Prudence Lui checks out the reopened Yan Toh Heen and what it can offer to planners who are looking to hold intimate events in a Michelin-star restaurant.
Concept
After three decades, the two-Michelin-star Yan Toh Heen in the InterContinental Hong Kong property has relocated from the far end of the hotel’s shopping arcade to the Lower Level, just opposite Harbourside Restaurant.
The new Yan Toh Heen preserves the restaurant’s rich heritage and elegant jade theme, but the new space boasts a larger dining area, as well as a stunning, panoramic view of Victoria Harbour.
Food
Executive chef Lau Yiu Fai has created a new range of exquisite Cantonese dishes that blend tradition with modern flair. New items include the Lobster Trio – a steamed Lobster dumpling with homemade XO chili sauce) – and wok-fried Kagoshima Wagyu beef with white fungus and sansho pepper. Fret not, his signature dishes are still present.
Meanwhile, in a dedicated glass-enclosed tea corner is tea sommelier Kelvin Ng, who is able to chat with guests about traditional tea culture, introduce new flavours, as well as how to better appreciate the drink.
I tried the decade-old Tieguanyin Supreme grown in Anxi County in China’s Fujian Province, and was enthralled when Ng brewed the tea on a charcoal stove. He even used natural glacial mineral water bottled from a source at about 5,100 metres above sea level in the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains range in Tibet.
MICE application
Now bigger than before, the restaurant provides about 140 seats with three private rooms.
There is a 10-seat room that is attached to the 96-seat main dining area, and two separate rooms near the reception. The latter can be combined into one larger space for three 12-seat tables. There is also a flatscreen TV, ideal for presentations or special celebrations.
Event planners will be able to select from several set menus, including a business set lunch and chef Lau’s tasting menu. Tailor-made menus are also available upon request.
Buyouts are possible and come with a minimum spend of HK$250,000 (US$31,910), excluding a 10 per cent surcharge.
Service
Staff are attentive and smiley. I enjoyed the educational and entertaining interaction with the tea sommelier during the tea appreciation session.
Contact
Address Lower Level, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road
Tel (852) 2313-2323
E-mail fb.hongkong@ihg.com
Opening hours
Monday to Saturday: 12.00 to 14.30 (lunch) and 18.00 to 23.00 (dinner)
Sunday and public holiday: 11.30 to 15.00 (lunch) and 18.00 to 23.00 (dinner)
