Le Salon De Thé de Joël Robuchon  

Joel Robuchon was the most influential French chef of the post-nouvelle cuisine era. Commonly regarded as the primus inter pares (first among the peers in Latin) of Paris' 3 star chefs for his work, a meal at Robuchon's restaurant had always been known to be of relentless perfectionism.

Drawing inspiration from the simplicity of cuisine, Robuchon led the way in creating a more delicate style respectful of natural food ingredients. Reputable for her high tea sets, we decided to visit for a food test. Setting wise, the interior of the restaurant could house less than 10 tables. Further down the corridor of The Landmark, there were about 5 tables littered at the balcony, overlooking the center of the shopping mall. What I particularly prefer about the balcony tables were that one would be guaranteed some privacy with your other dining companions, for they were partitioned and separated by wall beams.

High Tea Set for 2 - $325/-



Home made natural, lemon and raisin scones with Devonshire clotted cream and home made strawberry jam

Even after the photo-taking, the scones were still warm to the touch. The glistening surface to the scones carried a slight crisp, while the inside was moist and soft. It would have been one of the finest scones tried even compared to the traditional bakeries in the UK, though I am not quite sure if the lemon scones as suggested on the menu was presented. There was a lack of any tinge of lemon juice or flavours and tasted like an original plain scone. That being said, the buttery taste of the scone was rich but not overwhelming, which definitely won me over. The raisin scone was packed with succulent raisins despite the petite size, making each mouth-bite a delightful treat to the palate.

The Devonshire clotted cream was rich in flavours but not overly greasy and stopping short of making one feel satiated. The second accompanying condiment of the home made strawberry jam was nothing like the purée version commonly served. It was made out of fresh strawberries and the residuals of the fruit could be seen and tasted. It was mildly saccharine, owed mainly to the flavours from the fruit and not excessively sweetened by artificial means such as sugar and syrup. Combined with the scones, it was certainly tantalizing to the taste buds.

Verdict: 8.5/10

Norwegian smoked salmon and caviar sandwich



Presentation wise, this won us over already, with the unique style to showcase the smoked salmon and caviar rather than layering them between the sandwich. The most commendable element apart from the fine ingredients was the light crisp biscuit-like base to the white bread, which balanced each mouth-bite perfectly. The thickness of the sliced salmon was optimal and most importantly, it was served at room temperature. Despite the need to keep the smoked salmon chilled for preservation, the flavours and texture of salmon would be at its prime level if allowed to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This difference could be tasted from the amount of moisture within the fish, which could be enhanced if allowed to rest and served at room temperature.

Verdict: 8.0/10

Lobster sandwich with tarragon

I was left slightly disappointed upon the first bite. Tarragon being an aromatic culinary spice, was sorely lacking, and the mayonnaise was rich but not impressive. The pruned lobster meat chunks had a slight crunch texture and you could taste the freshness in the meat. The second let-down was the crucial white bread, which tasted slightly stiff owed to airing rather than toast.

Verdict: 6.5/10

Tuna and poached egg sandwich

The tuna rested upon a small bed of sliced poached eggs and some olives. I was half expecting canned tuna or equivalent quality of fish to be served. To our surprise, the tuna was fresh and seared to a tender ripeness, and you could taste the prime choice. Rounding up the bite was the well toasted sandwich bread, which like the scones had a buttery glistening taste on the surface, yet soft on the inside.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Premium ham with mustard seed sandwich

What I appreciated most was the indulgence in the thick slab of premium ham layered between the sandwich. Once again, the quality of the ingredients was superior though it would be sparing to taste the mustard seeds, so expect no more than an above average tasting ham sandwich.

