Snow Garden’s New Weekend Brunch Celebrates 60 Years of Shanghainese Culinary Craftsmanship

In a city (and world) that is constantly chasing the next "it" trend, Snow Garden has spent more than 60 years perfecting the tricks of tradition. Now, the legendary Shanghainese restaurant brings six decades of craftsmanship to introduce their new “Master Chefs’ Handcrafted Weekend Brunch Menu”, featuring 10 signature dishes that celebrate the artistry behind traditional Shanghai-Huaiyang cuisine. Available every Friday to Sunday until 30 August, the HKD$388 brunch offers diners a rare chance to experience one of Hong Kong’s longest-standing culinary legacies, with each dish a reflection of the dedication it takes to preserve a craft across three generations.

Master Chefs' Handcrafted Weekend Brunch Menu. Image courtesy of Snow Garden.

The sense of heritage extends beyond the food itself. Unlike polished minimalism that defines a lot of modern restaurants today, Snow Garden feels personal and full of quaint character, filled with traditional tableware, trinkets and nostalgic artwork that reflect the heart and personality of the brand. Warm, comfortable, and old school in the best possible way, it feels perfectly suited to the kind of lovingly handcrafted Shanghainese cuisine that has kept diners returning for generations.

4 Appetisers. Image courtesy of Snow Garden.

The brunch begins with a choice of your preferred tea, we opted for Jasmine. Then came a beautiful quartet of appetisers, each showcasing a different classical technique. The Crisp Fried Shredded Turnip Pastry is particularly memorable with its delicate flaky shell achieved through a lengthy two-stage frying process overseen by dim sum expert, Master Ming, with over four decades of experience. The Smoked Duck Egg deserves a special mention, balancing rich molten yolk with a subtle smokiness that is intensely pleasant. The Zhenjiang Crystal Pork Aspic demonstrates the precision required to achieve its glass-like clarity and delicate texture, with a taste that lingers on the palate. Perhaps the most refined of the opening dishes is the Drunken Chilled Abalone, where live South African abalone is immersed in their house marinade. Rather than overwhelming the seafood, the wine enhances its natural sweetness, embodying the elegance that defines Huaiyang cuisine.

Wonton in Superior Clear Chicken Broth. Image courtesy of Snow Garden.

Spicy and Sour Soup with Fish Maw and Fish Lips. Image courtesy of Snow Garden.

Soups continue the restaurant’s philosophy of drawing 100% flavour from uncompromising ingredients. Guests may choose between the Wonton in Superior Clear Chicken Broth, simmered without seasoning using Jinhua ham, aged chicken and lean pork, or the Spicy and Sour Soup with Fish Maw and Fish Lips, which achieves its luxurious texture naturally through slow reduction rather than starch thickening. Sprinkle a touch of white pepper, and no other feeling can compare to the first spoonful.

Lion's Head Meatballs. Image courtesy of Snow Garden.

Golden Salted Egg Prawns with Crispy Rice Cracker. Image courtesy of Snow Garden.

Signature Pan Fried Dumplings with Preserved Vegetables and Pork. Image courtesy of Snow Garden.

The heart of the brunch, however, lies in its labour-intensive hot dishes, where Snow Garden’s craftsmanship becomes most apparent. The Lion’s Head Meatballs, made with a carefully judged ratio of lean and fatty pork, are hand-shaped, fried, and braised with precision to achieve their signature tenderness - and trust us when we say, it is tender tender. Meanwhile, the Braised Tientsin Cabbage with Shredded Ham transforms a regular vegetable into something unexpectedly luxurious through knife work, slow-cooking, and a deeply flavoured house stock. Another standout is the Golden Salted Egg Prawns with Crispy Rice Cracker, where the kitchen refuses to take shortcuts, preparing a fresh salted egg sauce to order and making the rice crackers in-house daily from air-dried rice crust. The result is a dish with extraordinary texture and aroma.

The hot dishes conclude with Snow Garden’s Signature Pan Fried Dumplings with Preserved Vegetables and Pork, an original creation that subtly blends Shanghainese tradition with Japanese gyoza inspiration. Crisp on the outside and filled with fragrant preserved vegetables and juicy pork, they serve as a reminder that true craftsmanship often lies in the smallest details. With the first bite, a burst of steaming juices spilled from within. (It squirted - a solid indicator of a GOOD dumpling.)

Deep-Fried Egg White Puff. Image courtesy of Snow Garden.

To end the meal sweetly, we were served a Deep-Fried Egg White Puff filled with red bean and banana, dusted with sugar. Delicate and airy, with a satisfying crispiness on the first bite, this dessert balanced familiarity with a surprise. The red bean gave the nostalgic sweetness, whilst the banana introduced a new texture and tang of flavour that worked very well, and was the perfect goodbye to this menu.

Available during lunch hours, every Friday to Sunday until 30 August 2026, the “Master Chefs’ Handcrafted Weekend Brunch Menu” is priced at HKD$388 per person and includes 10 signature dishes, tea and condiments are complimentary. Diners can also add on soup dumplings and braised chicken noodles at a special price of HKD$58 each. Advanced reservation is required.

Snow Garden 雪園壹號, Mon - Sun 11:00am - 2:30pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm

📍 B1, South Pacific Hotel, 21 Morrison Hill Road, Wan Chai

Instagram | +852 3568 1397

*Prices accurate as of May 2026.

*Gifted experience. All views expressed are our genuine impressions.