Cover The main dining room (Source: Peony Chinese Restaurant)
The main dining room (Source: Peony Chinese Restaurant)
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The sprawling new restaurant has ambitious plans to burnish Discovery Bay's dining credentials
Discovery Bay has long been a popular weekend getaway thanks to its picturesque beach, golf carts, faux-Italian architecture and low-density living, but the food scene has never been much of a draw. Newly-opened Peony Chinese Restaurant is looking to change that.
Located in the recently constructed extension of Discovery Bay's central plaza, the restaurant is the reincarnation of the longstanding Chinese venue of the same name at the nearby Discovery Bay Recreation Club—now with altogether higher ambitions. Featuring a soaring, light-filled main dining room with a peony-inspired lattice ceiling, the contemporary design of the restaurant features a headlining hue of buckeye belle red, bolstered with grey and auburn upholstery and bronze metallic accents throughout.
Banquette seating
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In total, the restaurant seats 200 guests, with three private dining rooms accommodating 6-12 persons.
In the kitchen, head chef and T'ang Court alum Chu Ting-Kwok and dim sum chef Tony Chan, previously of Ying Jee Club and Duddell's, lead the culinary programme. Signature dishes to look out for include wok-fried lobsters with purple onion, spring onion and shallot—a favourite of Chef Chu's from his day's at The Langham—alongside crispy roast suckling pig, braised Kanto sea cucumber with scallion in supreme oyster sauce, and Angus beef pastry puffs shaped to resemble Lilliputian handbags.
Whether Peony manages to persuade the gastronomically-minded out from the city remains to be seen, though a lunch at the restaurant certainly segues well with a hike to Mui Wo, or a skate around the newly-built ice rink. For more day trip ideas, click here.
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Gavin Yeung is a Hong Kong-based writer and was the editor at Tatler Dining. He has written across the realms of F&B, design, fashion and travel, with a focus on in-depth profiles and experiential features. Previously, he held editorial positions at Hypebeast, Soho House and Vogue Hong Kong. He’s also a keen photographer and aspiring home bartender, and is constantly thinking of original, Cantonese-inflected (and occasionally questionable) cocktails to shake up. Follow him on Instagram at @gaviny.
