There's only one tasting menu at dinner and it's about HK$1,400 (or it was last time I went). It's a really good deal.
The three course tasting meal is about HK$500. It's not something to eat every day, even if you can afford it, but it's a very good deal for the quality, amount (it's not really just three courses, since with PG's food, there are several different plates for each course) and most importantly, the effort that goes into making the food.
Hong Kong Restaurant Recommendations
Started by
cabrales
, Apr 16 2002 04:31 AM
216 replies to this topic
#212
PCL
-
- eGullet Society staff emeritus
- 1,131 posts
Posted 30 July 2007 - 01:24 AM
I was in Hong Kong over the weekend, and dropped in to try the Iganiku Japanese Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel, IFC.
I'd heard good things about the sushi bar, so that's where we planted ourselves. First impressions of the dining room?? A little confusing. There were open stations, like Teppanyaki, Tempura, and Sushi, and the main dining area with a great view of the harbour, but it was noisy!! Too much glass and stone, and nothing to soften things down.
Sushi wise? I asked for Omakase and they obliged, although after 10 pieces or so, they stopped to ask if I was 'pau-pau' (whether I was full, in Cantonese). Heck no!! BArely touched the sides! So it went on till I'd swallowed around 24 pieces, before moving on to Wagyu and Tempura.
The damage came to HKD2100.00 or so for two, including a 300ml bottle of yummy sake. Not bad, considering they charged me the price of a deluxe sushi plate for the Omakase experience. They kind of whispered each description of the sushi so I never really caught what around 30% of what I was served was, but there was ample quantities of tuna, first class toro, uni and whitefish, which I'm really sure was sea bream.
I'd heard good things about the sushi bar, so that's where we planted ourselves. First impressions of the dining room?? A little confusing. There were open stations, like Teppanyaki, Tempura, and Sushi, and the main dining area with a great view of the harbour, but it was noisy!! Too much glass and stone, and nothing to soften things down.
Sushi wise? I asked for Omakase and they obliged, although after 10 pieces or so, they stopped to ask if I was 'pau-pau' (whether I was full, in Cantonese). Heck no!! BArely touched the sides! So it went on till I'd swallowed around 24 pieces, before moving on to Wagyu and Tempura.
The damage came to HKD2100.00 or so for two, including a 300ml bottle of yummy sake. Not bad, considering they charged me the price of a deluxe sushi plate for the Omakase experience. They kind of whispered each description of the sushi so I never really caught what around 30% of what I was served was, but there was ample quantities of tuna, first class toro, uni and whitefish, which I'm really sure was sea bream.
"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"
#213
Bu Pun Su
-
- participating member
- 266 posts
Posted 23 February 2008 - 05:43 AM
I (usually) go to HK almost once a year around December. And this time, I visited Caprice, the signature restaurant of Four Seasons HK. Some would say that Caprice is the “mini” Le Cinq since the chef de cuisine, pastry chef, maitre d’hotel as well as the sommelier used to work with Phillipe Legendre in Paris. Since I have never been to Le Cinq, I could not comment how “similar” Caprice is to Le Cinq
Food/Wine (92/92)
The bread is normal and good. I try the baguette, olives and wheat bread … but the butter is special – it’s the Bordier’s from Saint Malo, I never find Asian restaurants using this butter even though it’s slightly inferior to the one in L’Arpege (not as salty). For the main course, after the discussion with Monsieur Jeremy Evrard, we decide to change about 1/3 of the tasting menu (a taste of Caprice) to be more “French”. So, here what I have
-lobster carpaccio is light and fresh combined with the acidity from yuzu mousse and a bit saltiness from Aquitane caviar … simple and good
- black truffle ravioli served with caramelized artichoke is not too bad
- the winter vegetables consist of some potatoes and onions, the best part is the Jabugo ham, the best cured jamon ham I’ve ever had
- my fav. dish of the night is the langoustine a la plancha. The langoustine’s tastiness is intensified with the girolle fricassee and balanced by the local asparagus. Well done!