Verdict: 6.5/10

Paris-Brest



The Paris-Brest is largely similar to the more commonly regarded chocolate eclairs, with the exception of an icing usually glazed atop the choux pastry. Despite the menu's suggestion that this was the Paris-Brest, I was slightly disappointed with the presentation, especially being a cycling enthusiast. The pastry originated as a creation back in 1891 to commemorate the Paris-Brest-Paris cycling race, with its intended circular shape representative of a wheel and was a popular pastry during the race due to its energy-giving high calorific value. Expecting a circular version of the pastry, this was done so more like an eclair with the oblong shape of the choux pastry. The praline flavoured cream was light yet packed with richness at the same time, leaving you long for another bite after the first. The choux pastry was also perfectly toasted to a golden crisp, which complemented the softness of the cream wholly. Apart from the presentation expectation of an authentic Paris-Brest, I was left largely impressed, though personally I consider it faux pas if the food served did not match the description off the menu.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Macaroon ganache



Ganache is normally made from a mixture of chocolates and cream to give a desired consistency. It went very well with the vanilla flavoured macaroons. The macaroons had a slight crisp to the surface and a friable inside, crumbling easily, almost melting with each bite. The balance in textures was completed with a crunchy and slightly sweet biscuit base supporting the ganache and macaroons.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Blueberry cheese cake



There was a specially concocted blueberry jam littered on top of each blueberry fruit and further topped with either edible gold foil or chocolate chip. The cheese tasted of premium quality, with the right level of richness, flavour and smoothness. The rather fair colour of the cheesecake suggested the combination of cream with ricotta cheese in the making. A cross-sectional view revealed the balanced proportion of cheese to the biscuit base. It was almost the perfect slice of cheesecake, with an even and consistently flat surface, which was not charred nor overcooked in the oven. There was a tinge too much air present in the cheesecake, which resulted in the presence of 'holes' within the cheesecake. In addition, the layer of cheese was not sufficiently adhesive to the biscuit base and was almost like two distinct layers being stacked atop each other.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Exotique



The yellow droplets were a beautiful blend of passion fruit and white chocolate cake topped with some glazed raspberry halves on a crunchy biscuit base. That being said, I found the taste of passion fruit distinctly lacking and tasted more of white chocolate, which was a shame for I believed that if prepared as described, it would have complemented the raspberry perfectly in terms of taste and flavours.

Verdict: 6.0/10

Mint and chocolate pastry

This was served instead of the classic chestnut mont-blanc and it was not directed to our attention until my discovery. The ganache carried a stronger chocolate flavour and aroma with a lesser proportion of cream. The mint cream lying atop the chocolate pastry tasted very mild and personally I felt that this dessert might have a more lasting impression on diners with a bolder flavour, perhaps starting with the mint. Also, what I could not tolerate was the serving of a broken slice of chocolate adjacent to the cake slice, carrying the name of L'ATELIER de Joel Robuchon, a Michelin 3-starred restaurant. I felt that more attention could be paid to the pastry, like how it was with the other pastries.

Verdict: 6.0/10

Petit Fours

The name Petit Fours originated from French which literally meant 'small oven'. This was owed to Petit Fours traditionally being made during the cooling process of coal-powered brick ovens in the 18th century. Owing to its expense and high burning temperature, Petit Fours were baked so as not to waste the heat generated. They were commonly eaten at the end of a meal with coffee or tea, served as part of dessert.

The flavour and taste of the cake resembled largely that of a traditional fruit cake, only without the chopped candied fruits. With a slight tinge of rum that lingered as after taste, it tasted smooth and not too greasy, almost like a classic banana cake. The final touch that left me a smile was the tiny cubes of sugar coated jellies that tasted like 'fruit chewies'. The last side was a chocolate coated almond slices, with a crunchy texture, which did not taste too extraordinary.

Verdict: 7.0/10

Blue Mountain Americano and Latte



It was my favourite blue mountain brew so it was anything but poor. Coupled with some coffee art on the latte, it was the perfect way to conclude a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Not too long ago, we visited the same restaurant but only for their cakes after lunch.

White chocolate l'exotique, financiers, rose cake.



