shinn679
First visit. I visited Hong Hei, a Cantonese cuisine restaurant that opened in July this year, highly recommended by MyRebi. I was excited that they accept reservations for solo diners. I had been procrastinating my visit due to a lack of opportunity, so I finally squeezed it in during the year-end holidays. According to reviews, Chef Tommy here is from the now-closed "Fukurinmon Sakaba." I had a great experience at "Capo Choryumon," a restaurant run by a chef from Fukurinmon Sakaba at Ginza Six, so my expectations were high. The restaurant is located in a back street near Toranomon Hills. They start serving promptly at 6 pm, and I arrived at 5 pm after watching the movie "Avatar" in Hibiya (laughs). By the way, "Avatar" is a long movie with 20 minutes of commercials and a 3-hour, 10-minute main feature (laughs). It was still an hour early, so naturally, the signboard lights were not on. Being a back street and with the year-end holidays, there was no one around, and the surroundings were completely dark. I killed time around Toranomon Hills and arrived 15 minutes early, finding the signboard lit up. Inside, there was already one party seated.
■ Interior
The restaurant has an L-shaped counter with a seating capacity of 3 groups of 2 people each and myself, totaling 7 people. There is a mostly open kitchen where you can watch Chef Tommy at work. The scene where he continuously pours oil over the chicken for the Crispy Chicken specialty dish is appetizing, making me almost want him to pour oil on me too (laughs).
■ Impression
In short, it was fantastic! I was already blown away by the second dish, the Fried Chicken Paste with Chicken White Liver, and the third dish, Tokyo X Char Siu. I got so engrossed in eating that I forgot to watch Chef Tommy's cooking scenes (laughs). Overall, the impression was an emphasis on the quality of ingredients and simple cooking techniques that bring out the natural flavors without unnecessary embellishments. They use ingredients from Hong Kong, and you can taste the authentic Hong Kong flavors different from Japanese chefs. The standout dish of the day was definitely the Tokyo X Char Siu. It was mind-blowing. It surpassed the Char Siu at "O2" in Kiyosumi Shirakawa, my all-time favorite! This Char Siu made my heart tremble! It was so delicious that I would be satisfied just eating this with rice! If you love pork, you must try the Char Siu here. I will definitely be revisiting.
■ Today's Course A
The course, priced at 16,500 yen (excluding tax), included the following dishes:
1. Special XO Sauce with Scallops and Dried Shrimp - Strong flavors with a hint of dried shrimp.
2. Fried Chicken Paste with Chicken White Liver - Incredibly delicious! The moment you eat it, you'll be enchanted by the flavor of the batter. I heard that the batter is made with egg and soup stock. The chicken white liver, which I tried for the first time, has a deep and unique deliciousness different from fish liver.
3. Tokyo X Char Siu - The most impressive dish of the day. I must have it again next time.
4. Turtle Soup with Chinese Herbs, Wolfberries, and Dried Yam - Rich and thick, making your mouth sticky with the gelatin from the turtle.
5. Spring Rolls with Shanghai Crab Meat - The crispy texture of the spring rolls' skin is delightful. The power of the Shanghai crab meat will almost bring tears to your eyes. The black vinegar is also delicious!
6. Hong Kong-style Lobster - The gentle seasoning that doesn't overpower the taste of the lobster, along with the perfect cooking to maintain the firm texture, is superb!
7. Crispy Chicken - A special breed of chicken from China, produced in Ibaraki, and only available in some Chinese restaurants. The whole grilled chicken is finished by pouring low-temperature oil over the skin to make it crispy. Enjoy the back, thigh, breast, and head (brains) in three servings. You can have seconds. The texture is firm and the skin has a crispy gradient. While Beijing Duck may win in complexity of flavors, this chicken has a profound and exquisite taste different from French Bresse chicken and Japanese Nagoya Cochin.
8. Stir-Fried Vegetables - Cantonese Cabbage, Dried Snow Cabbage, and Jinhua Ham - The gentle seasoning brings out the natural sweetness and deliciousness of the vegetables.
9. Hong Kong-style Claypot Rice - Thai rice topped with minced pork like the filling of a meat bun. The pork is not visually appealing, but the taste is =====