The Michelin Chase in Hong Kong
The “Flying Roast Goose” at Yung Kee Restaurant, Hong Kong was coined after hoards of tourists who loved the restaurant’s specialty dish – roast goose (金牌燒鵝), bought and carried it back to their country by air, to share with family and friends.
Yung Kee Restaurant (鏞記酒家) is situated along Wellington Street in Central, Hong Kong. You can’t miss the huge golden store front boasting its gargantuan signboard in Mandarin – 鏞記. My friends and I were fortunate to be given a table without much wait and we were looking forward to arguably the best roast goose in Hong Kong. The restaurant was already quite packed when we were there, and it seems to be especially popular amongst tourists.
Yung Kee Century Egg
If you like century eggs, I’d definitely recommend trying them as an appetizer dish at Yung Kee. Century eggs are preserved duck eggs with a greenish-grey yolk and a dark brown egg “white”. I have absolutely no idea how Yung Kee managed to make their century eggs (特製皮蛋酸薑) to such perfection; the egg “white” is soft, translucent and jelly-like, whilst the yolk is of a runny and fluid texture, resembling the lava egg (nitamago) often found in Japanese ramen. Served with pickled ginger, it is a wonderful start to a wonderful dinner.
Yung Kee Roast Goose
The highlight of the meal was of course the roast goose – 金牌燒鵝. As a disclaimer, I must say it isn’t exactly the healthiest dish around, but an indulgence once in a while couldn’t hurt! The glistening goose glazed with plum sauce was beckoning to me as I took a bite into the crispy skin and the tender, juicy meat beneath. That was really awesome! I’m not surprised the restaurant has been awarded a one-Michelin-star since 2008, amongst various other accolades. Some people would find the roasted goose meat a little too salty for their liking, but take it with white rice and you’ll find yourself craving for more!
Yung Kee Char Siew
And who could resist barbequed pork (蜜汁叉燒) especially after we’ve seen them temptingly displayed at the restaurant window? It was no doubt a right choice we had made by ordering a plate of char siew; the meat was sweet and succulent, with just the right proportion of lean and fatty meat – excellent pairing with the savory roast goose!
As with most eateries in Hong Kong, service at Yung Kee Restaurant is brisk and the service staff may appear to be rude and brash. My recommendation is to take that with a pinch of salt; after all, that is part of the Cantonese culture. Fact is they really do serve great roast goose amongst other awesome dishes, and you don’t want to miss that for sure.
How to Get There
Yung Kee Restaurant
32-40 Wellington Street
Central, Hong Kong
Direction
Take the MTR to Central station and it’s an approximate 5–10 min walk.
Opening Hours
From 11pm to 11.30pm daily. Dum Sum from 2pm to 5pm from Monday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday and public holidays.
Call in advance to make a reservation, especially if you have a big group.
Reservation no.: +852 2522 1624
