We ate at Caprice when it first opened years ago. We were not impressed then but after 6 years or so, we thought we'd go back and give it another try.

We had a very disappointing night in terms of food. We cannot understand why this restaurant has 3 Michelin stars (is it 2 or 3, I'm not sure) The food is nothing great - poor texture and bland taste. The wine list selection is very limited, nothing compared to Robuchon.

Prawn Ceviche was a thin roll of raw prawn (the prawn ceviche I have had are marinated in lime juice but this was not, it was just raw) with chewy texture that was wrapped in thin piece of tomato (I think). It had no taste. I could not taste the lemon, peas, tomato or even the caviar that was on top. Duck Foie Gras Terrine was good but it was pretty ordinary. The appearance of the Pigeon was impressive but again, it did not have any distinctive taste that jumps out at you. Same for the duck.

If we are paying about $500 for an appetiser or main course, you want to experience a taste sensation, but we just did not. In fact, if we had been blindfolded we would not have known what we were eating. Maybe the problem is the quality and freshness of ingredients. If ingredients are fresh, you can taste it, but here it just didn't taste much of anything.

Maybe we ordered the wrong dishes but since this is our second time, and we left with the same feeling as the first time, we concluded that this restaurant is not really for our taste.

The restaurant has great ambience and gorgeous seaview. The service was fine. Everything is up to 3 Michelin star standards - until we got to the food. We haven't had such horrible food even at a no star restaurant. Although we always get the tasting menu when we go to a nice restaurant, we decided to just have the Chef du Menu because we were not so sure about the food when we saw the menu.

The pre-appertizer snacks were nothing special, mini hamburgers with spinach/ cauliflower that are bland and uninspiring.

The bread was luke warm. Not bad, but then you can easily get similar quality stuff from Maxim too.

The starter, a ravioli with some chewy stuff that has no taste. The bean paste/soup that covers it reminded my husband of the canned beans he had when he was little. You know, the cheap stuff that poor people ate coz it was filling and nutritious. It was like Jamie Oliver serving baked beans in his restaurant, you just don't get what he was thinking.

The second course was something that looked like the aforementioned ravioli. it had poached egg, salmon, cod, red peppers and a bunch of other stuff that simply just don't go together. The poached egg completely ruined our appetite.

Then came the veal steak with asparagus mouse and mushroom pie. The veal was fine at first, but then the more we ate, the more it felt dry. I had trouble swallowing it and gave up on the second piece. I don't know what to say about the mushroom pie and the asparagus mouse. They just tasted so weird that I gave them all to my husband, who didn't mind them as much.

Then came the disgusting pre-dessert and dessert. My husband surmised at this point that perhaps the chef was ill on the day.

This is the first time i've ever left so much food on my plate in a michelin star restaurant. I might have had issues with some fine dining experience in the past, but the food was always at least acceptable. I was brought up with the firm belief that one should not waste food; however, the chef had already wasted the food, my eating it couldn't have saved it.

What I had in there wasn't as good as what my hubby had.

My main course was good but not excellent. The fish wasn't tender enough. Hubby's lamb was nice but not the best he had. My dessert was lovely. It was mango cheesecake. I enjoyed it very much. And hubby loved his cheese too. The special birthday dessert was yummy. It was chilli chocolate ice cream and salted caramel ice cream with some fresh fruit. They did it well and hubby was very chuffed with that. Overall, the service was better than the food. The restaurant is very beautiful with a lovely view but it gets quite noisy since the the kitchen is open. Maybe they can change that. I don't know.

We will go back there but not in a hurry.

Bouillabaisse Jelly, Tiger Prawn and Light Brandade -
This was an amazing dish for lunch. The herbs and flowers gave it colour and lightness, the bouillabaisse jelly was refreshing yet crustacean fresh, with a hint of cod mousse enhancing it all. Encore!
*
*Steamed Pink Snapper, Anis Scent, Tomato Concasse and Brittany Artichokes in Grelette Sauce -
This fish was cooked perfectly, a great job. The sauce seemed a bit oily for a grelette but it was nicely sour and refreshing. Sided with a 3 spoon quenelle of tomato puree. The only problem? The Anis Scent made this dish ‘smell’ very fishy for some reason during the entire time it was infront of me, but when we ate it it was fine. Very strange indeed…
*
*Easter Special Desserts -
Fun to look at, although 1 or 2 especially the chicken macaron was a little bit too funny haha!

Original Review @

http://foodofhongkong.blogspot.com/2011/05/caprice-iii-12.html

續上文.

Petite Four: Surprise! 七彩復活蛋!

presentation: 100!

food quality: Easter chocolate egg with different fillings. 偏甜.甜點 (Easter限定版):

A Selection of Our Pastry Chef's Sweet Delights -- Green Apple Tart in Bunny Style, Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate coffee Eclaire, Pineapple macaroon with lime cream filling in Chichy Style, Carrot Cup Cake with Cream Cheese on Top in Sheepie Style.

presentation: what a innovative and funny desserts presentation! 此乃Easter限定版, 其實係平日變奏版.

food quality: everything taste good. 碟邊'Happy Birthday' 字樣 + candle 的presentation. 咖啡:

Cafe Latte: foamy-奶多且泡沫實在, a vy good Latte!