- the red mullert fillet is OK, I find that the eggplant is a bit too dominant since the fish’s meat is quite bland
- I ate the game dish for my main course: hare a la royale. The dish is prepared is it’s supposed to be (traditionally French), but it’s simply not for me. I find it too soft and too tense (a combination of red wine, foie gras and black truffle) – without the linguini pasta as a side dish, I might not even be able to finish half of it
- the cheese is from Alsace’s Bernard Antony (if not mistaken only 2 places in HK has such cheese - Petrus would be the other one). I loved my 4-year old comte and mimolette (hard but not crumbly, mild and nutty – perfectly paired with a small glass of white Belgium beer), the mont d’or is also quite good
- the 1st dessert is a mixture of baked meringue’s sweetness with chesnut puree and the bitter/sour of the “grapefruit” – very refreshing especially after the cheese and my wild rabbit
- the 2nd dessert theme is (dark) chocolate - it’s melting and bitter, the nutty flavor is good
Overally, I am satisfied with my tasting menu – I don’t regret my choice of hare since I need to try it soon or later. For me, the food here is about equal to Sant Pau Tokyo (92/100 – it’s a low 2 ½ star)
This degustation menu is accompanied by a half-bottle of white Burgundy. The sommelier recommended 2004 Puligny Montrachet 1st cru, domaine JM Boillot. It has the aromas of fresh mango and nuts with lovely intensity. In addition, it's also quite crisp and well-balanced with fine acidity. It goes well especially with my crustacean dishes
Service/Decoration (94/92)
The staffs here are friendly and courteous, honestly the maitre d did make a difference. I was lucky since I was served by him at the beginning (during the menu decision) and he did it as smooth as any 3-star manager in Europe. Even for the local staffs – they’re above average, only Pierre HK may “beat” them, but definitely above the rather poor service I had at Robuchon Galera and Gaddi’s. Here, my napkin was always replaced with a new one whenever I left my table
The restaurant, located at the 6th floor, is quite big (it should be able to sit in about 100 people at the same time). My dining table is very nice – at the “lower” lever overlooking the spectacular Kowloon Peninsula. The sofa chair with a pillow to support your back is really spacious and comfortable. Even though the dining room can be said luxurious with several giant chandeliers, but the atmosphere here is not stuffy at all. The kitchen is “open” – you can see them in action without having to worry about the smoke to “dirty” your clothes. Lastly, the price here I would say is quite reasonable. My tasting menu is almost USD 30 cheaper than Pierre or Atelier JR in HK. I would be happy to conclude that so far Caprice is the best French restaurant in Asia (exclude Japan of course). The score for the overall experience is 92.5/100 (2.5-star)
Pictures, please visit - caprice hk
Food/Wine (92/92)
The bread is normal and good. I try the baguette, olives and wheat bread … but the butter is special – it’s the Bordier’s from Saint Malo, I never find Asian restaurants using this butter even though it’s slightly inferior to the one in L’Arpege (not as salty). For the main course, after the discussion with Monsieur Jeremy Evrard, we decide to change about 1/3 of the tasting menu (a taste of Caprice) to be more “French”. So, here what I have
-lobster carpaccio is light and fresh combined with the acidity from yuzu mousse and a bit saltiness from Aquitane caviar … simple and good
- black truffle ravioli served with caramelized artichoke is not too bad
- the winter vegetables consist of some potatoes and onions, the best part is the Jabugo ham, the best cured jamon ham I’ve ever had
- my fav. dish of the night is the langoustine a la plancha. The langoustine’s tastiness is intensified with the girolle fricassee and balanced by the local asparagus. Well done!
