Le Salon De Thé de Joël Robuchon  

Finally, I am here! After a Chinese style dim sum breakfast, I decided to come here for the virgin visit.

Agree that the famous croissant is good. We had a plain one (HKD12) and another one topped with almond flakes (HKD17). However, the coffee (claimed to be blue mountain mixed with sth., cannot remember the name) was awful. Maybe I am of bad taste, but I would rather have Stxxbxxcks instead of this one, not to mention that it cost me HKD60!!

It was 7:45am. It was a Monday. Humidity above 85%. The weather sucks. It was definitely not a good way to start the week. Usually I would still be in bed at this time under my blanket crouching like a cooked prawn with the air conditioner blowing out cool air at 24 degree Celsius. But not this very morning because there was a breakfast gathering with a few friends. I was (am still) very surprised I can actually get up this early and be so awake when I arrived in Central. Maybe I should try to sleep around 5 hours a night and get up bright and early for a change !? humm ... when was the last time I had breakfast? 3 weeks ago? or was it a month ago? ... o well.

Since we were meeting at Landmark, we were too lazy to walk back over to LFK for some Tsui Wah breakfast which I enjoyed once in a while but it tends to be too much for breakfast in my opinion. Also, we were a bit tight with time so Cafe Landmark was ruled out. Other than Starbucks, where can we have a light breakfast? LE SALON DE THÉ de Joël Robuchon

Note: Not the restaurant which is either LE JARDIN de Joël Robuchon or L'ATELIER de Joël Robuchon; but the Patisserie store on the 3rd floor.

(1) Le croissant aux amandes (Almond croissants) & Le pain au chocolat (Chocolate croissant)
Now, I don't know about you but I think the Almond croissant here is one of the best in Hong Kong. I am yet to find a place that can top it. At HKD 17 a piece, both hands down and two big thumbs up! It was served warm (re-heat with oven on order) and the layers were very thin making it very crisp on every bite. The icing, the almond flakes and the almond filling ... o o o ... yes ... o o o ... so good! The chocolate croissant was equally well done with just the right amount of chocolate filling together with thin and crisp layers. The layers were so thin that you can break through them by a slight touch with the tip of your tongue. How I wish I can stuff the whole thing into my mouth so no single croissant flakes would be left behind (or went to waste). Leave no flakes behind !!!

Next breakfast gathering ... to be decided; but maybe it can be a weekly thing from now on? humm ... maybe I should stop by tomorrow morning and grab myself an almond croissant for breakfast again. A little luxury to start the day! By doing so, at least there is something to look forward to in the morning other than heading back to the office right away ... right? ;)

Likes:

* Le croissant aux amandes (Almond croissant) - you have to experience it yourself! If chance permit, sit down to enjoy instead of buying take-away.
* Le pain au chocolat (Chocolate croissant)
* Le croissant aux amandes (Almond croissant)
* Le croissant aux amandes (Almond croissant) - I mentioned that already right? haha .. well, worth mentioning again and again !!

Dislikes:

* I am sorry, I am still thinking ...

Avg Spending: Below HKD 100 per person

Original Blog: http://jason-bonvivant.blogspot.com/2009/08/le-salon-de-de-joel-robuchon.html

Didn't feel like taking pictures of the food today but there are plenty here, which is more than enough supplementary info.

We had the savories set for 2 today, which had 4 types of different sandwiches and 2 types of different scones. All of them are in small portion but that's fine, taste and presentation could compensate that.

But the scones were really not my type - they were too dry, especially the round ones (the other type is essentially the same but just rectangular in shape with raisins). I couldn't cut them across properly because the top just came off once I've put my knife into the side of it. It also crumbled like cookies, which is rather disappointing.

Though the scones were not for liking, the strawberries and rhubarb jam was fantastic. It's not too sweet nor sour, with enough tanginess and freshness and that provided a good balance with the clotted cream and the butter (a bit too rich?) in the scones. I'd say it's comparable to MO's rose petal jam. If I were to come back again for the scones, it would be because of the S&R jam (sorry for the short form), not the scones themselves.

I had the peach & passionfruit tea, it's so-so, was too happy that (1) the peach didn't smell/taste too fake and (2) the tea wasn't too sour.

It's a pity how this seemingly reputable restaurant/cafe had given me quite a disappointing first impression.

