I’ve been a little obsessed with two things of late. Firstly, I’ve been trying like crazy to get back into Jean May for a second visit. The second obsession has been duck.

Did you know that it’s almost impossible to get a decent duck breast through any of the home delivery services? Believe me, I’ve tried; and it’s been this inability to get a decent pan fried duck breast that’s increasingly driven my obsession to have some duck.

Which leads me to my second obsession of trying to get back in the Wanchai’s newest and hottest French restaurant, Jean May. Duck is one of their specialties and my first visit during their soft opening lead to one of the best duck dishes I’d had in a very long time.

The problem has been that Jean May is ridiculously hard to get into, made worse by the fact that they really are not open that often…

Despite my best efforts, we’ve only just been able to sneak into one of the elusive tables this week; to be fair, I usually only try to book a few days out – a strategy that’s repeatedly failed. Until it didn’t and we managed to secure a 4pm sitting; a late lunch or early dinner (you decide).

If you’ve unfamiliar with Jean May, it’s the new restaurant by Tiffany Lo, a local girl made good, trained by legendary French chef Pierre Koffmann. Koffmann himself was trained by the granddaddies of French cuisine Michel and Albert Roux in the 70s at world famous Le Gavroche (and later their even more famous Waterside Inn). One of the few French chefs to secure 3 Michelin Stars in England for his restaurant La Tante Claire in London, it’s clear that Tiffany Lo chose a master to learn her trade.

The very unassuming Jean May is located in Gresson Street and tucked away behind the many street vendors plying their trade. The blink and you’ll miss it bistro is quite small, seating roughly 10 tables, which increases the difficulty of actually securing a seat at the best of times.

We arrived 10 minutes early for our 4pm sitting and were asked to wait outside while our table was cleared. During the ten minute wait, I was able to reflect on the arduous process to book the table; firstly booking, then the three confirmation calls, and lastly the requirement to provide my credit card details in case we were a no show. Either the restaurant has had a lot of no shows, or there are serious trust issues with the booking system…Once seated, we were given the various menus, including the relatively short standard menu as well as the daily specials (on a blackboard) and the drinks menu. The thing that you’ll notice about the menu at Jean May is that it’s quite short; really just specialising on a few dishes for each of the courses.The girl and I had our minds set on repeating our duck dish (remember, obsessed) from our previous visit, the memory of the roasted carrots that paired with the succulent duck still vivid in our mind, months after our first visit.

So of course, the first thing that we’d noticed was the change of menu and the replacement on the duck dish with a completely different set of accompaniments. Our hearts sank, but we never the less ordered the duck as our mains, hoping for another stellar dish. But I’m getting ahead of myself…Our meal started with slices of crusty French baguette with a huge chunk of French salted butter. The glossy butter looked room temperature, as it should have been, but was surprisingly still cold. This made spreading the butter on the fresh baguette particularly difficult; although once managed, we were reminded of why baguette and butter is one of life’s simple joys.The Girl started her meal withe the Kanpachi crudo with pickled peppers, the simple yet elegant looking dish filled with colours that were pleasing to the eye. Kanpachi is another name for yellowtail, a fish that particularly lends itself to being served as a crudo (raw with seasoning) and has a subtly sweet taste. We found that the Kanpachi was lost amongst the flavours of the peppers; so much so that the predominant favour was only the sweet peppers. You definitely got the texture of the fish, but without the flavour that we’d hoped for.I’d chosen the Steak Tartare, a beautifully presented dish with a glossy egg yolk sitting atop the creamy, rough cut steak. I immediately noticed that the serving size was quite generous, however, this generosity did not extend to the toasted baguette that came with the dish to be used as a conduit to eat the tartare and provide texture through crunch. One of the things you look for with a great steak tartare is the sharpness that comes from pickled gherkin, which was missing from the dish. I noticed that there were ample capers in the tartare, but they didn’t provide that contrasting sharpness thats needed. In fact, I found the whole dish overly sweet and creamy, and once I ran out of crunchy toast, it was tough going to finish. I actually had to share the dish with the Girl to get it finished.While there had been a few interesting looking options for main, including a slow cooked beef cheek with creamy mash, we’d both decided that the only real option for mains was the duck. We’re both game fanatics and as I’d mentioned earlier, I’d had a large number of fails securing an acceptable duck dish via any of the home delivery meals we’d ordered over the last few months.

The expertly prepared duck breast was presented with a spiced honey glaze, insanely creamy and smooth celeriac puree and red cabbage. We’d agreed to the offered medium rare option for the duck, and while the excessive pink of the duck can be too much for some, we found the cooking perfect. The tender duck fat had been rendered perfectly and the skin had the right level of bite and texture. On it’s own, the duck was exquisite, but when compared with the sweetness of that puree and the contrasting red cabbage; then mopped up with the honey glazed sauce…. Well, let me just say that I was in culinary heaven.My desire, no, my obsession for duck had been satiated. At least for the time being.

So often a perfect dish can be let down by an average dessert. Not so here. We both ordered the sticky date pudding with clotted cream. When you talk about perfection, this dish would need to enter the conversation. Simplicity at its finest, the soft and spongy pudding was not overly sweet on it’ own, but had the right level once the sticky sauce was added. The clotted cream helped ‘cool’ the dish down and helped the palate get through the dessert with a contrasting creaminess that hit the spot wonderfully.
I’d been getting incredibly frustrated with our inability to get into Jean May over the last few months; and I know that the feeling had been shared with some of our regular dining buddies having similar experiences while trying to get in (being told that the restaurant was booked solid until March).

As frustrated as I was, I definitely take responsibility for getting a booking; after all, I can always book weeks in advance… But, for a person who doesn’t really know what they want for lunch in 4 hours time, it’s hard to go and book weeks in advance for a table.

All that being said, Jean May is a delightful little French bistro with a talented chef and a menu that is tasty and well thought out. Best of all though, it seems like Duck is a permanent feature on the menu, so definitely know where I can get my duck breast fix in the future.

Gone are the days where I could just pop into a fine dining restaurant for a casual meal for the fun of it. Firstly, the big corporate salary is a thing of the past; but mainly, while running and owning fitness centres, it’s important not to indulge too often and stock on the weight!

The benefit of this has been that I no longer take fine dining for granted, and it’s become more of a special treat than a regular occurrence. As a consequence, I’m much more appreciative of a lovely meal.

We’d been pretty flat as a result of our fitness centres being closed again for the 3rd time in 2020. This lead to a fair amount of apathy kicking in and we’d forgotten to make any arrangements for a festive lunch. Christmas was just around the corner and without a booking, we’d resigned to the fact that our lunch would be Marks & Spencer or some such deal.

We were walking down Stanley Street in Central at noon and as we walked past the H building, saw that LPM (La Petite Maison) seemed to have a couple of seats available. Trying out luck, we enquired at the concierge desk to see if there were any walk-in seats available and to our delight, we managed to score a table at the back of the dining room.

I’d been to LPM a couple of times previously, but it had been a few years since my last visit; actually, thinking about it, my visits to LPM finished about the same time as my corporate career 🙂 but it was the first time the Girl had been and we were looking forward to a lovely and delicious French meal.

Originally a London based French restaurant, LPM has expanded across the globe with outlets in the US and Middle East; the Hong Kong version of the restaurant opened a few years back at the opening of the swanky H on Queen building, which is home to some of the best restaurants in Hong Kong, including the two star restaurants Arbour (love) and Ècriture (meh).

