Occasional flashes of brilliance, but plenty of room for improvement.
With two Michelin stars and a menu built around dim sum and Cantonese-inspired dishes, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to other modern high-end dim sum restaurants. Chef Wong clearly wants to showcase creativity and reinterpret classics. When it works, it really works; when it doesn’t, execution falters and leaves diners familiar with Cantonese cuisine confused or disappointed.
HIGHLIGHTS
帶子腸粉 — seared scallops and honey-glazed Iberico pork cheung fan
粵式蜜汁叉燒臘腸配鵝肝 — Cantonese honey roast pork, wind-dried sausage with grated foie gras
酥皮鮑魚撻 — flaky abalone tart with aged balsamic vinegar
These dishes show imagination, balance, and refinement. The modern twists enhance rather than distract.
WEAKNESSES
Deep-fried items such as 周朝釀蟹鉗 (crab claw with tomato and wasabi) and 千煸茄子 (crispy chilli aubergine with star anise glaze) arrive either bitter or oily, likely from reused oil or poor temperature control.
Small, delicate bites often suffer from poor proportions: the wrapper overwhelms the filling, resulting in chew without flavour. This issue appears in 兔肉鹹水角 (rabbit and carrot glutinous puff), 千層帶子酥 (999 layered scallop puff with XO oil), and even the otherwise solid 上海小籠包 (Shanghai steamed dumpling, ginger infused vinegar). The xiao long bao also loses intensity by having vinegar pre-infused into the broth, reducing its flavour impact.
SERVICE
Service is proper and polite, but distant. Many other two-starred restaurants deliver a warmer, more personal experience that places the guest at the centre. To their credit, staff did ask what we particularly liked or disliked. However, when we voiced criticism, the only response was a polite “thanks for letting us know,” with no further engagement.
CONCLUSION
Not the perfect lunch we were hoping for. A. Wong could serve as a gateway for those new to Chinese cuisine, but execution issues need addressing before it can truly live up to its two-star billing.