I intended to drop by for a tea set sometime cos I was very much attracted by the pictures fellow 'critics' took. As I was shopping in IFC on a Saturday afternoon with a friend, I sudden had this coffee-crave, so I suggested we should walk over to this famous cafe in Landmark. I was so very excited - I LOVE coffee!

The cafe seemed to be quite full, so we decided just to get a take away. Service was alright, not particularly good though. The easiest way to compare coffees from different restaurants is to have your regular. So I ordered a cup of skinny latte, with a bit of extra foam on top. I like paying attention on how they make my coffee... They used Kowloon Dairy milk, which I had never tried. The barista didn't really concentrate on foaming the milk, and he was quite 'rough' in doing so. He poured the milk into the cup so quickly it nearly brimmed over! (And obviously he forgot about the extra foam).

Well, not like I am a professional coffee drinker, and I'm not sure if I was expecting too much, but it really wasn't a very good cup of coffee. First thing it did was... It burnt my tongue! The milk wasn't foamed properly, there wasn't much foam actually, didn't give me the velvety sort of sensation - if you know what I mean. It tasted like regular hot milk. The coffee was a bit too roasted I reckon. And with the price ($55), I could get a much better one, cheaper - my favourite cafe is still Fuel at IFC. OH well... like what my friend said, you'll never know if you never try!

It's always easy to make a cup of coffee, but to make a good one, the barista really needs to put his/her heart into it. Your products will never be recognised if you only focus on 'get your job done'. Your coffee would just taste like those from coffee chains.

All I could say is, it wasn't worth the walk. (Though I supposed it was good exercise ) To be fair, I'll definitely go back for the tea set.

I bought a wrong croissant. I wanted to buy the plain one which was the cheaper thing. It turned out to be the $17-Almond Croissant, AND it was even better!

I had it as breakfast, which was eaten the following day. Though the crispy texture has gone *for sure*, the taste was still excellent! A big number of sugared almonds topped on the pastry, it was not that too sweet. And inner croissant was numerous layers with caramel sauce, the bite was superb! The best was it fitted as a full breakfast and not really very sugary and oily to me. What an astonishment

My fd and I ordered a tea set for two, $298. As we didnt sit inside the restaurant, no extra 10% service charge was needed. We had scones, sandwiches, pastries and coffee ( pictures attached)

Sandwiches and scones were not very special, but the pastries were really delicated and well-presented. However, they were too sweet for me somehow...

Last bu not least, waiters were nice and helpful. They kept walking around and see if we needed help.

It's funny... I was looking for avoset coffee creamer on internet and found this upscaled Italian café's review on openrice. I was shocked at once, what an Italian restaurant does with Avoset creamer? Learned later they offer coffee in addition to the usual espresso-based drinks and this is where I supposed to find the best croissant in town ($12 each) according to the reviews. Also surprised their blue mountian is only $35 ? (vs $88 at UCC vienna café) If this is true, it's going to be quite a find in town.

OK, I decided to give it a try today. At the counter, I only saw "Coffee Small $35". I've to ask for the coffee menu. I immediately spotted the first item "Coffee (Blue Mountain and Kona) $35". Wow! I almost screamed out loud... $35 for Blue Mountain or Kona!! Ha... I was naive enough to order a cup of Kona coffee & 2 croissants (this was supposed to be my lunch, I'm slim), I thought this was going to be my first cup of Kona in HK. You know what? For $35, they refused to give me Kona; it's a blend of Kona AND Blue Mountain!! What kind of people will blend these precious beans together? This is ridiculous.

Well, forget about the coffee. The croissants were really really good, I could see hundreds of layers (ok, I lie ... It's impossible to count) but it's certainly not the best in town... It's the BEST I'd ever had, the crispy layers, the smell of butter and they serve them warm too. The best companion to coffee.

You'll certainly see me more often at Landmark from now on. The question is, do they let me bring my own coffee?

5-pt for the Croissant, no point for coffee.

The pastries, coffee and the afternoon tea at Cafe Le Salon de The have been widely loved by Hong Kong patrons and many OR reviewers. I am a fan myself, frequently indulging in the ice creams, baguettes, croissants and the delicate cakes and pastries.

Today, I am going to write about the daily lunch which no one seems to mention in these reviews. As usual, no pictures from me (as I am excitedly devouring the food) but I am hoping that my words can convey enough for you to try for yourself.

