To this day, the three
stars awarded to Lung King Heen must be the most widely discussed rating that
the Michelin guide has given out in recent years. Some criticise the product
quality, as it does not match that of some Japanese, American or European
restaurants, whilst others see Cantonese cuisine as a rather lowly representative
of Chinese cooking. Whatever reasons there are to question Lung King Heen, one
thing is certain: the restaurant interior is gorgeous and has a breathtaking
view over Hong Kong harbour. The dining room is both elegant and comfortable,
and gives the diner the feeling that no penny has been spared to make this experience
unique.
As in most of the better
restaurants in Hong Kong, the service is phenomenal. Friendly and efficient,
the professional service brigade does a terrific job that lets you fully
appreciate the food. Yet, somehow, the standard of the food seems incoherent. It's
as if two kitchen brigades are at work here: one at lunch, the other for dinner.
The lunch menu, mainly dim sum, is far better than the normal dinner menu.
Reasonably priced compared to Western restaurants, the dim sum are magnificent
quality.
One gets the impression that two kitchen brigades work here: one at lunch, and another one during the dinner services. 
No matter what
you choose, you will be presented with bite-sized parcels of happiness. Each one
not only has the perfect texture, but it is also perfectly full of flavour. One
of the best is lobster and scallop combined. Here, the fine dough coats the
creamy scallop meat, given a counterpoint by the lobster. Another classic is the
Shanghainese Xia Long Bao. Filled with pork and crabmeat and stock, this
dumpling is marvellous. Again, it is light, bursting with flavour and has an
amazing texture. It has to be tried to be believed. However, the food gets even
better with the abalone and chicken puff, possibly the most interesting and
technically perfect creation by chef Chan Yan Tak. It has superb texture and
even the abalone, which is often relatively mild, is full of flavour. If you
don't know this dish, it's the ideal introduction, as it shows just how great abalone
can be. To finish, a dessert of mysterious bird's nest, coconut milk, almond
cream and crystal sugar is a rare and expensive treat with a clean taste that
just shines through.
The better part
of the Lung King Heen cuisine makes you realize how good dim sum can be. Yet, if
you look at the normal a la carte menu, it is hard to see how this restaurant
earned its three stars. Certainly, the room is great and the service is great,
but the food is so variable, depending on when you come, that it makes the superlative
rating seem a little bizarre.