Cappuccino: foam a bit flat, but taste good. Comments: Please make table reservation at least a month before to secure window seat. Very cozy dining area, delicate French Cuisine, must visit once in a life time!

Price: HK$480 + 10% service charge

My first meal out in HK of 2011 was at Caprice, as I left right after New Years to Seoul, where it was snowing and I had a red nose everyday from the cold.... Shopping isn't so fun when its -10degrees C! For lunch on this day, we were a three-some - mum, my brother and myself. We had a good time for the most part... but I'll let you decide whether it's worthy of a re-visit for lunch...

“Amuse bouche” – garlic herb bread sticks
I was surprised when this was our amuse. I double-checked with the waitress and indeed it was our amuse for the day... Whilst it wasn't bad, it was very average and boring....not something which I expected...

"salted and unsalted butter"
once voted best condiments in HK on cnngo... this was plenty for the three of us to go with the bread basket the waiters came around with... the salted was quite yumm but I honestly don't think I am of the caliber to distinguish salted butter from Brittany and other salted French butters...

As for the bread, I had a rye and brioche roll for a contrast. Both were good but I wish they were warm.

On to our orders for the day...."Correze Chestnut Veloute"
with Duck Foie Gras and Croutons
This was mum's choice. According to her it was good."Alaskan King Crab, Shellfish Jelly and Mango Mousse"
I chose this as my appetizer, and it was delicious despite the hiccup I experienced - the first one had a tiny tiny bug on a micro-green leaf, and I notified a waiter who kindly offered to exchange it for me. Ten seconds later another waiter ]in black suit] came back and said that the black thing was a seed. Trust me, it was not. I had shown it to my brother next to me prior to sending the dish back and we had both seen the bug with its antlers and all! To have a bug is one thing, to have a waiter try to defend the goodwill of the restaurant by lying denying the truth is another which I couldn't accept...

So back to the actual dish - I really liked the combination of flavours - from the light and sweet mango mousse to the fresh crab meat, and jelly which was studded with diced sweet bell peppers. If the triangle crips could've been more crispy/brittle, then for me this would've hit a 9 or 10!

"Scallops a la plancha"
with a watercress custard and green lentils

another photo because it deserves it...

this scallop dish was deceptively simple in appearance but really very tasty. the four scallops could have been juicier and fatter like the ones you often find from Japanese restaurants, but these were perfectly seared a la plancha (i.e. hot plate). the pool of sauce which the green lentils was stewed in was not very appealing in colour (greenish-brown?!) but certainly very tasty, with Indian/SE Asian spices which I definitely did not expect! The watercress custard was very green and tasted green too, could have used a bit of seasoning, but quite enjoyable with the lentil stew because of its panna cotta-like consistency...

"Coated Veal Head"
with Pommery breadcrumbs, Vegetable Meli-Melo and Tartar Sauce

my brother wanted to be adventurous and went ahead and ordered this dish, but I had my doubts as to how they were going to make the head of a baby cow tasty...
The brown cake in the photo is a deep-fried 'cake' of shredded meat (which I assume is from the head of the animal), and the outer layer was perfectly thin and crisp, not heavy despite its appearance. I thought the cake was very well seasoned and the meat/fat inside incredibly tender, but the creamy and slightly tangy tartar sauce added another layer of flavour. My brother (who hates most vegetables save for choy-sum) happily ate all the vegetables on top too (of course, with some help from the yummy house-made tartar sauce).

"Teriyaki Wild Pollack"
with Creamy Basmati Rice and Shiitake Mushroom

This was mum's choice, and I had a bit of the perfectly seared pollack - not my first choice of fish because it is way too lean which means the texture isn't comparable to cod or salmon when roasted / pan-fried etc., Anyway, I felt that this dish was definitely lacking in....sodium! The name was also slightly deceiving... 'Teriyaki' denotes a sweet soy marinade-coated protein, but this had drops of the sauce on the side which for aesthetic purposes was excellent, but not such a big hit for me on flavour.

"dessert trolley"
"Desserts" is what i read on the menu before anything else... so I was waiting for this course with excitement. There were six selections for the day...and our selections (all) can be seen below.

"petit fours"
marshmallow, pineapple financier, caramel candy, chocolate with cranberry filling
I liked the textures of the marshmallow but it was too sweet, and the chocolate with the tart cranberry reduction was definitely my favourite. my plate
Blueberry macaron, berries tart, blueberry mille-feuille
the macaron was impeccable - it was larger than your average candy but was so yum - crisp exterior, chewy interior, had a foot and the chocolate and blueberry filling inside was a perfect balance of sweetness.
the berries tart was fresh, and the base is buttery and shortbread-like
the mille-feulle had a crisp pastry, but i didn't really like the filling - a layer of blueberry, mascarpone cream and white chocolate - i'd be happy with a good creme patissiere and fresh berries!brother's plate
yuzu creme with a diced mango crumble - incredibly sour but quite light and nice if you like yuzu.
Chocolate cake - had liquor and was a tad too dry, we left this.
Coffee eclair was quite enjoyable. There was a coffee mousse on top, a layer of tempered chocolate, caramel mousse on pastry which could've been slightly less soggy if I am to be picky...

