Lazy brunch at the Canteen

A few overseas friends were in town this weekend, so we "locals" set about finding a good place to take them for a dim sum brunch. I had not returned to Fook Lam Moon (aka "the Tycoons' Canteen", 35-45 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong) for quite some time and welcomed T.'s suggestion to try the place out. For some reason I always think of cheaper and less famous places for dim sum and had never had the opportunity to much on FLM's version of the dishes. As we were quite a large group, we managed to order quite a few dishes. Overall, the food was unquestionably excellent (with one minor exception) and I would agree with many of my foodie friends who rave that this might be the best dim sum in town... The steaming was faultless on all the dishes and the quality of the ingredients used very obvious, as was the skill of the chefs. I will make sure to return soon and try out the rest of the dim sum offerings which we did not get to order today.

Char siu pie

I was very distressed when our waitress proceeded to inform us that they had run out of turnip puffs. After briefly considering having a raging tantrum, I settled for these pies... which did the trick.
Delicious crumbly pastry (probably made with pork fat) wrapped around a fragrant center of diced barbecued pork. If only I had been fast enough to grab a second one...

Deep-fried taro dumpling with diced chicken meat

The delicate taro lace was crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, and stuffed with tasty chicken with a touch of chives. Very, very good. The taro/poultry meat pairing is always a winner and this was beautifully executed.

Steamed prawn dumplings

This was a let down. The texture of the wrapper was perfect, with just the right thickness and was steamed to perfection, but the shrimps had had a close encounter with a bucket of baking soda. Not what I would expect of a restaurant of this class and reputation...

Pan-fried cured meat and radish cake

This was gorgeous. The radish cake was firm and packed with flavours and textures thanks to the meat and a few bits of water chestnut.

Steamed lotus leaf-wrapped glutinous rice with Chinese dry scallops and chicken

I wasn't fast enough to grab one of these, but the wonderful smell of lotus leaf and dried scallops wafted over to me from all corners of the table... I am sure it was absolutely delicious.

Steamed pork dumplings with crab roe

These were tasty, but siu mai have never been my fav dim sum - I never find the pork quite fatty enough, and the pairing with crab or shrimp flavours still hasn't convinced me...

Steamed rice rolls with minced beef and coriander

The rice rolls were perfect - perfectly steamed and firm (nothing worse than a mushy rice roll) and the filling was delicate and flavourful. Very good soy sauce too.

To my surprise, we managed to get half a roasted suckling pig without pre-ordering. This was at its usual best (FLM still ranks as the best in town IMHO). The crackling was thin, crispy, fatty, sweet... and the meat was tender and moist. A classic dish that never disappoints, I would queue in the rain for this one...

Suckling pig crackling on toast - need I say more??

Shark's fin dumpling in kim wa ham stock

FLM makes its stocks and soups from a unique type of ham they source from a supplier somewhere in Shanghai, and I have to say their broth tastes like no other ham broth in town... their shark fin is also particularly delicious, with long, plump needles and a slight bite. My bowl came with a chunk of very sweet crab claw meat on top. Absolutely delicious.

Specialty crispy chicken

I cannot even begin to describe how delicious this chicken was... the paper-thin skin was crispy and slightly salty, while the slightly brined meat was tender and juicy, and (this is rare enough to be worth mentioning) tasted like proper chicken. I simply could not stop munching on it, aiming straight for the pieces of dark meat that other lunchers seemed to ignore. A simple and truly gorgeous dish that exemplifies the mastery of the Chef.

Steamed traditional brown sugar sponge cake

The light and airy texture was heavenly.

Steamed buns with lotus paste and salty egg yolk

Another of my favourite desserts. Fluffy bun, perfectly steamed, creamy lotus paste and tasty egg yolk... decadently yummy.