Lung King Heen - 3 Michelin Star Dim Sum

This is one of many posts that are part of the series Jen's Guide - Best Places to Eat in Hong Kong for Visitors.

Lung King Heen, a high-end Cantonese restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel, is widely considered to be one of the best Cantonese restaurants in the world. Its biggest claim to fame? It was the first Chinese restaurant ever to receive three Michelin stars (in 2009 and still going strong!). It's number 17 on the S. Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, and it's a Forbes 5 Star restaurant.

Executive Chef Chan Yan Tak is a local Hong Konger, born in Kowloon and has lived in Hong Kong his entire life. He worked his way up through the Four Seasons group, taking some time off to take care of his youngest child when his wife passed away.

The restaurant is known for both its dim sum and its excellent dinner options, such as roast suckling pig, roast pork, and various types of exotic Cantonese luxuries such as abalone and bird's nest. Dim sum is only available during lunch and is SUPER popular and extremely hard to book. Some think the dim sum is better than the dinner. The dim sum is also a bit less expensive than the dinner.

The views of Victoria Harbour from the restaurant are stunning. It's no surprise that windows seats are really, really hard to get (there's a waiting list). Some suggest booking up to three months in advance, especially if you want a weekend dim sum window seat.

The food is elegant, refined, and delicious. The service is excellent, and the wine selection is quite good. I still can't believe we ordered a bottle of Krug champagne to go with our Cantonese food.
One of our absolute favorite dim sum items was the signature Baked Whole Abalone Puff with Diced Chicken ($82 HKD each). Imagine a super high-end version of a chicken pot pie topped with a whole abalone. It's decadent, rich, and deliciously satisfying. It was so good, we ordered another one at the end of the meal.

Baked Barbecued Pork Buns with Pine Nuts ($99 HKD) is excellent and refined, though not necessarily leaps and bounds better than the ones at Tim Ho Wan or Fu Sing Seafood Restaurant.

All the dumplings are made to order and are very good. Chef Chan Yan Tak says "a dumpling should only be steamed after the guest has ordered it, never before."

The Crispy Spring Rolls with Shrimp and Avocado ($99 HKD) looked interesting and tasted fine, though they did not really stand out compared to some of the other dishes.

A popular signature item, the Steamed Lobster and Scallop Dumplings ($70 HKD each), supposedly sells out early but we were fortunate enough to try a couple. It is essentially an oversized siumai or shaomai (燒賣) filled with lobster and shrimp and topped with a prawn.

We ended the meal with some Pan-Fried Rice Rolls in X.O. Chilli Sauce ($190 HKD) which was lovely, though not vastly better than the one we enjoyed at 1-Michelin starred Lei Garden.

We wanted some vegetables, so we ordered this delicious stir fry of Chinese celery, wood ear mushroom, bamboo pith, asparagus, carrots, water chestnut, lily bulb, and lotus root ($190 HKD). I loved the clean and light flavors from this dish. Chef Chan Yan Tak really values using high quality fresh ingredients, and it shows in a dish like this that is so dependent on the inherent flavors of the ingredients.

Lung King Heen - General Thoughts

There's no doubt that dining at Lung King Heen is a very special experience. The harbour views are stunning, the service is excellent, and the food is all executed really well, with certain items being outstanding. For me, this place stands out because of the whole experience, not necessarily just for the food. In all honesty, the standard for good dim sum is quite high in Hong Kong, and there are many places that do it very, very well for a fraction of the cost.

But it's still special to come here. You come here for the whole unique package, which you really can't get anywhere else. You come for the amazing signature items, like that abalone puff that I still can't stop thinking about. You come for the stunning views of the harbour and the extremely good service. You come for that celebratory meal or that special dinner with out-of-town guests. You come to be pampered and also to enjoy fabulous food.

Highly recommended! Definitely order the abalone puff!

Lung King Heen
Four Seasons Hotel, 8 Finance Street
Central, Hong Kong

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