- the red mullert fillet is OK, I find that the eggplant is a bit too dominant since the fish’s meat is quite bland
- I ate the game dish for my main course: hare a la royale. The dish is prepared is it’s supposed to be (traditionally French), but it’s simply not for me. I find it too soft and too tense (a combination of red wine, foie gras and black truffle) – without the linguini pasta as a side dish, I might not even be able to finish half of it
- the cheese is from Alsace’s Bernard Antony (if not mistaken only 2 places in HK has such cheese - Petrus would be the other one). I loved my 4-year old comte and mimolette (hard but not crumbly, mild and nutty – perfectly paired with a small glass of white Belgium beer), the mont d’or is also quite good
- the 1st dessert is a mixture of baked meringue’s sweetness with chesnut puree and the bitter/sour of the “grapefruit” – very refreshing especially after the cheese and my wild rabbit
- the 2nd dessert theme is (dark) chocolate - it’s melting and bitter, the nutty flavor is good
Overally, I am satisfied with my tasting menu – I don’t regret my choice of hare since I need to try it soon or later. For me, the food here is about equal to Sant Pau Tokyo (92/100 – it’s a low 2 ½ star)
This degustation menu is accompanied by a half-bottle of white Burgundy. The sommelier recommended 2004 Puligny Montrachet 1st cru, domaine JM Boillot. It has the aromas of fresh mango and nuts with lovely intensity. In addition, it's also quite crisp and well-balanced with fine acidity. It goes well especially with my crustacean dishes
Service/Decoration (94/92)
The staffs here are friendly and courteous, honestly the maitre d did make a difference. I was lucky since I was served by him at the beginning (during the menu decision) and he did it as smooth as any 3-star manager in Europe. Even for the local staffs – they’re above average, only Pierre HK may “beat” them, but definitely above the rather poor service I had at Robuchon Galera and Gaddi’s. Here, my napkin was always replaced with a new one whenever I left my table
The restaurant, located at the 6th floor, is quite big (it should be able to sit in about 100 people at the same time). My dining table is very nice – at the “lower” lever overlooking the spectacular Kowloon Peninsula. The sofa chair with a pillow to support your back is really spacious and comfortable. Even though the dining room can be said luxurious with several giant chandeliers, but the atmosphere here is not stuffy at all. The kitchen is “open” – you can see them in action without having to worry about the smoke to “dirty” your clothes. Lastly, the price here I would say is quite reasonable. My tasting menu is almost USD 30 cheaper than Pierre or Atelier JR in HK. I would be happy to conclude that so far Caprice is the best French restaurant in Asia (exclude Japan of course). The score for the overall experience is 92.5/100 (2.5-star)
Pictures, please visit - caprice hk
#214
Bu Pun Su
-
- participating member
- 266 posts
Posted 05 May 2008 - 03:14 PM
This will be a quick review of 2 restaurants in HK I visited last December. The first one will be the classic and legendary’s French restaurant – Gaddi’s. This restaurant is very formal, trying to follow the old French but they failed to do so. From the hardware part, maybe OK, yet the service is disaster and too pretentious. The waiters worked too hard, and things seem unnatural only the assistant manager from Switzerland that saved the day – quite good, more importantly very sincere. We were not offered the menu until 15 minutes later … only when I asked them. The thing I dislike a lot is the live music – it’s very loud (worse than the music at Robuchon galera), as if you’re in the lounge/bar – really unsuitable for fine dining. I wonder if the manager knows what the haute cuisine ambiance is supposed to be.
Now comes the food – the menu variety is quite good. Since the tasting menu is uninspiring, my dad and I opt for the a la carte. For the appetizer, I chose the fresh oyster with caviar. The oyster is served cold, not much preparation, similar to the raw oyster you could have in many good sea food restaurants. Caviar quality is good, but unnecessary for the dish – only shoot up the price of the dish. My father had a better one … lobster ravioli with black truffle (very tasty). The ravioli looks similar to Gordon Ramsay’s one but when I asked this to the chef – David Goodridge – he arrogantly said he did not know chef Ramsay or his cooking. Oh my … what a cocky and ignorant chef. The same thing when my dad mentioned that his loup de mer (seabass) bland and the skin was oily … what did he say? Goodridge said that it’s supposed to taste that way … again could not accept any feedbacks. No wonder many people say the restaurant is nothing compared to when chef Philip Sedgwick’s still in the kitchen. Before the main course, I ordered an interesting “palate cleanser” white truffle ice cream with sabayon – an interesting combination. My main course actually did not disappoint. I ordered poached bresse chicken – delicious, integrated with foie gras bon2, pureed pumpkin plus the pungent smell of white truffle crust. The dessert is all about the mango from the syrop, sorbet, fruit and the one shaped in egg-yolk, nothing special though. My meal’s accompanied with a glass of Chablis premier cru Les Vaillon – fresh with a right amount of acidity. I would give the food here 91/100 and the overall experience to be 88/100.
