Jade Dragon
Yu Long Xuan(Jade Dragon)
Yu Long Xuan was the first meal of this trip. With three Michelin stars and three Black Pearl diamonds, it is one of the most highly honored restaurants in China.
In terms of the meal, all the dishes I tasted that day were just on the passable line. However, the restaurant atmosphere is excellent – elegant and composed, with a palatial grandeur. Dining there is so comfortable for body and soul that one unconsciously forgets about the food and cannot utter a single word of criticism.
The experience begins as the greeter swipes the access card, the grand doors slowly open, and walking through the corridors into the main hall brings a sense of spaciousness. I particularly liked the wall's old yet renewed, reflective dark golden color amidst the New Chinese style decor inspired by the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival." The wall decorations reminiscent of Chinese medicine drawers suggest the philosophy of food as medicine. The 11 dining tables in the main hall are neatly and spaciously arranged. All the tableware is exquisite, with a crystal dragon display, jade green chopstick rests, napkin rings, toothpick holders all echoing each other, and various silk menu covers adding the finishing touch. The water glasses, chopsticks, and silver spoons are all creations from Kun Ting.
The front-of-house staff, dressed in various dark-colored qipao, are generally older, exuding a mature and steady style. They are long-term employees of Yu Long Xuan, which speaks to the restaurant's management capabilities, given the industry's high staff turnover rate. Moreover, the service at most high-end restaurants often feels overly cautious, as if the staff are always worried about making mistakes or trying too hard to please.
At Yu Long Xuan, the basics like timely tea refilling, changing plates, and covering stains on the table with a napkin are, of course, just the basics. The service's advantage lies in its "experience value" – a lot higher, with a reassuring core, giving the feeling of being cared for by an elder sister. Thus, as long as the dishes are not exceptionally bad, I am always willing to revisit Yu Long Xuan. I even think that New Rong Ji shares strong influences from Yu Long Xuan in terms of environment and ambiance, which could be a coincidence or inspiration, but it also somewhat proves that a highly honored Chinese restaurant is most "suitable" to evolve into such a style.
Regarding the food, from the perspective of the culinary offerings, I can name several Cantonese restaurants that do better than Yu Long Xuan, such as Guangzhou's Guang Yu Xuan or Shanghai's Qi Fu. Of course, the menu I chose at Yu Long Xuan was more "touristy," based on recommendations, while at other Cantonese restaurants within the country, I tend to order more like a "regular."
The tea for the day was a blend based on Lapsang Souchong, integrated with rose and fresh orange peel, mild and elegant.
The pre-dinner snack was a common "Ham and Melon Puff," but when paired with a silver bubbly show plate, a dark gold twinkling dish, and a blue-purple flower, it immediately became luxurious, and even the taste seemed to carry a subtle floral and fruity aroma.
The dim sum and appetizer platter were served together, with the three dim sums being "Jade Lobster Dumplings," "One-Bite Wagyu Puff," and "Hairy Crab Soup Dumpling." They were still ordinary dim sum, but with upgraded ingredients, such as blue lobster for the shrimp dumplings and hairy crab for the soup dumplings. The three appetizers were "Crispy Fried French Oysters," "Black Caviar Suckling Pig," and "Drunken Prawn," also quite common in flavor, with the prawn not being soft-boiled.
The "Spicy Soft Shell Crab" had a street-style frying method with a household oil taste, the crabmeat was somewhat dried out, soft and wooden in texture. The chili was Sichuan chicken heart pepper, which looked bright red but lacked spiciness.
"Black Truffle Crispy Chicken Roll" had a good structure, with a creamy sauce made from mixed mushrooms, black truffles, and white bread at the bottom. The chicken was also marinated with black truffle sauce, then topped with a few slices of black truffle. The design of shrimp chips as a base ring had a Southeast Asian vibe and reminded me of the crust lining the pot in Northeast China's iron pot stew. Eaten together, the black truffle flavor was rich and delicious among many black truffle chicken dishes.
"Black Pork Char Siu Puff" had a crispy shell and a moist, sweet interior, quite good, although Guang Yu Xuan and 0871 have similar quality products.
"Yu Huang Almond Juice Bird's Nest Caramel Pudding," highly recommended by the front of house, was served with
steam wafting from a teapot, though the aesthetic felt somewhat outdated. The pudding was very delicate, with a prominent almond flavor, but became too sweet after a few bites.
The "Post-Dinner Dessert," unexpected in a Chinese restaurant, combined with the desserts I ordered, ended up being too sweet, too much, too hot... By the end of the meal, my eyes felt swollen from the heat.