"cappuccino"
wasn't a bad cuppa, but simply not near Mandarin Oriental's.

Save for the 'hiccup' I experienced during the appetizer course - which I can understand because a bug in Caprice's food would be appalling news, but it did happen, and I didn't understand why they couldn't just accept that it was a bug -I was pretty satisfied with lunch here, and left feeling content (thanks to the exceptional macaron!). I would come back again I guess, just not running back...

For more photos : http://gastronomerr.blogspot.com/2011/01/caprice.html

I went there weeks ago for lunch.
i haven't taken any photos.
want to share funny thing.
a french waiter came to introduce the red wine,
he talked really fast with low voice.
he wasn't stand next to me but my friend.
few minutes after he finished, i told him "sorry, i don't speak french"
he showed really suprising facing expression and answered me
" i was speaking english"
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! really embarrassing!!
then he wasn't quite happy and said " oh then i have to start it all over again!"
he seemed like quite arrogant.
but frankly, my english (at least listening) is not really bad. his accent was too strong and i thought he was speaking french!
i can't say he is not polite but not the courtesy i expected.

well, about the food - it's so so. not 10 out of 10 good but i will score 7.5 out of 10

What made yesterday's Sunday lunch at Caprice most enjoyable and worth coming back for was not just the affordable set menu and lovely view, but the exceptional and personable service. After a rather disappointing experience (service-wise) at Spoon at Intercontinental, I was very impressed by the polite attentiveness of the staff who quietly appear by our side whenever we need service (you only need to look up to establish eye contact), water constantly refilled, and fresh bread basket offered whenever you finish your last bread. Service was always at hand, never intrusive. Full-marks there. We made reservations >3 weeks ago, and were rewarded with a table by the window.

Now for the food. We ordered 2 2-course and 2 3-course lunch, which includes a glass of wine, and coffee/tea. I had the Chestnut Velouté with Duck Foie Gras, Australian Lamb Rack and dessert from the pastry trolley. Friends ordered the beef consomme with marinated tenderloin, Alaskan King Crab with Shellfish Jelly and Mango Mousse, Teriyaki Wild Pollack with Creamy Basmati Rice and Shiitake Mushrooms, Crispy Pork Belly with Sweet Corn Purée and Sautéed Polenta in Cumin Jus, and Coated Veal Head with Pommery Breadcrumbs, Vegetable Mèli Melo and Tartar Sauce.

The chestnut velouté was smooth and had an interesting pungent taste of the foie gras (mental note: I prefer my foie gras in solid state, panfried). A taste of the beef consomme with marinated tenderloin won me over with it's rich stock and melt-in-the-mouth tenderloin.The Alaskan King Crab concoction looked pretty and tasted heavenly.

I requested my Australian lamb rack done medium, and it was cooked to perfection. The meat was tender, juicy and firm (no sign of fats, not even on the side - just the way I like it!), and the accompanying Pine Nut Risotto in Wood Scent Sauce was delicious. Friends who tried the Crispy Pork Belly were impressed at the tenderness and swore they cannot taste the oil in the fats that thinly line the different layers of the pork - I believe them but can't bring myself to try it. The Wild Pollack was fresh and the accompanying bismati rice and shiitake was really creamy and yummy. I did not try the veal, but my friend enjoyed it - the crisp golden exterior belied the tenderness of the veal within. The full-bodied Chilean red was a great complement to the food.

Dessert was a notch less exciting as we were pretty much stuffed by then. You get to choose 3 pieces from the dessert platter. Unfortunately, there was no cheese cake nor creme caramel. I loved the chocolate mousse cake and the eclair, but the macaroon was too sweet for my liking. Coffee was served with a complimentary assortment of sweets/chocolate, so another mental note to opt for a 2-course meal if I'm too full, or if the dessert platter is too unexciting (not that it will ever happen).

It's always a pleasant journey of visiting 4 Season's Hotel.
The Caprice has been so renowned in town for her Michelin-rated status.
Tried the lunch this time.
Started with beautiful pastry - all really fresh, house-made bakery and pastry - superbly yummy. We love the texture.

Appitizers
The crab soup and shellfish roll and the Duck foie gras, chick and wild mushroom terrine in curry dressing came next. These were beautiful - so nicely presented and prepared.


Main Course
Fillet with oyster infusion
Wagu beef shoulder, celery and seasonal vegetible in red wine sauce
Once again, beautifully made.



Dessert - our favorite part
Fresh pineapple, coconut crumble and pina colada sorbet....

It's like heaven, we came out with BIG SMILE.

I went there for lunch shortly after they opened, couple of years ago & was greeted by a snoobish attitude. (things should have improved a lot more since then; I've dined at other restaurant at the 4 seasons since). After settling things with the staff, I ordered lunch.
The ambience of the whole restaurant was very good with a good outlook towards the Kowloon penninsula.
What you would expect from a 5 star hotel. Food preparation was excellent - they served the pumpkin soup in a carved out minature pumpkin which I thought was very clever.