We're back in Central on Sunday looking for a place for a quick lunch. There weren't all that many options out there that would fit the description of "quick" so we decided to settle for Nove Chinese Kitchen (九号館). No, not the new branch at The Fringe Club but the original one on Li Yuen Street East.
It's been just over a year since Nove Chinese Kitchen opened its door and it remains one of the hotspots for hearty Chinese dim sum in Central (if you're looking for something casual). But thanks to its popularity, we ended up waiting for almost half an hour to get seated.
Like all the restaurants in the city, they are fully equipped with tabletop dividers.
Honey glazed barbecued pork (蜜汁叉燒) ($165) - Lunch got off to quite a slow start. The honey glazed BBQ pork came highly recommended by our server and knowing it's little nugget's favorite, I decided to give it a go. This was reasonably tender but they were guilty of a little heavy-handed with the honey glaze. If someone born with a sweet tooth tells you it's way too sweet, it's definitely too sweet.
Shrimp Dumplings (九号館蝦餃皇) ($55) - Pretty nice. This remains a very good choice here.
Steamed pork and mushrooms dumplings (花菇滑燒賣) ($55) - Not bad.
Steamed egg white and crab meat dumplings (西施蟹肉餃) ($55) - Could taste the egg white but so much of the crab meat here. Definitely could do without this one.
Pan-fried conpoy turnip cakes (瑤柱蘿蔔糕) ($40) - Pretty nice as usual, especially with that chili sauce of theirs.
Wild mushroom dumpling in matsutake bouillon (松茸野菌灌湯餃) ($49) - Pretty decent. The broth remains very very good and the wild mushroom dumpling was so stuffed with goodies like shark's fin and bamboo pith.
Noodle in matsutake bouillon (松茸菌湯麵) ($75) - Little nugget loves both the noodles and broth when he had it last August but it's a totally different story this time around. The broth was very bland and watery, and we could hardly taste the matsutake there.
Baked abalone and cheese tarts (芝士鮑魚撻) ($55) - Probably the best dish this afternoon by a country mile. Very tasty, with the runny cheese matched up perfectly with diced abalone and meat. And the tart was its usual deliciously-crunchy self. Yum!
This meal reminded me of the old saying "all good things must come to an end" but I guess the poor ending has come a lot earlier than I thought. I still remembered how we raved about this little place when they first opened last August but with the new branch opening at the Fringe Club, I guess all the attention (maybe the kitchen staff as well) has now shifted over there.
Food Rating: 5/10
Price: $$$
Address: 9 Li Yuen Street East, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2180-6799
Website: www.facebook.com/novechinesekitchen
Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm daily
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