The predecessor of Fook Lam Gate was founded in 1948 as "Fook Kee", which was the heyday of on-site service (door-to-door banquets), and those who could afford to invite Fook Kee were wealthy families who had not been dragged down by the war. In 1953, Fu Ji changed its name to "Fu Lin Men", taking the meaning of "Fu Dao", and in the following decades, after the financial tsunami, it still did not worry about business.
The founder, Xu Fuquan, was the chef of He Dong's family, the richest man in Hong Kong at that time, and he had a lot of background. Fook Lam Mun has also been a leader in high-end Cantonese cuisine for many years, which can be regarded as a textbook model of Cantonese cuisine, and has produced countless famous chefs. Fulinmen has always been Xu Fuquan's fifth son Xu Peijun and seventh son Xu Wei, but the brothers turned against each other and made a fuss. At the end of the incident, at the beginning of 2013, Fu Lin Mun in Hong Kong and Macau was under the control of the five sons, who were divided into all the Fu Lin Mun branches except Hong Kong and Macau, and all Fu Lin Mun in these areas were renamed "Seven Blessings of the Family". Since then, the Chu River and Han borders have been clearly distinguished.
The menu hasn't changed much from the old recipes from more than 60 years ago, and tradition is deeply ingrained in this restaurant. Fook Lam Mun is known for its expensive ingredients, including original Ji Pin Abalone, braised top skirt wings and braised Guan Yan with crab emperor. The bird's nest and abalone wings alone occupy 1/4 of the menu.
For example, a pre-ordered dish called "Poularde en vessie", which is made by putting a chicken stuffed with truffle slices into a pig's bladder and simmering for a long time, so that the flavors of each ingredient blend together to achieve the purpose of being exceptionally delicious. This dish of Fu Linmen is made by filling the belly of the three yellow chickens with a pound of official swallows, and then tying them tightly with pork belly and boiling them slowly. Before serving, the waiter will cut the pork belly and chicken in turn, and the innermost official swallow will see the light of day again, which is amazing. The pork belly is soft and elastic, the chicken is delicious, and the official swallow is silky, making this dish a signature of Fu Linmen.
In addition to the precious dishes, traditional home-cooked dishes can also be presented in the most authentic taste at FLM. The beef tendon braised pot with radish (Zhuhou/curry), the steamed chicken thigh with lotus leaf cloud leg, the fried chicken with Huadiao (40 minutes), and the stir-fried pigeon breast with fresh asparagus are all very good. Fu Lam Mun's dim sum also performs well, and it is basically traditional goods, such as chicken and lychee corners, fresh shrimp curd skin rolls, and scallop chicken buns.
FLM currently has 2 stores in Hong Kong, located in Kowloon and Wan Chai. The Wan Chai store is larger, with a huge plaque reminiscent of an old Shanghai nightclub. The decoration of the two branches is a certain age, a little old, and the waiters are also a certain age and experienced. The private rooms of the two branches are not large, and the average cost of dining in the private rooms is as low as 1,500 Hong Kong dollars. Generally, there is no need to wait for a table, and it is recommended to book in advance for seafood and bird's nest and abalone wings.
It is worth mentioning that FLM's roast suckling pig is very popular, and many locals love to book it whole. The original suckling pig is limited to a daily quantity, and it needs to be ordered 5 working days in advance, at HK$1,500 per pig, and can be picked up at both branches.