The dining room of LMP is fairly classically French fine dining, white table cloths and a feeling of refinement abound; we felt a little under dressed having randomly popped in during a walk, but it also has a relaxed atmosphere that meant that we still felt comfortable (well, I kinda feel comfortable anywhere anyway). There is a long bar area to the side of the dining room and a smaller bar at the back of the restaurant.The thing that stood out the most though was the sound system. Not content with your average speaker set up, LPM has at least 5 (that we could see) Devialet Phantom speakers, each capable of a massive 4,500 watts of sound. It was complete overkill, but the background music was crisp and pure. We liked that a lot.

Looking over the menu, we were given the standard version, which typically for a French restaurant, had a huge number of options; as well as a truffle based menu option, which had some delicious looking options. There was the obligatory lunchtime deal, but we set that aside immediately, choosing to consider only options from the main menus.

Starting with some starters to share, the Carpaccio de Sériole or Yellowtail Carpaccio was presented, the contrasting yellows of the vinaigrette and olive oil stark against the red of pickled onion. The thinly sliced Yellowtail was fresh and tasted wonderful against the tangy French dressing. The simplicity of the ingredients speaking for themselves, it was a wonderful start to the meal and our taste buds were primed!Sticking with fish, our next share plate was the Carpaccio de Thon or Tuna Carpaccio. The lightly seared tuna was incredibly glossy on the plate and this time contrasted with a bright green garnish that came along with that tangy vinaigrette. Hazel nuts completed the dish for some added crunch. We loved the stronger flavours of the tuna, the slightly meatier texture of the fish complimenting our Yellowtail, but ramping up the flavour profile.We took a different path for our next shared dish, which was the Beignet de Courgette or Deep Fried Zucchini Flowers and Sage with Anchovies. The zucchini flowers were so lightly tempura that we could see the colouring of the flowers clearly. There was a deeply satisfying crunch with each bite which was amplified by the salty sauce that accompanied. The combination of the texture and flavour was bordering on insane and was completely more(ish). I’d happily have had many more.While we’d been happy to share out starters, there was zero intent to share any portion of our main course; apart from a small taste to help me write up this post! The Girly went for the quintessentially French dish of Canard à l’Orange or Slow Cooked Duck Legs with Orange Glaze. Beautifully presented with two complete hind quarters of the duck, glazed to shiny perfection with the orange sauce. There was a deep rich game flavour to the duck that has heightened with the sweet orange sauce, the flavour intensifying with each bite.A side of potato dauphinoise that was more cream than potato accompanied the main which enhanced the pleasure of the dining experience.Ironically, I’d chosen a dish that although not French in origin, is a dish that the French seem to have perfected. The Risotto aux truffes was immaculately prepared, and full flavoured. I’d been looking for something both warming and tasty, and the ample proportion of truffle was so earthy and delicious against the creaminess of the risotto. Each mouthful was like an explosion of flavour in my mouth and was without doubt the best risotto I’d had in a number of years.Normally, we’d not hang around for dessert and the Girl was signalling our waiter for the bill; I had other ideas altogether and convinced her that she needed to try the Pain Perdu façon «Cyrus» or French Toast with Spice Ice Cream. For me, this dessert is the highlight of any meal at LPM and knowing that the Girl was particularly fond of French Toast, I knew she’d be blown away. Unsurprisingly, she was. The dessert was a complete masterpiece, the toast rendered to a crispy outer and creamy centre, the light spices enhancing the sweetness of the dish.We really enjoyed our lunch at LPM, partly because the food was delicious but mainly because it had been an unexpected part of our day. We’d had no plans to splurge on a lovely French meal when we’d set off on our walk into Central, but we feel the best plans are those that are open to change on a whim.

Our walk home was one of contentment, bellies full from tasty and well executed dishes from one of Hong Kong’s better French restaurants. I’d be understating things a little if I didn’t mention that the girl didn’t stop talking about that French Toast on the way home though; with our penchant for healthy eating of late, there’s not often room for dessert when we eat out.

But on this occasion, it was definitely worth the extra calories 🙂

Oh hey! Long time no see…

Can you believe it’s been 953 days since I last put pen to paper to talk about food? There’s been so much that’s happened in the last two and a half years and I’ve been a little busy and distracted.

Well, I suddenly find myself with a bit of spare time, so thought it would be nice to get back into the groove.

I wanted to tell you a little bit about one of my favourite places to eat in recent times. I’d become a little jaded with all of the fine dining, feeling a sense of sameness from dining out at so called top restaurants with Michelin Stars. But what can I say, I’m still a sucker for interesting and tasty food.

It’s why Cornerstone in Soho has become one of my most revered casual dining spots in all of Hong Kong. Set up by Shane Osborne, the Aussie chef that runs perennial restaurant Arcane and a guy that featured heavily in Netflix’s failed global cooking show The Final Table. Actually, featured heavily is an understatement as the guy was the eventual runner up with his Aussie cheffing buddy Mark Best.
The only thing you need to know about Cornerstone is that the food is always superb; while you can certainly see the inspiration and influence of Shane Osborne, it’s one of his protégés who is responsible for the seasonal menu. With an underlying philosophy of securing great produce to provide a contemporary yet modest menu that is value for money, Neal Ledesma does an outstanding job of providing one of the best meals in Hong Kong today.

The first thing you notice about Cornerstone is how small and intimate it feels; with a modern bistro layout that includes a slate grey colour scheme and comfortable seating, the dining room feels comfortable, light and airy. A bar area at the back of the smallish dining room feels subtle and doesn’t dominate the space and the kitchen is hidden out the back, so unfortunately you can’t see the magic happen.
One of the hardest tasks when visiting Cornerstone is limiting yourself to just a couple of menu items; believe me, you’re going to be tempted with all of the incredible options available. We solve this problem by coming regularly and rotating through the different options each visit; and while there are favourites, it’s worth choosing something different each visit.

Our most recent visit saw a menu that had a few notable changes and we started with a couple of newish entrées. The girl kicked off our lunch with a light and tasty vegetarian(ish) option. The roasted pumpkin came with toasted kale, sage, slices of almond and a delicious beurre noisette.. There was a nice amount of burrata cheese included, so it wasn’t really fully fit for a vegetarian, but it wasn’t a problem for us at all.
I started with the Yellowfin Tuna, generous slices of tuna came with a slight grill around the outer casing and was placed on strips of daikon bating in a clear dashi. Each slice of tuna had a think strip of pickled cucumber placed on top, which gave a sharp contrast to the subtle flavours of the tuna and dashi. It was more akin to a summer dish, so slightly out of kilter on the largely wintery menu, but given it was quite a warm day outside (25 degrees), the dish actually hit the spot nicely.

There was nothing summery about the main courses though; the girl chose the quintessential wintery dish of Braised Wagyu Brisket that came with an incredibly buttery and smooth mash, winter vegetables including onion, carrot and a red wine jus. The depth of flavour that came from the beef was insane, and as well as a deep rich flavour of beef, there was a creamy flavour to the wagyu also that was something we’d not experienced before. It was a show stopper of a dish, both beautiful and tasty. You can always tell a winning dish when those seated at tables nearby exclaim loudly “yep, that’s what I want”.

My choice was the Mushroom Spelt Risotto, which was warming and intensely flavoured. A dollop of mascarpone emanated from the centre of the dish and was hidden slightly by the shaved truffle and chestnuts. There was an earthy flavour to the risotto that was elevated by the creamy mascarpone, then hits of salty goodness from diced and crispy bacon. Given the risotto used spelt (a wheat grain) instead of rice, there was a slightly chewy texture that was really quite pleasant on the palate. Delicious, warming and totally filling.

While we loved the entrées and mains, both on this visit and our many previous visits, we’ve learned through experience that the dessert menu does not reach the heights of the main show; so again decided that we’d get some chocolate on the walk home instead of partaking in the offered desserts.