The second place I would like to comment is Toscana, Ritz Carlton’s signature restaurant. When I dined there, I learn that the restaurant would close for good by Jan ’08 due to a big renovation of the hotel. At the same time, the white truffle season lasted 1-2 more weeks. It’s been more than 2 years since I ate white truffle, so I opted for the tasting menu that included 2 dishes with the truffle. The appetizer is prosciutto of Maine lobster with olive oil dressing – simple and ok, not much to say. Then, the white truffle dishes, 1st it’s the home-made tagliolini and the 2nd is the scramble of organic egg (both the egg and truffle reveal each other flavor) – both dishes are very nice. The main course is lamb medallion with mushrooms and marsala wine sauce. The meet is tender and juicy; however the taste is very weak for lambs. The brownies’ sweetness combined with the sour and freshness of the sorbet is a good way to end my meal. The 2 glasses of Italian wine I had are 2005 chardonnay by Albino Rocca and 2003 Chianti Classico. The head chef Umberto Bombana is famous to create dish with white truffle. 2 years ago, he received the honor to prepare gala dinner when HK tycoon bit the most expensive white truffles.
The restaurant setting is classical, well in fact is quite out of date, but still nice. The distance between the tables is quite spacious. The staffs are professional, especially the maitre d’ from Italy who is very enthusiastic in doing the job. He has many experiences to lead the dining room; he’s been with Joel Robuchon for more than 5 years. I think he would open and run his own restaurant in 1-2 years time. There are not that many good Italian restaurants in HK, so the closing of Toscana can be considered as a lost for the dining community there. Does anybody know the future of chef Bombana? By the way, the food grade will be 90/100, slightly below Gaddi’s but the overall experience is better – 89/100
Here are some of the pictures (the top 2 are from Toscana, the other 4 below are from Gaddi’s)
http://www.flickr.co...os/7124357@N03/
Now comes the food – the menu variety is quite good. Since the tasting menu is uninspiring, my dad and I opt for the a la carte. For the appetizer, I chose the fresh oyster with caviar. The oyster is served cold, not much preparation, similar to the raw oyster you could have in many good sea food restaurants. Caviar quality is good, but unnecessary for the dish – only shoot up the price of the dish. My father had a better one … lobster ravioli with black truffle (very tasty). The ravioli looks similar to Gordon Ramsay’s one but when I asked this to the chef – David Goodridge – he arrogantly said he did not know chef Ramsay or his cooking. Oh my … what a cocky and ignorant chef. The same thing when my dad mentioned that his loup de mer (seabass) bland and the skin was oily … what did he say? Goodridge said that it’s supposed to taste that way … again could not accept any feedbacks. No wonder many people say the restaurant is nothing compared to when chef Philip Sedgwick’s still in the kitchen. Before the main course, I ordered an interesting “palate cleanser” white truffle ice cream with sabayon – an interesting combination. My main course actually did not disappoint. I ordered poached bresse chicken – delicious, integrated with foie gras bon2, pureed pumpkin plus the pungent smell of white truffle crust. The dessert is all about the mango from the syrop, sorbet, fruit and the one shaped in egg-yolk, nothing special though. My meal’s accompanied with a glass of Chablis premier cru Les Vaillon – fresh with a right amount of acidity. I would give the food here 91/100 and the overall experience to be 88/100.
