Since I flew Cathay Pacific, one of the world's finest airlines ( in my opinion ),
for my trip to India, I was allowed a stopover in Hong Kong on my return. I
spent five days there, enjoying all the sights and sounds. I hadn't been in 4
years and, while it certainly would have been more fun if I had been with friends,
I managed to enjoy myself alone. For the most part, I ate at the little small
places in the Tsim Shat Sui area of Kowloon where I was staying. One night,
however, I decided to indulge myself and went to my favorite online review
site, TripAdvisor, to look at their recommendations for dinner. I chose to
dine at T'ang Court at the Langham Hotel, a Cantonese restaurant, rated #8 out
of 3,332 restaurants in Hong Kong by TripAdvisor. It was superb.
I was most impressed with the Langham Hotel, itself. In my past life as a
working RN, it's the kind of place my friends and I might have chosen on one
of our "queen" journeys. It was most elegant and lovely and the T'ang Court
was equally so. I was greeted by name by several of the staff and shown
to a table in the beautiful dining room. Soft strains of taped ehru music,
the two stringed Chinese musical instrument I have always enjoyed, played
softly in the background. Since it was Easter night, there were only a few
tables occupied but the diners seemed most engrossed in their meals.
Lobby, Langham Hotel, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
Lobby flowers, close up
Main dining room, T'ang Court
Dining room flowers
The menu was incredible, filled with all sorts of chef's special recommendations
and set menus. Having lived in the San Francisco area for over thirty-five
years, which houses one of the world's largest Chinese populations, good
Chinese food, especially Cantonese, is not foreign to me. Instead of choosing
a meal, I picked multiple items from the menu - appetizers, soup, some of the
chef's recommendations, all of which were outstanding. I know I went over-
board with my selections and, as the staff's eyes grew wider and wider, I
asked them to advise me. I ended up with three fewer items which was a
good thing. By the time I was ready to leave, I could barely walk!!!
The table was very simply and elegantly set with a single green orchid in a glass.
Everything, throughout the meal, was accompanied by sauces. My pitcher of
jasmine tea was most elegant. Each item of food was savored and enjoyed to the
fullest. I spent about two hours dining, listening to the lovely music and enjoying
the ambiance. It was nice to be away from the clatter and noise of the Nathan Road
dining spots.
Lovely pink shadow from my cocktail
Many paged menu
Jasmine tea
T'ang Court Appetizer plate - fried eel, octopus sashimi, jellyfish,
roast duck, roast pork
Kimchi appetizer
Braised noodles with whole small abalone
Braised seafood and beancurd soup
Crisp tofu skin appetizer ( this was fabulous )
Roast suckling pig...the skin was exquisite
View of the table with some of the dishes
Roast pigeon ( its head came on a different plate )
Jelly fish and pork
A trio of desserts
This was a wonderful feast - if only I could have shared it with someone special,
it would have been absolutely perfect. Every morsel was an exquisite taste and,
as you can see, there was certainly enough for two - or, even, three people. This
was my third trip to Hong Kong - and, sadly, since I'm 67, probably my last. I
will never forget dinner at the T'ang Court at the Langham Hotel, one of the
great meals of my life. I returned from India and had a visit with my primary
care physician. It seems I lost 25 pounds during my four month sojourn in
India....possibly, I lost 30 pounds but my Chinese feast probably restored 5
pounds!! The price of this meal, before the gratuity - $125 US dollars!!
