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Duck, duck, goose. Roast goose holds a central spotlight when it comes to roast meats in Hong Kong, and acclaimed Yue Kee Roast Goose Restaurant has been churning out succulent roast birds since 1958. From humble beginnings, Yue Kee was awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide for its unwavering commitment to quality and taste. The restaurant uses special black-bearded geese from Qingyuan and insists on grilling the birds over charcoal to produce their hallmark crispy skin.
The multi-generation, family-run restaurant has recently flown the coop from Sham Tseng to Tsim Sha Tsui with a second location opened by the Ng family’s grandson, Ng Kwok Han. Grandpa Ng still presides over the kitchen in Sham Tseng, while his grandson is at the helm of the new venture, branded under the name Goose Manor.
Unlike most other roast meat restaurants, Goose Manor receives deliveries of its meats twice a day instead of just once, and geese are roasted on-site every hour to ensure the birds are always fresh, with their iconic crispiness. The geese at Goose Manor are roasted over gas instead of Yue Kee’s signature charcoal heat, which grandson Ng Kwok Han believes helps to better release the oils and crisp up the skin.
Our platter of roast goose had beautiful, bronzed skin and succulent, robustly meaty flavours. The skin was crispy but released addictively flavourful juices as we bit into it. It was difficult not to polish off the whole plate in one sitting! The eatery’s roast goose is priced at $600 for an entire bird, $300 for half, $160 for a quarter and $190 for the coveted juicy thigh.
Young Master Cha Chaan Teng Gose, a salted lime beer, helped to undercut the richness of the goose.
RELATED: Goose Manor is part of our recommended beer adventure in TST
The century egg with Chinese ginger ($68 for a platter – much more than pictured) comes with a side of dipping sugar, which helps to balance the alkaline taste of the eggs. It was our first time eating century eggs this way, and we will definitely be serving this delicacy with sugar from here onwards.
Fujian fried rice ($168) is given some extra love with a goose-oil-based gravy and meaty chunks of goose meat. Crowned with plump prawns, this is a delicious way to wolf down some carbs.
Salted egg prawns ($180 for 8) uses jumbo fresh Vietnamese prawns for extra meatiness.
Salt-and-pepper calamari ($168 for 8) is given an upgrade with a stuffing of homemade shrimp paste, topped with fried garlic, spring onion and fresh chilli. The flavours reminded us of our favourite typhoon shelter crab.
A nostalgic sweet snack, the deep-fried milk ($88 for 6) uses rich, 3.6% fat Hokkaido milk to achieve its super-creamy texture.
Verdict
Showcasing quality roast goose and solid Cantonese dishes, we were excited to see how a traditional local restaurant could be transformed into a younger, hipper joint while still maintaining its original trademark flavours. A trip to Sham Tseng to compare the older restaurant to Goose Manor is on the cards!
Shop C, G/F, Kowloon Centre, 37 Ashley Road, TST, 2387 1133, info@goosemanorhk.com (no bookings)
This write-up is based on a complimentary media tasting provided in exchange for an honest review and no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed here represent the author’s.
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