Ming Court, Cordis Hotel’s two-Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant, invites diners to rediscover Hong Kong’s roots with a unique Forgotten Recipes menu featuring popular dishes from the golden era of the 60s and 70s. Favourited by the movers and shakers of Hong Kong’s yesteryear, each dish on the Forgotten Recipes menu requires meticulous technique and patience. Designed by Executive Chef Mango Tsang Chiu Lit, the menu highlights the type of classic Cantonese cuisine that flourished in the era of rapid industrial development and financial prosperity.
We recently sat down to taste some highlights from the menu, starting our meal with a trio of appetisers: layered silken tofu glossed in gold leaf and Chinese olive sauce, steamed, then pan-seared egg with conpoy and crabmeat and supreme char siu. We especially enjoyed the succulent pork with its crunchy caramelisation, and the briny Chinese olive sauce was a flavourful contrast to the silky tofu.
Ming Court was one of the first restaurants in Hong Kong to pair Cantonese cuisine with wine; the meal started off with a Dr Loosen Reisling from Germany with a high acidity and sharpness that nicely cut through the honey pork.
The double-boiled eel soup arrived with a tender piece of the fish wrapped in preserved vegetables. The soup had the kind of depth that only slow simmering over a low fire for hours can create, and the fish was incredibly buttery and tender. We could have happily helped ourselves to a second bowl.
What’s Cantonese cuisine without roast goose? We were thoroughly impressed with the crispy-skinned goose, first roasted with black fungus and angelica before being bathed in hot oil to give it that iconic crisp factor. The meat was juicy with a touch of gaminess, and the richness was pared down with a slight bitterness from the mixed Chinese herbs. This was perfectly complemented by the richly textured Moss Wood Pinot Noir with its fruity and herby edge gained from the warmer climes of Margaret River.
The sautéed Mandarin fish roll with Yunnan ham and bamboo shoots was a delicious study in contrast while the steamed chicken fillet with shiitake and Yunnan ham was infused with umami notes thanks to the briny ham and mushroom.
Chinese cabbage simmered in chicken consommé felt nourishing and rejuvenating while the fried tofu stuffed with shrimp and pork, then baked with salted egg yolk and minced pork, was deliciously decadent and filling. It was one of the richest tofu dishes we’ve tasted thus far and incredibly addictive.
We capped off our meal with osmanthus wolfberry curd and red date pudding, which arrived in a bubbling platform of dry ice.
Verdict
The Forgotten Recipes menu is a rare opportunity to taste a slice of Hong Kong’s history and a wonderful chance to revitalise these time-honoured cooking traditions. Each dish was meticulously prepared, and we could taste the dedication in each bite.
6/F, Cordis, Hong Kong at Langham Place, 555 Shanghai Street, Mongkok, 3552 3028, cdhkg.restaurants@cordishotels.com
This write-up is based on a complimentary media tasting provided in exchange for an honest review and no monetary compensation.
