Lee Lo Mei taps into nostalgia and reinvents old Hong Kong favourites

Lee Lo Mei’s retro interior

Hong Kong is a city like no other. In terms of food, it’s a compendium of gourmandism, thriving on its fast-moving modernity while proudly retaining its culinary traditions. Lee Lo Mei, the Cantonese restaurant that pays homage to this culture, serves reimagined Hong Kong-style food by combining innovative techniques with unabashedly nostalgic flavours – and its new à la carte menu has just launched for autumn. 

Lee Lo Mei’s retro interior

“So many of Hong Kong’s old restaurants are disappearing, so we wanted to reflect the nostalgia of those times,” explains Max Lee, the director of culinary and operations at Lee Lo Mei. “We’re showcasing the dishes Hong Kong people love, but with more modern presentations. For some dishes, we’ve even added a hint of other Asian ingredients to create new flavour combinations.” 

To wit, see Chef Lee’s Ping Pong Buns (HK$118), inspired by the humble Hong Kong pineapple bun. He has elevated the dish with an Iberico pork patty (grilled to perfection) with char siu sauce, grilled pineapple and homemade pineapple jam; it’s served with crinkle-cut fries and homemade sweet-and-sour sauce. 

For the main course, try the Lucky 8 seafood rice (HK$268), inspired by two Hong Kong perennials: claypot rice and sizzling platters. Instead of using cured meat, however, the chef features a mouth-watering array of seafood including Argentinian red shrimp, lobster, Hokkaido scallop, clam, squid, slow-cooked octopus, cod and crab. It’s all served in a claypot with crispy rice, cherry tomato, coriander and spring onion, then finished off with a homemade lobster broth.

Snowy Tofu (HK$68) combines the best of local dessert worlds: almond tea and black sesame. Lee Lo Mei’s version features home-made almond sauce with apricot kernels and rice, with a touch of Japanese black sesame sauce, and is served with tofu ice cream. 

At Lee Lo Mei, the name of the game is premium-quality dishes, all of which elevate and redefine Hong Kong-style cuisine. Lee Lo Mei, 8 Lyndhurt Terrace, Central; leelomei.hk

Lucky 8 seafood rice 八仙過海

Ping Pong Buns 乒乓菠

Images provided to China Daily (Ping Pong Buns, Lucky 8 seafood rice); Xu Liang Leon (Lee Lo Mei’s retro interiors)

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