For my first proper dinner back in Hong Kong, my parents took me to Spring Deer, a restaurant that my dad has been going to since he was a grad student in the early 1970s. I went there, too, in the mid 90s, and it’s exactly how I remember it, right down to the gracious elderly waiters who will bring you fresh bowls of boiled peanuts when you crave them (they just don’t make ‘em the same Stateside!). At least a dozen luscious, crispy Peking Ducks were wheeled out of the kitchen while we were there, making me seriously plead for one of our own. My dad wisely advised me that ordering a full duck in addition to all of our other dishes would be food suicide. (Actually, we compromised: we’ll be returning to try that duck).
At Spring Deer, the focus is on Beijing-style Northern Chinese food, so we ended up ordering a lot of the homey, comforting classics that my whole family grew up with. The food is simple, but sensational — we ordered tender, supple water spinach shoots sauteed in garlic and peanut oil; braised pork knuckle, served cold and with a savory ginger-garlicky sauce; tender dumplings stuffed with pork and fresh Hong Kong crab; spicy, sweet chicken coated in a sticky vermillion sauce; winter melon soup soaking in a salty, smoky ham broth; and my old childhood favorite, cong you bing, or tender, flaky layers of pastry coiled into a pancake and laced with fresh scallions and garlic soaking in oil. Man, I forgot how great Hong Kong is. So happy to be back.