Given that our visit was on Christmas Eve, it was unsurprisingly busy at Cornerstone with our sitting being the third sitting of the lunchtime period. Also unsurprising was that as we entered the dining room, we bumped into friends who’d just finished eating their lunch. I say unsurprising as the same thing happened the week before when we were seated next to some buddies who were just finishing up their meal.

Cornerstone is the type of ‘local’ restaurant where you’re likely to bump into people you know regularly; not though sheer coincidence, but because it’s the type of place that you can regularly visit and have an outstanding meal for a price that is unlike many great restaurants you’ll find in HK; that is, super reasonably priced. It’s not just our favourite casual dining spot, but a favourite for many!

If you’ve never visited Cornerstone, you’re missing out. My recommendation is do yourself a favour, get along and support this amazing restaurant. In these tough and unprecedented times, supporting those little gems of restaurants has never been so important.

Oh, if you’re wondering why it’s been 953 days since I had the time to write about my dining experiences…. I can tell you I’ve had a lot on my mind since changing careers and buying into a fitness centre. You can read a little bit about it here or watch a little bit about my Covid-19 experience here

Hope to tell you about some more dining experiences soon!

Neighbourhood wasn’t really a restaurant on my must visit radar.

Even after my foodie buddy Alex mentioned that she was ‘dying’ to visit, my attitude was still a little bit ‘meh’.

It wasn’t until I saw that the little restaurant has made it to #32 on the recently published Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant list that I decided I wanted to get along and check it out.

Going with a group of friends that are ‘spread to the wind’ meant that we all arrived at different times.  The girl and Aaron were first to arrive, and I wouldn’t have been far behind them, but I got lost.  Alex arrived fashionably late (well, really late), but she’d had as much trouble finding the place as I had and in both instances, the Girl had to go out and help.Ahh, those Hong Kong laneways can be quite hidden 🙂

By the time Alex had arrived, we’d already started munching on the warm crusty bread (unfortunately the butter wasn’t quite room temperature) and finished a serve of the saucisson ‘noir de bigorre’.  The fatty sausage was made from the Gascon, a rare breed of domestic pig usually found in remote regions of France.  It was delicious and really set my expectations at super high levels for the remainder of the meal…Once we were all together, our hostess for the night came over and highlighted the ‘must have’s’ from the menu, which was a simple list of dish descriptions.  The menu did separate the pre-order specials, which you need to order 24 hours before your reservation.  We went a little crazy and ordered quite a few delicious sounding plates of food!

The Jumbo Dutch Oysters were first to arrive, and as promised, they were massive!  We’d only ordered one each, but they were sufficient in size to largely satisfy.  The oysters themselves were plump with a low salinity, and on their own quite nice.  However, there was a ‘mild’ spicy sauce that accompanied that was anything but mild!  Luckily I’d gone last after taking some photos, so I could scrape most of the sauce off, however, it was still so punchy that it slaughtered the taste of the oyster.Looking incredibly rustic and colourful, the Hokkaido scallops in local zucchini blossom with truffle was presented.  The scallop pieces carefully wrapped in the zucchini flower and presented with olives, tomato and sliced zucchini stalks.  The combo of the sweetness from the scallop and the saltiness and astringency of the tomato were nice, but not exactly blow away – highlighted by the fact that we didn’t really clean off the plate.I was, however, completely surprised by how much I loved the roast pigeon eggs in curry, given I’m not a fan of curry.  But the little balls of sweetness were a superb match for the mild curry, especially the creaminess from the yolk.  Texturally, they were a little firm at first, but when crushed in the mouth, were exquisitely squishy.  I was completely baffled at how much I loved this combo, so much so, I went back for seconds, as did everyone else.  By the time we’d finished, there was just an empty bowl.With more than a strong influence from France, the frogs’ legs meuniere were really interesting, super tasty and incredibly difficult to eat!  The effort was worth it though, with a slightly fishy flavour and texture like chicken, each small piece of the frogs’ leg was like winning the taste lottery.  Even accounting for the odd small bone almost swallowed, it was a really nice dish that we all enjoyed.I was hoping for more when we’d ordered beignet of asparagus from Provenance with wild garlic aioli but was just a little disappointed with the big lumps of deep fried asparagus arrived.  Flavour wise, there was that slightly sweet and very astringent taste of asparagus, but the cooking process had muted the flavour somewhat.  Adding the garlic aioli was a must, as they were quite dry without, but thankfully, the aioli added to the flavour nicely.None of us loved the fried firefly squid, and I personally was a little put off by the little pieces of whole baby squid.  I’m normally a huge fan of baby squid, but there was a texture coming from the head that was terrible, almost gritty and dirty that jarred on my palate.  I left it at one, and while the rest of the group went for a second, just to be sure, we largely left this plate uneaten.Redemption came next in the form of wild boar garganelli, the lightly prepared pasta was simply amazing; perfectly al dente with a sauce made from wild boar that was to die for.  The sweetness was all-pervasive (in a good way) and in complete contrast to the squid, we had duelling forks to see who would get the last of the remnants in the bowl.  Simply put, it was the highlight of the evening.Only just though, as redemption continued with the aquarello risotto with morel mushrooms and bone marrow.  I love, love, love morels and this risotto was stocked full of the delicacy.  Helping things along was expertly cooked risotto, each individual rice granule apparent to the naked eye, as well as that sweet, sweet bone marrow.  I definitely would have loved more of that risotto 🙂After such wonderful dishes, it was back to a plate of food that for us, was literally inedible.  Let me explain.  We didn’t really know what to expect when we ordered the jumbo artichoke with foie gras (well, we knew what to expect with the foie gras!).  However, the last thing we expected to see was a huge half of an artichoke sitting on a plate with instructions to peel the leaves off and dip into the foie gras.  Now, the leaves of an artichoke are usually peeled away for a reason; the artichoke heart is the piece you want to eat, with the leaves discarded and thrown away.Yeah, for good reason, it was like chewing cardboard and only one of us could actually stomach swallowing one of the leaves, and that was after a good 5 minutes of chewing.  I really don’t know what the thinking was behind this, but it was not good.  We did finish the foie gras (which was smooth and delicious) but left the artichoke alone.

We simply didn’t understand the chef’s vision on this one…

Our last dish was from the pre-order menu, which Alex had confirmed during the confirmation call; largely based on the inclusion of morel mushrooms 🙂 – The roasted morel chicken with giblet rice was a really interesting dish, which largely reminded me of a paella.  Served in a big cast iron pot, the rise had crusted along the bottom beautifully, providing a caramelised flavour to the dish.  I also loved the morels that were plentiful but struggled a little with the star of the dish, the chicken.  I found the large pieces to be really tough to eat, and a little stringy.  Sure, the flavour was nice, but the texture was a little distracting.We finished off our meal with the French toast with ice cream and truffle, which was sadly disappointed also.  The toast was not light and fluffy, but a little on the dense side and while golden in colour, it was not golden in flavour.  The truffle was lost in the dish, and while the ice-cream was decent, it should have been the supporting act, and not the star of the dish.The girl fared a little better with her incredibly generous serving of Brie de Meaux ‘alloesse’ with black truffle.  I mean, it was a tasty piece of cheese with infused truffle, but the serving size was more appropriate for the whole table, so there was way too much for one girl to eat.Wow, what a confused and confusing meal we’d had.  Head chef and owner David Lai is known for changing his menu daily, thriving on seasonality and unusual flavours, but on our visit, this felt like more of a weakness than strength.  There were elements on the menu that we absolutely adored, and others that were just not great (or good).

While the service on the night was excellent, and the space very cool, I couldn’t help thinking that the regular change of menu might impact the ability to get a great set of dishes that could mature.

