No reservations: Maxim's City Hall

HONG KONG — From the opulent banquet hall decor, the view of the Harbor, to the endless parade of trolleys stacked high with dimsum, Maxim’s Palace at City Hall is the quintessential Hong Kong dining experience.

There’s better Cantonese food to be had elsewhere in the city but this is the kindest place to introduce those reluctant to dim sum: the place is clean and airy, the noisy crowd an interesting mix of locals and tourists, and the food is consistently flavorful.

Maxim’s takes no reservations and there is no such thing as an off-peak hour.

On our recent visit, my friend and I arrived at 2 p.m. on a Sunday and had to wait more than half an hour to get a table. Even that was part of the fun.

We didn’t need to look at the menu to start our meal. When the first trolley rolled up to our table, we chose our wild from staples like siomai, hakao, shrimp hofan swimming in soy sauce, spare ribs and chicken feet. But there were other delights such as tofu with lobster balls and an assortment of vegetarian dumplings.

Different trolleys hold different treasures and one can order without fear—everything is of excellent quality.

Off the menu, my friend ordered the best salted fish fried rice I’ve ever had: the rice was light and fluffy, with scallions just barely cooked, and the cod was a delightful salty surprise. Best of all, it wasn’t oily (did you read that, North Park?).

The rest of the menu isn’t radically different from any other Cantonese-style restaurant. If anything, the menu is reassuringly familiar.

I’m always amazed by the quality of food and service at Maxim’s Palace as it could be easy for a place of such scale and history to collapse under its own weight.

Maxim’s Palace can easily seat 400. Opened in the 1970s, it has stayed the same throughout the years.

Despite the language barrier and heavy reliance on pointing at things, the service is remarkably attentive and the food is always fresh and of high quality.

Maxim’s Palace in City Hall is the crown jewel of the Maxim’s Group that has restaurants ranging from fast food to fine dining, including Thai Basil at Pacific Place and Pearl on the Peak at Victoria Peak.

There are rumors circulating that the Maxim’s Group will re-purpose this well-loved institution into a higher-end Chinese food outlet. I hope that stays a rumor. In a city whose dining landscape is forever changing and restaurants close as quickly as they open, Maxim’s is one of the few reliable constants that define your Hong Kong experience.

Maxim’s Palace is on the 3rd floor City Hall, Edinburgh Place, Central Hong Kong.