Specialising in fine Cantonese food dating back to the Tang Dynasty, the ‘Golden Age’ in China’s history, T’ang Court in The Langham Gold Coast brings a new international dimension to dining on the Gold Coast.
While The Langham Gold Coast traces its history back to 1865, it is the first beachfront hotel to open on the Gold Coast in 30 years. This premium destination hotel features a range of culinary concepts and guest experiences, its restaurants opening in succession like an unfolding flower. The Langham’s signature culinary experience, T’ang Court is the first in Australia, mirroring its six sister restaurants in Asia, most notably the highly esteemed T’ang Court Hong Kong.
Opened over thirty years ago, Hong Kong’s T’ang Court has held Three Michelin Star status for seven consecutive years since 2016, denoting “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey!”
The Michelin Guide notes T’ang Court’s lavish burgundy and gold décor where “comfort and luxury… plush fabrics, beautifully dressed tables and Chinese art,” all add to the diner’s experience.
Translating centuries of tradition and culture to a New World beachside location is a major achievement of the Langham Hospitality Group. In its Gold Coast venue, the opulence of Hong Kong, founded in Eastern tradition, is lightened, seeking relevance to its locale. In timeless elegance of style and colour reflecting its coastal location, our hazel sand glimmering with rutile shines in T’ang Court’s understated décor lit by accents of silver, gold, bronze and rose gold. Bespoke abstract art pieces by Australian-Chinese artist Lindi Li provide a flourish of Tang exuberance, fiery orange, red and blue mirroring a squad of lifesavers launching into the surf. The resulting landscape is a combination of modern sophistication and beachside chic with flashes of Tang Dynasty opulence. Seating 80, even the size of the restaurant is not immediately apparent, with private dining areas branching off behind doors and screens. This is a place to dine in privacy, rather than an indulgence in overt display.
Like Hong Kong’s T’ang Court where “…the ability and experience of the head chef and his kitchen play an even bigger part,” in the restaurant’s success (Michelin Guide), in this kitchen on the other side of the world, Chefs Wai and Wesley preside over the creation of authentic Cantonese cuisine using top-tier local and seasonal ingredients, offered in a range of set menu or a la carte experiences.
“Diners at T’ang Court on the Gold Coast will be able to indulge in the same golden age Cantonese flavours that have … seen its many other award-winning sister restaurants across the world become highly-sought-after dining destinations,” says Director of Chinese Cuisine for Langham Hospitality Group, Howard Lam, who has been responsible for the launch of award-winning T’ang Court restaurants across the globe.
Embarking on a 7-course Chef’s Premium Set Menu, it does not take us long to realise that this is Chinese food as we have never seen it before in Australia. Elegant, scented and cooked to perfection, through each bite we begin to understand a little of the culinary legacy of the Tang Dynasty. Vegetables such as okra and bok choy remain vibrant, their skin gleaming, having barely touched the wok. Seasonings such as ginger and garlic, saffron and cinnamon, so prized during the Tang Dynasty and traded on the Silk Road and by sea, are used sparingly to enhance and highlight the flavours of the main ingredient.
Fish maw soup, rich in collagen, is laced with shredded chicken, julienned fungi and bamboo shoots. Fermented black garlic, drawing on ancient knowledge of the health benefits of fermentation, enhances the stir-fried M7 Wagyu. Wok-flashed live Tasmanian rock lobster, scented with ginger and shallots, is served with E-Fu noodles and a hat of saffron, reminding us that China’s trade during the Tang Dynasty reached as far as India and Rome.
There are vegetables in abundance as well as a range of the best meats such as Cantonese duck and a wide range of seafood including abalone, lobster and pearl meat.
The highlight of our banquet, on this occasion, is steamed Glacier 51 toothfish served with superior soy sauce and a touch of oil. As the glossy fish flakes away at the touch of the chopsticks, each morsel reminds us that subtlety is everything, this dish the pinnacle of any dining experience.
The Tang Dynasty had profound effects not just on Chinese cuisine, but on the tastes of the entire world, even to the present day Gold Coast.
T’ang Court invites us to enjoy a feast for the senses, complementing our meal with cocktails or a bespoke wine experience paired to a banquet. This is a journey through history, a unique Cantonese fine dining experience mirroring a Golden Age. It is the jewel in The Langham, Gold Coast’s culinary crown.
T’ang Court, The Langham Gold Coast, Level 3, 38 Old Burleigh Road, Surfers Paradise. Ph: 07 5638 8888 Open: 12pm – 3pm (lunch) & 5.30pm – 11pm (dinner), Wednesday – Sunday