Cherry-popping 2025, episode 3

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While I was having my worst meal of 2025 a few months ago, I found out that Sporty Cousin had never dined at The Chairman (大班樓) and really wanted to. I wasted no time in grabbing a table so that Sporty Cousin could get his wish, so here we are tonight.

I knew that Sporty Cousin would be bringing a couple of frineds who, like him, were coming for the first time. So I let them choose the dishes they wanted to have, although I made a few suggestions. I also told them about a dish I would not allow to be on the menu tonight.

Crispy taro cake with smoked duck (茘甫鴨盒) - one of the classics here, although I felt that the taro mash tonight wasn't so fluffy on top and didn't look as beautiful as it normally would, and the oil used to fry this tasted a little old. However, the water chestnuts were still nice and crunchy, the smoky flavors of the duck still familiar, and this was definitely better with the aged vinegar on the side.

Fried sticky rice salted egg yolk dumpling with chrysanthemum sugar (脆皮迷你糉配菊花糖) - I was surprised that Sporty Cousin wanted this, but our different tastes are what makes life interesting. The chrysanthemum sugar was as nice ever.

Char grill sun cured pigeon in soybean BBQ sauce (醬燒生晒臘乳鴿) - one measly pigeon for the four of us, but I understand the flavors are heavy - especially when it's not taken with rice. I, of course, went for the head.

Thick cut Chairman style char siu (炭火厚切叉燒) - this cut of marbled pork was just a tiny tad salty tonight, but overall still very good. A bit smoky but not too charred, with just a tiny bit of dried strands of pork on the edges. The aged tangerine peel in the marinade was just enough to announce its presence, adding lovely fruity flavors to this iconic dish.

Cleansing soup (一口湯) - this peanut and chicken feet soup was very comforting and I could feel the collagen. Some of my dining companions also tasted pitahaya flowers (霸王花), but I don't make enough Cantonese double-boiled soup to have seen it as an ingredient.

Steamed fresh flowery crab with aged Shaoxing wine, fragrant chicken oil and flat rice noodles (雞油花雕蒸花蟹配陳村粉) - MUST. For any virgins. I let the others enjoy the good stuff and focused on the pile of flat rice noodles (陳村粉) in my crab shell.

Steamed grouper fish head with fermented chili (剁椒鹹肉蒸龍躉魚頭) - I haven't had this in a while and thought I should recommend it, despite it not being a classic Cantonese dish. I was a little disappointed, though, that the kitchen didn't add any wontons for us.

But this was still a bowl full of happiness - with plenty of collagen from the head along with some cured pork fat (冰肉). The trio of peppers - fresh diced chili, pickled chili, and green Sichuan peppercorns (藤椒) - worked magic along with the garlic to dance on one's tastebuds. There were smiles all around while everyone fell silent, too busy munching to do anything else.

Crispy skin chicken with red bean curd marinate (南乳麵醬炸子雞) - this was a very good chicken, just like the last couple of times - where the paper-thin skin was crispy.

The red bean curd marinate (南乳麵醬) absolutely made the dish, because the dish would otherwise be reduced to a very good crispy chicken.

Camphor wood smoked black foot goose (樟木煙燻黑腳鵝) - since there were just four of us, we got half a goose instead a whole one. This was really fatty and juicy, and the tonight the skin tasted like that on a duck confit.

Stir fried jicama, snap peas, water lily seeds and gordon euryales seed (蜜糖豆仁沙葛炒雞頭米) - this was a little more wet and oily tonight than on my previous visits, but still very enjoyable.

Smoked threadfin and baby sardines steamed rice (煙燻馬友銀魚窩飯) - I do love seeing all the dried sardine fry on top.

The rice was a bit soft and slightly wet, but the threadfin was smoky and the sardine fry very fragrant. Love it.

Desserts trio (甜品三味)：the usual.

Wolfberry ice cream (杞子雪糕)

Jujube jelly (棗泥糕)

Almond milk (杏仁茶)

I brought along just 3 bottles of wine since I had a conference call after dinner...

2009 Pontet-Canet - starting drinking 45 minutes after double-decanting. Pretty nice and open now, with woodsy notes and cigar smoke on the nose after 1 hour. Really fragrant and drinking very well right now.

2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - big nose of petrol with white flowers. I still like the sweetness level here.

2003 BOND Matriarch - started drinking about 2½ hours after double-decanting. Very minty on the nose, with smoky and leather notes. Pretty sweet with black fruits on the palate. Very silky smooth now but still got that wonderful concentration. Such a pleasure to drink.

A friend very kindly came over to share a glass of wine he was having at his table. I responded in kind by sharing a glass of the Matriarch.

2006 La Magia Brunello di Montalcino - smoky with nose of dried herbs, a little wood, and a little sweet fruit.

A pretty good dinner and I've got 3 pretty happy virgins at my table. Let's see when they can come back for more.