[Hong Kong] Ming Court 明閣 dim sum lunch- can I have that wonderful drunken har gao again please?

We had a wonderful dim sum lunch a few years ago at Ming Court, inside the Cordis Hotel next to Langham Place in Mongkok. Recently we paid them another visit.

Drunken shrimp dumpling, with shao xing wine.

If I were to pick one dish during this trip that I found the most memorable, it would be this absolutely delicious little morsel from heaven. Usual shrimp dumpling found in every dimsum joint all over the world is fine, but this version was infused with shao xing wine that gave it a nutty, earthy complexity that elevated the shrimp dumpling to the stratosphere. Sure the shrimp was of great quality and the skin was perfectly made. But its the shao xing wine that made the difference. I’d love to have more than one but there was only one in each order and we ordered 1 for each person.

Perfectly done ‘salt water dumpling’ Normally I don’t get this dimsum, but Ming Court’s version was absolutely perfectly fried with delicious and bright tasting fillings.

The chef who manned the frying station got some serious frying techniques. Yet another frying job done impeccably. This spring roll was airy, crispy and delicious.

The rest of the dim sum dishes were all made with quality ingredients with impeccable technique with a tasty outcome:

Steamed bbq pork buns

Pork dumpling with shrimp and crab roe:

Beef balls with bean curds in chicken consomme

Alaskan king crab XLB. While it tasted fine, I didn’t detect much crab taste. King crab in a XLB may be a bit of an overkill?

Taro dumpling

There were two pages but I remembered to take a picture of only one of them.

Though we don’t usually pay attention to that, but for those who reads the Michelin Guide, the place fluctuates between one and two Michelin stars. Currently at two.

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What are folks’ favorite dim sum dishes here? or other dimsum places in the city?

We’ve been told about Drunken Shrimp as live freshwater shrimp marinated in Shiao Xing until they have expired (and longer) and served shelled and cleaned without cooking. The drunken har gao you describe might suggest an expired live-marinated salt or fresh water shrimp encased for steaming?

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We didn’t inquire about the prep and cooking method in detail. That seems like the way to do it.

Any other drunken shrimp you had elsewhere that’s good?

We know drunken chicken as a classic cold appetizer; and that home cook mentioned drunken shrimp leading to the speculation about your har gao’s preparation.

Page 2 of the dim sum menu:

@Google_Gourmet there is Pomelo Peel in the menu! Ming Court is a 2 star Michelin restaurant, maybe you should give it a try.

Thanks! We are staying in MongKok, very convenient. The Cordis is a nice spot to relax from the hectic scene all around the Langham Place area.

I forgot to say that their XO sauce was quite delicious. A good balance of heat, sweetness and saltiness with plenty of aroma mixed in. Is XO sauce allowed into the country past customs?

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Denied if it contains the ham. Dried seafood only version should be okay though.

I knew I’d be pretty lazy and slow in uploading things from my trip, but wanted to give a quick rundown on Ming Court before I forget things entirely…

Had a beautiful setting though I realized its like my time at Yan Toh Heen where you don’t really eat off it…

In any case, here’s the menu:

I sadly didn’t get to try the drunken shrimp dumpling with shao xing wine (according to sck they discontinued that item a bit after he last tried it, alas).

Two sauces accompanied our meal, one being the XO sauce and the other one seemed to be some sort of fermented bean curd if I was able to discern its taste. Regardless, we tried out their Wellness Dumpling Trio:

From a coloration perspective they were quite awesome, I found the Porcini dumpling had the strongest well mushroom taste. The shrimp dumpling was just fine, though I think I’d rather have a regular version. The scallop dumpling was quite good though I wonder if they enclosed the dumpling if it would be even juicier.

Next up was the Deluxe Dumpling Trio. Unfortunately after eating the Wellness dumplings, these dumplings felt a little more bland. Texture wise everything was great, just I wish they had some sort of vegetable slice that ensured that the dumpling didn’t stick too much onto the serving dish.