The Cafe Le Salon delivers absolutely delightful and reasonably priced daily specials that range from classic french bistro dishes and also absolutely delicious pasta. If you can get one of the seats at the balcony areas of landmark (which are for robuchon clients but not part of the restaurant), you get even a better deal with the service charge waived!. The only trouble is that for the balcony seats, you need to go early as they don't take reservations and you have to order, pay first at the counter and then take your seat at the balcony.

I've been there a few times and here's what I've tried.
Food
(1) Daily pasta
This has been quite a failproof dish at Robuchon. They really do great pasta. Last time the daily special was a warm aldente and absolutely delicious tagliatelle (broad egg noodles) with a green pesto sauce (this sauce was not very green but had hints of pecorino cheese), topped with thick cut parma ham and (you won't believe this), thin slices freshly shaven earthly white truffles!! (for HK$120). Unbelievable value! I was completed satiated after eating this.(despite the portions were small)

(2) Cheeseburger with Kagoshima Beef and Handcut french fries
It was a small burger with two (not too thick) Kagoshima beef patties with cheese, lettuce and some tomatoes. This is a very unimpressive looking anemic burger but wow, it packs a punch of taste and flavor. The beef was very well seasoned and the tomatoes were fresh and the lettuch were already thinly cut. It was very perfect for me because I could never eat a really fat burger and have all the flavors of the ingredients at the first bite. This one was perfectly manageable! Absolutely great. The fries they were great too. Fat fries fried to a crisp outside but soft inside.

(3) Roast of the Day
This also changes from day to day. Some days, they have roast baby pork, roast beef or roast chicken. I would have love to try baby pork but on my day it was roast chicken. The roast chicken was the only dish that did not surprise me positvely. Don't get me wrong, it was tasty and fleshy, meat was tender and succulent but the seasoning could have been tastier. This was served with the signature superbuttery mashed potatoes and small lettuce hearts. OVerall, it will satisfy your craving for a delicious roast chicken but it won't send you swooning.

(4) Other dishes available
Lamb cutlet with thyme and potatoes/ Salmon with white butter sauce etc. I haven't tried these.

(5) Desserts : Great as usual (especially pear caramel tart)!

Service
I think they are too thinly staffed for the big area they have to cover (including the balcony). It's hard to get the attention for waiters and they are constantly busy. They looked completely overworked.

AmbienceThe balcony areas are nice because you do get a lot of privacy as it is one table to each balcony. Though each table can only sit a maximum of four people.. Great for dining alone too since it's pretty private.

Overall, I love this place. and I would highly recommend it for a casual lunch with friends after working out in your wallet at the Landmark!

Following our visit to L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon upstairs, Little Meg & I were eager to get some more sweets here at Le Salon. I've been visiting Le Salon on and off for the last couple of years and have found a few favourite bakery/pastry items, including the reknowned croissant which is all the rage around town.

I'd love to get some macarons too, but I had other engagements then on, I couldn't afford to have my delicate macarons subjected to shock injury so I decided to have something else:

Smoked Norwegian Salmon with Dill (Saumon Fume) ($43) - this finger sandwich is stylishly tucked inside a signature Robuchon red plastic "box". The sandwich itself doesn't look spectacular but is a delightful combination of layered smoked salmon alternating with cheese, with the slightest hinge of dill. The highlight is the crispy filo pastry at the bottom - think about a savoury version of the classic mille feuille. Haha.

Le Financier ($12/2 pcs) - oh these lovely gems are irresistable! Apart from the light almondly "original flavour" of the classic French tea cake, the other one in the pack is a twist with chocolate. Both are spongy and great with tea or coffee.

There are other items that I enjoy equally:

Macarons ($8@) - shown in the pictures are Pistachio, Chestnut and Raspberry. Looks like they're serving petite sizes here, so it's relatively guilt-free From my limited experience with macarons I'd say these are good, but in terms of the choices of flavours, among other things, my ranking of macarons in HK would be Jean-Paul Hevin > Robuchon > LGB.

Tarte au Citron ($34) - after trying this there's no turning back to my Starbucks lemon tart even if it's just half the price. While you may think the again almondly shortcrust base is just standard fare, you'll surely fall in love with the smooth but tangy, yet not overwhelming lemon custard.

