Tried the $268 "express" set lunch rom the "L'unique" menu for the first time recently, and believe that I should stick with the traditional menus from now on... since I'm almost never in a hurry when I decide to dine at Robuchon. $268 for a MEAL at Robuchon may sound like a very good deal, but the difference in quality (and quantity) of this "express" type lunch and the next-cheapest-option priced at $390 is actually disproportionate, especially if you expect to have tea/coffee after your meal as that would not be included in an express lunch.

Although nothing in the particular "express lunch" that I had was *bad* , nothing excited my palette (both gustatively and visually) as typical Robuchon meals (from club menus/ tasting menus) did in the past. The fact that everything from starter to dessert was served together in the form of a cheap Japanese "teishoku" made me feel that the meal itself wasn't even worth the supposedly good-value price of $268. I did not even feel like I had a meal at "Robuchon"!

In short, choosing the express menu defeats the purpose of dining at Robuchon, unless you simply adore the "name" Robuchon that much and insist on going even when you are in an extreme hurry. I'd definitely prefer paying the extra hundred something for a MUCH better meal served beautifully from i.e. the club menu. If you were in such a rush that you couldn't afford not saving time with an express lunch, you should go to McDonald's instead! All in all for the level of presentation & quality of dishes in the express lunch, you can probably get the same for half the price elsewhere. In conclusion, I do not recommend it

上次晚飯來食，覺得唔錯。看到食評話有lunch special，即時訂位去試試。

原本book星期五，但姐姐話1點前要交台。我覺得真系食得太趕，所以改了星期一（0甘就任坐到幾點都得）。頭盤，主菜同甜品各有兩款選擇。

頭盤：alaska king crab with Mozzarella cheese
這樣配搭，好有驚喜，亦好好食

主菜: lamb
0的羊超"so",好採我就中意羊的那種蘇味，所以我都幾中意呢道菜

甜品：我點了caramel tart，朋友點了chocolate mousse
朋友的chocolate mousse賣相比我的靚，但我的比較好食。chocolate mousse實在太太太太甜，caramel tart味道剛好，而且有層crispy 底，所以比較好食。

最后，我們加點了咖啡。咖啡唔錯，一點酸的味道都無，相信系用上等豆的緣故吧。

總結：這個快餐認真貴！ 我絕對接受唔到法國餐的頭盤，主菜，同甜品一塊兒上（看圖）。就像在快餐店食一樣，everything is served on a tray at the same time，絕對唔覺自己食緊法國餐。食完個頭盤，主菜都已經凍洒，認真失策。不過，野系好食的。值唔值就見人見智!

休假的日子永遠都是享受美食的好時光。

說實話，西打對L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon這店真的一點認知都沒有。只是為了讓路人甲可以扮作上等人，每次休假，都會安排一頓悠閒下午茶。在開飯網頁搜羅資訊時，發現L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon現在有一個特別的promotion。平常動輒都要一二千一個人，現在只要在特定時段入座和點菜，只需要HK$268嘗到前菜、主菜和甜點的套餐。

看到這個優惠，西打立時改變行程，在星巴克冰室拍完照後，便趕緊走過去。

上網搜集了一點資料，L'Atelier 就是工作坊；Joël Robuchon 是主理人的名字。掛著最年輕米芝蓮廚師名銜的Joël Robuchon捨棄華麗的裝潢，把餐廳都設計成工作坊一樣。用open kitchen帶食客走進廚師的世界。除了用舌頭，看著廚師細意處理每一道菜，也用眼睛去嘗鮮。

HK$268的套餐，規距是這樣的。要於1130-1215入座並點菜，店方會提供約一個半小時讓你品嘗食物。或於1400-1430入座並點菜，這個時段就沒有時間限制。

這個unique menu菜色當然有限制，前菜、主菜和甜點各有兩款供食選擇。西打和路人甲當然把通通都點了來吃。

先上來的是讓每人都神往的麵包籃。在置地廣場三樓就有這店專賣甜點和麵包的分支。也有名食家說這店的牛角酥/可頌，是全香港最好吃。

Chilled Melon Soup Served with Parma Ham
Parma Ham西打也吃過不少，但用這個形式處理這道菜，著實新奇有驚喜。火腿捲著像餅乾一樣的小棍，在凍的密瓜湯中浸一下，不用嘴嚼，入口已經是香甜和鹹香混在一起的感覺。