Following those dumplings, we had the deep fried radish puff with halibut. Nice crisipiness on the outside and with a well cooked halibut on the inside.

After that, we had ordered a round of siu mai. I thought they did a good job on these, with the pork being evenly chopped and no weird gnarly bits of fat. Just on a visual look though, wish the roe were a little more compact but while eating, it gave a hint of crabbiness.

We ordered a Rice Pasta Roll (first time I’ve ever heard that term…) with shrimp and while it doesn’t look too special, it was done very well. Shrimp were large and plump and were not overcooked, while the rice noodles were smooth and had a little bite to it.

Lastly we tried these uh… beef “dumplings” with chicken and pork broth (aka pretty much superior broth). It was an interesting variation on the typical beef balls you eat since its in soup. The beef balls were a little bit more loose than the plain steamed beef balls, but other than that, I didn’t feel it added any extra benefit. Soup was good, with a nice umami flavor.

All in all, I thought Ming Court does a good job at dim sum, though I didn’t feel wowed by any particular dishes.

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A dimsum meal a few months back. With the more unique items off the menu, now it really is 'can I have that wonderful drunken har gao again please please please?

Got some of the same items that @night07 got.


Wellness dumplings trio

Porcini dumpling with yellow fungus in spinach wrap… don’t remember much about this one.

Shrimp dumpling with crab meat, wolf berry and carrot wrap. Its like a har gau enhanced with shredded crab meat. Very good.

Scallop dumpling with morel mushroom in beetroot wrap. This is tasty pretty good with the porcini adding earthiness. The porcini is a bit redundant however.


Chicken feet marinated with nu-er hong wine. A substitute to the drunken har gau that’s no more. Chewy chicken feet with chewy parts with just enough good quality wine to give it a good nuance.


Deluxe dumpling trio:

Shrimp dumpling with fish maw- very good. Not much fish maw flavors, though.

Scallops dumpling with minced shrimp with pumpkin wrap. Tasted kinda like the har gau. Which means its also very good.

Garoupa dumpling with Chinese amaranth. The amaranth adds some herbal taste while the garoupa adds a taste of the sea. Very good.


Pomelo spare ribs. Solid and tasty quality spare ribs with tasty fatty parts. Not sure what the few pieces of pomelo at the bottom add.

Photo-8755


Halibut radish fried puff. Simply outstanding. Perfectly textured and fried. The halibut adds a sweetness and savoriness to the radish slices. This is fantastic


Pate taro- good quality taro puff, with the pate in the middle added savoriness. And that makes it probably one of the best taro puff out there, though I have never been in love with the this dish, no matter how good Ming Court’s version is.


XO sauce is very good as usual. The vegetarian fermented bean sauce is fan-tas-tic.


Overall, a very good dim sum meal, though not quite as memorable with the drunken har gao off the menu and a general pare back of the more unique items that was ordered one piece at a time. Now Ming Court’s dim sum sits solidly amongst its top echelon competitors, and can hold its own.


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I am sooooooo jealous, everything looks amazing!

Just so I have an idea (if one day I am able to get there), how much in US$ is $388 HK?

Around $50 USD

Whew! Tyvm @naf for putting my mind at ease. I’d hate to think that when I finally retire and can travel that Hong Kong’s finest is out of my league.

Just because it is stuck in my head now, I am going to Shanghai Bun to have XLB for lunch.

Unless you go to those *** dim sum restaurants with a view, dim sum are relatively affordable compared to, e.g. upscale live seafood. Ming Court’s pricing is comparable to other high end dim sum with no views.

In fact, eating high end in Hong Kong I think is more affordable than in Manhattan, with the exception of, again, upscale live seafood.

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Gosh, these reminded me so much of the dim sum trio I had at Janice Wong’s in Singapore. Hers consisted of (clockwise from left): Shrimp & fish roe siew mai; scallop & olive oil caviar siew mai; and Portobello mushroom, rosemary and caviar siew mai:

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Loved reading this! Like being there.