Ramen Cubism (立体派), the first overseas venture by Japan’s ramen champion Hayashi Takao and Matsumura Takahiro launches to much fanfare in Hong Kong early this year. A collaboration between the ramen champion duo and Bird Kingdom Group, Ramen Cubism’s first outlet in Hong Kong is a cozy 29-seater on Wellington Street in buzzy Central district. 

With the success the famed ramen shop has seen over their first few months, we all knew it was just a matter of time before they start their expansion outside Central. Not surprisingly earlier this month, the group announced the launch of a second outlet, a new location across the harbour at Minden Avenue in Tsim Sha Tsui.I can‘t help to notice the strong aroma of their signature white broth from my seat at the counter table. Can’t wait to get my first sip of the soup myself.Ramen Cubism ($118) - The size of this Large Ramen Cubism is simply incredible. The bowl is almost the size of my basin!Chef Hayashi Takao’s signature Premium Cubism white broth (特級白湯) is arguably one of the creamiest ramen soup I've seen in recent memory. It’s fragrant, well-balanced and flavorful yet not too rich and thick. Very delicious and very addictive.I was really curious of how they have managed to make the broth so sweet and tasty. It has to be more than just chicken, right? After chatting with my server, I finally knew why. Turns out the broth has been cooked repeatedly with chicken bones and meat, along with duck and seaweed. I think there were flavors from clams in there too, which explained the extra creaminess and sweetness.The thin sliced braised pork was very sumptuous. It was a bit smoky like smoked ham which made it extra special. Yes, it was a little on the fat side but I didn't mind that at all.This came with young bamboo shoots, leeks but no bean sprouts.My only complaint was perhaps with the soft-boiled eggs. The egg yolks weren't runny enough for my liking; otherwise it would be perfect.Ramen Cubism offers six different flavors of ramen but I just don't see why anybody would go for anything other than their signature ramen with premium white broth.

After six months of work in the making, Chef Richard Ekkebus' Amber 2.0 was finally unveiled in May. Apart from a new and exciting menu that's staying completely away from dairy and gluten, the dining room was also revamped into a more casual space. There's more. The re-organization of space has created a brand new concept, some call the old Amber named SOMM, a casual French neo-bistro sharing Amber's same address. On top of the neo-bistro fare, SOMM also boasts more than 1,000 labels from all over the world. For someone like me who doesn't like to waste time studying the a la carte menu, the "Weekend Sommeliers' Lunch" menu was perfect (3 courses $538 - starter, main+dessert or 4 courses $608 - snack, starter, main+dessert). I was a little full after my breakfast at The Mandarin Cake Shop so I went with the 3-course set without the snack. Taking a page out of our local cha chaan teng (traditional tea restaurants), all the cutlery and napkins are hidden inside a drawer underneath the table. How cool is that? We started things off with some homemade bread. Not bad.  Hokkaido scallops, razor clams, sea lettuce and Kyuri condiment - Raw scallop carpaccio and razor clams were served on the shell (scallop) with kombu, diced cucumber and shallots.  Judging from the sweetness of the scallops and razor clams, they have to be top notch ingredients so something versatile like kombu was the perfect catalyst (along with some lemon juice) to bring out the sweetness of our shellfish even more. Tasmanian salmon confit, Ikura and vinegared rice cream - I have seen pictures of this dish everywhere from online magazine to SOMM's official website so I'm guessing it's some sort of house specialty!?  Again the seasoning of the dish was very very light and it came primarily from the umami-rich salmon roes. The vinegared rice cream was a nice touch. I had a similar dish in Kyoto where they used vinegared sushi rice to make some kind of puree or cream as a dipping sauce. The concept was very similar yielding equally great results. Madai, green flat bean coulis, pickled onions and horseradish - My main course was pan-fried madai fish which was slightly overcooked. The green flat bean coulis was a surprise addition providing the dish with some clean flavors to work with while the pickled onions and horseradish generated some extra kick. Very decent (except the overcook). Veal “Wiener Schnitzel”, baked new potatoes - We were told that this was a very popular dish with very high demand at SOMM. From what we've seen from our neighbors, I could tell it's of high demand too. The deep-fried veal cutlet was pretty tender and juicy but I actually enjoyed the baked new potatoes which have been dusted with onions, bacon and garden herbs even more. Raspberry 1000-Feuilles and whipped pepperberry ganache - Mille feuille is always a crowd pleaser. This was topped with fresh raspberries, strawberry sorbet and whipped pepperberry ganache. Abinao chocolate soufflé with cacao sorbet - I can't recall how long it's been since I last had a traditional soufflé but it had to be ages. I was so happy that I picked this over the mille feuille. It was light and airy, almost like marshmallow with deep chocolate flavors (thanks to the layer of chocolate ganache and cocoa nibs on top). If there's ever a perfect chocolate soufflé, you're looking at it now. For a restaurant dubbed as Amber's sister restaurant, I was certainly expecting more than what I've seen this afternoon. While all the dishes tasted reasonably good, they lacked the refinement, sophistication and artistry I was anticipating from a Neo-French bistro (something along the line of Belon perhaps?), especially for a MO establishment.