密瓜打成凍湯，廚師卻利用棍子補上了失卻的口感，讓整道菜在口中還是有充實的感覺。吃了一口，口中還有餘香梟梟，直接舀一口凍湯，香甜有序，冰冷感覺又帶來了清新。

Steake Tartare with Hand Made French Fries

一次吃這種生牛肉他他的路人甲，就深深的迷上。軟滑的牛肉，入口幼滑到不行。冰冷生牛肉，卻搭著一點點微辛，讓人越吃越痛快。

手工薯條，連這種配菜也同樣重視，香酥又有厚重的馬鈴薯味。

Rasberry Mille Feuille薄如蟬翼的酥皮，碰一下都差不多碎掉。中間的奶油和rasberry，甜甜酸酸，作為最後一道菜，不會讓你感到膩，反而立時口腔清減了不少，回味又回味。

Egg Cocotte with Delicate Cream of Girolles Mushroom

不瞞大家，看到這道菜的名字，西打不知道送上來的會是甚麼。

就像尋寶一樣，把叉插進滿滿的泡沫，一撈，原來是半生熟的雞蛋！加搭著雞油菇吃，味道非常特別，滑滑的蛋汁，偶爾咬到煙韌的菇類，讓西打很難忘。

Salmon Fillet Marinated in Sake and Mirin with Miso Sauce西打平時好少點三文魚來吃，從送上來的一刻，西打已經不停的聞到陣陣甜酒和味噌的香氣。用叉子輕輕一擢，魚肉便輕輕的散開。肉質超超超幼滑，送入口，便已經在舌頭溶化。西打第一次嘗到三文魚的油香，也是重新認識三文魚的一天。

Coffee Jelly and Muscovado Cream

西打好少會點有關於咖啡的甜點。用湯匙舀一口jelly，哇，完全是介乎液體和固體之間，入口不著痕跡的便吞到肚子。咖啡也叫人驚艷的，不會有任何苦味或是酸味，單單就是咖啡本身的香。連從來不碰咖啡的路人甲也說這個甜點好好吃！

以上價錢是包含了一支HK$68的Evian礦泉水和一成服務費。雖然只算窺看了L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon的一小部分，但已經教西打大開看界。整頓飯都是一個美好經驗，單是用不到三分一的價錢就可以吃到一道道像夢幻般的菜餚，西打到現在還在回味！

延伸閱讀：http://blog.yam.com/ywjoseph928/article/23514796

七月三十日(星期四)

是日fiona買來了macaron,是almond的粉紅色
我本身不好macaron的!覺得比較甜!
老公說都是偏甜...

macaron都是好看不太好吃的甜品呢~
還是喜歡吃中式甜品啊!
anyway,多謝娜姐^.^

對上一次來robuchon 真正的吃晚餐是天氣還冷的時候，而且上次是吃的 Le Jardin 的，今次來試 L'Atelier，即是外面廚房的地方。 L'Atelier 感覺比較沒有那麼 uptight，而且沒事做又可以跟 staff 聊聊天， 還可以看著chef & co 工作，不錯，不錯。廚房的staff 都很nice，笑容滿面，而且盡力解答所有問題，也會適時和你聊天。無奈那帶位小姐的臉真的沒什麼笑容可言的。oh well...

這天沒有吃超級長的 tasting menu，instead we ordered the menu dîner set。complimentary l'amuse-bouche 是一小杯番茄 jelly 加 avocado moose and plain yogurt foam with a pinch of sea salt， 還有好小一塊 mint 作點綴，整個味道都很 summery，不過那個四顆sea salt 是真的好鹹。
appetizer 是一個用romaine wrap 起tomato，avocado，mozzarella 跟蟹肉(think it's alaskan king crab)像maki一樣的東西，有mayo 蘸，還有花花裝飾。again，整體感覺很summery。這一道菜是用一塊正方形玻璃上的，而由於餐廳有射燈的關係，那燈光的reflection是OK刺眼的。
接著是spaghetti made into a turbine，下面有個tiger prawn 的moose，也是一個圈圈，再加一點foam 和幾塊 summer truffle。
然後是豬肉加很滑的 mashed potatoes and herbs salad。這個豬肉超級好吃，嫩嫩的，好pinkish﹐ 味道不會說超級重，就是剛好，size-wise啊，大概是兩塊大麻將沒差吧，哈哈。真的很好吃。
甜點是 apricot and honey ice-cream。之後是了茶/ 咖啡，當然另送些糖果，chocolate，macaron， madeleine，可惜真的太飽，只有把 macaron 吃掉。以後買macaron 回家﹐ 還是先放room temperature 一下，好吃很多。哈哈。

