Since 1855, Government House on Central’s Upper Albert Road has served as the official residence of Hong Kong’s highest official. British governors lived there through 1997 and, after a period of renovation, our chief executives have since called the hybrid Japanese-neoclassical residence home. The Japanese military governor lived in there during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II. Donald Tsang added a fishpond to accommodate his collection of koi. Needless to say, not everyone has always been universally pleased with the resident or policies emanating from this abode.
Chung Kin-leung was the executive chef of Government House, which is called lai ban fu in Cantonese, for more than 10 years. In 2014, the new building at 18 On Lan Street in Central was completed and the restaurant Lai Bun Fu was opened with Chef Chung at the helm.
Double-Boiled Fish Maw and Conch Soup
On Lan Street is a short lane in Central that starts on the lower part of Wyndham Street that leads to a dead end of a slope and stairwell called Zetland Street. The lane is home to some of the most avant garde fashion boutiques in Hong Kong like Rick Owens, whose already raunchy reputation gained only more notoriety in 2015, when his Paris Fashion Week menswear show treated the runway audience to glimpses of male genitalia.
In a similar glamorous vein, the restaurants in the nameless 18 On Lan Street tower showcase the On Dining Kitchen and Lounge on the ultimate and penultimate floors, the made-for-lunch-with-a-private-banker Arcane on level three and Lai Bun Fu for a Chinese offering on level five.
Whatever one’s view about the former or current residents of Government House, Lai Bun Fu has class and the food honours Hong Kong’s past and present. They offer traditional Cantonese banquet-style fare, presented elegantly in a serene dining room with nods to Hong Kong’s colonial past and a few contemporary touches. It follows the trend in Central of new upscale Chinese restaurants in the vein of Mott 32 or Ho Lee Fook but with food that reflects traditional excellence rather than fads.
Steamed Crab Claw with Hua Tiao Wine Sauce
On a recent visit, we started with the Steamed Crab Claw with Hua Tiao Wine Sauce (HKD168 apiece). The meaty claw comes shelled but for the pincer and rests in a bowl amply filled with the hua tiao wine flavored with shredded ginger. As an additional appetizer, we tried the Sautéed Minced Pigeon with Lettuce Cup (HKD138), where the tender minced pigeon is served with chopped green onions in crispy leaves of iceberg lettuce. The soup course is a highlight as Lai Bun Fu’s menu includes eight traditional Cantonese soups of which more than half are long-boiled lo faw tong. I highly recommend the Double-Boiled Fish Maw and Conch Soup (HKD238). It comes served in a heat-preserving covered celadon ceramic bowl and includes a generous amount of collagen-providing fish maw and pleasing conch meat.
For mains, Sifu’s Crispy Chicken with Five Flavoured Sauces (HKD268 for a half chicken) is a signature, with crispy browned skin covering the tender bird, served on a black slate and accompanied by sauces including green tea salt, fermented bean and blueberry. The Fresh Crabmeat Stir-fried with Egg White and Milk (HKD298) was the best example of this classic dish that I have tasted and included lots of crabmeat. The Braised Bamboo Fungus with Crab Meat (HKD328) is from the vegetable menu but functions as the equivalent of another main as it again included a generous portion of shredded crab to complement the smooth spongy texture of the bamboo fungus. Ensuring that we left the restaurant very full, we also ordered the Angus Beef Crispy Fried Noodles (HKD238) with large cubes of angus beef on top of an ample bed of classic crispy noodles.
Lai Bun Fu is not necessarily the Chinese restaurant to take your out-of-town guests who are not so familiar with traditional Cantonese food. Fish maw, fermented bean sauce and bamboo fungus are not, for example, food items that are necessarily familiar to the Western palate or Chinese menus overseas. But for those who are familiar with Hong Kong food culture or are ready to embrace an authentic yet upscale experience, Lai Bun Fu shows that at least something quite good can come out of that house on Upper Albert.
Lai Bun Fu: 5/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong (Google Maps). Tel: 2564 3868
About the Hungry Lawyer: Marc Rubinstein, born in Baltimore, USA, has been in Asia for nearly 20 years with a lucky 13 of those in Hong Kong. He has split his career between banks and law firms, and is currently the general counsel of an Asia-based real estate and alternative energy investor. Marc is a co-founder of the Hong Kong Gay & Lesbian Attorneys Network in addition to the Nomura Gay & Lesbian Network, Asia. Despite being a hungry lawyer who could shed more than a few pounds, he has run three full marathons and has completed the Oxfam Trailwalker.
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