Le Comptoir Group continues to expand its culinary territory this month. After launching Ecriture and PIQNIQ last year and taking over Lily and Bloom earlier this year, the group is set to open Silencio, a new Japanese izakaya in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong in collaboration with Chef Sean Mell. Chef Mell cut his teeth at Nobu Hong Kong so it's safe to say he knows a thing or two about Japanese food. Along with Korean chef Kong Soo Do, who most recently helmed Alvin Leung's Bib n Hops, the duo aims to offer diners a classic izakaya experience with a contemporary twist.  The restaurant's nightclub vibe is in full swing with live music starting at 8pm every night providing the venue with yet another nice intrigue. Our dinner at Silencio started off with some complimentary snacks in the form of fresh edamame. Pablo ($180) - First to arrive was hamachi sashimi with the promised contemporary twist. The hamachi sashimi, cured with coffee powder and sancho, was beautifully plated with watercress purée, pickled shallots and edible flowers while the wasabi yogurt, chive oil and fresh pomelo pulled off a sublime finish. A very well-executed dish and easily the best one of the night. French ($180) - Akamutsu (rosy seabass) sushi sprinkled with shaved foie gras torchon was next. With Akamutsu's rich fat content, I thought it would mesh well with the richness of the foie gras torchon but I was totally wrong. The fact is, it works much better with some subtle acidity with yuzu quickly coming to mind. Onsen Egg Salad ($130) - A Caesar-style salad with house-smoked salmon roes, crisp baby gem lettuce, onsen egg and crispy nori tossed in a creamy yuzu dressing. Not bad.  Yakisoba ($180) - A couple of noodles for my little nugget. First to come was fried Japanese soba with smoked duck breast, crispy shallots and coriander. This had way too seasoning (mostly salt) in it. Not a good start for my boy.  Carbonara Udon ($190) - Many chefs have tackled this combination before. Frankly, I always enjoy a fusion twist on my carbonara and this time, it was a Japanese spin with ham made with wagyu, udon noodles and bonito flakes. Pretty yummy~ Here comes our sushi rolls..... Fifty Shades of Tuna ($250) - The shades of tuna included otoro, chu toro and akami. I started with akami first. Followed by the chutoro roll. So nice to enjoy the best of both worlds as chutoro is the perfect blend of otoro and akami. Very meaty, fatty and melt-in-the-mouth. Saving the best for last. The otoro, fattiest part of the tuna was rich-flavored with a similar melt-in-the-mouth texture. California Yoga ($100) - This looked like a California roll at first glance but the crab meat was replaced by cream cheese in the middle. I was pleasantly surprised with the way the cream cheese, avocado and pickles all worked together. The spongy, marshmallow-like texture of the cream cheese proved to be a nice match with the sushi rice, creamy avocado and crunchy pickles while the extra cheesiness added another dimension to the sushi roll. Very interesting. There were some nice surprises tonight (Pablo, California Yoga) but unfortunately, not enough of them to make this journey a memorable one. Pablo was a wonderful start to the meal but you could sense things were about to regress as soon as they ran out of surprises.