Well, my answer to the title of this review has to be positive. Le Salon is some little luxury that one can indulge in once in a while and feel it's worth the money.

How clever was the L’Atelier’s kitchen to send out the macarons as part of the petit fours. These little gems instantly reminded me to stroll downstairs and get some macarons to go. The indecisive me of course couldn’t (or wouldn't ) pick and choose from the various flavors, ranging from lemon, chocolate, raspberry, vanilla, to caramel, praline, passion fruit and pistachio. A lovely box of all 8 flavors ($64/box) was the way to go. My mom always loves chestnut and anything related, so I also got a L’ardéchois (Chestnut Cake, $34), plus the strikingly gorgeous heart-shaped Le Blanc (Strawberry White Chocolate Cake, $40) to show my love

At late night, I surprised my mom with the desserts, and I assumed her grins were signs of approval. I only had a small bite of each (as they were, afterall, for my mom), but both of us agreed that the strawberry white chocolate cake was the superior of the two. It tasted even better than the white chocolate cake with passionfruit that we had in the past, with the creamy moussy white chocolate blended perfectly with the sweet and fruity strawberry fillings. She said it was light and refreshing despite the use of white chocolate, and heart-shaped always worked for females of all ages.

The chestnut cake was lacking a bit of the chestnut flavor, and the monotonous sweetness became pale in comparison to the Le Blanc. The texture was also not as smooth as we would like, and we both found the Le Mont-Blanc was a better chestnut rendition at the salon with the super velvety chestnut ribbons on top.

The macarons, like always, were delightful with the marvelous shell texture of crispy exterior and slightly chewy interior. The smooth fillings were never too cloying and complemented perfectly with the shells. I particularly like their relatively small size which allows you to enjoy each flavor without the feeling of over-indulgence.

Of course, for me, nothing was better and sweeter than the big smiles on my mom’s face. That’s the kind of sweetness that no chef can create. Only you and your loved one can.

Had lunch alone in Central. There were many people in Manadarin cake shop so I went here for lunch.

Had a cheese and ham sandwiches $43. There were four large cream cheese. The hand-cut ham was very thick too. The bread was warm and crispy. A perfect combination of bread, ham and cheese.

Also had a ginger risotto $35. Just like drinking chinese dessert "ginger milk". Didn't feel any taste of coffee. very delicous too.

Bought two pieces of cake ($34 each) for tea time and one croissant ($12) and one cho pear muffin ($32) for breadffast tomorrow morning.

The chestnut cake had a layer of passionfruit. It is very delicous together iwth the rich chestnut. the chocalte in the tart is very rich and delicious too. I love both of them.

The muffin was very veyr expensive. If i knew it cost $32, i will not buy it. There were quite many chocoalte but don't worth for that. the crossant and muffin tasted good after reheating in the next monring.

A recent restaurant survey ranked L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Hong Kong higher than the one in New York, and better than the Robuchon in Tokyo. I for one strongly disagreed with the standing. Among the 15+ times I visited L’Atelier in NYC, the food and service was consistently great there. On the other had, my 3 Robuchon’s visits in Hong Kong varied from great, good, to ok food but really poor service. While L’Atelier in Hong Kong no longer aroused my interest, the salon, on the other hand, intrigued me somewhat because there wasn’t any Robuchon’s bakery in Manhattan. After seeing the extremely alluring pictures of the afternoon tea in 食鬼0’s review, I decided to pay a few visits and see if Cafe- Le Salon De The & La Boutique could excite my palate.

Just a preface: The reasons that I found Robuchon’s food appealing were the perfection in technique, the attention to details, and the artistically divine presentations. I was always amazed on how he came up with such aesthetic illustration of food which became almost too pretty to eat. Even more compelling was the precision in presentation no matter where and what you order at a Robuchon’s restaurant. For instance, the many times that I ordered L'oursin (Sea Urchin in Lobster Gelée, Topped with a Cauliflower Cream) or L'anguille (Smoked Foie Gras Layered with Caramelised Eel), they came out exactly the same each time, and appeared virtually identical to KC’s and 惡男's versions in Hong Kong.

