I've been looking forward to starting this blog for a while. I've been looking forward to visiting this restaurant again for a while. What a pleasing coincidence to be able to combine the two events! The last time I ate here was over a couple of years ago, so I wasn't even sure that, in these rocky economic times, it even still existed. I was very pleased to find the red neon glowing outside Hei Hei - a welcome respite from the cold, snowy black Friday evening.
With the Good Lady being otherwise engaged on work-related shenanigans, it was just me, myself and a copy of the Spectator for company. After browsing the Hei Hei menu, there were no complaints from either of us.
In addition to a standard food and wine menu, Hei Hei offer what they call an authentic dishes menu, which features all manner of unusual ingredients such as pork tendon and tripe. I decided to start with the standard menu and proceed from there. Salt and pepper spare ribs are commonplace in Chinese food, but Hei Hei really know how to make the modest rib an unforgettable experience. Deep fried in the lightest tempura batter, the meat inside is kept moist and tender, the batter providing a satisfyingly crunchy counterpoint. The dietary implications of deep frying an already fatty meat is a concern, but the mouthwatering, unctuous result is delicious. Served with stir fried veg, drizzled with a thin chilli infused dressing and finished with chopped fresh chillies, there is enough sharpness and spice to the accompaniment to cut through the richness of the meat. A triumph - truly the best spare ribs I've ever eaten.
And so to the "authentic" menu. I'm a sucker for belly pork, so I couldn't resist this. Having salad in the name helped the conscience after the naughtyness of the ribs. Slices of belly pork both soft and crispy, about the same thickness of good butcher's bacon, tossed with cucumber, coriander and delicate spring onions, glistening with a savoury sesame dressing - delicious. A few splashes of dressing ended up on The Spectator's Notes; I was enjoying myself too much to notice. Truly a clean, lightweight joy of a salad, proving Chinese food can deliver flavour and delicacy without the heaviness too often associated with the cuisine.
The house Australian white held its own with the complex and powerful flavours of the food: creamy strawberry flavours with a dry backbone made a superb compliment. I doubt the alternative house French would have held up as well.
I knew I wasn't finished; I wanted to try a proper main. Worrying how much room I had left, I was slightly daunted by the large bowl of egg fried rice and the huge wok of steaming chicken laid before me. Oh well, once more into the breach my friends... Quite a voyage of discovery this one: the bite-sized chicken pieces having small bones in each piece meant a somewhat undignified bone management procedure for every mouthful. Speccie didn't have any complaints, however. A discreet dining companion, she. Chock full of the distinctive Sichuan peppercorn, my mouth was growing more tingly by the second, aided by the heat from the chilli oil sauce. Peppers, onions, and unusually, potatoes, bulked out the dish, of which there was plenty. One for the enthusiasts this one, but nonetheless delicious, if a little tricky to eat with chopsticks.
So there we are - satiated to the fullest extent, hugely pleased that Hei Hei is still doing its thing to such a hei standard. Service was efficient yet discreet, the highest accolade for service in my book, and pretty good value at just over £30 for three courses with a half bottle. Highly recommended.
Service 4/5
Food 4/5
Atmosphere 4/5
Value 4/5
46 Dean Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1PG
0191 222 1882
07779 803 309
(c) The Hungry Magpie 2009.
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