I first bumped into Shiawase Yakitori (幸福鳥), a new Japanese yakitori restaurant at K11 when I was visiting Shaz Confections three months ago. It was still very much in its renovation stage at the time.
But the wait is finally over as the Japanese skewer specialist recently soft-opens.
Local celebrity chef Ricky Cheung (張錦祥) was in the house when I visited and he was spotted in and out of the kitchen chatting with the chefs. I wonder how much of an involvement he has with this new establishment. Or he's simply visiting as a guest?
Kyoto signature tofu (京都特濃男前豆腐) ($48) - As one of the house specialties, this had to be a major disappointment. I was expecting really rich flavors from the tofu but sadly, it didn't happen.
Grilled ox tongue (燒牛脷) ($78) - A bit chewy at times but I would say, decent.
Grilled sliced Awaodori chicken leg (阿波尾雞脾肉燒) ($28) - The restaurant only uses Awaodori chicken for all its chicken dishes. It's a special breed of chicken from Tokushima, Japan known for its low fat content, slightly chewy texture but most importantly, umami-rich flavors.

The first chicken skewer to arrive was the grilled chicken leg made with Awaodori chicken (阿波尾雞). This was wrapped with shiso leaf and served with a homemade plum sauce. As expected, the meat was a little chewy but unfortunately, no umami-rich flavors.
Signature water chestnut squid and minced pork skewer (馬蹄鮮魷燒肉棒) ($28) - Another signature skewer, minced pork with water chestnut and squid was a dish inspired by the Cantonese classic, steamed minced Pork with water chestnut and squid (馬蹄土魷蒸豬肉餠).
This was done like a Tsukune (Japanese chicken meatballs) and served with an egg yolk and special soy as dipping sauce. I was a little worried about the execution of this dish but it came out perfectly (almost like a grilled version of minced Pork with water chestnut and squid). I love everything about this skewer from texture, seasoning and combination of flavors. I think they have something special here.
Grilled minced chicken (免治軟骨雞肉串) ($30 each) - I was told it's another signature item on the menu that came with four distinctly different flavors, salted, teriyaki sauce, cheese and spicy. 
These weren't bad and I especially like the soft bones there to give them some extra bite. But they weren't nearly as mind-blowing as the water chestnut squid and minced pork skewer.
Grilled Awaodori chicken kidney (阿波尾雞腎燒) ($28) / Iberian pork with leeks - The pork was way over-seasoned but the chicken kidney was pretty yummy. It's been a while since I last had crunchy chicken kidneys and they reminded me a lot of my childhood days as it's a dish my mom used to make a lot for me (which explains my high cholesterol?).
Grilled portobello mushroom (燒意大利大蘑菇) ($38) - I like the minimal seasoning. Not bad.
Grilled rice dumplings with cheese stuffing (燒芝士年糕) ($32) - Very soft and airy. The cheese filling could be a little more runny though.
Baked oysters from Hiroshima (燒廣島蠔) ($58) - This was simply cooked with its own juice. Very fresh and sweet. Very tasty with very lovely texture.
There were some good (water chestnut squid and minced pork skewer!), some bad (tofu, ox tongue, Iberian pork) and thankfully no ugly dishes tonight. I think I'd like be back some time since its location is pretty convenient for me and the prices won't burn a hole in my wallet (like most yakitori places do).