Therefore, when I had the afternoon tea set for two at the salon, I wasn’t at all surprised when the food presented was a photocopy version of 食鬼0’s. Each of the savory finger sandwiches, including Lobster Sandwich flavored with Tarragon, Tuna with Fresh Mache Pave, Premium Ham with Mustard Seeds, and Norwegian Smoked Salmon with Caviar, was meticulously constructed and plated. The set of natural and fruit scones, with Devonshire clotted cream and home-made raspberry and strawberry jam, was also artfully presented. The tiny pieces of lavender, the red current berries, and the silvers of dried fruit peels exemplified Robuchon’s thoughtfulness to details. While the food tasted fine and the ingredients were fresh, there weren’t any excitements or sparks that could be derived from these two sets. I fairly enjoyed the premium ham sandwich which was made with (I believe) jambon de Paris with the chives and lavender adding a tinge of herbal and floral complexity. The other three were rather ordinary with the simple flavors of the fresh salmon, the finely minced lobster bits, and the olives taking the center stage, lacking further depths in flavors. The scones were also quite boring, though the jam was enjoyable with some floral aroma possibly from rose essence. The caramel latte and jasmine tea that we had were simple and pleasant, just the right companions for the various savory and sweet bites.

While the flavors of the first two sets of food didn’t leave us with strong impressions, the second set of pastries fared a lot better. Like most Robuchon’s creations, the stunning presentation made one want to pause for a moment to appreciate the exquisiteness of these treats. I am not a sweet tooth, but all five of the pastries turned out to be delicate and delectable. The luscious Mont-Blanc was a combination of velvety ribbons of chestnut cream, white chocolate cigars, and a refreshing citrus-y center; The Macaron Ganache was a winner as well, with the mini praline macarons tasting extremely fresh and providing a great textural variation. The Paris-Brest, while not a favorite of us, would be a pleasure to chocolate and nut lovers with the almond-topped choux pastry filled chocolate cream and candied walnuts. The passionfruit custard was a great foil to the creamy white chocolate in the Exotique, stimulating the taste buds in every bite. The Blueberry Cheesecake, on a contrast, became rather pedestrian and forgettable. That said, I really appreciated the balance of different flavors (e.g. citrus, floral and chocolate) and textures in these pastries so that none of them were overly sweet or too one-dimensional.

The petit fours consisted of a very moist piece of lemon cake, a chocolate nut crunch, and two fruit jellies. A nice finish to a satisfying dessert set in the end.

On subsequent visits, I also tried the foie gras with mango sandwich which was probably my least favorite of all the special sandwiches there. The savory quiches lacked the creamy texture that I was looking for, though up to this point I still haven’t found a good quiche in Hong Kong. Fortunately, plenty of goodness made up for the bad experiences. I don’t have to rave about the most praised croissants, but to me the baguettes, brioches, and country bread are even more impressive and probably as close as you can get to the European artisanal bread and pastries overseas. I also enjoyed the cold sandwiches a lot, particularly the one made with baguette and brie as the all the ingredients were of high quality, and the sandwiches were served at the right temperature.

I was actually quite impressed by the macarons after trying out all the flavors. While they weren't the best in town texture-wise, the freshness of the macarons were very profound (a key factor to great macarons) and the subtle sweetness left me wanting more and more, especially my favorite flavors praline and caramel.

Service was very weak, I must say. My visits were often filled with numerous delays in responding to requests and unfamiliarity to the food presented. I understood that this was only the Salon and not the L’Atelier upstairs, but when you have Robuchon’s name attached to your establishment, this kind of service just didn’t cut it.

Overall, my indictment was that the food at La Salon is perfectly executed and brilliantly constructed and the style and presentation was very much L’Atelier. But the flavor, while great, didn’t remind me of Robuchon. Nothing I ate made me feel revelatory or ethereal. At the end of each meal I felt like I was only getting 50% of Robuchon, namely, the artistry, with the other half of the equation, the flavor, lost in translation. I will still recommend the salon for great pastries, desserts, and bread. But if you really want to have a Robuchon’s experience, please go upstairs to L’Atelier, where you can at least “taste” his greatness.


Footnote (or Food-note): I noticed that a lot of people (even food magazines) have macarons and macaroons mixed up. Macarons are traditional sandwich-like French pastries made with two thin cookies and a cream or ganache between the cookies. Macaroons, on the other hand, are sweet concoctions made either with coconut and egg white or with a coarse almond paste formed into a dense cookie or confection. You can see the picture above for reference. Although in England French macarons are sometimes spelled “macaroons”, it isn’t technically accurate unless you specify “French Macaroons”. In the US, they are not interchangeable! Just thought I will share.

