This place is located on the 3rd floor of the Pennington hotel but easily missed despite its grand hotel entrance which is often blocked by hoards of people lining up for the bus on a NARROW pavement which is only wide enough for one person.
After battling my way past the people, I arrived at a nice tranquil restaurant with a seafood bar.
We had quite a feast that night.
Here was what we had:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Oysters:
Started with oysters from France.
We had La Boite a Bijoux and the Gillardeau.
One had a sweeter note at the end while the other one was strong and salty.
Every night, there are six different oysters that are on a buy one get one free promotion.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Crabe Tourteau:
To be honest, I just enjoyed the crab roe part and the grey matter which had a rich and strong crab taste with a seawater taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Scampi from South Africa:
It was visually stunning to see the whole scampi in its beautiful coral pink shells.
The scampi was sweet and springy that it did not require any seasoning.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Duck Foie Gras Linguini:
This was my favourite, I loved the al-dente linguine tossed in the oil from the foie gras.
On top, there were so many pieces of foie gras.
I think it would taste nicer if there was a hint of black pepper or some chili flakes.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Daily special - Coq au Vin:
The chicken was tender with a strong wine taste paired with creamy mash beneath it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Lemon Tartufo - lemon custard, fresh fruits:
This was the best dessert in terms of presentation and taste.
It was light and airy with a refreshing zesty taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
black chocolate fondant:
Loved this rich gooey dessert with chocolate oozing from the middle.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
CASA:
3/F, Hotel Pennington by Rhombus,
13-15 Pennington Street, Causeway Bay, H.K. Causeway Bay
Tried this place a while ago and the food was delicious and modern.
Yun Yan was recently awarded the well deserved Bib Gourmand status in the latest Michelin guide.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Spicy popcorn:
A great start to dinner with crunchy popcorn with a light kick of spiciness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
sesame pancake:
Each pancake was golden filled with lush spring onions in the middle.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
As well as good food, they have their own home made sauces which are amazing especially the mushroom sauce on the bottom left corner.
This was the reason I ordered the sesame pancakes!!!
Sesame pancake with mushroom oil:
As expected, the sesame pancake and the mushroom oil were so delicious together because the pieces of mushrooms had a strong earthy taste which went well with the sesame pancake.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
strawberry tofu milkshake:
As dinner progressed, the food got a bit spicy and the strawberry tofu milkshake was a nice cooler.
I loved this tofu milkshake because it was blended with fresh strawberries, the sweetness was just right with the occasional strawberry tartness.
There was a strong soy bean taste too and the tofu that was blended into it contributes to that thickness just like a milkshake.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dumplings with prawn:
The dumplings were fun to eat because they give you a pipette with vinegar to add when you feel like it.
As you can see the skin was springy and thin yet it held the dumpling together.
The pairing of pork and springy prawn was just delicious.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Savoury souffle balls:
These souffle balls were amazing because they were filled with cheese, mashed potatoes and crab roe!!
They were specially made for the crab roe season
They were delicious as well as filling!!
Finally there is a savoury version that is so yummy.
Hopefully they can create more varieties like filling it with sichuan chicken or beef slices fafter crab season is over.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Dandan noodles:
The dandan noodles took me by surprise because they were spicier than I anticipated and there was a strong hint of Sichuan pepper.
Not many places in Hong Kong serve dandan noodles with Sichuan pepper except for this place and dandan house in Sheungwan.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Jasmine tea:
The Jasmine tea was impressive because it was fragrant with a strong green tea leaf taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Had a slice of someones birthday which was quite impressive because it was White chocolate and raspberry but the white chocolate was very palatable because they mixed it with gelatin so it didn't feel so heavy. The raspberry jam layer was quite nice but the cake was a bit too sweet as a whole.
I would have tried this earlier but there were so many dishes I wanted to try so went with more people.
There is an open kitchen where you can see the Chefs preparing the roast duck.
The roast suckling pig can also be seen being roasted through the window and you can feel the heat from it too.
Video of the the suckling pig being roasted.
The menu was good because the food was modernized which attracts people like me who are not keen on traditional Chinese food.
Here was what we had:
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Hutong style crispy roasted pig:
It was a delight to order this because it was presented nicely on a wooden board, everything was neatly sliced and cut.
As well as cucumber, there was melon too to accompany the crispy roasted pig.
This is basically a Hutong suckling pig eaten in a Beijing style way wrapped in a pancake.
They give you honey mustard sauce as well as the traditional BBQ sauce with a side of salad in sesame dressing.