It's been exactly two years since Executive Chef Guillaume Galliot took over the kitchen of Caprice and he has finally done it. The French chef from Loire Valley has finally guided Caprice back to its three-Michelin starred status (announced late last year). On a personal note, I have not been back to Caprice as much as I would like since the departure of opening chef Vincent Thierry. But now that they have re-captured the third star, I thought I should come back and check things out myself (at least once within this year). The weather has been pretty poor all day (so is my mood) but luckily, I was able to arrive at Caprice largely unscathed. Caprice is open for lunch and dinner from Monday to Sunday. For lunch, the restaurant offers a set menu varying by the number of courses (3-course $645, 4-course $790 and 5-course $895). There's also a 5-course omasake tasting menu priced at $1288 and of course the a la carte menu. I was a little hungry so I went with the 5-course set lunch menu this afternoon. Some homemade bread including my favorite brioche to kick off the meal. Lunch started off brightly with a small amuse bouche, silky green pea mousse topped with crispy croutons (Chef Guillaume Galliot in the background!). The clean flavors of the green pea was nicely matched with the saltiness of the cured bacon on the bottom while the croutons added a satisfying crunch to this otherwise soft and smooth dish. The first dish from the set menu was Aji fish carpaccio served on a tower of fennel and pomelo salad. This was a pretty "safe" dish to start the meal as one could never go wrong with the combination of refreshing raw fish and fruity salad. I thought the saltiness of the Aji fish really caught me by surprise while both the fennel and pomelo did very little to neutralize that saltiness. Decent start. The carpaccio was immediately followed by a heartwarming green pea soup, served with mint perfumed green pea tartare and bacon foam (same combo as the amuse bouche). The soup was accompanied by a green pea tartlet on the side. Following the starter and soup, my fish course was next and I went with their hake fish which was beautifully decorated with cauliflower crumbs and smoked pike caviar. The soft-textured hake was lightly coated with seaweed giving it wonderful texture and flavor. It was finished off brilliantly with a rich-flavored champagne sauce. A well-executed dish with a symphony of umami-rich flavors yet without going over the top. Without a question, the best dish of the afternoon. My final savory dish was roasted French duck breast with variation of carrots. There's really nothing more appealing to me than a gorgeous piece of French duck (Too bad they thin-sliced it!). A star anise sauce with ginger provided some extra heat to the dish (Interesting that the sauce actually tasted a bit like those in Chinese cuisine).  If there's an area to improve upon, it's definitely the dessert department. I was looking for something rich and perhaps a bit cheesy so I went with the lemon cheesecake. This came with cédrat confit and a scoop of white sesame ice-cream. At this point, I was really missing Chef Nicolas Lambert (former executive pastry chef here!). I couldn't exactly remember when was the last time I enjoyed a slow day like this. I think I need more of this in the future. Petite fours are always something to look forward to at Caprice. Today's no exception. This is certainly one of my most enjoyable lunch at Caprice since the days when Chef Thierry was still at the helm. I'm not entirely sure about the three stars but one thing for sure, it's moving in the right direction.

If Ecriture was the most anticipated restaurant opening in Hong Kong last year, then this year's title has got to belong to recently opened Louise at PMQ. Taking over the space previously occupied by one of my favorite restaurant Aberdeen Street Social, Louise is a brainchild between JIA Group and Chef Julien Royer of Odette Singapore which has just been freshly crowned Asia's Best Restaurant earlier this year. Renowned designer Andre Fu (who's behind the design of the new St Regis Hotel in Wanchai) has turned the space into a more intimate and cozy place highlighted by its colonial chic decor. Unlike Odette, Louise is more of a casual bistro serving hearty traditional French fare with a modern twist. The weekday set menu is not available on Saturdays and Sundays. Instead, they offer a short and sharp brunch menu with a section dedicated to eggs. Homemade brioche ($28) - Starting things off for us was a basket of buttery homemade brioche, served with butter and raspberry jam. Perfect start for my little one who's a huge bread lover. Ôra King salmon gravlax, warm potato, dill cream ($238) - I love fuller, thicker slices of smoked salmon and salmon gravlax so these are right up my alley. What impress me the most about these gravlax is the fact that they weren't overly cured so the texture was still nice and moist. A terrific starter with the slightly lemony dill cream marrying well with the distinct salmon flavors. Polmard beef tartare, French fries, salad ($258) - Made with prized beef from renowned French butcher Polmard, our tartare dish was presented the traditional way with a raw egg yolk atop.  There were great depth of flavors coming from the aged Polmard beef, combining well with the garden green and pearl onion for a perfect, palate-pleasing finish. Confit cod, white beans, chorizo, piquillos, mint ($348) - A beautifully plated dish with slices of confit cod fish sitting on a bed of diced chorizo, white beans, piquillos and mint, finished off with a trio of crispy chorizo wafer on top. Not an overly complicated dish but the interpretation was simply flawless. Louise "Croaffle", whipped cream, maple syrup ($128) - A happy marriage between a flaky croissant and crispy waffle. This was served like a typical waffle with fresh strawberries, whipped cream and maple syrup. Not a bad way to wrap up this meal at all. “Mama Royer” yogurt cake and ice-cream, confit lemon ($118) - Less successful was Mama Royer's yogurt cake with yogurt ice-cream and confit lemon. This really tasted like a typical French pound cake with a zesty glaze. A dish I could probably do without. It's a truly impressive meal. Nothing really fancy, just some simple, hearty French dishes done right. If there's a blemish from this meal, it's probably the fact that dishes like glazed Challans duck, pan-seared French veal sweetbread and Brittany dover sole “Meunière” were not on the brunch menu. I guess a return trip is a must.

