Everyone and their worldly uncle proclaims that the food in China’s metropolitan cities is on a different level. For now, in Hong Kong, there’s Yong Fu, a restaurant shepherding the delicate, seafood-focused cuisine of Ningbo by way of Shanghai and Shenzhen — and now, Singapore and, soon enough, New York and London.
At noon on a Wednesday,... More
Everyone and their worldly uncle proclaims that the food in China’s metropolitan cities is on a different level. For now, in Hong Kong, there’s Yong Fu, a restaurant shepherding the delicate, seafood-focused cuisine of Ningbo by way of Shanghai and Shenzhen — and now, Singapore and, soon enough, New York and London.
At noon on a Wednesday, you might find those free-spirited uncles with their heads buried in raw, cold marinated hairy crab — dotted with glorious, creamy roe the color of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos — between swigs of aged Burgundy and baijiu. Blessedly, Yong Fu isn’t strictly for the tycoons with Bentleys circling the restaurant block. There’s a $498 HKD ($65 USD) 10-course menu, served in the same, high-ceiling rooms prowled by well-heeled gastronauts. While you won’t find the breathtakingly-priced (and wholly worth it) crab on this set, there is crystal-clear, deeply restorative soups, including double boiled-one with white olive; evergreen and bamboo shoots encased in a brittle, paper-thin spring roll; yu choy so fat and sweet it tastes genetically-engineered; East Sea fish, expertly butterflied and steamed, cradling silky flesh in a hypnotic Huadiao sauce; and a clean take on sesame glutinous rice dumplings that will astound you. So, too, will this lunch.
Should your budget quadruple, as it might during this festive season of giving, consider the chef @liuzhen2019 ‘s take on Ningbo banquet staples. It begins with a ceremonial platter that includes that crab (salted), caviar tart with wind-cured eel, and other delicacies. The pleasures then build steadily: a take on brown croaker bone paste (here, a braised rice cake), pelted with sweet edamame; fresh croaker maw wrapped like candy, lavished with its glossy, collagen-rich broth; and steamed pork patty heaped with crab and cuttlefish shirako. I loved the crisp, gently-roasted bamboo shoots, too, but it’s the caul-fat fried ankimo tucked into a light-as-cloud rice bun that made my table go quiet. Another spectacular meal. Thanks @yongfuhk @theforksandspoons852 for the hospitality.
📍Yong Fu, Hong Kong. 🍽️ Feb ‘26. Less
