Boneless stuffed suckling pig from heaven (well, actually Hong Kong)
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!
thanks for sharing….will surely try this on my next trip to hk. looks really yummy!
Thanks for sharing! I am going to HK next week so hopefully I get to try it.
Would it cost me an arm and leg? Can 3 adults finish this piglet?
I don’t think you realize how jealous I am right now. What a dish!!
Okay, so I’m off to HK in a couple of weeks to celebrate the big 5 — er — 30th… birthday and I have been thinking about the right place to eat. Thanks to CH, I think I now have it. What better way to usher in the second half –er — I mean second third — of one’s life than with a crispy, baby pig stuffed with glutinous rice?? I mean, c’mon! It doesn’t get any better than that!! And with a start like this, how bad can this new phase in my life be, anyway??
Who would have thought, in such a worn and weathered hotel you’d find top quality food. Well just goes to show you can never judge a book by its cover.
Emy, it will run you around HKD500 for the pig. They cut it into 12 slices so it is a bit much for just 3 people…unless you are very big eaters. We found it perfect for 6 of us.
The pig costs around USD 80. It will yield around 14 portions or so. Two portion would take up a nice chunk of one’s stomach space…
CH, I’m glad you liked it!
A lovely find indeed. Thanks for sharing
Have a booking to try it on Saturday! 🙂
bummed! just came back from 2 months in HK and didn’t get to try that. MUST next time..
whoa what is this dish? i’ve never seen or heard of it before. heck, it looks darn good!
This looks really tempting! Although the doctor is prohibiting me to eat pork, I will still definitely have a crunch with this one! Besides, it is from heaven anyways! LOL. Thanks for sharing the experience!
The pork sounds interesting. Almost looks like a pate to me.
Paul
looks delicious, great post!
Some of the best place for food are in places where you least expect it. Great find, I will add this to my list of places to try. Thanks.
The poroper name for a suckling pig is “weiner”. They have to be tender as they are under 6 weeks old and not much fat either.
This looks so mouth-watering, what a lovely treat!
kruzon-it is “weaner”
That is heavenly specially the suckling pig, food in Hong Kong is irresistable. Thanks for sharing this one out
Raymund
http://angsarap.wordpress.com
Can anyone please help me with a recipe for a dish i only ever found in the far east – Singapore actually…not Hong Kong. It had a name something like Nazzi Gorring (sure that spelling is way wrong) and was fried rice based topped with prawns plus many other ingredients. i was only 18 when I last saw it 9 a ling time ago) but can still remember how yummy it was with a fried egg on top!!
e
I had the same dish when I was in Hong Kong! I recapped the whole delicious experience:
http://worldtotable.com/2010/03/09/annies-suckling-pig-stuffed-with-8-treasure-rice/
I’ll have to try the Kimberly Hotel and compare next time I’m there.