I really don’t come to Hong Kong often enough. But when I do, I make sure I get a few trusted foodie friends to take me out for good local grub. Most recently, I had the great pleasure of tasting what might very well be the best version of Chinese roasted suckling pig I have ever had. I had relegated the choice of restaurant and what we would eat to my good friend Amy, whom some of you may remember from a very popular guest post she contributed to this site some time back.
Amy in turn consulted one of her very good friends, Peter, the greatly-respected blogger behind Diary of a Growing Boy. They jointly decided that my gorgeous wife S and I should try what Peter (very rightly) believes is one of the best pig dishes in Hong Kong.
Neither S nor I had ever eaten at the Kimberly Chinese Restaurant in the Kimberly Hotel before. And when we stepped into the rather aged and fading lobby of this Kowloon property, I have to say that we did get a little nervous. The restaurant itself is not going to be winning any design awards either. It’s your typical old-school Chinese hotel restaurant. But the food… the food is something else entirely.
Amy and Peter kept the menu really simple. Fried fish skin, a plate of chopped up braised then chilled pork trotter, some fresh vegetables, and the two stars of the show: an ox bone and collagen soup and the Kimberly’s much-lauded suckling pig. The soup was lovely. Rich, delicious, and filled with goodness.
But the pig is what I am going to be dreaming about for months to come. I have never had a suckling pig the way that the Kimberly does it. But now that I have, no other style is going to be good enough. The chefs here debone a 30 day old piglet, then stuff it with glutinous rice. The pig is then rolled tightly and roasted slowly in order to give the skin a gorgeously crisp texture while also carefully cooking the rice.
When the pig is served, a waitress chops off the head–which is whisked away to be chopped up and then re-served–and then cuts the body up into slices. The crisp skin forms an outer ring, nestling tender meat and a large portion of perfectly seasoned rice. It’s fabulous as it is but even better with either sweet sauce, mustard or XO.
This pig was, simply, something really special. I can’t thank Amy and Peter enough for introducing us to this delicacy. It’s a dish I plan on having many more times, on return visits to Hong Kong.
Kimberly Chinese Restaurant
Kimberly Hotel
28 Kimberly Road
Tsimshatui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel +852 2369 8212
Please note that you will have to pre-order the pig and pay a deposit if you want it.
About Aun Koh
Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!
