Chuk Yuen Seafood – excellent classic seafood in Hong Kong

This post about Chuk Yuan Seafood is one of many posts that are part of the series Jen’s Guide – Best Places to Eat in Hong Kong for Visitors

Hong Kong is known for its excellent seafood. You can get it in many forms – everything from a casual seaside shack cooking fish from the pier to a three-Michelin starred restaurant serving exotic abalone and shark’s fin.  You can get good seafood at all price points.

Chuk Yuen Seafood, an old-school Cantonese seafood restaurant that has been around for decades, falls right in the middle. Locals recommend it for its delicious, no-fuss, high quality seafood. The large fish tanks at the entrance display the wide variety of seafood available at the restaurant. There are currently three locations in Hong Kong: Happy Valley, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Sheung Wan.

The casual atmosphere makes it very child-friendly (we had a 4-year old dining with us), and the large tables makes it great for groups. It’s especially fun to come with a bigger party because you can share more of the larger items, which are quite special.
One of my favorites is the Flower Crab steamed in Shaoxing wine. It sounds so simple, but the flavors are divine.

Here’s our waiter showing us the live crab before it is cooked.

The restaurant’s signature dish is a Lobster with Cheese and Butter Sauce. I was very skeptical that I would like this dish (I actually don’t like mac & cheese and I’m not a big fan of rich and creamy sauces in general).

I was pleasantly surprised! This dish is unexpectedly really good. Perhaps they add some wine, or maybe the lobster somehow cuts the richness (??!!) so that the overall sauce doesn’t overwhelm the palate. I have no idea how they do it, but this dish works and it’s quite good. Bryan was shocked when he saw me go back for seconds. I can totally see why it’s a signature dish.

Razor clams are stir-fried in a spicy bean paste and served in their own shells – delicious!

We always order some token vegetables so that our meal is valanced. The bitter melon with black bean sauce is a solid choice.

Egg drop corn soup is fine. Nothing special, but still tasty.

E-fu noodles came at the end. Honestly, we were pretty full by that point and I’m not sure if we were able to finish it. Still, the noodles were very good and it’s a nice to have some carbohydrates at the end of the meal.

Chuk-Yuen Seafood – Thoughts & Tips

This place is quite popular, so I would definitely recommend making a reservation if you have a large party. If you have enough people, definitely try to order the flower crab in wine sauce and the lobster with cheese sauce. The signatures dishes are great. However, in general I found all of the dishes to be very solid, so you probably can’t go too wrong no matter what you order. I’ve heard its dim sum is quite good, though I’ve never personally tried it.

Hong Kong is a very competitive food market. It says something when a restaurant has such staying power for so many decades. They must be doing something right.

Chuk Yuen Seafood, Happy Valley
G/F, 7-9 Wong Nai Chung Road

Chuk Yuen Seafood, Tsim Shai Tsui
G/F, HK Pacific Centre(South Wing), 28 Hankow Road

Chuk Yuen Seafood, Sheung Wan
G/F, 3 Connaught Road West

Related Posts

Lung King Heen – 3 Michelin Star Dim Sum
Kam Wah Cafe (Hong Kong style breakfast)
Jen’s Guide – Best Places to Eat in Hong Kong for Visitors
Lei Garden Hong Kong dim sum
I Am Moving to Hong Kong!
Yee Shun Milk Company – double skin milk pudding
Social Place Hong Kong