Preview: Yan Toh Heen Introduces a Specialty Tea Pairing Menu Showcasing Award-winning Teas (March 16

09 Feb 2015

Yan Toh Heen Introduces a Specialty Tea Pairing Menu Showcasing Award-winning Teas (March 16 – April 16, 2015)

From March 16- April 16, the 2-Michelin star Yan Toh Heen is showcasing a specialty menu pairing award-winning Chinese teas with Chef Lau Yiu Fai's celebrated Cantonese cuisine. The 6-course menu with dessert (at HK$1,988 + 10% service) is paired with three exclusive Chinese teas, selected by the restaurant's Tea Sommelier Kelvin Ng, based on their award-wining credentials.

As Yan Toh Heen's first Tea Sommelier (and the first and only one in Hong Kong), Kelvin is passionate about the pairing of Chinese Tea with food. An enthusiastic food & beverage professional, he has a wealth of experience working at five-star hotels and prestigious restaurants, including over six years at InterContinental Hong Kong's 2-Michelin star Yan Toh Heen (Cantonese restaurant). In addition to serving as the restaurant's first Tea Sommelier – a position he has held since 2014, during which time he has perfected the pairing of Chinese Tea with the Cantonese cuisine, Kelvin is also responsible for restaurant service.

He has selected three award-winning Chinese teas to pair with Chef's Lau's delicate Cantonese cuisine.

芝蘭水仙

Mandarin Orchid

Best Aroma Award, Hong Kong International Tea Fair 2013

This tea has a complex aroma base of white flowers and peaches, with a refreshing mouth feeling and a long length with a big of honey characteristics in the after-taste. It is well-balanced and one of the best Aperitif Teas. It is very refreshing, and easy to drink. As such, it goes well with Chef's Lau's first three courses: Smoked Sliced Abalone with Oolong Tea and Asparagus, Double Boiled Sea Cucumber with Garlic and Osmanthus and Poached Lobster and Bird's Nest in Egg white and Crispy Lobster Dumpling with Burrata Cheese.

宮廷金尖普洱

Menghai Tippy Pu Er

Champion of the Hong Kong International Tea Fair 2013, (Pu Er Category)

The tea leaves come from old and wild tea vines. The tea leave are aged for over 12 years in a tea cellar. This Pu Er tea has and herb and smokey aroma. It is concentrated and complex in style with a long length and a bit of sweetness on the after-taste. It is good for digestion. This tea is rich and complex in texture, with a strong aroma. It matches well with Pork and more complex foods. As such, Kelvin has paired it with Roasted Chicken Roll with Sha Cha Sauce, Wok-fried Pork with Zucchini in Spicy Sauce and Crispy Fried Rice with Crab Claw in Fish Bouillon.

鳳凰桂花香

Phoenix Osmanthus

Champion, Hong Kong International Tea Fair 2011 & 2014

(Oolong Category)

This tea has an aromatic Osmanthus character. It is smooth and elegant in style and delicate on the palette. It has a long length and a natural floral character in the after-taste. It matches well with dessert and is an excellent tea for digestion and relaxation. Our Tea Sommelier Kelvin has paired this with Chef Lau's Almond Pudding and Red Beans and Okinawa Kokuto Syrup with Green Tea Dumpling.

For the Yan Toh Heen Tea Pairing Menu, please click here.

For the other Yan Toh HeenLunch and Dinner Menus, please click here.

In addition to Tea Sommelier Kelvin Ng, the entire Yan Toh Heen team is knowledgeable about the perfect pairing of traditional Cantonese cuisine and dim sum with fine Chinese tea and can share with guests an appreciation of the broad and deep meaning of Chinese tea. Yan Toh Heen's Tea Menu offers 19 different Chinese Teas. The restaurant enlisted experts to select award-winning tea leaves from all over the world, to create a collection entitled the “The Scholar's Tea”, showcasing the five vintage tea selections below:

茶皇鐵觀音 Teguanyin Supreme (Semi-fermented Oolong Tea)

(半發酵烏龍茶)

御品武夷大紅袍 Wuyi Supreme (Semi-fermented Oolong Tea)

(半發酵烏龍茶)

貢品老壽眉 Silver Needle Supreme Shou Mei15 Years Old

(十五年陳輕發酵茶) (Mildly-Fermented)

珍藏五十三年限量 Limited Reserved Extra 53 Years Old Pu Er

極品普洱青餅 (Late & fully-fermented Black Tea)

(輕發酵黑茶)

天山珍稀野菊 Precious Chrysanthemums (Flower Tea)

(野生花茶)

Please click here for the Yan Toh Heen Tea Menu.