To be honest, we were all left wondering if we were missing the point about the restaurant.  I know that it’s a favourite of some of Hong Kong’s top chefs to hang out, but I personally just didn’t get it.  Noted as the 32nd best restaurant in Asia, I would struggle to put Neighbourhood in my top 50 restaurants in Hong Kong.

@FoodMeUpScotty

I have to tell you straight up, I’m not a connoisseur of Middle Eastern cuisine; although I’ve some Isreali friends that swear that the food in Tel Aviv is some of the best in the world.

So I grabbed some friends with a bit more experience with all foods Middle Eastern and made a pilgrimage (well, short stroll) to one of Hong Kong’s hottest new restaurants, Francis.

Head Chef Asher Goldstein is part of a trio of lads who have established the no reservations spot in St Francis Street & has taken inspiration from his childhood memories.  Using ingredients and flavours from the Middle East, Chef Asher’s menu is a kaleidoscope of foods that could be found on the bustling streets of Tel Aviv, Israel.
Knowing it was a no reservations joint, we made sure to arrive a good thirty minutes before the kitchen was open, but only just snagged the last four available seats – which were superb.  Right on the open windows at the front of the restaurant, we were able to watch the world pass by as we waited for the kitchen to open.
While we waited, we were given a plate of curried and pickled vegetables to snack on, quite an interesting set of flavours and textures.  While we snacked away, we started to plan which of the delicious looking menu items we would order to share.
As the clock struck 6 pm, we called our waiter over to take our order, smashing out quite a comprehensive list of delectable options.  One small disappointment at the ordering stage was the unavailability of the grilled octopus; however, we were informed that the octopus was just not up to being served, we gave a mental shrug and ordered the lamb (more on that later).
We’d ordered a truckload of food anyway 🙂

First up was the Veal Cigars with red pepper and caraway, the four deep-fried pastry covered sticks of veal having an oriental ‘spring roll’ look about them.  Placed haphazardly in a bowl, the red pepper and caraway sauce sitting vibrant on the plate, they looked eminently appealing.  There was a deep earthy flavour of the shredded veal and the golden coating was crisp, but it was the addition of that sauce that helped them shine. Out next, was the Burnt Eggplant with pepper, chilli and yoghurt; which admittedly looked lovely, but was a dish I avoided (yeah, not a fan of eggplant!).  While I didn’t even try it, nods from around the table and comments that I was missing out told me that the dish was spot on (if you like that type of thing!) One of the most amazing dishes I’ve had in a long time appeared up next, not only did the Baked Halloumi with pomegranate molasses and wild oregano look spectacular, it was also heavenly to consume.  The deep red of the pomegranate seeds covering the light yellow of the halloumi seemed perfectly suited to the cast iron deep dish they were presented in.  I loved the sticky molasses in comparison to the texture and bite of the pomegranate, then the smooth creamy and ever so slightly rubbery texture of the cheese.  I definitely loved the dish, the simplicity of its composition and its amazing taste; so I ate most of it (sorry guys!) A lot of people find chicken hearts quite confrontational, but we ordered them anyway; arriving shishkebab style on skewers, the small meaty and expertly cooked chicken hearts were well received by the table.  I loved the slightly minerally flavour of the hearts and found myself finishing off the remaining few once the table had had their fill. I was pretty much on my own when the whole Sardine with fennel, white bean, tomato and ‘nduja’ appeared.  I quite like sardines, but even I was a little bit confronted by the size of that bad boy sardine!  It had largely been deboned, but even so, it was still a little difficult to eat (with big size comes big bones) – and it was seriously hot (spicy) from the nduja (spicy salami) – It wasn’t my favourite and not something I’d order again. We were back on track with a simply stunning dish, a special of the kitchen and a dish that changed components (although not spirit) regularly.  Burek was pastry filled with fetta and accompanied by the most amazing tomato sauce you could hope to taste.  The crunch of the pastry, when combined with the flakey fetta and sauce reminded me of the taste of a Margherita pizza, so it went down really well.  It was a definite favourite at the table and something that we contemplated ordering again! We were on a roll with another table favourite looking beautiful as it was placed on our table.  The Wagyu Hanger spiced butter was a super simple dish, but the quality of beef, along with expert cooking left us in awe of the dish.  A caramelisation of the beef blended wonderfully with the tender centre that was a perfect medium rare; the addition of the spiced butter lending a creamy richness to the earthy beef.  It wasn’t as fatty as you’d expect from Wagyu, but I personally didn’t mind! We’d had a few super dishes but not all of them were table pleasers; one of the disappointing dishes of the night was probably the simplest.  While I didn’t partake in the Hummus with chickpea and lamb neck ragu (you guessed it, no chickpeas for me!), it wasn’t a winner with my dining companions either, with the feeling that it was a little dry… The Chicken Schnitzel with za’atar and aioli split the table as well.  Personally, I simply loved the simplicity of the schnitzel, especially with the light and delicious aioli smeared over the top.  The crumbs were golden and crispy, the dish was seasoned to perfection and it really hit the spot; oh well, not everyone can love everything, so it gave me more of the schnitzel to devour! It seemed as if we’d finished the savoury part of our meal, our dishes were cleared away, but something was nagging at the back of my mind.  I asked our waiter if we were finished and he confirmed we had……  But, we reflected after our desserts that we’d ordered the Lamb Ribs with orange, yoghurt and coriander – but it never came.
We debated if it was a good thing though, we were pretty darn stuffed from the meal & we still had dessert to go.
Interestingly, there were two desserts on the menu, one a savoury and the other a sweeter option.  We ordered two of the sweeter Knafeh, deep fried mozzarella with orange blossom and pistachio, along with the savoury Spiced Quince with olive oil, bay leaf cream and sumac.  While both dishes were really good, it was the ‘savoury’ spiced quince that was our favourite (and we thought a little sweeter to boot!) It did leave Alex and Aaron a little disappointed as they’d been raving about how spectacular a good knafeh could be…  They rated the Francis version as good – which left me wondering what a spectacular version might taste like! I think I’m a convert!

There were some spectacular flavours from our meal at Francis, in particular, that halloumi dish, which I could have eaten all night.  I definitely loved most of what I ate, with the exception of the sardine, and I know the guys had some quibbles with the hummus as well.
However, when we received the bill for the night, we were particularly pleased..  It felt like we’d ordered most of the menu and a heap of drinks, yet the total bill was much lower than we’d expected.  We checked through and it had everything we’d ordered (and didn’t have the lamb), and it was bang on.  So the value at Francis was superb.
Will I eat there again?  Absolutely, not only is it just around the corner from my apartment, it’s cheap and delicious – I’d be crazy not to!
Get along and check it out, you won’t be disappointed!

@FoodMeUpScotty

I can’t help but feel that we’re missing out in Honkers…

One of the biggest food revolutions in recent memory just seems to be passing us by!

Of course, I’m referring to the Nordic food phenomenon that’s taken most of the world by storm and made especially famous by René Redzepi of NOMA.  Oh sure, we’ve had some near misses; NUR being the most tragic of the lot….  First gaining, then losing it’s Michelin Star.
Where NUR finished, Frantzén’s Kitchen took over, but just like it’s now forgotten Nordic style predecessor, Frantzén’s Kitchen has failed to secure the love from the HK Michelin Guide.

While a little further to the north and right smack bang in the middle of the Nordic region, Frantzén’s Kitchen’s older brother (or sister) has just picked up 3 Michelin Stars; the first Swedish restaurant to claim that mantle.  Frantzén is considered one of the shining lights of the culinary world, and justifiably so.
But back to Hong Kong.

I had a night free recently and decided to head back to Frantzén’s Kitchen with a buddy (let’s call him Stephen) for a boys night of culinary delights.  It was a night that almost didn’t happen though…
Funny story – the long and the short of it was that 1730 is definitely not 730pm and I’m eternally grateful to the restaurant for calling me to ask where the heck I was…

Anyway, a mad rush to the restaurant got us across town and sitting at the small and intimate dining room in Sheung Wan!