menu dîner HKD 560 per head 另加酒水大概兩千多，比上次吃便宜一半。其實這樣五個 course 已經很飽，而且坐外面的感覺真的比較輕鬆，雖然不斷會有人來來往往。夏天的食材都比較偏重與light 和refreshing，感覺上面味道好像沒有那麼complex，不過當然還是很好吃。雖然如果你問我，我還是覺得有點 overprice, 但這裡是香港不是歐洲，是沒辦法的，因為不能夠這樣比較，很不公平，「辛苦搵黎至在食」﹐農家思想根深蒂固，改不了，哈哈。 吃進肚子最快樂，誰要來節食？從LV 拐過彎不就是robuchon，小姐們其實與其進去LV買很醜很醜像A貨的包包，還不如拐過彎進去robuchon 吃過痛快？不過每個人都有他的選擇，so i should shut up，哈哈。

昨晚通頂，今日可以晚一點進office，沒什麼睡意就早一點出門，在這間2星餐廳吃個早晨全餐再去博殺。

今日點的，真真正正是全餐，Le Petit Dejeuner Joel Robuchon。

要了咖啡，味道香濃，入口咖啡的aroma停留口中，aftertaste的感覺更教人感動；
再選麵包，有top of the town的牛角包，也有danish，入口軟棉，兩者我都十分喜愛；
有fresh juice，要了喜歡的apple juice，新鮮出品當然品質上盛；
接著再上的是ham & cheese platter，有不同款式的火腿，煙雞肉，每樣吃一點，也很滿足；
之後有cereal & yogurt，普通citysuper貨色，不特別，但去到這裡也很full了；
再點了mixed omelette，即是內裡什麼都有，有ham有tomato，而且蛋很煎得香口鬆軟，水準極高。

埋單三百多，水準高之餘servants的服務亦很好，貴的確貴，但物有所值。

I was shopping with my girlfriends at landmark the other day and we have decided to dine at this restaurant since we have always liked the desserts and pastry there.

I have only been to this restaurant in Hong Kong for a handful of times and I must say the quality of their dishes seem to have dropped. I have recently visited europe (namely Paris and London) and dined at the Joel Robuchon restaurants there, I must say the food being served there are much more delicate and flavourful.

Thus, considering there are also many other choices of fine dinning restaurants around central, I would probably only visit this restaurant again only for desserts and a quick business lunch.

Walked pass Landmark, and would like to try the desserts here.
Forgot the names of the cakes, one should be chocolate dome and another was passion fruit flavour.
I would like to say that the cakes were too sweet for me that I couldn't finish them. But I was a sweet lover~
The almond and pistachio macaron was much better. Outer part was crispy with good taste~

翻開米芝蓮星星餐廳目錄，置地廣場的L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon名列二星之選。適逢餐廳推出優惠，不用$300已可品嚐三道菜的星星美食，當然要訂枱試試。

店內環境幽暗恬靜。大堂設置三排吧枱，圍着一個開放式廚房。對於食客而言，坐吧枱或許不方便談天說地，但能觀嘗一衆廚師們準備食物的情境，倒有另一番滋味和享受。

說回當晚美食，優惠的L’Unique Express Menu分別有appetizer、main dish及dessert各兩款以供選擇。因選擇不多，很容易便可試畢當晚的菜式。

Appetizers

Homemade bread：一籃約有十款之多，整體味道不錯。不得不提的當然是Robuchon的招牌牛角包，口感的確香脆鬆軟，值得推介。不過，這籃麵包亦有不足之處，就是温度不足，放涼了，影響了味道質感。
Tomato salad, olive oil and basil with mozzarella cheese：菜式其實很簡單，兩塊鮮蕃茄當中夾着一塊mozzarella cheese。就個人口味而言，此菜式的香料醬汁運用得宜，能巧妙平衡鮮蕃茄嘅草青味，都OK喇！
Steamed shrimp roll in kombu broth with oriental flavors：先談湯底，味道和雲吞麵嘅鹼水湯底差不多。至於shrimp roll，則口感彈牙有鮮味。不過最值得欣賞的是在shrimp roll上嘅蟹籽，口感比shrimp roll更加彈牙，在咀嚼期間，完全能感受到蟹籽嘅彈性及爆開時「卜」的一聲，好味！