This was a white chocolate cake layered with passion fruit in the middle. It was very smooth and while the taste of the white chocolate offered the intended sweetness upon the first bite, the second nibble brought our the freshness and robustness of the dessert through the passion fruit which added a bold flavour to the simple looking dessert.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Rose cake

Personally I did not quite like this, but for fans of the rose flavour, this should win them over quite easily. The aroma and fragrance of rose was the dominating factor in this cake. The underlying layer of the 'rose dust' was a very refined and smooth cream that melted in our mouths instantly. It was an 'okay' cake in my personal opinion, though if given a second chance, I would have gone for another dessert, for I felt the rose flavour was too strong, or rather metaphorically, too 'feminine' for my liking.

Verdict: 6.5/10

Original and chocolate financiers

With my other half being a huge fan of financiers, it would be a sin not to give this a try while we saw it available at the counter. The almond and butter flavours were both checked, though the latter dominated and made the pastry short of a more prevailing almond taste. Texture wise, it was perfect, a crisp surface with crusty edges and very soft on the inside. Without the stronger almond flavour in the cake, it would seem to taste more like a simple madeleine.

Verdict: 6.5/10

Their tea was poorly steeped and their frisee aux lardons was so overdressed it felt like I was eating a vinegar soup.

They didn't offer me a different dish nor did they take the disgusting salad off our check.

Joel Robuchon is clearly a subpar place where rich locals like to be seen, it's not special at all for food or tea. In fact, it's a very bad pick considering you have ThreeSixty's diverse food selections just a few steps away in the same mall.

So disappointing.

CRS REVIEW SERVICES

FSAP Grade: 72/100 B-

Food: 45/50The menu is hardly abundant, but offers interesting french combinations to tempt the palatte. Creamy spaghetti is al dente, and burgers are succulent and juicy. Expensive wines are offered.

Service: 12/20 Clueless and sluggish, the waiters and waitresses seem to resent not working at the restaurant upstairs, despite the cafe being small

Ambience: 6/10 Its ok as long as ure seated outside and not allocated a table near the edge.

Price: 9/10 Its worth the price.

This was not the first time that we came here for an afternoon tea. Last time, we've tried the recommended tea set for two. We found it pretty enjoyable and impressive. This time, we've had a few snacks which I think were special and delicious.

By the experience from the previous time, the restaurant was full and we waited for quite a long time to get a table. So, this time, I got a table for us as soon as I could. However, it wasn't as crowded as last time was. I could get a table easily.

While waiting for dad, I ordered a drink, which was the iced berries tea with mango and raspberry sorbet. It was refreshing, though I found the tea a bit tasteless. The sorbet tastes good and the mango was fresh. However, the huge 'iceberg' surprised me. I think small ice cubes should be used.

When dad came, we've ordered a beef sandwich with avocado and a finger sandwich with foie gras and mango. I found the beef sandwich flawless! It was well-warmed. The baguette was crunchy enough. The beef was perfectly cooked and very tender. The avocado and other veggies were fresh. Together with the melted butter at the bottom of the filling, it was a fantastic combination! However, dad didn't fancy much butter (but I did! ^^). The finger sandwich appeared to be a mystery box to me. It was wrapped with an elegant package. Only the clever ones know how to open it! (I wasn't...) The mango slice was placed between the sandwich and the foie gras terrine was on top of it, covered with crunchy peanuts. It was quite surprising and delicious. Later, we orsered a minced beef and tomato crunchy bread and a tarte au chocolat. The bread was pretty special and we enjoyed it very much. The tart was incredibly fine and delicious! Crunchy on the tart and also on the top of the rich chocolate mousse.

We had a nice time in Le Salon de Thé and I hope I can have another nice afternoon tea again probably with mum too in the near future. =)

A friend had mentioned wanting to come here for a while now. Since the semester is ending it was nice to have a little break and four of us decided to go out and grab afternoon tea here.

I got there after my friends were seated, and they had ordered the 2 High Tea sets, which had a combination of savory and sweet items (these were supposed to be served separately, savory first and sweet second). The High Tea sets were $315 each, with the additional 10% service charge. The price wasn't too bad, and we were excited to try everything.

But we were quickly disappointed...

