DimSumDolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Sha Tin 18

A few weeks ago, thanks to my friend Felix, I got to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon and evening in Hyatt Regency Sha Tin. Felix was staying there for a short while, and told me to go over to make use of the pool and to chill out in the hotel that's located in a scenic part of the New Territories. The hotel is a three-minute walk from the train station 'University' (大学).

The view from the club lounge on the 25th floor. I had a very leisurely swim in the pool, soaked in the jacuzzi for half an hour and made use of the sauna. Boy was it relaxing.

We had lunch at the Chinese restaurant in the hotel called Sha Tin 18. The restaurant has an open kitchen concept and serves Cantonese and Northern Chinese cuisine.

We had some scallop dumplings （带子饺） which were small and really mediocre in taste.

The skin of the braised chicken feet (凤爪） was still rather chewy and hard which, according to Felix the gourmet, means it wasn't deep-fried long enough. The sauce, however, was very tasty and flavourful.

We also ordered some dumplings which I liked. The skin had the nice springy texture to it. I only wished there was more meat stuffed into it!

Steamed beef balls is an item I like to order. This one was alright but it didn't stand out.

We also had the pork and century egg congee which I thought was good. It was smooth and tasty, and I liked that it came with the peanuts, spring onions and preserved radish on the side.

What I enjoyed most in Sha Tin were two of their homemade ice creams. They were two flavours I had never tried before - Chinese wine chocolate (五粮液朱古力) and papaya snow fungus （木瓜雪耳）.

The papaya snow fungus ice cream was very light in flavour with traces of papaya. The bits of snow fungus embedded in the ice cream added an interesting texture to this rather guilt-free dessert. The crispy and wafe-thin sesame wafer was also delicious to munch on.

Now this I have to say is one of the best chocolate ice creams I've ever had. I love chocolate and I take every opportunity to eat chocolate ice cream. This one was silky smooth and the Chinese wine (五粮液) being mixed with the dark chocolate is such a brilliant idea. The bitterness of the Chinese wine really enhances the flavour of the chocolate and my god, the wine hits you the moment that ice cream touches your palate. I swear I could get drunk on this Chinese wine chocolate ice cream. LOVE it.

So my conclusion is that the main food items in Sha Tin 18 are pretty mediocre. The star items are these two homemade ice creams. A definite must-try!