Henry Wong has been a Harborne institution as long as I can remember. It’s been there on Harborne High Street in Birmingham serving Chinese that’s always been a cut above your average. Over more recent years though it’s had a renaissance and now serves exciting Chinese food produced from the best ingredients, often local ones. Not only that, but it’s become somewhere to spend the whole evening. Your table is yours for the evening, you can get a drink at the bar before or after dinner and it’s got a lovely, modern decor. Three nights a week there’s live music too, but not the sort that gets in the way of your meal, rather music that enhances the mood and the atmosphere.
I was really keen to try the Trio King Prawns, I was particularly intrigued to see how the wasabi cream worked. I associate wasabi with Japanese rather than Chinese cuisine. Serving the prawns with Red Slate Dry Riesling was an excellent choice and the dryness of the wine perfectly complimented the strongly flavoured prawns.
Lobster and Spare Ribs in Chilli and Pepper was a dish I eagerly awaited as I love both lobster and spare ribs. I wasn’t disappointed and the combination. I think lobster needs to be paired with strong flavours to bring out the best in it, but the danger is that those flavours will overwhelm it. But, no mistakes here, the seasoning was finely balanced. This dish was served with the fruity, spicy Pinot Noir Joseph Drouhin.
Next up with the mains of Long Horn Sirloin Steak in Teriyaki and Seabass with Sweet Chilli Sauce. The robust meaty flavours of both the steak and the sea bass can easily take a strongly flavoured sauce so the teriyaki and sweet chilli make ideal accompaniments. The complex flavours of the steak and teriyaki were teamed with the Smoking Loon Old Zinfandel with its fruity undertones. For the seabass Henry Wong’s matched it with the Cousino Macul Sauvignon Gris, which was nicely refreshing and had the right citrusy notes to show off the fish.
Dessert was quite bravely kept simple: Mixed Fritter served with fresh fruit and vanilla ice cream. After the richness of the earlier dishes, it was very refreshing to have the acidity and the sweetness of the fruit. This was served with Laurent-Perrier Demi-Sec which is also a lovely way to end a meal.
Will I be going back to Henry Wong? Most certainly, in fact I’m planning on taking the family.
Photographs by Jan Sansi.
Oh wow it looks absolutely amazing. I feel like I may not have been able to stop eating. Will have to keep a mental note of it if I’m ever in that area.
The food looks so amazing, especially those prawns. Am gutted to have missed this but felt so rough!
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Oh wow this looks so delicious! If only I lived closer!!
The food does look stunning – it’s making me hungry just thinking about it.
I can so get behind a meal at Henry Wong.
This looks so awesome! I really want to visit Henry Wong now after your post.
I think I’m going to book in for my husband’s birthday meal. He loves Chinese food.
The food looks absolutely amazing Erica, what a real treat! I hope your family loves their trip there as much as you did!
sheesh this looks impressive! I’d have been feeling dreadful ruining their presentation… for a brief second until I tasted it ha! It just looks delightful. x
looks delicious, your photographs are excellent too, they really make the food look all the more tasty!
I have been past there so many times, noticed it but never been in it! Will definitely be popping in now for a meal – it looks delicious!
How lovely – that food looks so tempting and I would love to visit there.
This looks amazing!
The food looks amazing, those prawns look fantastic. Now I’m hungry, haha. Wonderful post and great pics, too! 🙂 xx
It sounds like a fine establishment to eat at. I like the idea of the live music, quite different to have whilst dining. I enjoy Chinese food every now and then. If I lived any where near I would pop in
Oh wow the food looks amazing.
I’d love something like that near to me
This food is so beautifully presented – it’s almost to pretty to eat! Lovely photos.
Oh wow, everything looks so amazing! Stunning photos – they almost look too good to eat.
One Word….. Deeeeelish!!! This looks amazing. xx
This food has been presented beautifully. What a great combination of foods. I love seafood so the lobster would have suited me 🙂
I’m a veggie so I’d be starving by the end of the night.But it definitely looks a lot more tempting than getting a take away.
Mmm, the food looks absolutely delicious. I am super hungry right now!!
Louise x
Food looks stunning! Chinese food is my favourite cuisine by far xxx
I really need to stay away from food post when I’m hungry! This post makes me want to run to the kitchen and raid the cupboards! The food looks amazing even though I am not a fan of seafood at all! Your photography is fantastic, the photo’s look like they should be in a magazine! x
Sadly I can’t claim the credit there Jada. They had a professional photographer at the event and he did them. They’re fab.
Oh wow, this looks amazing! I’m addicted to chinese food and could eat it everyday! This definitely looks like my kinda place. Great photos too 🙂 x
oh whooooo looks exquisite, i love real proper chinese food, its lovely to that the table is your for the night, nothing annoys me more than being moved from your table as your eating your dessert. great review x
What a fantastic place this looks! I love chinese food – your photos are stunning. Kaz x
Oh my word! The food looks stunning. I have to go here
My mouth was watering reading and looking at the pictures. Chinese food is my favourite and I’d love to give the place a try. Yum.
Chinese food is my absolute favourite and those photographs and your descriptions had my mouth watering. I’m hungry now… 🙂
The food looks lovely! L is into chinese food at the moment so i think we will have to put Henry Wongs on the ‘to do’ list!
This place/food looks great x