The second place I would like to comment is Toscana, Ritz Carlton’s signature restaurant. When I dined there, I learn that the restaurant would close for good by Jan ’08 due to a big renovation of the hotel. At the same time, the white truffle season lasted 1-2 more weeks. It’s been more than 2 years since I ate white truffle, so I opted for the tasting menu that included 2 dishes with the truffle. The appetizer is prosciutto of Maine lobster with olive oil dressing – simple and ok, not much to say. Then, the white truffle dishes, 1st it’s the home-made tagliolini and the 2nd is the scramble of organic egg (both the egg and truffle reveal each other flavor) – both dishes are very nice. The main course is lamb medallion with mushrooms and marsala wine sauce. The meet is tender and juicy; however the taste is very weak for lambs. The brownies’ sweetness combined with the sour and freshness of the sorbet is a good way to end my meal. The 2 glasses of Italian wine I had are 2005 chardonnay by Albino Rocca and 2003 Chianti Classico. The head chef Umberto Bombana is famous to create dish with white truffle. 2 years ago, he received the honor to prepare gala dinner when HK tycoon bit the most expensive white truffles.
The restaurant setting is classical, well in fact is quite out of date, but still nice. The distance between the tables is quite spacious. The staffs are professional, especially the maitre d’ from Italy who is very enthusiastic in doing the job. He has many experiences to lead the dining room; he’s been with Joel Robuchon for more than 5 years. I think he would open and run his own restaurant in 1-2 years time. There are not that many good Italian restaurants in HK, so the closing of Toscana can be considered as a lost for the dining community there. Does anybody know the future of chef Bombana? By the way, the food grade will be 90/100, slightly below Gaddi’s but the overall experience is better – 89/100
Here are some of the pictures (the top 2 are from Toscana, the other 4 below are from Gaddi’s)
http://www.flickr.co...os/7124357@N03/
#215
ulterior epicure
-
- participating member
- 3,811 posts
Posted 13 October 2008 - 07:01 PM
It looks like I might be headed to HK in February. I know it's early yet, but it's never too early to start obsessing about restaurants and food.
Looking for high-end restaurants for dinner. Other than L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (which I'm not interested in), what others are out there?
Are there any "haute" Chinese or Cantonese restaurants out there worth visiting?
Looking for high-end restaurants for dinner. Other than L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (which I'm not interested in), what others are out there?
Are there any "haute" Chinese or Cantonese restaurants out there worth visiting?
“Watermelon - it’s a good fruit. You eat, you drink, you wash your face.”
Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921)
ulteriorepicure.com
My flickr account
ulteriorepicure@gmail.com
Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921)
ulteriorepicure.com
My flickr account
ulteriorepicure@gmail.com
#216
MikeTMD
-
- participating member
- 164 posts
Posted 13 October 2008 - 07:43 PM
It looks like I might be headed to HK in February. I know it's early yet, but it's never too early to start obsessing about restaurants and food.
Looking for high-end restaurants for dinner. Other than L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (which I'm not interested in), what others are out there?
Are there any "haute" Chinese or Cantonese restaurants out there worth visiting?
I would suggest:
************************************************
Spring Moon @ Pennisula - high-end Chinese MUST SEE
Info/Link
Menu
************************************************
Lumiere - modern high-end Chinese ( both Cantonese and Sichuan)
http://www.lumiere.hk
************************************************
Bo Innovation - ultra modern Chinese
http://www.boinnovation.com/
************************************************
Pierre (Gagnaire) @ Mandarin Oriental - high-end French
http://pierregagnair.../cdhongkong.htm
************************************************
"It's not from my kitchen, it's from my heart"
Michael T.
***************************************
My flickr collection
Michael T.
***************************************
My flickr collection
#217
ulterior epicure
-
- participating member
- 3,811 posts
Posted 15 October 2008 - 07:14 PM
Reading that menu has now exhausted. I'll have to look into the others tomorrow. Thanks MikeTMD.************************************************
Spring Moon @ Pennisula - high-end Chinese MUST SEE
Info/Link
Menu
************************************************
“Watermelon - it’s a good fruit. You eat, you drink, you wash your face.”
Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921)
ulteriorepicure.com
My flickr account
ulteriorepicure@gmail.com
Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921)
ulteriorepicure.com
My flickr account
ulteriorepicure@gmail.com