Main Dishes

Mixed herbs crusted sea bass with green asparagus：整體味道很普通；配菜露荀味道鮮嫩。
Roasted crispy baby pork with mixed herbs and mashed potato：很奇怪，不知為何整塊豬皮嘅香脆口感會唔平均？！撇除這個問題，脆豬皮味道不俗。至於烤豬肉，肉質確是鮮嫩，肥瘦適中，都好好味。

Desserts

Sea salt caramel tart：撻皮鬆化，內藏細小的朱古力脆脆；上層是味道香濃嘅caramel餡料。整體味道甜而濃烈。
Chocolate mousse with caramelized walnuts：Chocolate mousse口感細滑，朱古力味突出，都唔錯。

總括來說，只用$300就可品嚐平日人均消費以千元計的餐廳，的確吸引。不過，以食物味道質素而言，又和我的期望差少許。而且，食物的份量的確較少，一位普通胃納的男孩子末必足夠。最後一談服務，以一間高級餐廳的標準來說，真是很普通，和其他法國餐廳如Caprice、Gaddi’s等更加無得比。如以正價品嚐法國菜，應有更好的選擇。

[19/6/2009; Fri]

是晚本身在三樓的cafe用膳 ~
完成正餐後, 甜品癮發作, 問waiter囉個dessert menu ~
對方表示三樓只有玻璃櫃的cakes和tarts,
但可幫我地order四樓的dessert ~

由於三樓的cakes和tarts肯定不能滿足我們的甜品癮,
所以我們點了四樓兩款的dessert ~
食dessert, 塵埃認為賣相與味道兩者同樣重要,
Robuchon出品, 沒有令我們失望!

用餐日: 3.6.2009

年初時曾到澳門舊葡京的Robuchon a Galera吃了一次法式午市套餐，驚為天人，自此念念不忘。在那裏我吃到了(可能是全世界)最美味的法式小麵包，極品的精緻法式甜品(...酥皮拿破侖、橙酒香味的雪葩、濃味opera…)。所以當看到報章介紹香港的Robuchon會在六月開始做平價套餐來推廣美食，我便馬上失去理智，相約兩位好友即時訂檯。

訂檯時還是五月尾，只知道特價set menu賣的是3-course set，價錢是每人$268加10%，但附帶條件則多蘿蘿。例如：

1. 套餐雖然整日有售，但分成多段供應時段。例如：午市是由11:30 a.m.至12:15 p.m.， 晚市早場是由6:15 p.m. 吃到7:00p.m.，(當時已覺有點奇怪，法國菜那有吃得這麼快的？)訂檯的小姐更說一定夠時間吃完。

2. 吃的地方是要坐bar table而不是正常的西餐檯，亦即是要坐高凳，而且是面向廚房。(心想，如果多幾個人一起來，豈不是要一字排開坐，各自獨食? 長者或小孩更是不宜！)。

3. Menu內的選擇不多。每個course 只有兩款任擇其一。頭盆更只有一個沙律和一個湯選擇。

4. Set menu 是不包coffee or tea 的。

當時心想，能以$268加一的價錢吃到Robuchon 的三道菜，只要是高質美食，理它甚麼環境或時間限制呢！我們book了晚市6:15 p.m.的時段。

我和二位朋友懷著興奮的心情準時6:15 p.m.到達，然後被安排坐到bar table 的高凳。果然是要面向中心的廚房，一字排開坐。坐位之間只是隔開大約二至三吋，如果有人談話，旁邊的人恐怕一定清楚聽到。朋友建議談情的人勿來。果然，坐在我們三人旁的一對有情人，真的由6:15 p.m.進場後到7:00 p.m.準時結賬離開期間，都只顧默默的專心吃東西。彷彿只有我們這三個女人一個墟。餐廳內的裝修以紅黑為主，非常黑暗，只有廚房內的燈火最亮。真有點兒像走進戲院內吃東西，連餐牌上的字也暗得幾乎看不見。只好把menu拍下照片留為對照，否則回家後恐怕連吃過甚麼都不知道。點菜時才知這個套餐原來叫 Express Dinner Menu – 即是「快餐」。心雖有點一沈，但仍暗裏希望這是一個極品法式快餐。

