THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Lai Wah Heen

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Lai Wah Heen Restaurant Review:

You can have a virtual tour of China by sampling from executive chef Ken Tam’s menu. The dishes of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu or Shandong are at your fingertips. No matter what you choose, it will be authentic --- and likely well-prepared. The split-level room in soft beige, blond woods, black granite stairs, black chairs and Chinese calligraphy by renowned Southeast Asian artist Cheung Ming is as elegant as the food. Peking duck is carved at the table with crispy skin, flesh and scallions ready to roll up in a thin pancake. Hot towels and plates are constantly replaced as the meal progresses. Double boiled chicken consommé with conch and ginseng manages to be both flavorful and delicate. Guangdong-style crab with fresh ginger and wine sauce served in the shell is messy work to eat but most tasty. There’s an array of vegetable dishes, the likes of Chinese kale flavoured with ginger and rice wine or zucchini in a garlicky sauce. Braised tofu with shiitake is soft and light, but it’s the exotic Chinese ingredients such as abalone and sea cucumber that draw the city’s more elite crowd. We think the dim sum served at lunchtime is still the best in the city, if not the country. Western-influenced desserts might be tapioca, mango and lychee in a soup, milk custard and papaya in a fried pastry, or house-made sorbets and ice creams. The wine list focuses on varietals and regions that match with Asian cuisine and includes a few specially imported Chinese rice wines.