Satiated in Sha Tin

Food and travel guest blogger hkLifestyleGeek gives us her next scoop on fantastic restaurants around town and travel tips. Contact her at hklifestylegeek@hkfashiongeek.com

During the holiday season, I took a spin to Sha Tin and was pleasantly surprised. Chef Ngai Hong-kin is now heading the kitchens at Sha Tin 18 at Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin. The Cantonese-trained chef has also worked in Shanghai, Wuhan and Taipei, and he has also started up restaurants in Tokyo and Macau. He has revamped the menu at Sha Tin 18 and don't worry -- the famous Peking Duck and other favourites are still on the menu, though the restaurant does focus on Dongguan cuisine.

For starters, the beef shank, mushrooms, spring onion, garlic and chilli is slightly spicy, but this can be complemented with another appetiser of marinated black fungus and lettuce hearts dressed with Chinese vinegar and soy sauce. This dish was very crisp refreshing, and would be good to eat during the summer months.

Next came an interesting soup, a clear broth of beef, tomato and cucumber soup. The soup was very flavourful and hearty for winter.

We loved the crispy fried cat fish, pan fried perfectly and seasoned with garlic, spring onion, chilli and preserved black beans. It looked spicier than it tasted, subtly spicy, the fish very tender. We also liked the wok fried cuttle fish, very fresh and crunchy accompanied with green beans and generous amounts of black pepper.

The prawns that were stir fried with candied kumquat were on the large side and perhaps too much so as the meat didn't seem very fresh. Nevertheless, the wok fried pork knuckle was very good when paired with fresh bamboo shoots and soy sauce.

To cleanse the palate a bit, the mustard greens were cooked lightly and the play on textures with the soft beancurd sheets was fun. Finally, for a bit of a twist on the spring onion cake, chef Ngai did a version using pan fried eggs with chilli and preserved vegetables with a thin crispy layer. Delicious.

For dessert we had red date cookies, that weren't too sweet, along with delish egg custard tarts flavoured with coconut milk for a slight twist.

Aside from the pretty food, we liked the modern decor of the long narrow restaurant that includes four show kitchens and five private dining rooms.

Sha Tin 18
4/F, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin
18 Chak Cheung Street
Sha Tin
3723 1234
www.hongkong.shatin.hyatt.com