Personally I like traditional BBQ sauce but jam, English mustard or Dijon mustard would also taste great with it.
Anyway the pork was amazingly crispy and the fat was burnt off leaving deliciously crispy skin and tender pork which tasted so good with the sweetness of the melon, cucumber and the smokey BBQ sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sliced crispy pig with osmanthus pudding:
This was the winner of all dishes!!!
The presentation was amazing with golden jelly in the middle.
I liked the layers of cracker, jelly, cucumber and pork but the only problem was that it was a bit fiddly to eat which I resolved by biting into two layers at a time.
The savouriness of the pork paired with crisp cucumber slices and sweet osmanthus pudding was just bliss and the crunch of the cracker on the bottom gave it more mouthfeel.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Barbecued peking duck:
The duck skin was glistening and crispy with duck meat as well which made it satisying to eat.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
green salad with sesame dressing
The salad in the modern metallic bowl was delicious because the sauce was strong and you could taste quite a bit of peanut butter which strangely tasted nice in the salad.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
beancurd rolls with minced wild vegetables
This was pretty and delicious, there was a fragrant sesame oil taste contrasted by the grassy vegetables and a slight hint of coriander.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Vegetarian beancurd duck:
This was diced mushrooms and vegetables in a beancurd roll which I found impressive because the beancurd was delicious and crispy with moist juicy vegetable filling.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
marinated chicken in Chinese wine
The chicken was a bit bony but the texture of the chicken was really good because it was firm and meaty infused with fragrant Chinese wine.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
supreme soup with bamboo shoots
Soup is always a must in a Chinese meal, I enjoyed it because it had nice flavours coming from the pork and beancurd pieces.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
deep fried prawns with salted egg yolk
The prawns were huge, coated in delicious salty and crispy egg yolk, but it would be great if the shell was removed to make it easier to eat.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
fish fillets in hot chili oil:
To be honest the fish was too spicy because I tried it with the tip of my tongue and it was just too spicy for me.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
pork ribs in plum sauce
The ribs are sweet and sticky which would make a great dish for children.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
shredded peking vegetable:
A must for any meal, plain stir fried vegetables which are crisp and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Shanghai style dumplings
The dumplings were bursting with meat broth which was delicious with the addition of vinegar to balance the heaviness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
pan fried pork bun
These buns are interesting because they are soft on the top with a crispy pan fried base filled with juicy minced pork.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
signature fried rice
The fried rice was full of goodness because there was quite a bit of ginger in it giving it a delicious fiery kick.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
peking style hand made pastry
The hand made pastry was similar to roti but flakier which would be great with curry sauce or sweet and sour sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
jasmine dragon pearls
Their tea selection was huge with some teas from Africa and Taiwan.
Mine was Jasmine which was fragrant and got stronger as it stood.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep fried souffle ball stuffed with mochi
These souffle balls were a treat because they had mochi inside which gives it an interesting chewy filling with sweet icecream inside the mochi.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Overall the whole experience was good and I loved the modern presentation and the use of Western ingredients to enhance the taste.
BJ-Roaster:
8 Yan King Rd, Tseung Kwan O
2377 4338
Crystal Jade has many restaurants and the dining environment is spacious and comfortable. The menu has many languages including English so it is a great place to bring expats. There were so many nice items on the menu that it was hard to choose so in the end I ordered the following. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ crispy eel $64: The pieces of eel were crispy and boneless with a sweet taste. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ vegetarian beancurd rolls $54: The vegetarian rolls were presented nicely, they were crispy filled with delicious vegetables. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ deep fried salt n pepper small croaker $76: If your good with bones, this fish was delicious because it was crispy with a delicious salt and pepper coating while the fish is soft and silky. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ sauteed spinach with beans $58: The spinach had a nice garlic taste with delicious beans in it. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ stewed bean starch sheets with full cream crab roe $92: This was my favourite and must be eaten quickly because the crab roe tastes better hot. The elastic bean starch sheets were flavoured with delicious crab and crab roe. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ mushroom and crab meat pastry $38: These pastries were moreish filled with minced pork and crab. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Noodles topped with hairy crab roe $68: Finished off with the noodles which were amazing because the noodles were nicely flavoured when it was mixed with the rich crab roe. As the noodles stood they clump together so they have soup for you to pour on top which helps loosen them. Again, this is topped with crab roe which is best eaten hot. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Overall a great place to dine with reasonable prices. ◎ⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓢⓤⓟⓔⓡⓖⓘⓡⓛ◎ 翡翠拉麵小籠包 Crystal Jade 3/F, Tai Yau Plaza,
