A roast-meat menu can look much the same from one restaurant to another, but the right order makes a big difference. Keep two things in mind: choose cuts separately, and balance the flavours.

For Two

A Three-Item Roast Meat Platter for one or two is the easiest choice. It combines roast duck, char siu and roast pork, so you can enjoy three different textures in one meal.

Add a bowl of traditional claypot soup and a plate of Hong Kong baby kailan. It is a satisfying meal with little waste. If you would like something more filling, add Volcano Tofu.

For Four

Start with a Classic Three-Item Platter for two or three, or a Classic Four-Item Platter for three or four. Then add a hot dish to suit your group:

• For seafood, try green ginger red snapper or Huadiao wine prawns.
• For a richer flavour, choose claypot curry chicken or pork ribs in barbecue sauce.
• For something lighter, try mushrooms with broccoli or Malaysian-style water spinach.

A bowl of slow-simmered soup is a good way to balance the richness of the roast meats.

For Ten or More

Choose a sharing platter such as Five Treasures, with wasabi prawns, XO roast duck, roast chicken, char siu and roast pork, or the XO Buddha’s Bowl platter. One platter brings the roast-meat favourites together.

Add two larger dishes for the table. Braised pork knuckle with mushrooms and abalone, or abalone and mushrooms with broccoli, are popular banquet choices. A pot of seafood in Huadiao wine broth is easy to share.

For a special occasion, You Kee XO’s suckling pig platter or whole golden pig makes a memorable centrepiece. Please order at least three days ahead. Guangzhou roast goose also requires three days’ notice.

A Few Favourites from Regulars

Order both cuts of the duck: the upper half is tender, while the lower half includes the leg and has a firmer bite. That gives everyone at the table a choice.

For char siu, choose the crystal-style cut, with balanced layers of fat and lean meat. If you prefer more chew, order traditional roast pork.

Buddha’s Bowl Fragrance, a golden ring of taro strips filled with char siu, is a favourite with children and older guests—and looks great at the centre of the table.