The Hong Kong Club: A meal is not simply a meal when had at this restaurant

When is a meal not simply a meal? When it's had at this new Cantonese restaurant in Delhi

Stories are at the heart of The Hong Kong Club, the new Cantonese bar, lounge and restaurant at the Andaz Delhi. The 292-seater is built around a romantic saga — of Arya, a young sailor, finding love in Hong Kong with a mysterious beauty named Li Na. Porcelain vases, crystal trees, dining nooks, sweeping staircases, painted portraits and a glass frontage, all serve as props that bring the love story to life. Food clearly played a significant role in this romance, and the multi-level space allows you to experience that. The sailor’s memories of meals at tiny dim sum teahouses, surprise culinary discoveries and evenings at elegant restaurants are recreated through a central island bar, long tables to be shared with family and friends, snug spaces for two, private dining areas and a dining space upstairs. The décor also weaves together a story of Hong Kong’s striking cultural landscape.

The dramatic modern chinoiserie sets the mood for your meal. Alex Moser, executive chef, Andaz Delhi, brings to the table his ethos of using carefully sourced ingredients from local partners to create punchy flavours and edgy twists — a concept he made famous at AnnaMaya, the hotel’s food hall. At The Hong Kong Club, he collaborated with five Chinese chefs, including Chef de Cuisine Yu Fuhai, a native of Guangdong, to recreate a Cantonese culinary panorama.

Unlike most eateries, where the beverage programme operates in isolation, at The Hong Kong Club, the cocktails are firmly in sync with the food. Mixologist Claudio Gabriel Zarlenga’s approach to mixology is very much like Chef Moser’s — using fresh, seasonal ingredients to make everything in-house, from bitters, shrubs and liqueurs. The cocktail menu is fun and interactive, with drinks to match your zodiac. Thus, Sun Wukong, which was created for those born in the year of the monkey. But I would strongly recommend it even to those who don’t have the good fortune of belonging to this zodiac. It’s a deeply sensual drink, with fumes from the burning cinnamon stick serving as a backdrop for banana liqueur, coconut scotch, five spice and bitters to play out dramatically. 

As I move from the central bar to the dining area, the lighting dims, creating the ideal ambience for a cosy meal. The music is at the perfect level, enabling and enhancing conversation, rather than distracting or annoying. It is these touches that make dining at The Hong Kong Club an experience — much more than a meal. The food menu offers considerable variety, including hearty veggie fare, ranging from dainty dim sum, small plates and tasting menus. To understand just how true the restaurant is to its Cantonese origins, do try the steamed chicken’s feet. One can see the marriage of local ingredients with Oriental flavours in dishes such as asparagus marinated in mustard oil and organic baby carrots with onion seeds. The dim sum selection is excellent. While the pork sui mai is delicious and mixed mushroom bao is novel, the one dish I would go back for is the cauliflower and red cabbage crystal dumpling. There is nothing loud or overpowering about these gleaming amethyst beauties, which present instead elegant, sophisticated flavours in every mouthful. Next up is the pork belly with a delicious crisp crackling, whose crunch can be heard across tables. Dip it in sharp kasundi or just have it on its own. Round the meal up with staples such as fried rice with sweet corn and asparagus and chicken with black beans. Even after several courses, you end up feeling light. But, so does your pocket, as a meal for two here will cost you Rs 3,500 plus taxes.