We were seated outside, which overlooked Cafe Landmark and the rest of the mall. However, upon ordering and paying for our sets, they told my friends which table to go to, but did not even bother to show the way to the table! The table itself was placed really interestingly and was not a very comfortable placement for four people. One friend was against the glass window while my chair was on both the carpeting and the tile floor---it just seemed that they didn't seem to consider the comfort of customers while designing the seating arrangements.

When the food and tea came, space was quite limited. We were not impressed by the presentation of the savory part of the tea set. They had put both sets onto one tray-- cramming all the scones in the middle and making it seem unattractive.

After a while, we were still eating our savory items, and they pushed two trays of sweet items onto our already-crowded table. We chose not to argue about this, but quickly finished the savory dish and gave them the tray. I asked them to provide us with a plate change, for our plates were full of jam and crumbs from our savory dish. They seemed to react very slowly to this request, but reluctantly complied.

Throughout the meal, there were no signs of servers anywhere. I know we were seated outside, but they could have at least checked in on us once or twice, given us tea refills, cleared our table, etc.

OH! Another disappointing part was the tea. Clearly, one of the most important parts about afternoon tea is the TEA itself. The tea they served seemed like regular Lipton tea. We weren't too surprised to see two teabags floating in our teapots upon opening them to check our drinks.

I hate being so negative, but I honestly don't understand what the hype is all about and this experience is not worth the price! Why pay for atrocious service, small portions, and average taste? Until they show some improvement, I will not be coming back anytime soon.

I had lunch with my friends at this restaurant. They managed to accommodate us (about 15 people) right when the restaurant opened at noon. My boyfriend and I shared a 1) ham and cheese crispy pocket, 2) banana and caramel bread, 3) l'exotique (white chocolate and passion fruit cake), and 4) cheesecake.

1) Ham and cheese crispy pocket (72HKD)-Basically ham and cheese in wonton. I thought the restaurant was supposed to be fresh, not asian. It did not say on the menu, nor seem like in the photo that it was wonton. Very overpriced for just two small slices of wonton wrapped around ham and cheese.

2) Banana and caramel bread (20HKD)-Square sponge bread. Unlike the typical, the banana was not blended into the bread, but it was just stuck inside the middle. Disappointed that there wasn't much caramel/caramel flavour...not even a tint.

3) L'exotique (35HKD)-Way too sweet and the passion fruit flavouring too strong. No white chocolate flavour. Only good thing was that the bread was very soft and the white outer part is very moist and wet. My friend and her boyfriend also shared one and they couldn't even finish it.

4) Cheesecake (35HKD)-Looking at the picture, I knew their cheesecake wouldn't be good (well, I prefer a digestive biscuit bottom and softer smooth cake), but my boyfriend wanted it. The bottom was just a thin sponge layer and the top part of the cake was firm and was not smooth.

Service was OK, but could have been better. The waitress took away my plate and my boyfriend's plate to put down a plate of pastries that some of us had ordered. I tried to call the waitress but after not getting a response in a minute, I gave up and my boyfriend and I ended up eating on the one plate that our crispy pockets were served on. It was inconvenient that they just put all our pastries on one dish because we had to ask who ordered what. Also, my friend was only served a cup, but no green tea. We later realized that my other friend, who ordered earl grey, had her green tea once he took a sip of it after already putting milk in it, which he described as disgusting. Although the tea was refillable, there seemed to be nothing special about them and definitely was not worth the 40 or so HKD that it costs.

The atmosphere was very nice, but for the same price I would rather eat cake somewhere else or get together with friends at a place that is actually good, not just famous for their name.

