CookSmart (11th Issue) Page10

EatSmart Restaurants Snaps

Fairview Park Country Club (Chinese Restaurant)

The Fresh Taste of Country

Situated in the scenic Fairview Park in Yuen Long, the Fairview Park Country Club has attracted not only the residents but also non-residents to become its members, who come all the way here to enjoy the facilities and most importantly, a moment of tranquility.

Mr. POON Kit, the Head Chef of the Club’s Chinese Restaurant, said as many of their members pursued a healthy lifestyle and prefered healthier food, the restaurant offered a multitude of healthy dishes by making available a variety of vegetables and refraining from using excessive oil, to suit customers’ appetite.

Fruits Add Flavours to the Dishes

After joining the “EatSmart@restaurant.hk” campaign in November last year, the restaurant has designed a number of novel “eatsmart” dishes, many of which are made with fresh fruits, such as “Baked Sliced Chicken Wrapped Pear and Mushrooms with Tomato Sauce” and “Stir-fried Ostrich Fillet with Kiwi Fruit and Mango”.

Mr. POON said fresh fruits were not only aromatic but their sweet and sour tastes also went well with many different kinds of food ingredients. For instance, pineapples are commonly used to cook with other vegetables and meats. Mango, strawberries and kiwi fruit, on the other hand, are not suitable to be cooked for too long because of their soft texture. They are best for quick stir-frying or making of sauces.

Growing Trend for Healthy Eating

Mr. POON, who has been in the industry for almost 40 years, observes that customers are eating healthier than before. Customers now request for dishes be cooked with healthier oils like canola oil or even with no oil. Their kitchen staff now becomes endeavour to use less salt, less sugar and less oil during cooking.

The restaurant’s staff also adopts healthier cooking methods such as steaming and grilling. Food ingredients are blanched before they are stir-fried. Not only customers are satisfied, the restaurant also saves the cost on buying salt and oil as the prices of food seasonings have been soaring in recent years.

To make novelty for the customers, the restaurant changes their menu every quarter and launches monthly promotional campaigns, including Chinese Regional Cuisines Feast,Mushrooms Feast and Lotus Feast (which features dishes made with lotus seeds and lotus roots). Mr. POON often visits many different restaurants and attend some popular food festivals to bring innovations to their menus.