Now, if you’re not familiar with Nordic cuisine, you’re missing out!  We’re talking incredibly fresh produce, normally sourced locally and amazingly rich and fatty and full in flavour, without overworking or relying on rich sauces.
One of the brilliant elements of Frantzén’s Kitchen is the manner in which the menu is used.  Firstly, your placemat is your menu, but where it differs from other restaurants is the drawings and descriptions of the creative process to bring each dish together are displayed.  Giving you an insight into the creative process and a little bit of an insight of what you can expect to see on the plate! There are only about sixteen options on the menu, called snacks, to begin, continued and the finish; signifying the journey that executive chef Jim Löfdahl take each diner on during the meal.  Each round of food ever increasing in size.
Stephen and I had both been to Frantzén’s before, so knew the deal.  So, in a bout of complete optimism, we ordered just about every item on the menu…
Here’s what happened 🙂

We each started with the Apple & Londonberry Macaron with foie gras parfait; the perfectly formed macarons dusted with beetroot powder to add a splash of colour to the plate.  The smallest and lightest of bites was incredible, the creamy foie gras impossibly light and delicious, setting my palate alight! “Swedish Sushi” quickly followed, the fatty dish comprising of crispy white moss, roe deer, cep mayonnaise and shaved frozen bird’s liver.  Another single bite, the ‘sushi’ disappeared just as quickly, this time a much earthier hit to the palate, yet no less delicious.  I loved the sweetness from the bird’s liver, which contrasted nicely against the heavier roe deer but bringing perfect balance and harmony. Many consider the French Toast the restaurant’s signature dish, with good reason!  Aged cheese spread over thick toast and covered with shaved truffle then flavoured with aged balsamic vinegar dotted on the unique dish; delightful and just a little bit bigger and a little more difficult to fit in your mouth in one bite!  Another earthy dish balanced with the richness of the cheese and balsamic… It was as our snacks were ending that we were brought the Frantzén’s version of bread and butter; crispy compressed ‘bread’ along with lashings of brown butter nice and gooey at room temperature.  Yummy and lovely to just snack on between courses.. Our next dish moved us on from snacks, so was a little more substantial; this time, we’d begun sharing the dishes so we could get through all of the food that we’d ordered!  Organic and earthy looking in its brown ceramic bowl, Seven Gardens was a hodgepodge of locally sourced vegetables carefully placed and accompanied by puffed buckwheat and crispy fish scales, and a decent pour of melted Sancho butter.  The amalgamation of flavours and textures was almost overwhelming, but that lovely Sancho butter helped bring connection to the disparate ingredients. I absolutely adored our next dish and was (not so) secretly disappointed that we’d decided to share the dish!  A gigantic Pan-Seared Scallop from the sea of Japan dominated the plate, but the chicken mousseline with sabayon & ‘Nordic’ dashi helped make the dish.  So big was the scallop that it was sliced into multiple pieces, and each of us felt that we’d had our fair share, but we both thought seriously about ordering another!  The sweetness of the scallop danced delicately on the palate with the slight bite of the dashi providing balance. I love how Frantzéns uses the term Swedish dairy cow but loved how it was used even more!  The deceptively opaque Toast “Pelle Janzon” combined diced beef cubes with a deep fried quails egg, a thin layer of tender beef carpaccio and vendance roe.  It was meaty, earthy and complex, the layers of the dish speaking to us in a primal way, but still appealing to the visual foodies that we were. Without a doubt, the richest and most delicious dish of the night was the Velouté; again shared but this time justifiably.  Man, the dish was so rich and full-bodied, that it would have been too much for the palate if we’d consumed a whole portion each!  Not the thickest volouté imaginable, it was deceptively dense; the white onion puree combining with almond milk and liquorice cream to be sweet and savoury at the same time.
Yeah, I could eat the dish all day (mmm, maybe I should have had a whole portion to myself!) Our dishes were getting progressively heavier and larger, and by this time we were questioning the wisdom of ordering so much (even to share)!  The fish courses were next and there was one winner and one dish that fell just a little short (in my opinion). The North Atlantic Cod was incredible, the butter sauce with juniper and pears infused in orange vinegar was simply spectacular.  The cod was perfectly cooked, the textures and flavours of the dish belying the rustic presentation.  My taste buds were dancing to the beat of this drum and they didn’t want the party to end! Although end it did when the relatively benign Steamed Turbot was consumed.  Perhaps it was a case of eating in the wrong order, or the fact that my old nemesis ‘Turbot’ was involved (I do find the fish bland!), but it just lacked the power and flavour of the preceding dishes.  Even fresh mint and peas couldn’t bring the dish to life for me, and I happily let Stephen take the largest portion to share. It definitely seemed like a good idea to order all of the ‘main’ dishes on the menu, but by the time the Roasted Pork Belly was presented, I was just about done!  I loved the combination of black garlic and fermented carrot ‘hot sauce’ paired with the pork belly but didn’t love the addition of the pumpkin puree.  The pork was tender with a lovely crunch from the ‘crackling’, but it was super heavy and tough going to finish! But alas, we weren’t done!

Thankfully, the “Hot-Pot” was so delicious that it managed to cut through the fact that I was bursting at the seams!  A beautiful ring of green from cabbage and lettuce (and kale?), with a splash of orange from thinly sliced carrot (and hidden bits of truffle and pink wagyu), and a pour of truffled bouillon sauce.  Instructions to mix the whole lot together led to a blending of textures and flavours that were sensational! We were done!  And I mean DONE.
Or so I thought.  As we asked for our bill to leave, our waiter talked us into one last dish from the dessert menu.  I’m not sure what we were thinking, but we went ahead and ordered the Smoked Ice Cream; a dish that saw a warm fudge poured over a dome of chocolate, which slowly melted to reveal a scoop of tar syrup and salted fudge ice-cream.  It was no doubt a spectacle to behold, and we a simply joy to eat, but I did feel like I’d overindulged in the meal and had a little ‘buyer’s remorse’!
But nothing a few days in the gym wouldn’t solve! With a plethora of dishes that had been hugely successful and one dish that (personally) fell a little short; we’d hugely enjoyed our meal at Frantzén’s Kitchen.  Given that we’d arrived over an hour late for our reservation (thanks again for holding), then running well over our allotted dining time (again, thanks), we couldn’t fault the service on the night.
We definitely didn’t have the prime seating in the restaurant though; if you get along to Frantzén’s (and you should), then try to score a seat at the bar, where you can get up front and personal with the team of chefs, led by Jim, for that personal and intimate experience.

Amazingly, as good as the food is, as on point as it is gastronomically globally, it’s a complete surprise to me that Frantzén’s Kitchen has not secured a Michelin Star (or two), which is a huge shame.  The food is amazing and the ambience spot on.
There is always next year?!

@FoodMeUpScotty

I've been having a lot of fun lately

Of course, there has been the regular dining at amazing restaurants....  Always fun

But there's something special about helping someone discover the joys of international cuisine and Fine Dining.

One of our gym buddies, let's call him Matty, is relatively late to the exquisite joys of ultra-fine-dining; but boy is he making up for lost time!

Our latest escapade saw a bunch of Aussie buddies dining at the Two Michelin Starred Caprice at the Four Seasons; including one of the girl's good mates who was in Honkers for the weekend, and regular dining buds Alex and Aaron.

Now, the girl and I have been showing off Caprice to friends for years, it's a go-to place to impress people (especially because of their renowned cheese board), but it was the first time we'd been since the changeover of chefs.  In a strange twist of fate, Caprice's new chef Guillaume Galliot had a 'sliding doors' moment with former executive chef Fabrice Vulin.