Pacific Place is getting more exciting this week with Lumi (from the words “luminous”), a borderless restaurant concept set to open in the space vacated by Cova on the third floor.  Lumi's food menu is designed by Japanese chef Kihachi Kumagai who's one of the first Japanese chefs to work under the late Joël Robuchon and a true pioneer in French-Japanese fusion cuisine. Other than lunch and dinner, Lumi also offers an afternoon tea set nicely decorated in a handbag shape tray. Starting things off for me was a warm brioche served with butter. Lobster kadaif - This is almost like a spring roll with kadaif noodles wrapped on the outside. Very crispy and flaky at the same time. I love the way it worked with the endive, pomelo, cherry tomato and Thai-style mango salad although personally, I don't mind a little bit more acidity in there to keep it more refreshing. Grilled sea bass - They called it a sea bass but it tasted more like a cod fish of some sort. It was really silky (thanks to the fat content) and fragrant after they smoked it with sakura wood. If you love vegetables like I do these days, you will fall head over heels over the green pea ravigote sauce too, which also came with tomato, pumpkin, avocado purée, cucumber and asparagus on top. Simple but very well-executed. Portuguese seafood rizoni - They have a section dedicated to pasta dishes so I am a little curious of how that goes. The rizoni (rice-shaped pasta) was served in a sizzling hot clay pot along with scallops, clams, salmon, prawns and a ratatouille soup which was flavorful and right on the money. Chestnut mont blanc - Like the pasta section, they also have some interesting options in the dessert part of the menu. As a matter of fact, I had to think long and hard before deciding on the chestnut mont blanc.  I was really happy that I made this choice. The Kumamoto chestnut purée, chestnut ice-cream and meringue meshed wonderfully well together and they were so nicely complemented by the sweetness of the pear and grapes (some bitterness too from the liquor). There's more than enough room for another French-Japanese fusion restaurant in Hong Kong these days. Especially with its priceline ($300-350 per lunch set), Lumi already looks like a hit.

Flint Grill and Bar at JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong is undergoing a rebranding of some sort in August. Instead of Flint Grill and Bar, it's now just Flint. They have also done some touch-up on the food menu although the restaurant remains primarily a steakhouse. Since we're in the area for a meeting, I thought we might swing by for a quick lunch. The revamped two-course lunch set ($280~$450 depending on your main dish) still focuses a lot on beef but there're also some fine seafood options available (John Dory, dover sole and lobster). Lunch didn't start off the way I hoped it would. I love ahi tuna but this was really disappointing. This came with three large tuna cubes each wrapped with a slice of 5J Iberico ham and served with a small pool of Romanesco sauce and wild rocket leaf. I thought everything that could go wrong did go wrong with this dish (Murphy's Law?). For starters, the presentation just looked awful. It looked nothing like a dish coming out of a hotel restaurant. Then, the tuna, way too chewy with a lot of tendons in the middle. And last but not least, when you've already marinated the tuna with spicy soy, why would you still serve it with a flavorful Romanesco sauce (Better going the safe way with avocado puree?). My main course was a little better. Although my USDA Nebraska rib-eye didn't show up "medium" as I've ordered it to be, it was decent (even when it's overcooked). Despite all the grill marks, I thought the rib-eye didn't have that nice smoky flavor to it. I wonder why? The mashed potato was really underwhelming as well.  When they made changes to the concept, I was expecting them to make it better, not worse.