I have tried their tea set. Only macaroon and scone without dried grape are delicious. Sandwiches are ok. Other dessert are not my cup of tea. I don't like the taste of lemon and one of the dessert is too sour. Also, I have made a wrong choice of peach and passion fruit tea which is too sour for me.

i always love soft cheese like brie or Camembert,which i can finish the whole thing if i oven-bake it with raisin for dinner!!!
today i came for lunch,
buying this expensive sandwich baguette.it was significantly baked before putting into the plastic, because cooled baked cheese was way how tastier than cold not baked ones.法包唔硬,好鬆軟!法式麵包給我的經驗always very醜樣,
法式麵包的界will seriously damage its外貌, this麵包的口感是令人滿意的,
ham also美貌, thickness與內涵並重!下次一定要try their hard cheese style!!!

good:1. improved size of hazelnut pieces hidden inside the salty caramel,
their chocolate hazelnut long cut cake added whole piece hazelnut which made it too difficult to eat and too strong of taste, no good,
this one was improved that all nuts were carefully cut into half, lighter & let caramel took back the control~!
2. over sweet chocolate decoration was well balanced by the funny sand and dark chocolate mousse which was at right height and also excellent bitterness3. salty caramel was made perfectly with same taste as caprice's petit four~! yummy!!!
4. chocolate sponge cake between mousse and caramel was moist enough as it got the moisture from the cream in mousse i think, but recommend them to add syrup or wine on cake before adding into the whole tart~!
5. tart texture was always good, much better than those made in mandarin cake shop6. choice of patisseries was still A LOT though i arrived at nearly seven pm already!

bad:1. service was worse and worse, how could this happen in Michelin restaurant? staffs know very little about their product!!!
2. chocolate sponge cake between tart and caramel was not at all moist enough as moisture was blocked by oily caramel ( just include sugar, butter and some cream i think, right?) and so it made the whole tart suddenly gave a very DRY feeling, mess the tart up!!!3. mousse cylinder was add to the bottom tart part...in a way that...um...i didn't know how to say...but looks that the chef was thinking other things...not right in place in short

of this service, it was not worth to come for $40 a tart, but their scones still made me crazy!!! so much wanna encore their high tea set~!

As I am working in central, I visit there quite frequent to buy a famous croissant, For some unknown reasons, quality of croissant turns bad, not that puff i would say...and when i talked to the girl who reheat the croissant for me, i wouldn't expect in Robuchon, the servers all looked sleepy, hair is frizzy, no make up at all.....I feel like I were in hongkong no star restaurant...

I miss those professional well-trained servers....it's important for a star restaurant!

i arrived at three oclock today,
and found that they've got new items~!
the salty caramel tart was no longer that thin but added an extra layer of chocolate mousse,
and black forest cake was new~!the cherries were too over soaked with STRONG WINE and it's even more than the strong taste in mandarin cake shop's tiramisu,
I LOVE THAT BECAUSE THE WINE CHOKED ME~! LOVE THAT FEELING~!
but the reason for a crying face was that my piece of cookie was broken which i actually ate my cake right after i pay so it's not me who broke it, do you understand?
moreover, the cake base was too hard like brownie which black forest cake should go with sponge cake, there is reason.
also, the mousse part was too sweet and the hazelnuts and cream didn't make the cake any better,
so...
i would recommend all other original cakes,
but no need to try this new item~!

Enticed by rave reviews and its attractive website my companions and I decided to head to landmark for high tea. Taking on board the useful advice we arrived 15 minutes earlier than the 3pm tea set serving time. Mark my words it was good advice, not long after we were seated a queue started forming. As for the place itself, a little bit different from what I expected, it felt strange as we were sitting on the outskirts of the patisserie facing the mall, luckily enough it was a quiet corner.

We chose the High Tea Set for 2 plus a few extras. The presentation was pleasing, and received lots of appreciative comments from my companions. Sandwiches
Provided with four different types of sandwich, I was most impressed with the Norwegian smoked salmon and caviar sandwich. The salmon was of high quality, and the sandwich base was very unusual with two layers, a thin sandwich layer and a biscuit like layer. The differing textures made the experience all the more memorable. My only complaint..... it needed to be bigger The premium ham is worth a mention too, slightly creamy and full of flavour, you definitely can taste the quality.Tuna and poached egg sandwich, Lobster sandwich flavoured with tarragon, Premium ham with mustard seed sandwich, Norwegian smoked salmon and caviar sandwich