That's right, Chef Vulin took over Chef Galliot's the Tasting Room in Macau and vice versa, with Galliot taking over Caprice.  Kind of a net neutral position given both restaurants were recipients of Two Michelin Stars.

Anyway, little had changed in the interior of Caprice; fantastic views of the harbour, plush interior and open kitchen, which actually seemed to be carrying an even larger brigade of chefs than usual.Like any group of diners coming together, we all arrived at different times.  But once we were all together and introductions completed, it was straight down to business...

Which menu were we going to partake of in our mission to share our Fine Dining experiences with our friends.

With quite a few options, including (quite frankly) some ridiculously expensive options; we settled on the Menu Carte Blanche - Chef Galliot's super-star highlights menu...  Although, for the fisho-phobia at the table, Fi, we had to get the kitchen to come up with some fish-less replacements - a task the kitchen was well up for.

Kickin off the tasting menu was a trio of amuse-bouche designed to tantalise the taste buds and get us well prepared for the delights ahead.  With tastes that built from the savoury salmon mashed into a firm puree to a liquid centred puff with slight Indian curry flavours and finally the contrasting hints of lemon and uni, it was fair to say we were revved for the meal to start.One of my fond memories of Caprice is the plentiful fresh bread and 'cones' of salted butter (replaced regularly throughout the meal).  You don't mess with the classics, and I was super stoked to see that Chef Galliot had not altered the formula.  My choice throughout the night was the mini baguettes, but the rest of the table seemed enamoured with the chilli bread.... Our first formal course started with oysters; a very common way to commence tasting menus nowadays.  As common as the start was, there was nothing common about the flavour combinations of the Gillardeau Oyster with Champagne Sauce and Kristal Caviar!   I loved the medium salinity flavoured oysters contrast to the salty caviar and the sweet sauce.  My main problem was not with the flavour combinations, but the size of the oyster, which was quite punny.  Most of the oysters I've been enjoying lately have been 'mouth filling', but the Gillardeau oyster was very small...The simplicity of message and crispness of flavour would be my takeaway from the Foie Gras Terrine from Vendée with Duck Jelly and Medjoul Date.  The sweet notes of the foie gras were delectable, especially with a richness of flavour coming from the duck jelly.  As good as the foie gras was, the combination of the sweet brioche buns and even sweeter Medjoul Date, really made the dish.  Each component good, but together, some alchemy at work, the flavour combinations were delicious.Quite possibly the best dish of the night was the Brittany Scallop with Carbonara Sauce and Black Truffle.  Get this; the large scallops were hollowed out, with the flesh combined with a truffle puree, then stuffed back inside the outer casing of the scallop, then topped with shaved truffle and shaved ham.  Finishing the dish was a foamy carbonara sauce, adding a slight creaminess to the earthy truffle and sweet scallop.  It was simply as good as it sounded and we all loved it.Well, apart from Fi, who had some other dish......I was conflicted about our next dish of Sea Bream with New Caledonia Shrim Consommé and Ginger. With a bit of theatre, the consommé was poured at the table and without a doubt was both crisp and clear, the hints of ginger tantalising the palate.  No, there was nothing wrong with the flavours; it was the texture of the fish that bothered me....  Instead of being light and flaky, I found it to be just a bit heavy and dense, even a little pasty on the tongue.  It was a little off-putting and detracted from the overall enjoyment of the flavours.Any doubts about the fish course were dispelled with arguably the highlight of the meal!  I mean, Bresse Chicken with Saffron Carrot Variation.....  What's not to like?  Bresse is regarded as the best chicken in the world for good reason; the incredible flavour coming from the moist breast was superb, the skin adding a salty and fatty highlight.  Mopping up the chicken with the sticky jus was delightful, as was adding some of the saffron-infused sweet corn puree and ever-so-perfectly-cooked carrots.  Yeah, this was a total winner and we were all gobsmacked about the flavour.Now it would be fair to say that a table full of Aussies is going to know good beef; I mean, we really do have some of the best beef in the world back in Australia.  So we were all a little disappointed with our main course of Smoked Australian Wagyu Beef Tenderloin with Pumpkin Purée served with Pickled Cucumber and Foie Gras Sauce.  Let me be clear though, the beef was perhaps the most tender I've had since my last visit to Caprice where I selected the USD$300 Wagyu.  But what was missing was flavour!  It was like all of the fatty sweet beef flavours had been leeched out....  Even the addition of a healthy supply of shaved truffle couldn't help I wondered if it was a simple matter of missing seasoning; either way, it was a strong topic of discussion at the table.

For Fi, the highlight of the evening was about to unfold.  Unbeknownst to Fi, I'd asked if we could get a tour of the Cheese Fridge out the back of the kitchen...  I was so happy to see the look of unadulterated joy as Fi was shown into the (quite large) cheese fridge.After we dragged her away, it was time for the cheese board to come by for our cheese course.  Now, for most of our group, this was as impressive as a cheese board gets.  For the girl and I, we were a little shocked to see that the board had halved in size under the new regime....I guess it's all about perspectives and experience.... But at least the guys really enjoyed the cheese that was on offer, and that's the most important thing to consider.

Dessert should have been a highlight....  I mean, the soufflé is my most favourite of desserts and the Lemon Soufflé with Orange Sorbet and Marinated Exotic Fruit sounded divine...  But as luck would have it, the soufflé that had collapsed and not cooked perfectly was given to the guy with the most experience eating soufflés.  As I watched the table wax lyrical about how great the dessert was, I couldn't help feeling a little jealous; my soufflé was in parts soft and gooey, in parts expertly cooked and in parts a bit crumbly....  Well, at least the sorbet was delicious...We'd been enjoying the hospitality of Caprice for nearly four hours, it was getting late and we all decided to forgo the offered coffee, and struggled through the ample supply of petite-four.  It had been quite the experience for us all, for different reasons.  We all loved the wonderful and professional service;  Matty, Fi and the Girl had relished discussions with the sommelier and marvelled the perfect selection of wines offered throughout the meal.

Fi had been awestruck by the cheese room and cheese board and Matty had been inspired by another round of delicious food that had tested and pushed, then ultimately rewarded his palate.

The only bummer for most of us was the lack of flavour in the beef and I personally was disappointed in the soufflé.

Now, this presents an interesting dilemma when talking about and sharing experiences with a meal.  On one hand, it was a very decent meal, and for some at the table who experience this sort of thing less often, it was a super memorable experience....  However, for a Two Star restaurant that's listed as #93 on the Elite Travellers list of the worlds Top 100 restaurants - it was just a little disappointing, especially given the price.

As I said before, it's all about expectations and experience; both of which are high for me.  That said, we all had a sensational time, and that should count for a lot.... Right?

@FoodMeUpScotty

The plethora of talented chefs hitting our shores is quite amazing.

And it seems as if the minimum requirement to open a 'hot' new restaurant in Hong Kong is a chef with an impeccable pedigree and an eye for detail.  Instagram ready food that's crowd-pleasing is a must, along with an atmosphere that is hip, buzzy and oh-so-very-cool.

I'd spied some glorious food photos of a hot new restaurant on Insta a little while ago, the earthy name Beet catching my eye as well.  But it was only after seeing the pedigree of Chef Barry Quek that Beet hit my list of 'must try' dining spots.  I mean, a stint in Worlds50Best restaurant Attica from Australia, as well as time in perennial favourite of mine, Joel Robuchon; and I was totally sold.

We were catching up with usual dining buddies Alex and Aaron; it had been ages since our last outing due to travel and Christmas, and we wanted to share some BIG news  (more on that another day) with them, so hitting an uber cool spot seemed...... right.