The reward I got for bringing my little nugget to Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens this afternoon was an afternoon tea. Well, maybe not one but two.Our first stop was Meltlyplace, a French patisserie in Mid-Levels opened by Louie Ma, formerly the Executive Pastry Chef of Royal Garden Hotel and Fine Foods. Chef Ma has been in charge of Fine Foods for the past 8 years so not surprisingly, there're a lot of familiar faces here including the Meltlyplace Green Apple. The strawberry watermelon cake, I have had a couple of times at . And I recalled seeing the sweet corn mousse at some point as well. I guess the timing was right to get reacquainted with some of these cakes. Meltly Corns ($48) - One of Chef Ma's favorite according to numerous reports. This is a sweet corn lover's dream having the sweet corn mousse nicely paired with panna cotta and sweet corn grains filling. Personally, I'm a fan of this creation but they could definitely improve on the crumble at the bottom, which I thought was a little on the hard side. Mellow ($48) - Strawberry, watermelon, rose cream and almond dacquoise. Sounds familiar, right? This had the making of a really nice strawberry watermelon cake but the almond dacquoise (which tasted more like a sponge cake) and rose cream kind of let it down. All the pastries looked great but some minor issues needed to be ironed out to achieve better results.

After spending two hours walking around Tai Kwun highlighted by a personal tour from none other than Jelloman's dad who used to work here more than 30 years ago, it was finally time for lunch. Being the well-organized person that I'm, I've already got our lunch plans all figured out. In fact, I have secured a table at Old Bailey (奧卑利), a new restaurant by JIA Group over a month ago. First impressions are always important and we have a very good one here, with everyone loving the way they decorate the space with a lot of wood. And it never hurts to have plenty of natural light too (though it's been a rainy day so far). At the front end of Old Bailey, they have this small bar area serving alcohol, coffee and tea along with a small list of refreshment. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that their tea and cakes were actually supplied by Teakha (茶。家). While I waited for the rest of the party to show up, I went out to the restaurant's L-shaped balcony to get a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed walking around this balcony. Not only does it have a very nice view of a quiet corner of Tai Kwun, it provides more than enough space for kids to run around. This latest venture by JIA Group will tackle regional Jiangnan cuisine, bringing flavors from south of the Yangtze River including Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Yangzhou and Suzhou all together. Marinated eggs, fermented rice wine (奧卑利酒糟蛋) ($68) - It was nice to see marinated eggs on the menu after our recent run of tea smoked eggs. These had really lovely fragrance and rich flavors having soaked in fermented rice wine for a while. Delish (Grade: 7.5/10). Drunken chicken, 15 year aged Huadiao wine (十五年花雕醉雞) ($98) - Very tender. The meat was full of Huadiao wine flavors yet we could still taste the natural flavors of the chicken (Grade: 7/10). Shredded turnip puff pastry (蘿蔔絲酥餅) ($68) - Very flaky and the layers of shredded turnip were so wonderfully soft. Very nice (Grade: 7/10). Pan-fried Ibérico pork dumpling (黑豚肉生煎包) ($68) - Very juicy with hot broth spraying out immediately following my first bite. Didn't realize it was Ibérico pork until I read the menu for the second time (Grade: 6/10). Wonton with Ibérico pork in Shanghai chili sauce (黑豚肉紅油抄手) ($88) - Not bad (Grade: 5.5/10). Shanghai-style wok-fried noodles (上海粗炒) ($138) - A simple but heart-warming dish. The noodles had really nice bite to it and pretty good "wok hei" too (Grade: 7/10). Crispy duck (香酥鴨) (Half $228) - The meat was firm and flavorful, and I love the paper-thin skin which was so crisp (Grade: 7.5/10). Chicken noodle soup (嫩雞煨麵) ($68) - Something for my little nugget (Grade: 5.5/10).  Jujube crispy crêpe (棗蓉酥餅) ($68) - Of course I'm walking away from the dessert menu. First came some crispy crepes with red dates purée. These were very tasty. The red dates purée was particularly nice and not too sweet (Grade: 7/10). Keemun cheesecake with caramelized red dates (糖紅棗祁門起司蛋糕) ($60) - I knew I had to pick something from Teakha's dessert menu. Teakha always amazes me with their rustic, home-style cakes which were simple but yet brimming with Asian fineness and touch. I knew they have a killer Thai milk tea cheesecake but didn't realize they have such an incredibly delicious Keemun cheesecake too. On the bottom were traces of caramelized red dates and a layer of crispy crumble. Very addictive (Grade: 7.5/10)! I thought it was a pretty nice lunch highlighted by some hearty family dishes from Jiangnan. Once again, it showed how a simple meal without fancy ingredients could make our tummies real happy.