I know it is a proud moment when a restaurant is awarded two Michelin stars, but what happens when you as the customer goes to said 2-star restaurant and wonders “how the hell did that happen?” This is an accolade of the highest, and you are telling the world you are up there with the rest of the club, but this ‘club’ from country to country differs quite significantly in standard and it is time to face this reality. A 2-star in the mountains in the Dolomites compared to a 2-star Cantonese in Central in Hong Kong should not be placed in the same category. This is an insult to the chefs who are truly grafting and who really are 2-star. I know you have heard it all before, but The Michelin Guide should not be just awarding stars to fill the gaps, in countries, to make sure they have some. If necessary, just do not award it! I rocked up to Ying Jee Club, going up an escalator into a random building, the toilet was separate to the venue itself, I had to walk out of the restaurant and down a long corridor, and I was handed an electronic key to let myself in and out of it. Ok, I do not want a luxury toilet, but it was a bit tacky to say the least.
Outside before you walk in, I saw the red Michelin plaques, dotted all over the wall, and the menu on a stand outside. And repeated once again, inside, plaque after plaque and award after award placed on the reception wall. They want to make this point to you, that they are winning. “Who are you trying to convince?” I asked myself. Lunch service was busy and fast paced, and the menu had three set business lunches on it! It is a big part of their business model. The dining room is loud and chatty, I could hardly hear what the waiter was saying to me so I could not really relish in a 2-star experience. The waiters also being speedy and this is not what I was expecting. In the best way that I could, I chose some dishes. Completely eliminating the business set lunches, I opted for some dim sum and a soup. A radish slice and some edible flowers peered at me from below the plate of my first courses, “we are in trouble here” I thought. The spring roll was light and crispy, but nothing exceptional. The ‘chicken puff’ was overly sweet, it was average. Dim sum came next, but I could have got this in a normal place and had the same thing, I do not understand where the 2-stars were coming from.
As per the waiter’s recommendation, what came afterwards was a hot and sour soup, with wontons inside and some noodles. I did not see anything here that was telling me that this is an exceptional restaurant, normally you do have something, but I struggled to see anything of that nature. I was making it my mission to try the highest level of Chinese and Cantonese food here in Hong Kong, (2 and 3-star) because back in the West we have an abundance of French, Italian and European offerings, I have tasted some of the best and wanted to stay in the local bubble. After this, I can say that I will not bother with 3-star Chinese. The most you can award this place is nothing whatsoever. At least I tried so you don’t have to. It will still be a mystery to me as to the reason this is 2-star, and I guess I will never know. Bribery? Luck? I can go on wondering for the rest of the year. Never again.
