Hong Kong Style Cantonese Cuisine Heng Yue Xuan (Hang Yuen Hia)
港式粤菜·恒悦轩

Since the economic reform in the 1980s, Xujiahui area underwent a fundamental change and developed into an economic wonderland. The Xujiahui Park, an 8-hectare green land, is located between Hengshan Road and Xujiahui. In this peaceful park, one can watch little birds fly over the lush grasses, and pavilions and ponds are built for resting in this hustling district.

Situated in the Xujiahui Park, there are two three-storey reddish-brown buildings of post-modernist style. The outside facade is made of anti-corrosion Korean pines from Canada, and has a natural, modern, simple and eye-catching appearance, being quite a landmark of fine architecture. This is the Heng Yue Xuan restaurant. The interior of the building presents an exquisite and comfortable atmosphere with its round tables and soft seats as well as famous paintings hanging on the walls. Swarovski crystal lamps make the restaurant look modern and magnificent. With its unique location in the park, the elegant Hang Yue Xuan gives diners both opportunities to enjoy nature and prosperity at the same time. Right beside the restaurant are green trees, water and bridges, and in the distance are shining neon lights, glittering stars and the bright moon.

With a business area of 1,500 square meters, Heng Yue Xuan has 300 seats and 20 private rooms of different sizes. The banquet hall on the second floor of Building B can hold 40-50 people, quite suitable for company feasts or family gatherings. There is an outdoor bar on the terrace which connects the two villas. Sitting here and drinking tea, wine or coffee, people can forget about the hustle of the city while savouring the poetic view. Hence, it is most popular with younger generations and foreigners.

Hong Kong Catering Management Group is hired to run the garden restaurant. The group is famous for its exquisite techniques of cooking abalone and shark's fin, and other fine Hong Kong style Cantonese cuisine.

Abalone, referred as Fuyu, Jiukongluo or Shijuemingrou in the pharmaceutical masterpiece Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen, is extremely savory and has long been valued as a delicacy in any banquet. With its high nutrition, it is useful in nourishing yin and clearing heat, beneficial to the eyes, blood and liver, and can help alleviate paralysis and relax tendons. There are two kinds of abalone: fresh and dried. A chef's culinary techniques are embodied in the cooking of dried abalone. Yuan Mei, a writer in the Qing Dynasty, wrote in the abalone part of his book "Recipes in Suiyuan" that Procurator Zhuang used a large abalone to cook with a duck, but he was not able to bite it due to its hardness until he cooked it for three days. Yuan gave the tip that abalone should be stewed in good soup with enough time and only in this way can one taste the precious flavor of it. The abalone cooked by the chefs of Heng Yuexuan is superior in nature and simmered in a condensed soup, which itself is stewed for a long period of time. Japanese Crown 18-head Abalone is a dish prepared by a chef with 30 years of cooking experience. Stewed hens, pork chops and ham cooked with the abalone are served with broccoli, presenting an attractive contrast between green and brown. The abalone can be easily cut into pieces and has a soft, glutinous and chewable texture as well as a rich savory aroma. No wonder it is extremely popular with customers!

Shark's fin is a dried product made of the cartilaginous fins of fishes such as shark and skate. It is referred to as Jiaoshachi in the book Yi Lin Suan Yao and as Jinsicai in the book Ben Cao Shu Yuan. It's precious and has great nutritious values, beneficial to the human body and it can improve one's Qi and appetite. Yuan Mei also provided incisive tips about how to cook shark's fin in his book "Recipes in Suiyuan" in which he observed: "It usually takes two days to cook shark's fin till it is soft; good ham, chicken soup, fresh bamboo shoots and crystal sugars should be added when stewing shark's fin; with little soup, the dish should be well blended and slightly greasy". To make good shark's fin: one is to put paste into the shark's fin, the other is to cook it till it is soft enough. The shark's fin of Heng Yue Xuan well demonstrates the essence of our ancestors' remarks. For example, the shark's fin used in abalone and shark's fin in soy sauce is the fin of Japanese shark with big fin needles. Soup stewed from chicken, pig's trotters and ham is used to braise the shark's fin. When it becomes soft in texture and savory in flavor, it is cooked in soy sauce and served in a glass cup. Each of the fin needles is clearly seen, and the shark's fin is soft, glutinous and crispy. Have a sip of the soup and one has the feeling of drinking first-class wine when it slides into the throat and leaves an unforgettable savory bouquet.

