I’ve been looking forward to trying another of Hong Kong’s speakeasies since Bo Innovation. Private kitchens were all the rage a few years ago, and only the truly good ones survived, and Xi Yan has proved that they not only survived, but has grown with outlets in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Xi Yan’s cuisine can be described as Asian fusion. Drawing inspiration from Thai and South East Asian cooking techniques and flavors, Xi Yan serves up multi-provincial Chinese food infused with other Asian influences.
Southeast Asian influences include the use of lemongrass or calamansi, infused into traditional Sichuan and Shanghainese dishes.
Their private dining outlet showcases the best of their menu. Unassuming outlook is an inadequate description when you reach the place, unnoticeable is more accurate: there is no signage for the whereabouts of it on the streets, not even on the very building it resided. It is on the third floor of a run-down commercial building in Wanchai, quiet, secluded and exclusive. Enter, sit down and enjoy
$430 per head
Salmon and jelly fish in Wasabi sesame sauce
Grilled potatoes with salt and truffle
Shrimps in superior pickled sauce
Crispy duck stuffed by glutinous rice
Sichuan spicy chicken. The menu changes every other night but this spicy chicken is a stalwart.
Stir fried spicy clams with basil
Chrysanthemum mandarin fish with lemongrass calamansi sauce
Satay shrimps with salted egg yolks and basil
Longan and jujube sorbet with bird’s nest
Stewed chicken with pear and white fungus
Stir fried mix mushrooms with pickled cucumber
Custard glutinous dumplings with sweet potato ginger soup
Rating : Love It
Food : Sichuan Spicy Chicken, Crispy Duck Stuffed with Glutinous Rice
Summary : A must try in Hong Kong. Contemporary chinese cuisine at its best.
3/F, 231-233 Queens Road East, Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 9020 9196
http://www.xiyan.com.hk/hk/
Whiff and a Sip 