Tag: Tai Kwun restaurants

Review: Head to Madame Fu for Instagram-friendly decor and drinks

Stepping into Madame Fu is like stepping back in time to a grand colonial era. Taking up the entire 8,000 sq.ft of the third floor of the Barracks block at Tai Kwun heritage centre, its long verandahs, cheerful lanterns, plush upholstery, velvet couches, private dining rooms all carefully recreate a slice of the bygone empire.

Madame Fu

With the restaurant separated into seven equally glamorous sections – the Instagrammable Pink Room, the Parisian Grand Cafe, the exclusive tasting room The Artist, the decadent Whisky Lounge, the private Library, the burlesque Fu Bar and the colourful Red & Blue Verandahs, what unifies the space is the unmistakable feeling of luxury that permeates through every nook and corner. Yet, thanks to the creative genius of designer Christian Rhomberg, nowhere does it feel like a stiff-upper-lipped formal space, instead, it is as good for a casual tête-à-tête as it is for a special occasion.

Madame Fu

While the decor has a European vibe to it, the menu however is distinctly Cantonese, putting a modern spin on traditional dishes.  First up was the dim sum platter, with crystal shrimp dumpling, mushroom and black truffle dumpling, char siu bao, and seafood and honey pea dumpling. While the char siu bao and seafood dumplings were more style than substance, the true highlight here was the mushroom and black truffle dumpling, with the rich aftertaste of the truffle lingering in the mouth long after the dumpling had been consumed.

Of the mains, the Iberico Char Siu was a near-perfect combination of sweet succulence and a slightly charred crunchy finish. Meanwhile, the wood ear mushrooms with chilli oil and Shanxi vinegar was quite mild in taste with a hint of umami flavours. Vegetarians may also like the evenly charred wok-tossed broccoli spears with garlic, while the carb lovers will surely find the egg fried wild rice with seasonal vegetables to be a go-to comfort food.  

But while the food at Madame Fu is sophisticated and contemporary, but never too experimental, it’s the drinks that took us by surprise with their innovation,  presentation and perfect balance of flavours. We would particularly recommend Good Fellas to whisky lovers and Madame Fox for sake loyalists. There’s also Madame Fu’s Mystery, with secret ingredients, that may appeal to those who want a dash of enigma along with their drink. We, for one, won’t sip and tell…

Madame Fu Grand Cafe Chinois, 3/F, Block Three, Tai Kwun, No. 10 Hollywood Road, Central, www.madamefu.com.hk

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

The Chinese Library slays it this summer with five new Dao Yi dishes

In the hierarchy of culinary preparation, the art of cutting foodstuff is often granted a lower position, overshadowed by skills that are more obviously palate-pleasing, like cooking, garnishing, and so on. But the Tai Kwun-located The Chinese Library, a part of the acclaimed F&B company Aqua Restaurant Group, has brought this underdog in the kitchen pantheon to the forefront with five new dishes that celebrate Dao Yi – the art of the kitchen knife.

The humble kitchen knife may not appear to be the most versatile of utensils, but in the hands of Chef Junno of The Chinese Library, it becomes a creative tool, artfully slicing and carving some of the most delicate and intricate creations.

Dao Yi dishes
Chrysanthemum 1000-cut tofu that has inspired the Dao Yi dishes at The Chinese Library

The first demonstration of the chef’s technique that hoved tablewards was the Marinated geoduck & ‘Jade’ flower in sesame oil dressing – a delectable combination of meaty, umami-flavoured geoduck and crunchy celery. While the geoduck was, as anticipated, succulent and tender, it was the celery stalks, cut and presented like a green-hued flower that caught our attention. Thankfully, its flavours more than matched its presentation. Doused with sesame oil and sprinkled with Sichuan pepper, it was just the right amount of crunchy and savoury with the hotness of the pepper spicing things up even further.

Dao Yi dishes
Crystal melon dumpling with Kung Fu teapot chicken consommé

Next up was the Crystal melon dumpling with Kung Fu teapot chicken consommé. While the previous dish had piqued our appetite, this one proved to be completely nourishing. With Chef Junno artfully using melon slices as dumpling coating, with crab stuffing inside, it was feather-light both to taste and to consume, with the twice-distilled chicken consommé being aromatic enough to bind the whole dish together.    

Dao Yi dishes
Deep-fried whole mandarin fish

When the Deep-fried whole mandarin fish appeared at our table, we knew it was going to be something special – and it was. Skillfully deboned and cut to resemble a lion’s mane, we could wholly comprehend the sheer craftsmanship that had gone into making this dish. The fresh flavours of the fish also lived up to our expectations, with the sweet and sour pepper sauce adding an interesting counterpoint to the crispy fish fries. But as it’s meant for sharing, please only order this dish if you’re going in a group of three or more, or if you are feeling especially ravenous.

Sweetened double-boiled ‘birds nest’ with honeydew and melon

While the fish was really an exuberant explosion of flavours, the Sweetened double-boiled birds nest with honeydew and melon which was served as a dessert was as understated as can be. But here too, the chef’s skill was explicitly visible, with the honeydew being chopped finely to resemble a bird’s nest. We mixed it with red sugar and ginger sauces rendering it with a mildly sweet flavour that was perfect on the palate.

And that, we believe, is where Chef Junno’s true success lies. While he displays mastery over the knife, nowhere does it overshadow the flavours of the dishes themselves, which are heroes in their own right.

The Chinese Library, Police Headquarters Block 01, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road
T 2848 3088 | www.chineselibrary.com.hk

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay