This famous Chinese restaurant offers authentic selections of Cantonese, Dim Sum and BBQ cuisines and specializes in abalone and sharks fin. The restaurant has branches in Hong Kong, Beijing and other locations while this outlet on the second floor of the Menam Riverside Hotel that sits on the famous Chao Praya river in Bangkok is a large, typical Chinese-style restaurant with circular tables, recessed lighting and wood covered columns.

Quite a few of us were here for dinner and each of us tried different set abalone menus along with items that were not on the set menu. I had the most expensive set menu, which was 7,880 baht, consisting of dry braised Japanese abalone, and stewed goose web with fish maw arriving on one plate and looking delicious. Having eaten at the Forum in Hong Kong, the food tasted identical as I've previously sampled over the years in Hong Kong.

The abalone goes through a hydrating process in very rich broth over two days before it is finally cooked. The texture of the dry abalone is different from the fresh or canned. The braised goose web is prepared on abalone sauce as is the fish maw.
Then we had the sharkfins soup, which is served separate from the clear broth, which comes with it. It was delicious while the Buddha jump over the wall is a soup that has quality and expensive ingredients stewed in a clear aromatic broth. This bowl of soup is very expensive because it has three expensive items in it. First, there is small whole abalone. Next, there is sharks fin and finally it has dry scallops that have been rehydrated in a very rich clear stock. Seafood dishes also include the perfectly prepared steamed lobster with garlic.

Fresh Australian abalone is huge and our server explained that Japanese abalone is the most highly prized while there are other things on the menu that are worth mentioning. First, the baked barbecue pork bao which was not too sweet and there was just enough stuffing for the amount of dough. The braised beef with turnips was absolutely delicious and with a bowl of rice and a little dipping sauce would be a heavenly dining experience. The crispy chicken was wonderful as the meat was moist and tender with the crispy skin as good as candy. There are many desserts but what I ended up liking more than the birds nest in almond soup were the pastries filled with custard.

As time goes by, wine may become a more important aspect of dining at this restaurant, however, as with many traditional Chinese venues, the list is very limited.