The Stilton cheese soup is back at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong.
Stock markets have plunged, the Hong Kong dollar peg is under threat and the mainland economy faces a bumpy landing ahead; the United States is in the throws of another lengthy election cycle, where the merger of entertainment and politics is ever more apparent for reasons which need not be belaboured; Europe faces its historic demons with a new wave of migration, and the planet faces potential existential threats ranging from global warming to artificial intelligence run out of control. The ugly specters of hate and terror are pervasive.
All the while, time ticks forward and the Stilton cheese soup is back! I am not sure when it disappeared from the menu at the Chinnery Bar, but I do recall a few years ago that it did.
I have been a so-called expatriate in Asia for more than 18 years. After spending three years in Korea in the late 1990s, I came to Hong Kong just after New Years 2001 and have remained here ever since (a slightly-less-than-three-year stay in the middle in Tokyo, notwithstanding).
I have always worked in Central. The Mandarin Oriental (the original one on Connaught Road) – going back to the “good old days” of the Mandarin Café on the ground floor when economics did not require that every square inch of ground level in Central be taken up by luxury retail – has always provided a respite from a busy day at the office or a place to chill on a slow one.
During the cooler months, a bowl of the creamy Lobster Bisque or the luxuriously decadent Stilton cheese soup would be certain to leave me with a warm feeling, a full stomach and maybe a bit of nostalgia (for a time that I do not think I even knew).
Then, at some point a few years ago (was it three, five, eight?) it disappeared. I asked for it as an off-menu item a few times to no avail. At another point, I stopped asking and simply made do with the perfectly executed classic pub fare on hand – shepherd’s pie, fish and chips and some excellent curries, among others.
Thus, it was an unexpected pleasure when I noticed the Stilton cheese soup back on the menu without warning this month. The soup is as hot as my grandfather would demand, as creamy in texture as ever, and with a distinctive Stilton flavour almost as if one is drinking a bowl of melted cheese (but better).
The soup remains available at the Chinnery Bar on level one of the Mandarin Oriental, as well as at the Captain’s Bar on the ground floor. I do not know whether it’s back for the season or will remain a fixture for a few more years, but, I do know that I will be back for more. Neither the Chinnery nor the Captain’s take reservations, so it’s best to arrive before 12 noon or after 1:30pm to secure a seat.
As the soup is heavy, light eaters will find it enough for lunch on its own, but it also couples nicely with a salad or another starter. I would avoid having it as an appetiser for lunch to be followed by the delicious venison pie, unless you are prepared to skip dinner that night, as I did.
In a changing world where sometimes the risks seem to outweigh the opportunities – culinary and otherwise – it is a little bit comforting to have a classic return. And, respite from a busy day never gets old.
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