為怕「妹仔大過主人婆」，我們決定不要任何要加錢的餐飲，只要ordinary water。 餐牌只有英文和法文，招呼我們幾個的是一位外藉女仕應，如果不懂英語(或法語)，便可能要向華籍仕應求救了。我心想，如果要在華人市場賣平價法餐做推廣，為何餐牌要扮高檔，連簡單的幾道菜名也欠中文繙繹。人家半島酒店的 The Verandah餐牌都中英對照了。高檔的消費者要吃法菜，有大把選擇，限本不用來光顧這種平宜快餐。見我們三個人猶豫不決，一位華籍男仕應便把餐牌解釋一次給我們聽。

點好菜後，先送上免費的麵包籃一個和一粒牛油。小麵包是暖的，但沒有麵包剛出爐時的香氣，樣子還算精緻，但一咬下去便知道這不是我在澳門Robuchon 吃過的小麵包。這裏的小麵包式樣，大部份帶著日式麵包店的味道，甜麵包的包身大都非常鬆軟但味道分別不大；鹹包主要是歐陸式樣，但全部都焗得過老，外皮很厚，內裏亦韌，如非肚餓，一定吃剩。我之前在澳門吃的小麵包是冒著香氣熱烘烘(不是暖)的，歐陸包的外皮是薄和脆而內裏是軟心的，每個小包包的樣子和味道都不會一樣，送上桌時熱氣帶著麵包香撲鼻而來，真是很懷念。最要命的是這個快餐包籃內的每款麵包都只有兩個，牛油只有一粒。三個人只好把牛油和麵包左右傳來傳去。這樣高級的餐廳，卻可以這樣的不体貼。幸好小麵包吃不吃也不會是一個大損失。但已令人感到失望。

套餐送上來時是就像快餐店的一樣。一個大碟上放齊前菜、主菜和甜品，賣相一點都不浪漫。

前菜

一款是茄子蓉配牛油菓；另一款是青豆蓉湯。我們三個人都選擇了青豆湯。湯是青綠色的，內裏吃到一顆顆的青豆，非常稠，是完全的濃豆蓉湯。但味道和質感都只是普通。我們三個人都反而覺得傳統的青豆忌廉湯會比這個香滑。

主菜

1. 燒三文魚配牛油汁 - 兩位朋友都點了這道菜，說味道OK。三文魚燒得剛熟，烙上去的黑色格仔印非常平均；牛油汁的牛油味非常香濃；但伴碟的時菜居然是小白菜；而三文魚亦只有小半隻手掌大的一件，好像有點兒將貨就價。

2. Wasabi味雞柳配什菜絲 – 我試了這道非常簡單的煎雞柳加炒什菜絲。雞柳煎得稍乾，並不滑溜，初開始吃時更吃不到有任何wasabi味，但吃到中間時突然吃下一口還未調勻的wasabi，馬上嗆得要喝下一杯開水。這道菜的賣相和味道根本沒有水準可言。完全的失望。

甜品

1. 檸檬撻 – 撻皮做得很好，非常香脆。檸檬custard做的餡料我則覺得味道調得太濃，令人吃不出檸檬的清新和鮮味，反而帶點兒苦味。這個只能算合格。

2. 士多啤梨配tiramisu – 朋友說這個味道像mousse加少許士多啤梨味。非常普通，不太欣賞。

三人感想總結如下:

1. 名不符實，非常失望。一次就夠，不會推介。

2. 份量太少。如果不吃麵包，很難會吃得飽。(但麵包也不是款款好吃啊！) 我們之後去了吃雲吞麵！

3. Menu的設計商業味考慮重，套餐的內容選擇太少，不像是推廣星級美食，食材亦有點將貨就價，感覺似是促銷品牌。

4. 感受不到星級水準。我兩位朋友以前從未光顧過Robuchon，完全因為我的澳門愉快經驗才跟我前來。這次快餐經驗後，不單止對這品牌有了戒心，亦不會考慮再來。這豈不與大師原先的「推廣」原意大相逕庭？

