HK "private kitchens"

I 'm visiting Hong Kong soon and have heard and read a bit of the
"private kitchens". I 'm tempted to try at least one to experience
the unusual nature and setup of these home grown restaurants. Some of
my friends have recommended "Da Ping Huo" located in Central. Does
anyone have any more recent recommendations or experiences? I gather
my palette is more of Chinese rather than Western and preference is
more of the banquet style rather than =E0 la carte plus English rather
than a strictly Chinese character menu will definitely help as well.
Thanks in advance.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I 'm visiting Hong Kong soon and have heard and read a bit of the
"private kitchens". I 'm tempted to try at least one to experience
the unusual nature and setup of these home grown restaurants. Some of
my friends have recommended "Da Ping Huo" located in Central. Does
anyone have any more recent recommendations or experiences? I gather
my palette is more of Chinese rather than Western and preference is
more of the banquet style rather than à la carte plus English rather
than a strictly Chinese character menu will definitely help as well.
Thanks in advance.

I have never been to one but friends have. You don't order from a menu.
It's prix fix and you eat what the chef prepares for you.

wrote:

Some of
my friends have recommended "Da Ping Huo" located in Central.

The original thrill (if such it was) of these restaurants was less to do
with the food and more to do with their illegal nature--selling food in
a private residence without having to follow hygiene and safety
recommendations. Simply getting to have a meal could be a cloak and
dagger operation involving meeting at a predetermined point and then
being taking to an undisclosed location.

But the more successful have now gone straight, Da Ping Huo being one of
them, and in addition to fairly good Sichuan food, its gimmick is that
one of the owners emerges from the kitchen to sing Chinese opera at the
end of the meal. The restaurant is still anonymous, and it's important
to arrive on time for whichever of the two evening sittings you book,
and look for the host in the street to point you to the right door.

Does
anyone have any more recent recommendations or experiences? I gather
my palette is more of Chinese rather than Western and preference is
more of the banquet style rather than à la carte plus English rather
than a strictly Chinese character menu will definitely help as well.

This is a confusing paragraph, but the meals are all set, and involve a
succession of dishes, as Chinese meals tend to do.

Peter N-H
http://list3.xianzai.com/mailman/listinfo/oriental-list