Lai Ching Heen 麗晶軒 @ Kowloon

Located in Regent Hotel in Kowloon is a Michelin two stars Cantonese and dim sum restaurant with an amazing waterfront skyline view to match.

Lai Ching Heen 麗晶軒 is renowned as one of the world’s finest Chinese restaurants specialising in Cantonese cuisine, winning countless prestigious awards and accolades including two Michelin stars.

The restaurant is awkwardly located in the basement of the hotel, one floor down from the lobby and only accessible from a spiral staircase. There’s no public lift to go down, so if you have mobility problem (like I did with a sprained ankle when I visited) you would have to ask the lobby staff to escort you to the service lift down one level.

The restaurant is on the same level as the Avenue of Stars. There were throngs of tourists walking along the waterfront from the view by the window f you do not mind lack of privacy when dining. Otherwise, it would be a lovely spot to look at the Hong Kong skyline from Kowloon side.

While sitting next to the window is great for people watching, it however is not perfect table for taking food photos, as the background would cast a strong light onto everything.

With over 30 years of experience at the hotel, Executive Chef Lau Yiu Fai and Head Chef Cheng Man Sang bring passion, soul, and refined elegance to their cuisine. Building upon a vast knowledge of Cantonese culinary arts, they are continuously evolving their cuisine, creating new dishes and elevating traditional favourites to delectable new heights.

蟹皇蒸燒賣（4 件）Steamed Pork, Prawn Dumplings, Crab Roe (4 Pieces)

We kicked off with a couple of steamed dim sum. None of the dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong can mess up with the siewmai. Theirs were big and succulent.

桂花帶子餃（3 件）Steamed Scallop, Minced Shrimp Dumplings, Chinese Cabbage, Osmanthus (3 Pieces)

It often bothers me when the portion of the dim sum is different from basket to basket. We had four siewmais, but only three scallop hargows in each loong (or bamboo basket).

They give you six different kinds of condiments, three spicy chilli sauces each with a slightly different ingredient.

The first chilli sauce is made from yellow bell peppers, so it is sweeter and less spicy than the rest. The second one is like a Sriracha sauce, more tangy and spicy. The last chilli sauce is the most robust of the three, incorporating soy bean paste.

子薑流心皮蛋 Marinated Young Ginger, Preserved Egg

Next up, an appetiser of century egg. No, these eggs are not 100 year olds. They have been marinated with salt, clay, ash and quicklime, but these are specially controlled so the yolk is still runny.

I like the young ginger pickles as it is not too veiny or spicy.

XO 醬脆皮蘿蔔糕 Crispy Turnip Cake, Homemade XO Chili Sauce

This was a surprising hit. Each surface of every cube of radish cake was pan fried to a nice crispy crust. The homemade XO sauce was rich with umami and yet not too spicy.

化皮乳豬件 Barbecued Suckling Pig

Six pieces of BBQ suckling pig for HKD 510+ may sound extravagant but the quality of each piece of crackling is worth the price.

Every piece of suckling pig skin is not oily and super crispy. It is accompanied with a slice of meat that is still tender and moist, and a piece of pancake for that Peking duck presentation.

荔茸香酥鴨（4 件）Crispy Farm Duck, Mashed Taro (4 Pieces)

This dish needs 30 mins to prepare, and let me say this, it is worth the wait. This is one of the best taro and duck combination I have had in so many years.

Although the outer crust has been deep fried, the finish is not greasy. The duck breast with skin on is still tender, and the duck skin surprisingly is still crispy. The taro is steamed in the deep frying process and is fluffy and delicious.

臘味煲仔飯 Steamed Rice, Mixed Preserved Meats

This is another dish that needs to wait for 45 mins for preparation. Preserved meat and glutinous rice casserole is one of my favourite Cantonese main dish, but it is usually quick filling because of the rice and meat combination.

While the finished rice was delicious, it was not the best of the bests as I would have expected for this price and standard of the restaurant. There’s no casserole taste and I find the rice slightly undercooked.

Overall a nice restaurant and worth a detour to go once in a while. Service was attentive and on the point. Next time I would like to try to have a proper sharing dinner with a larger group.

Lai Ching Heen 麗晶軒
Ground Floor, Regent Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel : +852 2313 2313 (Reservations)

Visited Dec 2024

Michelin Hong Guide 2 Stars 2023-2024, 1 Star 2016-2022