Che’s Cantonese Restaurant – Wan Chai Hong Kong 車

Today is my birthday.

Three years ago Bryan treated me to an around-the-world trip for my milestone birthday. Hong Kong was the last stop of that epic trip. Little did I know back then that in less than two years, I would actually be moving here (!). Life works in mysterious ways.

During that trip, we had been tickled to discover a restaurant with the same name as Bryan’s family name (which is quite rare). We visited for a late dinner and tried a tasting menu where we tasted unusual (to us) Cantonese classics we had never tried before (heh, hello goose web and abalone!).

To be honest, we left with a mediocre impression of the place, I think partly because we did not understand the cuisine, and partly because we did not really know how to order.

Two years later, after we had moved to Hong Kong, we decided to give the restaurant another try (largely due to its good reputation). We came together with Bryan’s family (who also share the same surname). Our dim sum lunch turned out to be excellent and everyone really enjoyed it.

Che’s Cantonese Restaurant

Che’s Cantonese Restaurant is popular with celebrities and business people. Hong Kong singer and actress Stephanie Che runs the eponymous restaurant. Che’s Cantonese Restaurant’s specialty is its crispy BBQ (charsiu) pork buns, though it also serves an excellent dim sum lunch and many Cantonese classics. The restaurant received a Michelin Plate designation in 2018, “fresh ingredients, capably prepared: simply a good meal.” Before that, it appeared in the Michelin Guide in 2010-2011.

Below I’ve described both meals so you can get a sense of the breadth of food that Che’s Cantonese Restaurant offers. Of course, I have only scratched the surface, and many more trips will be required before I can truly understand everything they offer.

Dim Sum

BBQ Pork bun had a lovely crispy (slightly sweet) top while filled with charsiu pork inside. It was very good.

Scallion pancakes were super thin and not too oil at all. 蔥油餅

Pork dumplings or shumai 燒賣

Steamed shrimp dumplings 蝦餃

Shrimp and vegetable dumpling

Wontons 餛飩

Pan fried turnip cake 蘿蔔糕

Braised chicken feet 雞爪

Chan’s village noodles with spare ribs in black bean sauce

Spring rolls 春捲

Deep fried glutinous rice balls filled with pork 鹹水餃

Spinach with two types of eggs (salted duck eggs and century eggs), also sometimes known as Gold and Silver Egg Spinach 金銀蛋菠菜

Shrimp rice rolls 腸粉

Egg tarts 蛋撻

Dinner Set Course

We took a chance at ordering a tasting menu for two that we really couldn’t read (!). Back then (heh, even now still) our Chinese literacy was that of a young, young child. Unfortunately, I don’t really know the names of the dishes we ordered, but you can at least get a sense of the types of dinner food that Che’s Cantonese Restaurant offers. Feel free to help me translate the document above if you can read it. 🙂

Apologies in advance that I am unable to provide more detailed descriptions of the food!

Marinated wood ear mushrooms

Tomato and fish thick “egg drop” soup (羹)

This is South African abalone and goose web. I had eaten chicken feet before, but I had never had goose web (!). I was a bit weirded out by it, but it tasted a lot like chicken feet, but just a lot more “skin.”

Choy sum vegetable with a pan fried (seafood?) cake of sorts.

Shrimp, crab, crab roe, with noodles.

Almond egg white soup and custard “flowing” steamed bao.

General Thoughts

All in all, the dim sum at this restaurant is great and it’s a fun place to visit with a larger crowd. The restaurant definitely makes solid renditions of all the Cantonese classics. We had a fun time with our extended family there sampling so many parts of the menu.

I remember my first impressions of the dinner were not very positive. I think the goose web sort of threw me off guard, and then the rest of the dishes didn’t really impress me that much. For some reason, we didn’t enjoy our dinner that much that night.

I plan on going back again, perhaps with a larger crowd, so we can experience more items on the dinner menu. Hopefully then I can get a wider perspective on what it’s like to have dinner at Che’s Cantonese Restaurant.

Lunch: 11:00-14:30 (14:30) / Dinner: 18:00-22:30 (22:30)

4/F, The Broadway
54-62 Lockhart Road
Wan Chai
Hong Kong

This is the twenty-eighth post in the updated #50Postsin50Days – Take 2 Challenge. Other posts in this series will be added to the bottom of the original post.