Having already visited New Punjab Club and made connections with Jun, he kindly booked me a solo lunch here too at Grand Majestic Sichuan. Part of the same restaurant group (Black Sheep Restaurants), I needed a new direction in where to eat. I must admit I wanted comfort — somewhere pleasant to sit, cool inside to protect myself from the humidity, à la carte, spice, and deliciousness. That was the criteria. Located inside The Landmark at Alexandra House, you are at least promised safety, a cocoon in which to hibernate for a few hours. As soon as you arrive, the idea of opulence hits you — large round polished tables, red luxe seating, seeming as if no expense has really been spared. There is also a terrace featuring a dedicated champagne and whiskey bar (but we will save that for another time).
Chilli oil pork wontons… possibly the most ordered dish on the menu, so I took a plate to test. They are soy sauce–based and not overpowered by heat, but they were incredibly spicy! (Obviously.) Made in-house, not pulled out of a packet and into the pan, thank goodness. It is all about the overriding flavours, however: spice, acidity, saltiness, sweetness — you cannot taste the pork. It’s not the star, so there’s probably no need to think much about the sourcing there. The service was chatty and informative; it always stands above the rest in Hong Kong generally, and here they showed us how it’s done with pride.
As I sat alone, I decided to research — yes, you guessed it — bread. Chinese bread, in fact. All because there was none to eat with my lunch. I was imagining some to mop up the rest of the ferocious sauce. I know it takes time and you need a baker, somebody dedicated to making it in the restaurant (or you can source it outside), but where is the originality in that? I started to become inquisitive and passed my interest on to the waiter —
“Are you thinking about introducing some bread to your menu? It would elevate the lunch tenfold.”
“Actually, chef has already started to think about implementing some.”
“Oh! This is great news; I will have to come back and see that.”
It was good to know I was not the only one with this in mind. Right, on to greenery (no, not plants and trees). I took a big bowl of broccoli, delusionally thinking that it would help me return to some kind of health after indulging for a period. And I took one last dish on the recommendation of my waiter — Kung Pao chicken. It’s a stir-fry medley of chicken, spring onion, peanuts, and more chilli to kill you off! I’m joking.
As I was tucking into my food, an argument was underway next door, with a couple ganging up on the kind-mannered man who served me. He kept his cool and maintained professionalism; I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief. I see a lot of moaning in restaurants, people describing the most ridiculous things. It’s entertaining, to say the least. What will happen tomorrow, I wonder? It’s always an adventure, this restaurant thing.
