sun-yick-4_0

What’s in a Name?

by

Sun Yick is a very informal restaurant. Some of the food here is really a fusion of Chinese and Portuguese but not exactly Macanese as such, together with some old traditional Cantonese favourites. The restaurant has recently moved to a new location just across the street into a brand new setting, the venue is now much more pleasant and judging by the queues on my second visit, it is still as popular as ever. Cheung Ying-Hap is the man behind the scenes, a larger than life character as my cab driver testified to, referring to him affectionately as “Fai Chei Cheung”. 

On my first visit, I arrived on a Sunday night at about 9.30 and it was still busy without being like Piccadilly Circus. But on the second visit, a Monday night at around 8, there were crowds of people waiting for a table. The new restaurant is split into two levels, with pictures of the dishes lining the walls, bright, airy and full of life considering it’s a restaurant for the younger crowd. The table top is pretty basic and includes a toilet roll, which I always find amusing. 

The menu is only written in Chinese with some pictures of the dishes and is full of strange and amusing sounding names like “Chui Sai On” a dish named after our Chief Executive, which is basically a crab curry dish. Then there is the “Forgettable Golden Prawns” and a dish called “An Arrogant Bull”. Another popular dish, which is more western and which my friends all swear by, is the pork cutlets stuffed with melted cheese. 

On my first visit, I just ordered the pork bone soup, and together with a friend we shared a wonderful bottle of a Benjamin Leroux, Volnay 1er Cru Mitans 2009 from Burgundy (BYO of course). The huge bowl of pork bones with the meat, sinew and the marrow are slowly cooked in a broth with preserved bean curd and turnips, full of texture and flavour. The elegant Pinot Noir went well with the pork bones and was indeed a match made in heaven. The only disappointment is that the restaurant does not provide any kind of glassware for wines, but then again there is no corkage fee. So if you are bringing wines here, then I suggest you bring along some glasses along too! 

On my second visit, a family affair, I wanted the pork bone soup but the waitress said they did not have any, but it would be available later on in the evening, which seemed a bit strange. We took the bull by it’s horns and ordered the “An Arrogant Bull” followed by“Forgettable Golden Prawns”, “We are the Best Partner”, deep-fried pork spareribs with salt and pepper, and the clay pot Morning Glory. 

First to arrive was the “Forgettable Golden Prawns”. The prawns were fresh, simply presented with a rich and delicious garlicky sauce, full of the prawn’s roe but not good for your cholesterol. This was followed by the “We are the Best Partner” which was simply sweet and sour pork, with just the right balance of sweet and sour and the pork was very crispy – a wonderful dish. 

“An Arrogant Bull” comes in a sizzling clay pot with sliced beef and black pepper’s; very tender beef with just the right amount of spiciness from the black pepper and the presentation looks good. Soon after were the deep-fried pork spareribs with salt and pepper. This came piping hot and crispy with lots of favour and a touch of chili. By the time we got to the Morning Glory, we were already quite full as the portions at the restaurant are quite huge. The vegetables were good but nothing spectacular. 

Overall the food is very good, the pricing is more than reasonable, and the staff and service are fast and efficient but not overly friendly. There is a nice buzzy atmosphere and reservations are essential.  And the décor…well what décor? 

Facebook
WhatsApp
Threads
X
Email

More from the author

More of this category

Featured

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Older Issues

Living and Arts Magazine

現已發售 NOW ON SALE

KNOW MORE LiVE BETTER