I was the first of our quartet to arrive and Beet was pretty much empty; which gave me some time to take in the feel of the dining room.  All the hallmarks of contemporary fine diners were apparent - informal but cool dining, open kitchen with chefs on view and not a tablecloth on site.  I also noticed that each of the placemats had a stem of wheat, which perplexed me until I figured out that it was their way of tracking who'd ordered drinks.Once we'd all arrived and had our drinks orders under control; I casually set the scene and blasted our dining companions with our BIG news (got you wondering, right?) and they were gobsmacked.....  And it meant that we were quite distracted for a while, which I think frustrated our waiters as we took ages to order.There were numerous options on the menu, a la carte of course, but also two tasting menu options - of which we went the most expensive but still incredibly reasonably priced (by HK standards); five courses for $850.

Things happened pretty quickly once we'd ordered and a trio of small bites flew out of the kitchen; starting off with a ceviche of snapper mixed with apple on a light sweet rice cracker.  There was a strong bite of the citrus that the fish had 'cooked' but balanced by a sweet aftertaste from the apple and cracker.The chicken liver parfait with crispy chicken skin and grape was a big hit with the table; presented on a slice of log, the creamy parfait was sweet and delicious.  The parfait was sitting on a crumbly biscuit that offset the creaminess of the key ingredient, crunch chicken skin further adding texture to the palate.Last was the gougeres (French cheese puffs), which didn't look amazing on the plate but were warm balls of love; the gooey soft cheese inside the choux pastry had a subtle bite and the shredded cheese on top just added to the overall sweet/savoury hit of the small bite.Amuse Bouche done, the first course of the tasting menu quickly followed; the Geoduck was a dish which was universally (well, at least at our table) criticised.  We all thought that the dish looked lovely, the vivid green colours contrasting against the simplicity of the white bowl.  But we felt that the main ingredient overpowered the dish, was a little too fishy and was missing some seasoning.  I quite liked the soupy whey that made up the base of the dish and the edamame was nice, but the slightly chewy geoduck (a big clam) didn't hit the mark for me.It was the only (food) miss of the night.

Up next was the bread course.  Yep, you read that right, Beet considers bread a course (as part of the 5-course tasting menu anyway).  Now, I think the fresh, warm and crusty bread was wonderful; in particular, when paired with the smear of room temperature salted butter that accompanied it.  We all raved about that bread and butter (which was replaced once consumed), but to be honest, a course?  Really?

 Sigh.

Anyway, back to reality, and our next (real) course was the Hokkaido Scallops, served with grilled corn, spring onions and a wonderful creamy foam.  There was a light caramelisation to the scallops, which were large but fairly thin, and the sweetness of the scallop worked well when contrasted against the slightly crunchy corn.  I couldn't quite place the foam, but it had a lovely earthy quality to it that enhanced the flavour of the scallops and made me want to lick the bowl clean.There was no let up on the pace of food delivery, and shortly after the scallops were consumed, our Black Label Wagyu was placed.  We were never asked how we wanted our steaks prepared, a bold move by the restaurant; but thankfully, we all really loved the medium rare beef that had bags of flavour from the veins of fat that were prevalent in the beef.  There is something quite delicious about that sweet fatty taste of great wagyu....  We all really loved the quenelle of onion jam that accompanied the beef, and the leek hearts provided a little bit of astringency to counteract the fattiness of the beef.A super dish!

Dessert was a total winner, and to be honest was probably my favourite part of the meal.  Hay Ice Cream was served in a bowl with macerated strawberries and a hint of basil 'soup' underneath.  Crunchy texture came from toasted grains, which were lovely against the super creamy ice cream that had a warming flavour of hay (hard to describe the taste).  However, the dessert really elevated once the strawberries were mixed with the ice cream, totally yummo.The meal finished with an aniseed tea (ignored by myself - yuck, aniseed) and a little square jam filled 'cake' that was scrumptious.We were basking in the glow of a very decent meal (especially when considering the price) when we were politely but firmly asked to pay the bill and vacate the table for the next sitting.

Now, this was a bit of a buzz kill, primarily because at no stage during the booking process, being seated or during the meal, were we advised that we would need to leave by a certain time.  Let me be clear, I have zero issue with this practice when advised, but it's not cool to find out minutes before the table is to be re-used...

Anyhow, the minor quibble of the geoduck and being asked to move on aside; we really enjoyed our meal at Beet, there was a slight Nordic feel to the cuisine, which is obviously very 'now'.  I enjoyed watching the kitchen throughout the meal and we found the service to be really friendly during service.

I tell you, Beet will be a place that I'll be going back to.  You should get along and check it out yourself, but just check what time you need to give back your table...

@FoodMeUpScotty

Talk about bittersweet.

I'd just found out that big changes were afoot at one of my favourite Hong Kong restaurants.

Head chef Oliver E was departing the restaurant that he'd helmed since it's opening and was being replaced.

Ordinarily, I'd have been heartbroken; I mean, I'd spent so much time at Seasons by Oliver E and devoured many great meals there with my girl.

But the shock turned into joy when I found out that renowned German-born alumni of Joel Robuchon, Lorenz Hoja was taking control of the French fine-diner.  Chef Lorenz will always hold a special place in my heart, having met the chef at my very first L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon experience a few years back in Singapore - long before the restaurant had picked up it's two Michelin Stars. To this day, that meal and the friendships I made seated around the open style kitchen, are literally unforgettable (see post at foodmeupscotty.com)

I'd been holding off heading in to see Lorenz and check out the new Seasons menu for a special occasion; and what better time than New Year's Eve?

We were spending the night with regular dining buddies, Gemma and Stephen, a pair of gastronomics with a passion for great food that matched our own....

Over many, many meals at Seasons by Oliver E; I'd never actually seen Chef Oliver in the kitchen; which was a little disappointing (truth be told).  So, as we entered the dining room, I was delighted to see Chef Lorenz standing at the pass of the open style kitchen and marshalling the kitchen troups for the meal ahead.

But it was not a surprise, knowing the level of passion and attention to detail from the widely decorated chef, it made a whole heap of sense and it was clear that he already felt comfortable at the helm.

It took us only moments to decide on the special Christmas tasting menu; a little while longer for the table to sort out the champagne and wine for the evening and we commenced our celebrations for the coming year ahead.

Paying homage to his time at L'Atelier, a very familiar bowl of freshly baked bread hit the table with huge slabs of lightly salted French butter.  We dug in, knowing that it was an amateur move to eat so much bread before a tasting menu, but doing so anyway...Even though Lorenz's signature dish was not on the tasting menu, we were treated to a couple of humongous 'amuse bouche' versions to start the meal.  Lorenz is really well known for his Salmon Tartare with Caviar Imperial & Wasabi emulsion; the finely chopped salmon bright pink against the black bowl, small and precise dots of wasabi emulsion decorating the side of the plate.  The salty hit from the caviar was discernable against the subtle flavour of the salmon, the wasabi just strong enough to tantalise the tastebuds without destroying the palate.Looking very similar to our 'amuse bouche' start to the meal, the Sea Urchin from Hokkaido in cauliflower Coulis and yuzu was presented in a similarly black bowl with more hints of the wasabi emulsion decorating the side of the plate.  It was a case of same same but different from our first plate of food; this time the saltiness coming from uni and the creaminess from velvety cauliflower.  There was a jell sitting atop of the dish that was packed with flavour, contrasting nicely with the fresh uni.There was more Imperial Caviar with our next dish, which was simply delicious; the Brittany Scallops on leeks and Iranian saffron foam was very simple in its presentation but very complex on the palate.  The sweet flesh of the scallops provided a little texture and played beautifully against the saffron foam; stewed leeks sat under the scallops and provided a contrasting sweet hit and texture.  The caviar was the contrasting flavour, the subtle saltiness balancing the sweetness to perfection.I'm a sucker for a great risotto, so loved the complexity of flavours and textures that came from the Black Truffle and spelt risotto with ricotta cheese and cooked ham. The texture of spelt risotto is chewier than rice, but I loved the firm bite of the spelt, but what was best about the dish was the layering of flavours, each mouthful uncovered a new depth of richness, first from the earthy truffle, then from the salty ham and finally from the risotto reduction that had bags of flavour.  I definitely wanted to lick the bowl clean, but somehow restrained myself...We were really hitting the highlights by the time the Sweetbreads from milk-fed veal with chanterelles 'a la crème et vin d'Arbois' arrived.  The rustic looking dish right out of provincial France was another palate pleaser!  With exquisitely prepared sweetbreads that were nicely caramelised, yet moist and full of earthy richness.  Enhancing the sweetbreads was a sauce that simply belonged on the plate, so perfectly matched with the delicate offal.  The bed of chanterelles that accompanied the sweetbreads were just a joyous bonus; I'd have happily devoured a bowl of those mushrooms alone...  But not at the expense of that sweetbread.  YumIt was around this time that we started to feel almost uncomfortably full; the generous serving from each of the tasting menu courses truly adhering to Chef Lorenz's philosophy of not sending anyone home from any of his restaurants hungry...  There was no fear of that, we were worried about getting through the rest of the meal!!

