Visited 8th May 2009
At last count there were ten outlets of this extremely popular chain in the Territory, though I'm not sure how many of the devotees who regularly queue for tables realise that the Crystal Jade started life as a Cantonese restaurant in Singapore. In Hong Kong they have morphed into Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Bao and specialise in Shanghai cuisine. Their branches are scattered amongst many of Hong Kong's larger shopping centres, but if you're planning on visiting the IFC outlet, 
evening is the best time as the lines at lunch time are often ridiculously long.Four of us hit Crystal Jade's for some much needed Friday night sustenance. We ordered up a pile of plates that featured Shanghai dumplings, pan-fried dumplings, turnip pastries, deep-fried shredded 'pancake', chicken with dried chilli, beans with minced pork, tea smoked pigeon and of course the signature Sichuan style 'la mian'. The delicate Shanghai dumplings were delicious with a tasty soup filling as were the flaky turnip pastries and shredded 'pancake'. I enjoyed the rich gaminess of the pigeon, while the spicy chicken came with plenty of cashews and chillies. My favourite however was the Sichuan 'la mian' or pulled noodles; served in a fiery peanut and chilli sauce the tender noodles with beautifully cooked. To drink I went for a couple of cold cans of Tsing Tao, though if you are in the mood for wine a useful tip is to BYO as corkage is a very reasonable $50 a bottle.
With its shopping centre location, long queues and crowded layout Crystal Jade has more than a passing resemblance to a fast-food chain; they're just lucky their food is so good so that the mistake never gets made. The service at Crystal Jade is decent; polite staff handle the craziness with good natured efficiency. I was pretty impressed when our bill came to less than $100 per person excluding booze. For such well prepared grub and a selection of eight different dishes that really is a bit of a bargain. To put it simply; everyone, everyone, everyone loves Crystal Jade.Visit restaurant website.
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4 comments:
Andrew,
If only I could find a decent xiao long bao South of Singapore! It's a testament to the strong food culture of HK that even the places in shopping malls produce such amazing food. I suspect I ate at the same place in 2007, late one night.
Hey Edward
No decent xiao long bao in Perth? I wonder if you can get a good one in Melbourne? I tend to find Chinese food in Australia so dominated by Cantonese cuisine that most Australians consider Cantonese food as Chinese food. It would be great to see a bit more reginality in Australia.
There's a fair chance you did visit Crystal Jade on your last trip. The good quaility food in Hong Kong's shopping malls can almost makes the shopping itself bearable.
Cheers
Andrew
Andrew,
All I remember is having to line up and that inside it was all black and gold, with a glassed off kitchen. I think I had congee and noodles.
Have you tried Lian which is/was the thai restaurant (at the IFC) with a kitchy water feature in the middle?
I think you are right - you could probably find a non leaking Xiao long bao in Melbourne and Sydney. . .
Hey Edward
Black and gold and a line sounds like Crystal Jade. No I haven't tried Lian; is it worth checking out?
Andrew
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