Lai Ching Heen (Formerly Yan Toh Heen) Review, Hong Kong

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Yan Toh Heen 18 Salisbury Road Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong +852 2313 2323 Yan Toh Heen Website

One day in Hong Kong and we luckily picked a great dim sum restaurant!

This restaurant returned its original name: Lai Ching Heen – Signifying a homecoming, Yan Toh Heen got remodeled in 2022 and returns to its treasured original name, Lai Ching Heen after that. It started with that name back in 1984.  Our latest visit was in summer 2026.

Lai Ching Heen is located on the water at the Regent Hong Kong with postcard view of Hong Kong. (Formerly Intercontinental Hong Kong). They received Two Michelin Star in the 2026 Michelin Guide. Chef is Lau Yiu-fai and head chef is  Cheng Man-sang .

You’ll see the name Heen at the end of top restaurants. In Hong Kong, “heen” (軒) translates to “pavilion,” “veranda,” or a “room with a view” in Chinese.

Other Hong Kong reviews:

• Hong Kong Mini Restaurant Reviews
• Lung King Heen, Lei Garden
• Yung Kee, Chuen Kee Seafood,
• Conrad Nicolini’s Sunday Brunch Buffet
• Harbourside Buffet

Since 1985, this temple of high-end Cantonese Chinese cuisine has served excellent Cantonese Chinese food at very high prices. As they put it “refined Chinese cooking methods using the best ingredients from all over the world and top quality fresh seasonal produce, with a creative modern presentation and signature jade tableware.”

Rich old ladies, businessmen, well-heeled tourists, and foodies filled Lai Ching Heen.

 

Decor, Vibe – Lai Ching Heen has a Unparalleled view of Hong Kong harbor from this Regent Hong Kong restaurant. Window seats go first, so reserve ahead. Modern and contemporary decor with warm tones of honey and gold, classic Chinese music, and signature hand-carved jade table settings.

Lai Ching Heen Menu

Lai Ching Menu has an extensive a la carte menu, plus prix fix set lunch and dinner menus and special menus focusing on seasonal Cantonese specialties. They handle allergies well and have a gluten free menu. Extensive tea menu with tea sommelier available.
During lunch, they were able to reduce portion size for 2 people on many dishes, which was great. This was our last meal in Hong Kong, so we ended up ordering way too much anyway.

Signature Dishes – Dim Sum, Steamed Garoupa fillet, Dumpling Trio

Website Lai Ching Heen Menu

Service – Lai Ching Heen had excellent service with no worries about recommendations, refills, plate changing, or pacing.  Americans are shocked that a Chinese restaurant can have French Laundry level service.

Value – Prices are high, but this is a top-tier restaurant and food quality is very high.

Alternatives – 2 Michelin star Lung King Heen also has a beautiful Hong Kong harbour view, but their food was not as good. Plenty of other high end dim sum places nearby.

Verdict – Lai Ching Heen serves up excellent Chinese food in beautiful surroundings. See what top tier Chinese food is like in Hong Kong. You can’t go wrong here, other than inflicting major damage on your pocketbook. MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui

 

Food Review

Golden Osmanthus tea (HK$78 = USD$10) – Precious Chrysanthemums (128) were 2 non caffeinated teas recommended by the waiter.  When a restaurant has a tea sommelier and dedicated menu, you know they are serious about tea. We stuck to the cheapest selections.  9.5/10

Prawn and Bamboo Shoots Dumplings (66 for 2 pcs) is labelled as having pork!, kind of shocking.  In this case, these dumplings are Perfectly formed.  No thick wrapper, translucent thin wrapper, nice shrimp flavor inside. Har gow is a reference dish to any Cantonese restaurant.  They knock it out of the park. 10/10

Barbecued Suckling Pig (198 for 2 pcs) is a must get for the Chinese BBQ lover. Comes with sugar and hoisin sauce. Beautiful thin structure that provides a nice crunch. Wow. 10/10

Barbecued pork, honey glazed (80 for 2pcs) was on the thick side and not very sweet.  It comes out warm, unlike the cold ones we get in the US.  Quality meat.  9/10

Wok Seared Rice Flour cannelloni, ling cod fish maw, conpoy, squid, soy sauce (136.80) is a sizable dish cooked perfectly.  Nice balance of seafood, eat and the like. 9/10

Roasted Farm duck (80 for 2pcs) is really thick and a bit dry unless you bathe it in the sauce.  Hong Kong is more known for roast goose instead of duck. 8/10

Double boiled egg white and fresh milk with taro (88) was a perfect Chinese dessert.  Slightly more sweet than anticipated but very smooth. 9.5/10

Double boiled sweetened pear soup with 25 aged mandarin zest and snow swallow (120) sounded really unique, so we had to try it.  Subtle flavors, not sweet, and very tender pear you can cut up. 9/10

 

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2010 Food Review

Yan Toh Heen Food Picks:

Complementary candied walnuts

BBQ Combination (HK$250, HK$7.7=US$1) Barbecued Suckling Pig, Roasted Pork Belly with Crispy Crust, Barbecued Pork with Honey, and Roasted Farm Duck were all excellent as we expected. They were prepared to a level that just is not present in the US. Crispy skins, tender meat, and super fresh.

Steamed Shark’s Fin Dumpling in Soup with Hokkaido King Crab Leg (HK$ 110 Per Person) had excellent broth with a really large piece of crab. A really generous piece of real sharks fin rounded out this soup dumpling.

Steamed Glutinous Rice with Hokkaido King Crab Leg and Black Truffles ($48 Per Piece) were pretty expensive but exquisite in presentation. Crab inside, thin rice wrapper, and a nice truffle on top. Excellent dish.

Steamed Barbecued Pork Buns ($44) are a common dim sum item that we ordered to test their kitchen on. Freshly steamed, superhot, and very good internal flavor.

Red Grain Rice Congee with Garoupa Fillet and Seaweed ($180) had huge scallops, squid, shrimp and the real seafood-base flavor to the congee or jook. Not as super as some others we have tasted earlier in the trip, but still quality.

Fried Rice Wrapped and Steamed in Lotus Leaf ($58 Per Person) is first cooked and then placed in the Lotus leaf for steaming. As good as Lung King Heen’s version. Lots of intense seafood flavor and quantity.

Fried Rice with Seafood and Fungus XO Chili Sauce served in a Hot Stone Casserole ($90 Per Person) was another beautiful dish. Scallops, squid, shrimp bubbling away in a stone pot. Carrots, mushrooms, green onions filled the dish. A slight spicy kick, yet very moist with the included sauce.

OK:

Steamed Rice Flour Cannelloni with Shredded Roasted Duck, Conpoy (dried scallop), and Chives ($80) were a variation of the classic rice noodle dish. Chock full of ingredients and beautifully presented, this dish had noodles that were on the sticky side.

Pans:
None

Restaurant Map: