating my food with quite so much fat, but if the skin is crisp-hard and if the meat is moist I can see the appeal of the larger amount of fat on goose or duck for contrast. Our two other dishes -- scrambled egg whites with dried scallop and prawns with "scorpion roe" -- weren't memorable for either negative or positive reasons. (Note: Our friends speak English with very thick accents. I really don't know how the prawns were prepared. "Scorpion roe" is my husband's and my best guess decoding what we think our friend said.)

With an experience ranging from indifferent to distaste, imagine my surprise when I read the 2010 Michelin list and discovered that Yung Kee is a Michelin one-star.

My husband and I will be in Hong Kong in a couple of months. Where should we eat for a classic HK-Cantonese meal? (We'll be staying at the Conrad. Convenience is more important than price point.)

[FourSeasons]

Hi Indy 67:

Conrad has an excellent Cantonese restaurant on the basement called Golden Leaf. Not exactly "classic" though, it has a modern interpretation of Cantonese dishes. Service and ambiance are top notch too.

[klyeoh]

I'd second Golden Leaf - definitely one of the best Cantonese spots in HK.

[Charles Yu]

Might as well 'third' it!

[Peech]

I also like Golden Leaf a lot, and surprisingly good dim sum. Keeping in mind that they also have a star. But as I said before, with two people Chinese food is pretty tough... but dim sum would be OK

[Indy 67]

Thanks everyone! With all this enthusiasm, we'll definitely eat dinner at Golden Leaf. I'm very interested in trying "modern interpretations of Cantonese" dishes.

I don't want to overstay my welcome, especially since I'll be asking for recommendations in both Beijing and Shanghai. However, I'd still appreciate a recommendation for a classic Hong Kong meal/experience. (We will be doing a dim sum lunch at least once.)

With all the enthusiasm for Yung Kee I'm seeing on the thread about Michelin-starred restaurants, should I give Yung Kee another chance? Is there a difference between Yung Kee 4F and any other Yung Kee?

Finally, I understand Peech's caution about the problems eating Chinese food for two. Our attitude may not be the most politically correct, but having traveled half-way round the world, my husband and I would rather order too much and leave the excess than make sure we're ordering the most appropriate amount for two diners.

In 2002, we ate our best meal of the entire trip at 1221 in Shanghai. We would either point to appealing-looking food at the surrounding tables or use the limited clues in the poorly translated English descriptions. We decided that the prices were so low we could be fearless. We simply didn't care if were ordering more than we could eat or if we left a dish essentially untouched because we weren't enjoying the taste. Apparently, our behavior made an impression on the kitchen because the chef sent out a delicious rice pudding dessert at the end of the meal as a thank-you.

[FourSeasons]

For safer bet, I would suggest you eat at the hotel-restaurants since they are more friendly to tourists and small group like a couple. A few are pretty good too: you can try Man Ho at Marriott (just right across Conrad), or Lung King Heen at Four Seasons or One Harbour Road at Grand Hyatt.

[Charles Yu]

Hello Calvin, on the subject of Man Ho and roast goose. The roast goose I had at Man Ho early this year was a few days after a Yung Kee meal. Like your reaction after your 'Manor' meal, the goose was again better than Yung Kee

[Peech]

Think this has come up multiple times before... Chinese food does not lend itself to solo dining or between a couple. You need 4-5 people min to be able to sample a variety of dishes.

This is where Tim's Kitchen comes to the rescue. The dishes are generally small and there are a few single-serving dishes perfect for a small dining party. Therefore it's a no-brainer for me: go to Tim's if it's only 2 of you.

[ulterior epicure]

Agreed.

[Jerry L]

Booked Tims kitchen
Thank you

[klyeoh]

How did you like your meal there?

[klyeoh]

In terms of ambience, Yung Kee 4F would be better - it's a typical large HK restaurant.

But for true-blue Cantonese cuisine (the sort you'd remember from your childhood, if you're HK-Cantonese, of course), it has to be Tim's Kitchen. This place is really just a step above "hole-in-the-wall", and can perhaps squeeze in 30 pax shoulder-to-shoulder. But the food was robust, honest-to-goodness HK-Cantonese cuisine like no other.

Some dishes to try (autumn menu):
- Whole fresh crab claw with winter melon
- Crystal King Prawns (great when dipped into pungent shrimp sauce)
- Snake soup (absolutely delicious - very light & subtle)
- Stir-fried pig's stomach with presrerved vegetables
- Crisp-roasted baby pigeons
- beef satay cheong fun
- "sam chow" loh mai (glutinous rice stir-fried/cooked with waxed meats)

Only dish I didn't quite take to was the braised pomelo skin with shrimp roe - it was too strong for my tastebuds, and I much preferred Fu Sing (Wanchai)'s version which, to me, is one of the must-not-miss dishes in HK.