Had their tea set for 2 the other day which consisted of 4 finger sandwiches, 4 scones, and 6 cakes! Might be a bit too much cake for 2 people (am personally more of a savoury person than sweet) but for 3 people this set is perfect.
*Notice how there are 3 salmon flowers & 3 macarons on one of the cakes! Things in the set are in fact more easily shared equally between 3 people than 2 (perhaps apart from the 4 scones - but when there's so much cake, 1 scone each is enough anyway)
So we were first served lobster, tuna, turkey & salmon finger sandwiches. As you may see from the photos, all of them were beautifully presented. Tastewise they were probably about as good as finger sandwiches can get. The scones (raisin & plain) arrived soon after with some nice strawberry jam & clotted cream.
Next came the CAKES which looked just as impressive (if not more) than the sandwiches. The chocolatey cakes were well-balanced by the fruity ones which made the overall "cake experience" not too rich & heavy.
A week later I came back for the same tea set and noticed that everything remained the same except the passionfruit flavoured macarons were replaced by chocolate ones

so my friend and i decided to try out the tea sets at Robuchon, and we picked the full tea set for 2 which cost $298.

the set came with 2 drinks (either tea or coffee). I ordered lady grey tea while my friend got a cupt of coffee.

we started with the savory stuff. there were four mini-sandwiches. One had Norwegian Salmon on it, which was pretty nice. One had tuna, parma ham, a bit of vege and olives. I'm not a fan of olives, but I still find this sandwich tasty =) the sandwich at the very back of my photo was the best out of the four. There was a slight touch with spices on it and it made the sandwich pretty refreshing. the greenish sandwich was fine with a soft texture.

then we moved on to the scones. they were served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. there were strawberry dices in the jam and i just LOVED it the scones were of mini sizes too. the rectangular ones were raisin scones and the round ones were lemon-flavored (i think i saw 'lemon' on the menu) but it tasted just like any plain scones.

after we're done, the waiter collected the dishes and brought us the most anticipated part of our tea - pastries. they were so nicely set up. We had the almond chocolate first. it was good, but would be better if there were less almonds. and we have a lemon-mousse thingy with mixed berries on top, i would say it was as good as Robuchon's lemon tart, except that it was a bit more creamy. and we had a hazelnut cake, which was lovely also. blueberry cheesecake was like any normal blueberry cheesecake. there was one cake that looked like chestnut cake, but it actually tasted like passionfruit/ grapefruit cake. I liked the taste, because it gave us a totally different flavor other than desserts that had chocolate ingredients. and we had the three mini-macarons. this time they gave us hazelbut macarons (i saw a couple at another table were having greenish macarons which might be pistachio macarons). it was GREAT! with a strong taste of hazelnut we only had a bite of the plain cake in the end, it was good too, but we were too full to finish everything up.

it was a fine experience overall. From how the waiters served, you could see that they were quite well-trained =). I would definitely return for tea again =)

I don't think there is anything here that I haven't had already - sometimes I even sacrifice my lunch 'tummy' space just to down some tarts or noisettes or cakes or croissants.

The prices here are extremely affordable vs the quite high quality, even down to the Macarons which have the perfect crunchy exterior texture with moist internals, plus fillings which actually taste like the fillings.

The only gripe I have is that the Croissants here (which I've had too many of them) aren't consistent. Sometimes there is hardly any buttery taste, sometimes they're under baked and too soft. If you eat in instead of takeaway- they usually heat it up for you and its nice and crispy, although a bit too flaky and messy to eat. I think I prefer the croissants over at Kool Deli on the Kowloon side in Shangri la a tad better, as they're not too flaky and has stronger butter taste.

The coffees here meanwhile have a great blend - the baristas aren't usually too bad, especially a young guy working there, but they're not doing justice to the coffee blend on the espresso machine, sometimes pouring it too fast or making it have a bitter aftertaste. Milk texturing is also slightly too bubbly.

I love the salted caramel tarts here as well as everything else, even though they're nowhere near as good as the ones in the Tokyo Ebisu's branch in terms of variety.