The roasted and barbequed food of Heng Yue Xuan well demonstrates the essence of Cantonese cuisine. In order to ensure tenderness of texture, the Crispy Pigeon adopts both oil-frying and oil-sprinkling techniques in spite of the complexity of the process. The finished pigeon presents a dignified and distinguishing looking bird in red robes and glittering skins, and it has a crispy exterior with a tender interior, appealing to the mouth and throat. The Fried Gourd (here the restaurant uses the name Sheng Gua in Chinese, and it is actually Si Gua in the Shanghai dialect; since si and shu have the same pronunciation in Cantonese, which means to lose, the restaurant changes si to sheng, which means to win, the opposite side of shu) was not attractive at first. But the chefs cut it into slanting pieces and pay particular attention to the control of heat, cooking it by boiling and frying. Each piece of the gourd is attractively bulging with a green coat and white flesh. It is indeed amazing that the chef can turn such a common dish into an exquisite delicacy. Other dishes such as the "Gan Lao Chicken", which have never been seen elsewhere in Shanghai, also boast unique techniques and great taste, leaving customers an unforgettable taste experience.

Hong Kong dim sums are known for their variety, exquisite appearance and ways to make them. The snacks in Heng Yue Xuan have collected all the essence of Hong Kong and Cantonese snacks. The famous Mousse Cake is baked by blending Japanese tea powder with liquid egg pulp. It is placed in small glass dishes and resembles an inch-long jade seal. It has three layers of different thickness and each layer is clearly seen from others. The Mousse Cake is like a crystal handicraft with a strong taste of tea, sweet but not greasy, and best enjoyed slowly. Other snacks include pastries such as Fried Shrimp Rolls with Almond, Honey BBQ Pork Puff, and Egg Tarts with Bird's Nest. The fried pastry outside the main filling has almost ten layers and each is clearly divided from the others; the fillings have been skillfully adjusted to its best beforehand. The refined and amazing culinary techniques do match the grandeur and gracefulness of Heng Yue Xuan.

Mini Dragon with Minced Garlic 蒜茸小青龙

Lobster is nicknamed "miniature green dragon" in Chinese because of the greenish shell when it is alive. This dish uses a 250-gram lobster, and serves 2 people. Before cooking, the lobster is pat to dry, and cut in half. The cut side of the lobster is drizzled with savory soup stock and sprinkled with a mixture of fresh and fried minced garlic. It is then steamed until well done and seasoned with sugar and salt. Finally, the lobster is garnished with finely chopped green onions for extra color and aroma. The "green dragon" displays a glistening appearance with the cinnabar red shell, which is beautifully contrasted with the emerald green scallions and yellow garlic. What a spectacular dish! When placed in the mouth, the superb blend of lobster meat with the fresh scallions and garlic delivers a savory note and leaves a long lasting aftertaste.

Bird's Nest with Dates and Crystal Sugar 红枣冰花官燕

Only the high quality Grade AA Bird's Nest is used in this dish. It is slow cooked with "heart shaped" red dates. The Bird's Nest looks like a large pearl bobbing in a thick amber-colored soup. When placed in the mouth, the fragrance of the dates rushes up the nose. The soft and smooth Bird's Nest is supple and heavily gelatinous; enjoying it with the soup is like drinking nectar. Each sip offers a distinct and complex blend of sweet-and-savory flavor.

Cantonese Style Chicken 特色干捞鸡

This is a Cantonese style stir-fry dish, it has never been offered by the restaurants in Shanghai. To prepare this dish, selected free-run chicken are carefully cleaned and the heads, feet and backbones are removed. The cleaned chicken are cut into cubes and marinated in salt and spices to allow flavors to penetrate the meat. The seasoned chicken is stir-fried with a small amount of oil, and then sautéed, boiled and drained. Finally it is served on a platter with fresh spring onion and blanched Chinese chives on the side. The light yellow chicken has delicious crispy skin and smooth tender meat which tastes absolutely amazing.

Green Tea Cake 抹茶蛋糕

The Green Tea Cake is made with egg, flour and tea powder produced in Japan. The tea powder is mixed with the cake batter and baked in the oven to produce the emerald green Tea Cake, which has the shape of a Chinese ruler's seal. The carefully prepared cake consists of three distinct layers and it delivers an intense aroma of the green tea. This moderately sweet dessert has a unique charm of its own.

Stewed Bird's Nest Egg Tart 官燕蛋挞

This delectable egg tart has a puff pastry crust made with many thin layers of pastry and the bird's nest is translucent and crystalline. When placed in the mouth, the flaky crust melts on the tongue instantly. The bird's nest filling gives a subtle refreshing flavor, which adds a distinctive allure to this dessert.

Address: 290 Wanping Road (At the intersection of Zhaojiabang Road, located within Xujiahui Park)

Telephone: 021-64729778

021-54681900

Hours of operation: 10:00-22:00