Dinner @ 蘇浙滙 Jardin De Jade

蘇浙滙是一間很有水準的上海菜館，把正宗 (Authentic) 和現代 (Contemporary) 風格的上海菜揉合在一起。在香港想吃到有質素的上海菜，不妨試試蘇浙滙的香港分店。蘇浙滙本身是一間於上海頗有名氣的餐廳，我們每次到上海都會光顧的，想不到它居然在灣仔開了一家分店。雖然菜式有點不同，價錢也挺貴，但大部份都保持水準，最突出是酒醉膏蟹($488)，確實可觀 (Visual) 和可口 (Taste)，尤其不能錯過，其他招牌黑叉燒($88)和糟滑魚片($148)也各有傳統上海蘇浙風味，在香港很少見到，都值得一試。晚餐大概＄300到＄400一位。

It is a nice surprise to find the famous Shanghai-based Jardin de Jade (蘇浙滙) in Hong Kong as it is a restaurant that made a "wow" in the Shanghai dining scene, opening several branches in other cities in China.   It is not hard to understand why because Jardin de Jade combines authentic and contemporary Shanghainese cuisine in one setting and it is the restaurant we went to every time we visited Shanghai! 

Located in Wan Chai, the Hong Kong Jardin de Jade picks up where its other branches have left off--in traditional Chinese fine dining.  The decoration comprises of Chinese elegance and classiness without being overly extravagant.  Although the restaurant was quite small, it felt spacious enough with its limited number of tables, and the dining room was quiet for its diners to indulge in a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.  Brace yourself, however, for the prices here as they are not exactly budget-friendly, a typical dinner costs around $300 - $400 per head. 

(1) The 招牌黑叉燒 Black Barbecue Pork in Suzhou Style ($88) is one of the dishes that we liked that evening.  The BBQ pork itself was succulent and the taste was deliciously thick and amazingly rich.  

(2) The 酒醉膏蟹 House Special Creamy Crab with Wine ($488) the Magician's Girlfriend ordered impressed us in both its beautiful visual presentation and amazing taste perception. The crab roe, which is often eaten as a delicacy in Chinese cuisine, was plentiful and the meat itself was heartily tender and juicy.  The taste of Chinese wine was well balanced and brought the flavour of the crab to an even fresher level that kept lingering in our mouths.  Even though crabs were not C's favourite, he also felt that it was a stunning dish. 

(3) As a starter, the 黑魚籽煙燻蛋 Smoked Eggs with Black Caviar ($38/2 pieces) was delicate.  It had an attractive running yolk topped with the tasty cavier which proved to be a very good pair with the taste of the smoked eggs. 

(4) We all liked the 蝦籽紅燒獅子頭 Braised Meat Ball with Shrimp Seed in Brown Sauce ($108).  Served hot, the dish itself was very homey and comfortable.  The texture of the meat itself was soft and smooth. 

(5) This 糟滑魚片 Stewed Fish Fillets in Rice Wine Sauce ($148) was another one of our favourites.  The rice wine delightfully elevated the moistness and the lusciousness of the fish and we liked the accompanying beans and black fungus in the dish as well. 

(6) Finally, the must-eat item of the Shanghainese cuisine: the 蘇浙湯包 House Specialty Steamed Juicy Pork Dumplings ($68/6 pieces).  This dish was done perfectly and was very delicious.  But compared to other dishes, this one came to us as no surprise. 

Overall remarks:  Albeit the menu was different from the shops in Shanghai, it did not hinder the presentation or the delivery of its dishes.  Overall we enjoyed our dinner at the Hong Kong Jardin de Jade.  The staff was all very friendly and attentive to our needs.  However, we personally think that it was overpriced given the portion of the dishes (and the prices in Shanghai was a lot cheaper with a lot more food).  But it is definitely worth trying as the quality of these Shanghainese-dishes was close enough to what the stores in Shanghai offer and you can satisfy your Shanghainese cravings just by setting foot in Wan Chai! 

Food: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Ambience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Service: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

INFO

Jardin De Jade 蘇浙滙 (website)
Shop G3-4, G/F, Sun Hung Kai Centre, 30 Harbour Road, Wan Chai 灣仔港灣道30號新鴻基中心地下G3–4舖
Telephone: 3528 0228