On Yanping Road, arguably one of the busiest dining streets in Jing’an, is Madame Ching, a Cantonese-Asian fusion/contemporary restaurant and bar.
About Madame Ching
Named after the famed Cantonese pirate leader, the space hints at ‘dark and stormy’ seas with shadowy greys and even a canvas canopy over the bar rigged to look like sails. Contrary to this ‘inspired persona,’ the vibe here is very welcoming and staff are effusively friendly. If anything, you’ll get a comical ‘arrgh’.
It’s a passion project turned into reality, dreamt up and pieced together by Derek Wong, a self-taught chef whose Cantonese roots make up the backbone of the menu. Food inspiration spans the entire Asian continent, drawing from Indian curries, Malaysian sambals, Japanese seasonings, and Chinese condiments. But the core is Cantonese, turned contemporary and fused with Western and other cuisines — ‘new’ dishes with familiar roots.
Madame Ching opened over Chinese New Year this year, and now, they’ve added a bunch of new dishes to the menu.
Dim Sum Small Plates
A core part of the menu is the small plates, finger foods served in the style of dim sum.
The most surprising bite was Skewered Up (¥78, one skewer of three), a siumai posing as a lorbak. For those unfamiliar with the Cantonese names: it’s a chunky pork-and-shrimp cake wrapped in tofu skin and brushed with a sweet-savory glaze.
Equally memorable was the Rough Seas (¥88/four), which uses pani puri shells as a vessel for engawa, the buttery flounder fin meat, and a vinaigrette-dressed pomelo. It’s crispy, fatty, and fresh.
Others include Grind Me Down (¥68), tempeh crackers with a thick, creamy edamame “hummus” dusted in dukkah, and Hard Pressed (¥98/four), a shrimp patty as a sandwich with XO mayo and tangy pickled red cabbage. That last one was tasty, though I’d like to see it as a full sandwich, maybe as a lunch special.
These small plates are also part of their Tapas Tuesday: all-you-can-eat for three hours at ¥198 per person. Wild value.
To Share
Of all the large sharing plates, the Big Catch (¥398), a curry with a whole lobster, was the most impressive. The lobster does add a wow effect, but it was the curry itself that set a high bar. The curry was luscious and creamy without leaning too much on coconut, complex, and packing real heat. You’d most certainly go through a whole bowl of rice with this. Within are also Thai eggplant and lychees, but I’d swap out some of the latter for potato or okra. The lobster, live and fresh for the day, is fresh and naturally sweet.
Also worth ordering is the Smoking Gun (¥268), a whole roasted and smoked spring chicken done Cantonese-style. It gets its umami from a fermented bean curd and house-made sriracha marinade.
The soba noodles (¥108) come topped with charred tiger prawns, edamame, pineapple, and salted seaweed, lightly dressed. The prawns completely stole the show — smoky, plump, not at all mushy, and just plain well executed. This is more of an in-between dim sum and mains dish.
Silly Goose (¥188) is perhaps the most fusion item on the menu. Cantonese roast goose over paella, the rice cooked down with tianmianjiang, goose fat, and goose meat into a rich, peppery, salty base.
Meatier is the Captain’s Cut (¥298), a 36-hour slow-cooked M3 wagyu bone-in short rib with a charsiu demi-glace over mashed potato, finished with crispy garlic bits.
For dessert, the Hong Kong milk tea crème brûlée (¥58) with caramelized peanuts comes highly recommended.
The Verdict
Madame Ching pulled off more than I was expecting. Some dishes really push my boundaries on fusion, while others more than impressed in delivering robust flavors. My top three: Skewered Up pork-and-shrimp cake wrapped in tofu skin, Big Catch lobster curry, and Smoking Gun smoked chicken.
Madame Ching
View the listing here.
