Peking Duck Dinner at Cheung Kee, Wan Chai

We don't really celebrate Thanksgiving in Hong Kong, but yesterday's dinner certainly involves...
- Birds (a couple of them)
- and something extra special to be thankful for (our good friends, Athena & Joe, are expecting their first child! Yay!)


The cold appetizer platter of vegetarian rolls, smoked fish, jellyfish and pork meat. I was so excited about the fish, I quickly bit into them and was not pleasantly surprised with the many many many sharp fish bones. Beware!


The first bird, Shan Dong Chicken was excellent. Juicy, tasty chicken with even tastier sauce. I gnawed on the neck and any remnants my fellow diners didn't consume.


The spicy stir fried string beans (四季豆) was wonderful as expected. I love my veggie spicy.


The braised pork ribs...were out of this world fantastic! Sweet, sticky, tender, juicy!


...and the ultimate birdie of the night...the Peking duck, was rather disappointing. The meat was thin, dry, and the skin wasn't crispy. Absolute nono for a peking duck.


So I cleverly chose the bits with most fat :D slathered the duck, cucumber and chive with lots of hoisin sauce...


Folded and consumed. Noticed how I didn't fold the top? I placed more filling than what the wrap could handle.
As always.


The claypot wonton and vegetables in chicken broth.
Not too bad, but we all prefer the one from American Peking Restaurant.


Scrambled Egg white with Crab Meat. I am not into egg white, but the crab meat and a drizzle of vinegar made it all good. The restaurant won't deliver your orders based on the intensity of flavors, so you gotta eat in a sequence that you prefer. This dish tasted rather bland after all the tasty ducks and meat served earlier.


Stir fried snow pea shoots. Always love this nutty veggie, always look forward to it every winter.


For dessert, we were served this bowl of water and ice, and a tong. Whatever happened, don't drink it and don't dip your hands into it.

They were for this...

Apples and bananas deep fried in batter, dipped into sugar and crystalised in iced water.
Check out those tiny strands of sugar...couldn't help but released some ooohhh and ahhhh, even if we have seen it before.


...and the server will do this...


and you'll get these.
Some of my friends complained that they got soggy ones, but I snatched the one with most sugar, and it cracked wonderfully...


and led me to this soft banana....oh heavens!


I couldn't help but post this photograph.
I had a focusing light jealousy.
Why don't my Canon have this? T_T

To conclude, Cheung Kee isn't bad, but I'd still prefer American Peking Restaurant. Oppps.

Cheung Kee Restaurant
1/F, 75, Lockhart Road,
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 25290707
Wanchai MTR, exit C
We spent about HK$170 per person for this meal.

Check out Athena's post for this dinner (in Chinese).