Thankfully, our next course was relatively light; the Blue Lobster – In an opened ravioli with fresh herbs and Foie Gras sauce was another rustic looking dish that did not disappoint.  The perfectly cooked lobster was accompanied by a foie gras sauce that was wonderful and rich, offset by the earthy truffle and artichoke sauce.  I simply adored that sauce, and while I'd have loved a bowl of the gooey foie gras, I was grateful for the restraint shown on the plate; otherwise, the sauce may have been overpowering!Speaking of overpowering, I really struggled with our final savoury dish.  The VENISON – just seared with “Sauce au sang” and stewed savoy cabbage and pomme puree was just a little bit heavy for me.  Whether it was because we were full from a huge tasting menu, or because the sauce was just so thick and rich, I just couldn't add much of the sauce to my venison.  I loved the flavour of the gamey flesh and the earthy truffle that sat atop, but I pretty much steered clear of the sauce.Of course, I finished off the classic Joel Robuchon style pomme puree; as well as cleaning out Steve's bowl (he was stupidly full at this point too)

Lorenz came over to ask how our meal had been; at which point we all noted how full we were.  This elicited a smile from our host, who again articulated that this was his main goal - to which we all agreed that he'd definitely achieved...

Next was a palate cleanser that was totally appreciated! Clementine in duet, fresh from Sicily and sorbet was a citrus hit that both cleansed our palate as well as helped settle our stomach for dessert.Which was a beautifully presented and very sweet end to the meal; the Mont-Blanc chestnut mousse with cassis sorbet and meringue was a well-balanced mix of toasted meringue, chocolate and berry coulis.  The chestnut mousse sitting atop the half dome was topped with more sliced truffle, adding a very earthy touch to the desert and helped bring down the sweetness somewhat.By the time we finished, we still had about an hour and a half before the new year turned over; so we had time to reflect on the year and the meal we'd just consumed.  For me, it was representative of a year where I ate out much less often, but when I did eat out, it was at world-class restaurants.

The food at Seasons was delicious and while there are elements that I will miss from the previous menu (and iteration); the fact that Chef Lorenz has moved from Singapore to Hong Kong is a huge bonus for me; it also means that I'll continue to hit up Seasons whenever I'm wanting a huge and satisfying meal.

Singapore's loss is HK's gain

@FoodMeUpScotty

Sometimes, it really does pay off to be a passenger.

I'm normally the guy that's picking the restaurants when dining; it's not really a problem though, since I love making recommendations on great places to eat.  But it does mean that my dining choices are fairly limited to places I know and/or cuisine options that I'm comfortable with - French

I was catching up with a new business colleague and his PA had selected the location, which truth be told I didn't know existed, nor would I have chosen if I did...

Boy, was I glad I wasn't in control this time, I'd have missed out on a simple, delicious and relatively cheap meal.

The selection was Glasshouse over at IFC.  This option came as a surprise to me, not only because I'd not heard of it before, but also because of its location at IFC.  I didn't even know there was a 4th Floor dining area!  I was quite taken aback by the superb views of the harbour and TST as I stepped out of the elevator and found myself looking for a spacious and modern looking restaurant.As you'd expect with a place called the Glasshouse, the restaurant was predominantly made of glass and was super light and bright.  Adding to its name, there was an abundance of hanging plants and greenery, that seamlessly integrated into the very modern looking dining room and open style kitchen.  I could definitely see the inspiration for the name and felt immediately comfortable.Once we were seated and menus provided, an element of doubt entered my mind; which showed how disconnected from mid-priced dining I'd become...  The menu was made up of descriptions of the courses, as well as photos of each item and an associated 'number' - something I normally associate with cheap and cheerful places where not much English is spoken.

Aside from the fact that I could see what we were choosing, the style of the menu was very much Asian cuisine with a Western twist - more so, each of the photos made the food look eminently desirable and quite tasty!  With a heap of options to choose from, you could say that I went with relatively safe options for my starter an main; but remember, I was still a little dubious in the way the menu was presented....

Which was dispelled the moment my bacon wrapped scallops with shrimp samble sauce and prawn chips was presented.  With a simple presentation that highlighted the perfect sear on the scallops, not to mention the juicy looking seared bacon, I was literally salivating at the prospect of jumping in!  Oh my, the perfectly cooked scallops were moist but springy and the caramelisation was delicious; but what made the dish was the wonderful balance provided by the salty bacon and the sweet scallop flesh.  Each skewer was presented with two scallops, so I had four all up (but could have easily eaten ten or twenty)Thankfully, I skipped dipping the scallops int he samble sauce, which when I tried after I'd finished, was so hot that it would have killed the subtle taste of the dish.My dining companion on the day selected the tuna salad with butter lettuce and anchovy with a homemade dressing; it was really a tuna Nicoise salad with a twist. The fresh looking salad had lightly seared tuna, but instead of the typical olive and potato that came with a nicoise, there was a bean and corn salsa; adding an unusual twist to the flavours.While there was a huge selection of interesting looking twists on your generic Asian cuisine for mains, we both selected the same item for our main, and we were both super happy with our choice!

The steak sandwich Korean style looked just like a typical steak sanga to me, but instead of toast the simple ingredients of juicy tender steak, tomato, cos lettuce and pickles came presented in a flat roll.  Served with the steak sandwich was a handful of rough cut, skin on chips, which were suitably golden, crunchy and delicious.  However, the main story was the steak sanga; there was a subtle bite to the steak, which was incredibly tender, as well as an overarching feeling of freshness from the included salad.  It was a really good bite and I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would.We skipped desserts though, I had to get back to work and didn't have the luxury of hanging around for a sweet finish to the meal.  Perhaps another time....

That there will be another time is without doubt....  The Gaia group of restaurants has a total winner on its hand with the Greenhouse.  There was a feeling of indulgence that came from the premium produce that had been sourced both regionally and globally; and for the price, it was a total bargain to boot!

It was a shame that I couldn't linger, I felt really comfortable in the open plan dining room, with its clean lines, high ceiling and open views of the harbour, it was a place that I could have lingered over the tasty food all afternoon.

No doubt, if I'd have stayed, there may have been another dozen or so of those sensational bacon wrapped scallops accompanying me...

Never had I been so happy to have been a passenger in the selection of a lunch spot!

@FoodMeUpScotty