Fook Lam Moon Restaurant Review, Hong Kong

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Fook Lam Moon 35-45 Johnston Road Hong Kong, China SAR, CA (852) 2866-0663 (852) 2865-0165 (Fax) Fook Lam Moon Website

Legendary crispy chicken wows us.

We recently visited Hong Kong and dined on excellent Cantonese Chinese food and more. Hong Kong is a modern city like New York, that is progressive, packed with energy, and filled with top-notch restaurants.

Other Hong Kong Reviews:  Lung King Heen, Chuen Kee Seafood,Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao, Fook Lam Moon, Lei Garden, Ming Court, Sai Kung Seafood Market, Sun Tung Lok, Yung Kee.

Fook Lam Moon is an old school traditional Cantonese Chinese restaurant that has been around since 1953. They received one Michelin star in 2011. We have been meaning to dine at this restaurant for years, but simply got sidetracked with newer high-profile restaurants. It was about time to try this institution that is frequented by many businessmen and movie stars.

This restaurant’s motto is clear: “premium ingredients should be allowed to speak for themselves without being overloaded with seasonings and artificial flavors.” Sounds like most modern restaurants! Outposts are located in Hong Kong’s Tsim sha tsui, Tokyo Ginza, Osaka , Tokyo Marunochi, Shanghai and Shezhen Shangri-la Hotel, but we went to their flagship Wanchai location on Hong Kong Island.

Chinese name: 福臨門

Summary – Old school Chinese food done right.
Insider Tip – You can e-mail them to make reservations on their website.

Cuisine – Cantonese Chinese
Chef – Mr. Chui Fook Tsuen (Owner)
Location – Wanchai, Hong Kong, China
Opened – 1953

Decor, Vibe – Fook Lam Moon’s flagship location is housed in a four-story complex with private rooms for bigger parties and VIPs. Padded Brown ornamental walls, Asian seating, wood paneled ceiling.

Menu

Fook Lam Moon’s Menu has an extremely diverse set of options. Dim sum lunch, extensive dinner menu with many high-priced seafood, abalone, and sharks fin options as well as set menus. Our focus was on more casual mainstream dishes.
A barbecued suckling pig (HK$1200) that feeds approximately 6 people as well as a page of other dishes, are available for pre-ordering.

Signature Dishes – Baked Lobster, Roast Pork, Abalone, Deep-fry Chicken, Coco with bird nest

Website Menu

Full Fook Lam Moon image set

Picks:

Char grilled pork char Siu (HK $200) was top notch but a bit on the sweet side. Warm, tender, full of honey flavor. It was unusual that the fat had not been cut off leading to a messy look.

Baked stuffed crab shell with onions and fresh crab meat (HK$130 each) is a beautiful signature dish that we had to order. Tons of crab meat are covered with a mixture of eggs, a heavy onion days stuffing, and various spices. The onion was a bit heavy-handed in this dish.

Fook Lam Moon famous crispy chicken (HK$190 for half) is simply a MUST order. Juicy, perfect skin, perfect meat, about as good as it can get. Again the chickens in Hong Kong a lot smaller but are famous for their strong ‘true chicken flavor’.

Crispy Roasted Baby Pigeon (HK$80 each) is a classic dish done right. Shiny skin, juicy meat, excellent. They even include pretty squeezed lemon juice.

Ong Choy (HK$110) in a Clay pot proved to be very fresh and pure with some preserved bean curd giving it some flavor.

Sweet and double boiled birds nest with coconut milk (HK $500) was an expensive indulgence that took a while to prepare. This silky and pure dessert soup (That is essentially bird saliva) was sweet, contained little nodules, and didn’t really need the pure coconut milk mix in.

Complimentary dessert of Red Lotus paste Pastry was not too sweet and clearly expertly assembled.

Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
None

Service – Fook Lam Moon had solid service with an expert waiter helping us navigate the menu, uncalled for plate changes, and automatic tea refills. It was clearly evident that the regulars get even better service.

Value – Prices are on the high end of similarly classed Hong Kong Chinese restaurants.

Alternatives – Restaurants in this class include Lei Garden, Lung King Heen, Yan Toh Heen, Ming Court.

Verdict – Does old school Fook Lam Moon still have its mojo? While other restaurants are busy pushing the Chinese cuisine envelope, This restaurant continues to serve up classic and expensive traditional Cantonese Chinese food in an upscale location.
Come for lunch to minimize the damage.
MTR Station: Wan Chai Exit B1

Open Rice page – Rating 4.1

Restaurant Map: