This Hong Kong Dim Sum Spot Is Cheap, Tasty and Has a Michelin Star | Company Business News

(Bloomberg) — Anyone in Hong Kong knows there’s a trifecta when it comes to eating out. In English, it roughly translates to: affordable, beautiful and delicious. Add a Michelin star to the mix, and you truly have an unbeatable combination.

I’m loathe to share one of my favorite dim sum spots. I wouldn’t necessarily call it underrated (see said star) but it’s sufficiently out of the way (read: not on Hong Kong Island) that it’s off the radar for the uninitiated.

Yat Tung Heen is an unexpected gem deep in the basement of the Eaton hotel, its entrance on an alley off bustling Nathan Road. The Cantonese restaurant excels in bringing a twist to dim sum staples, playing with ingredients such as scallop, which can be found topping siu mai, in the filling for various other dumplings and in rice rolls. The dishes are always a delight — delicious and delicately crafted — and the menu tweaked every so often to incorporate new ingredients.

Oh, and it’s a deal. When Din Tai Fung and Tim Ho Wan lost their Michelin stars in Hong Kong, it got significantly harder to find a starred meal on a budget (of course, we still have Ho Hung Kee). For years now, Yat Tung Heen has run an incredible weekday special during lunchtime. On its current menu, dim sum dishes start at HK$38 ($4.84) and go up to HK$98. For my appetite, the HK$48-HK$58 sections of the menu are the sweet spot. To freshen up my research, I recently revisited with two guests on a Tuesday for lunch, with the total coming to HK$600 for nine items, tea and service.

The vibe: It’s a stylish and spacious restaurant with large round tables for big groups or your party of two. The upscale teahouse decor is inspired by 1920s Shanghai taverns, with wood paneling, tile and stained glass on the walls.

Who’s next to you: Families, pairs and large groups, usually on the more casual side, make up the lunch crowd. Aside from the dim sum deal, the lunch set is also popular. Starting at HK$398, it features a dim sum platter followed by what seems to be an obscene amount of food.

Can you conduct a meeting here? Yes. There’s plenty of space between tables, and inoffensive jazz plays at a low volume in the background.

What we’d order again: We enjoyed all the “special” dim sum items, especially the scallop dumplings with sea cucumber and vegetables. The wok-fried turnip cake — little cubes with a delicately crispy skin and topped with XO sauce and aromatics — here is the best version I’ve had. Though I’ll admit there are more delicious egg tarts, I always seem to order the ones here because they’re topped with bird’s nest. I also have a soft spot for the classics, opting for steamed char siu bao over the more trendy baked ones. If I’m being honest, I’d probably order everything again.

Need to know: Yat Tung Heen is on level B2 of the Eaton, 380 Nathan Road in Jordan. Reservations for the weekday special are essential, with 90-minute seatings at 11 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The restaurant opens from 11 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends and public holidays, and closes at 10:30 p.m.

Read more of our dim sum reviews: Mott 32 and Nove in the Galleria.

We’re all ears. Let us know if you have any restaurants you’d like us to review. Drop us a line at [email protected].

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