One Harbour Road Restaurant at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

It was my final day in Hong Kong and with a skip in my step and an umbrella perched over my shoulder I swerved through drizzle which misted itself across Wanchai. The district is connected by a pedestrian walkway which winds through many of the cities largest office towers and hovers over chaotic highways. It was rather exhilarating to skip over HK’s early morning rush hour traffic and zoom myself through the cathedral like spaces of the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre.

I had planned a rather decadent last day in Hong Kong at the Grand Hyatt, a luxurious five star property which sits perched over Victoria Harbour. I started the morning with a coma inducing massage treatment at the hotels Plateau Spa and then slithered down to One Harbour Road for my final Cantonese feast.

I was excited to catch up with an old friend from my university days. I gave Winnie a big hug when she arrived at the table and spent the next two hours catching up on five years of lost time. Winnie acted as my HK spirit guide in 2008 when I first visited the city. She was the perfect local tour guide, twirling me through the cities most colourful markets, feasting on dim sum and late night beer sips at the calamitous bars in Kowloon.

One Harbour Road is one of Hong Kong’s most celebrated Cantonese fine dining concepts where the cities politicians and celebrities come to wine and dine. The restaurants two-story design features wrap around ceiling to floor glass windows which offer one of the most spectacular views in the city. I imagine thousands of men have fallen on one knee during dinner, hopelessly romantic.

I whisked my fingers through Chef Li Shu Tim’s lengthy menu while formulating a game plan for this final feast. The previous afternoon I had enjoyed a culinary walking tour of the city and learned that out of the many BBQ items available in HK the three most popular with locals were crispy suckling pig, roast goose and honey roasted bbq pork. I decided to centre the meal around this trilogy, a final bow of respect to the genius that is Cantonese BBQ.

We started off the meal with a glass of champagne, a wink for my “salut and so long.” Throughout lunch our server who wore a white dress jacket and black bow tie moved around the table like a silent wind, placing piping hot plates under our noses. Our BBQ trilogy forced a few vocal “omg’s,” heaven where crispy meets juicy meets fatty. Deep fried prawns tossed in sweet mayonnaise and sesame perched in a fried egg nest were followed by wok fried shredded beef so tender you really didn’t even have to bother with the labours of chewing.

It was here that I encountered my first tea smoked crispy chicken, its skin glistened from the centre of the table, a mirrors reflection. I’m a huge fan of poultry skin (hold me back from the turkey on Thanksgiving) so was delighted to encounter a smokey tea aroma before crunching into the skins cracker like consistency. Our journey at One Harbour Road would wind to a close with a carb loading duo of fried rice prepared in the yeung chow style alongside a steaming plate of spicy singapore noodles. A final chilled mango pudding provided the perfect cleanse to our palates before hobbling home in a gluttonous daze.

The Feast:

Cuvee des Chevaliers Blanc de Blancs Lancelot Royer

BBQ Combination

crispy suckling pig, roast goose, honey roasted bbq pork

Deep Fried Prawns

sesame seeds, fried egg, mayonnaise sauce

Wok Fried Shredded Beef with Chili

Tea Smoked Crispy Chicken

Singapore Noodles

Fried Rice Yeung Chow Style

Chilled Mango Pudding