Scones
The scones were the most disappointing part of the whole high tea experience, two words spring to mind, too 'dry' and 'crumbly'. As for the flavour it was neither here or there. The worse scone was the cheese scone although not mentioned on the menu, as soon as you put the scone in your mouth the flavour hits you, and leaves a very cheesy aftertaste. Unless you like strong cheese this scone is not for you.
The best part of the scone experience was the home made strawberry jam.... yum.Home made natural, lemon & raisin scones with Devonshire clotted cream and home made strawberry jam

Pastries
The pastries were like art work with lots of attention to detail. These pastries are veering more towards the sweet side, so the miniature size is perfect. The pastries were made of high quality ingredients, no cheap chocolate here Although not a huge fan of macaroons, the macaroon ganache ended up as my favourite, the macaroons together with the crunchy base held together with a hazelnut cream overpowered the rest with the petit fours coming in at a close second.Exotique, Paris-brest, Mont-blanc, Macaroon ganache, Blueberry cheese cake Petit fours

Added extras
The tuna pocket was nice but nothing special, the pocket itself was pretty thin and crispy. As for the La Rosa I think it is definitely an acquired taste. La Rosa has three layers, the outer sugar coating, then a layer of raspberry mousse, and then a centre of a rose flavoured frozen cream with a hint of white chocolate. It also has lychee bits in too. I enjoyed the raspberry mousse layer the most, but the whole thing in its entirety was not displeasing. One of my companions was raving about the lychee bits! As for the iced peach and passion fruit tea, at first it tasted watery, but after mixing the sorbet in, it made a lot of difference, so if you try this....remember to stir it A little bit on the dear side for an everyday treat, but worth a visit to treat yourself now and then.

tea set tried their earl grey tea,
it gave me strong memory with super nice smell and excellent after taste.this time i decided to try their earl grey tea cake then!!!dome shape always seemed higher class than other choices,
由六層打造而成的cake確實extremely吸引.
整件蛋糕看來design simple,
頂層只有朱古力和gold as decorations,
but surprise came!!!面層earl grey tea混合在濃厚的朱古力taste內,
chocolate sponge cake層very moist and soaked with濃香wine and tea,
next layer of passionfruit mousse味很凸出而sour taste濃郁,
味道一層一層推downwards, 粒粒的chocolate crispy balls and white chocolate slice was between the white mousse which fused with 粒粒的vanilla seed and another layer of sponge cake,
但預期的bitter沒有出現,
passionfruit味帶動greatness of cake as it was no longer heavy with the strong chocolate taste,
朱古力特出而味濃, but summer feel fruity勝了一仗!!!

Been wanting to try the afternoon tea for the longest time after reading all the good reviews and attractive pictures.

Arrived at 2:45pm and were immediately seated at the balcony upon purchase at the counter (and thus no 10% service charge). Food came after 3pm (official afternoon tea start time) in 2 batches.

The 1st batch was the 4 sandwiches and scones. The sandwiches tasted alright with no surprises, while the scones weren't as good as the ones I had in London. For example, the cheese one was too cheesy for me and the texture and aroma just weren't quite there (apology for not being able to articulate better).

The 2nd batch was the dessert, all of which tasted better than the savory ones. My personal favorites were the lemon tart and chocolate cake.

$315 for afternoon tea set in Central, you could definitely argue it was inexpensive compared to those in hotels. But beware, the portion is tiny! Each piece is about the width of and the height of a smartphone. The upside of this? No guilty feeling after full indulgence!

The afternoon tea is provided started on 3:00pm, but I wait there more than 40 minutes. The environment is very noisy and difficult to talk with others.We have order two types of tea, ginger and strawberry, the taste is rich and not be cooled easily. The sandwich are most of them delicious, the sets include samlon and ham, these has enough meat and the bread is not soft, it is delicious and good weight. Furthermore, the scone is rich in butter taste and sween enough for me. But the taste on jam is not good to compare with others.For the dessert, the quality is good for cheese cake, it is quite rich in cheese. But for others, the taste is not good and not sweet enough. Only the chocolate one is good in texture.