Thursday, March 11, 2010

Yixin Restaurant 益新美食館



It was my first time in this outlet ever since they closed down the Happy Valley one. Back then it was a very cozy and homely establishment with about a dozen tables only. Here at the new outlet, the space is 5 times bigger and more comfortable I guess. It wasn't easy to book especially during weekends.



Some of the soups were out already by 8pm so we had to skip it and go right to appetizer. The BBQ Pork in Thick Slices were thick, tender, juicy with great flavors! One of the best in town I would have to say. Thumbs up!



No surprises on the Jelly Fish, a bit heavy on the sauce but delightful and refreshing for sure.



I really want to learn from the chef or whoever cooked this Smoked Pomfret because I just don't understand how it can be done in just about 5 mins after we ordered! The BBQ Pork and the Jellyfish I understand but for a main dish? At least try wait til a more appropriate time to bring out the pre-cooked item!



The Roasted Duck in Pipa-style was surprising well made with a very crispy skin and tender meat. I think it was the sauce that made it even better.



To my understanding, it is a rather difficult to cook Fried Fresh Milk with Crab Meat because it is very easily be overcooked and involves a lot of oil to keep it moist. A well done job here to keep those key elements intact as in moist and not overly greasy.



Deep Fried Chicken was another highlights of the night with very crisp skin and tender meat. The chicken was a bit lean but it was all good.



The Baked Fish Guts was one of the reasons I picked this place for dinner because not many restaurants in Hong Kong offer this dish. Flavors were rich and as expected but the texture was a bit too firm in my opinion. This dish is considered a very traditional type of dishes and I think one should give it a try if possible.



The sizzling Sea Cucumber and Duck Feet in Claypot was alright, very chewy / bouncy sea cucumber which I liked and the sauce was perfect to go with some white rice.



Baked Sago with Lotus Seed Paste requires advance ordering to ensure availability. Instead of one huge plate, they opted to serve them individually. Not sure why or if it make much differences this way. Flavors were alright but a bit undercooked in my opinion, not golden enough on the top and a bit too mushy inside. It was still a good dessert to end the meal with! s



Likes:
  • Roasted Duck in Pipa-style - great flavors and tender, juicy meat
  • BBQ Roast Pork - tender, thick and juicy, one of the best in town!
  • Baked Fish Guts - wonderful flavors but texture was rather too firm
Dislikes:
  • Smoked Pomfret - ready in 5 mins! Very efficient indeed ... or was it?
  • A lot of dishes arrived all at once, again great dislike for me
  • Baked Sago was slightly undercooked, too mushy
Avg Spending: HKD 200 - 300 per person

Yixin Restaurant 益新美食館
Shop 3-4, G/F, Shanghai Industrial Investment Building,
48-62 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
Tel: +852 2834 9963


View Larger Map

6 comments:

Greentea00 said...

i remembered i tried this restaurant a year ago..but not a very good experience for me that time thou..it was for a friend's bday..the restaurant was all packed but service was quite disappointed. We got a feeling they are more attentive and favor in older generation's clientele..probably because they think they would order more (and)expensive dishes..We had 5 people that time, brought two really good red Burgandy...I would say,we ordered quite a lot of food on the table but turned out the experience was really so so..

Jason said...

@Greentea00: I think the pacing of dishes is one area they should really improve as part of their overall services. They can't expect us to eat at fast food pace! (and the 5mins smoked Pomfret was indeed classic!!!)

Now that you mentioned it, I recall waitstaff were calling many incoming customers by their last name as soon as they step in. I guess frequent diners might get a slightly better service? Perhaps time to test it out again next time I go and be more observant regarding their services.

Back when the Happy Valley outlet was still around, their food was very good (better than my visit described above). I think it is possible that with more seats and diners to serve at this new location, the quality of the food was affected slightly ... just a wild guess of course ...

But the BBQ Pork Char Siew was really cook ... sudden craving for it now! :)

Greentea00 said...

yes..i was disappointed because all my friends told me how good it was when they r still in Happy Valley before..so sometimes i am a bit reserved now when trying a new branch from an established restaurant in town.

Jason said...

@Greentea00: yeah, I think many old Chinese restos which are opening new outlets are becoming / or aiming to become more commercial at the expense of quality ... I hope I am wrong on this view ...

Mandy said...

I went to the one in Jardine Outlook for dinner about 3 weeks ago, it was really good. It has became one of my favourite chinese restaurants for dinner in HK now.

Jason said...

@Mandy: I have been told that the one at Jardine Outlook tends to have better food or at least in terms of consistency, I think I should give that location a few attempts :)

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails