Lung King Heen — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

Inarguably the best Cantonese in Hong Kong - and thus by extension - the world. I do not claim to be the expert on Cantonese as such, nor to have tried every possible location in Hong Kong, but I know enough about food and quality and the limits of the possible, to be able to pronounce this with near-certainty. Certainly it comprehensively beats all of the various other places I have tried in HK with comparable aspirations (you probably know who the 'usual suspects' are!). The food was excellent and I will remember everything I got for the rest of my life for sure. That's the test I put on 'best' - to get that designation it has to be something I will remember vividly years later. I opted for 2 very traditional options: char siu, steamed garoupa, and one rather different, unusual option, not really Cantonese but Sichuan - bone marrow and minced beef with Sichuan pepper. The first was definitively the best in HK, shows what can be done when cost is no object and absolutely no compromise is made on ingredients, recipe, or technique. The second was again, definitive, Cantonese at its most typical, just great ingredients tasting of themselves, prepared simply. The final, though, was something special, a sensational dish that has to be tried. I don't know how they did it, but all the marrow was de-boned and cooked without being dissolved. The beef was apparently truly minced - that is, cut with a cleaver (labour-intensive!), the pepper perfectly balanced. An amazing creation and one that I could have kept eating forever. It should be noted that portion size is generous for this level of restaurant - no going away feeling slightly empty. They take tea seriously, almost obsessively here - another point of distinction from many of its peers - and the tea that I got was not only astonishing but recommended and presented by their expert tea sommelier. He really knows his stuff, definitely chat with him to find out about quality teas if you go. Service here represents the first time I can genuinely say the staff seemed almost telepathic, anticipating everything I might want, literally just as I was thinking about it - and considerate enough to ask rather than simply doing. LKH service avoids that slightly mercenary feeling you get in so many HK restaurants, where you get the sense that staff are doing only what they must within the bounds of job expectations for that level of pay. Not here. I get the feeling everyone here really wants to work here and feels proud of what they have done, and what they have achieved, and it shows. You do not walk away feeling an ounce of having been the 'mark'. None of this comes for free, or cheaply by any standard, but if you are really coming to a place like LKH and expecting a cheap deal on your dinner, you are suffering from delusional expectations. Considering the value on offer, indeed, I would say that the price is, if anything, a bargain. You can bet I'll be returning whenever I'm back in Hong Kong. This one is going in the list of...

Whoever awarded them the 3 stars must be shot. How is this even 3 stars quality???? It is not even comparable to a normal regular dimsum shop - just because it's ina posh hotel with a great view so they deserve 3 stars I just don't get it.

The dimsum menu is a short one with only around 10 items. We ordered almost everything... Now let's come to the review of each item.

Siu mai - Considerably one of the better ones. Not the most flavourful I've had but at least it was springy.

Lobster & Scallop dumpling - This was served individually and its not bad. I thought I was eating prawn and only today I realised that is supposed to be a lobster! Either the menu stated the wrong thing or the lobster was just so small it deserved to be a prawn instead??? Yes the size is comparable to the prawns you have in a regular sushi shop. Lobster what??

Abalone Puff - The abalone was really nicely done. Very soft and not chewy at all. The problem lies in the pastry which was way too buttery it my mouth just got swamped with so much butter it was that awful! Too thick pastry and too buttery. Totally destroyed the existence of the abalone. Forget the pastry and eat the abalone instead.

Xiao Long Bao - Am I the only one who thinks Din Tai Fung's version is better?? The meat was lack of taste - it doesn't pop with the soup inside. Skin was too thick and it was just not my cup of tea.

Beef Puff - I can't even do this anymore. This is such a beautiful pastry - just beautiful. When I took a bite out of it the skin was so thick, the meat portion inside was pathetic but it doesn't even matter anymore because it tastes bad to begin with. I don't know I was having beef of expired meat seriously..

BBQ Pork bun - Same goes to this where the pastry was obviously too thick.

Preserved egg - Don't really need effort for this do they? I enjoyed the ginger though...

XO Rice roll - Badly done, very badly done. Taste was flat, the whole plate was just so bland we could not bear to eat even half of it.

Spring Rolls - One of the better dishes that most of us enjoyed. The crispy layer outside, juicy sweet inside. My only concern was that it was a bit greasy because it's deep-fried.

To be very honest, the food we had did not even pass the average mark. Not forgetting the jasmine tea we had was so tasteless! Possibly the cheapest tea leaves I really can't taste Jasmine at all? Yes it costs more than HKD 3k for all of it which did not surpass the average mark. For the price we paid we expected them to be excellent but we left without feeling we had a 3 star meal.

Nevertheless, staffs were all very professional and perhaps that was the only 3 stars experience we had. Their service is not to be faulted - it's the...

I had the pleasure of dining at Lung King Heen while visiting Hong Kong in January 2025. I chose to dine at this restaurant as I wanted to break out of my comfort zone, embark on a culinary adventure and experience traditional cantonese cuisine and delicacies in the best, safest way possible. They were accommodating enough to host me as a solo dinner and I felt welcome, with attentive service throughout.

I chose to go for the 'Taste of Traditional Canton' set meal with wine pairings to match. The meal was by no means cheap and can be classed in the ultra-luxury category considering, however I can safely say that it was an experience i'd never forget and the ingredients used were very luxurious and of the highest quality. Nonetheless, I do wish the set meal wasn't as expensive.

From my perspective, the food presented was far, far out of my comfort zone. However, for the most part I was nicely surprised by the taste of the dishes. During this meal, I had the opportunity to try Abalone, shark fin, sea cucumber and goose web, to name a few, for the first time ever - ingredients I probably wouldn't have considered trying elsewhere.

The fusion of flavours and the preparation was clearly masterful, each dish took me on a journey, introducing textures and tastes to my palette that I had never experienced before. To my tongue, some of the dishes that were more familiar to my palette were delicious, including most of the dishes featuring 'exotic' ingredients new to me. For the dishes that didn't 'taste' as good to me, I was still able to enjoy and appreciate the masterfully prepared cuisine presented, leaving me happy that I at least gave it a try.

I also have to leave praise to the wine sommelier - the pairings produced were absolutely perfect and complimented each of their dishes especially well; I could not see myself enjoying the set meal as much hadn't I have gone for the wine pairing, and thus I would highly recommend that select to include this if you choose to go for this set meal.

To conclude, I would say that if you're seeking a true culinary adventure while you are in Hong Kong and can afford this luxurious experience, then visiting Lung King Heen to try the taste of the traditional canton menu is a must - it will change your perspective on...