5. 這個快餐不值$268十10%。名氣是不能吃的，送到桌上的才是真。這套快餐水準既不高，環境又不浪漫，招待亦是一般，還吃得人不太飽，卻要收取差不多$300一個人，條件多多之餘還不包tea or coffee呢。我索性把心一橫豁出去，約了其中一位好友三天後去了半島酒店的Gaddi’s吃浪漫法式午餐，作為觀摩之餘亦補嘗一下之前失望的心情。收費每人才大約$450，但已包三道菜及餐飲、petit fours及免費餐酒一杯。水準更是超高。

6. 高檔食品用低檔包裝促銷但又收中檔價錢。這個「快餐」策略設計得有點茅盾。做精緻菜賣當然要求客人慢慢欣賞和品嚐。囫圇吞棗，豈不大煞風景？本以為會有很多人冒名而來，但當天晚上也只見小貓三四，無需火速還檯。

(註：剛看到openrice上有人對這快餐頗為欣賞，而我們就好像是「潑冷水」。只想說一聲以上純屬個人真實感受，絕無冒犯大師之意。)

As I mentioned before, Robuchon is a “brand” that I like very much, and I have had numerous very enjoyable meals at the L’Atelier in NYC. I have only been to the L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Hong Kong for 3 dinners, but the experiences varied significantly from great to poor. I haven’t been back since I last visited more than a year ago. Hence when my new friend, 辣子, invited me to try out their L’Unique menu for lunch, I thought it would be a great opportunity to see if it could regain my confidence.

The L’Unique menu ($268) is basically an express menu in which all three courses of your choice are served simultaneously. It is “express” because you are really supposed to finish your meal within an hour, something that I rarely accomplish for a proper French lunch, let alone dinner. It’s also only available at off-peak hours, but I found the time sessions that they provide quite flexible*. The compromises, on the surface, seemed to be minimal, considered with this ridiculously cheap price tag of about $300 bucks. I said ridiculously cheap because I was never able to walk out of L’Atelier for less than $1600 (or $200USD for dinner), and $300 usually just gets you a single a la carte dish. This express menu seems like a real bargain, or, is it really?

The menu provides you with two options for each course, so for 辣子 and myself it was logical to order one of each so that we could share and try out everything. For this price I certainly wouldn’t expect any luxurious ingredients or their signature dishes to be included. Fortunately it happened that the dishes they provided that day were quite approachable. Bread basket was provided as usual, though no amuse bouche was insight. A bummer, as amuse bouche at Robuchon is usually one of the best “courses” of the meal in my opinion.

辣子's lunch included:
Appetizer: Le Crabe – King crab meat with semouline and crab eggs
Entrée: Le Bar – Fillet of sea bass gratinated with salmon roe
Dessert: Le Tarte – Sea salt caramel tart

while mine consisted of:
Appetizer: Le Tomate – Tomato salad, olive oil and basil with mozzarella cheese
Entrée: Les Tagliatelles – Tagliatella pasta with Parma ham
Dessert: Le Chocolat – Chocolate mousse with caramelized walnuts

One of the central enjoyments about eating at Robuchon is the presentation of the food. To me, eating at Robuchon almost resembles having Japanese kaiseki meal. It’s not just the food, but also the aesthetic presentation, the precision to plating, and the artful matching of the tableware. The presentations of our two “sets” were still very attractive compared to a lot of the “upscale” restaurants in town, and I appreciated the clean and crafty plates used to serve the meal. But compared to the normal a la carte plating, it was definitely less sophisticated and appealing. The attention to details, like the placement of the sauces or the condiments, was lost. Put it in other words, it lacked the soul of Robuchon’s artistry.

The quality of the food, overall, was up to expectation of an express lunch. My Le Tomate was presented in millefeuille style, with layers of fresh mozzarella, tomato, dices of avocados, topped with a sheet of clear tomato jelly. The combination was quite generic, and I couldn’t taste any basil (too little) or olive oil (too weak). The avocados only added color but did nothing to enhance the overall flavor. Most importantly, the whole dish lacked seasoning. After our request of salt, a small pinch instantly drew out the sweetness of the tomato and the lactic aroma of the mozzarella. This dish was in a sense Robuchon’s interpretation of a caprese salad, and while it was refreshing, the execution could have been improved considerably.

辣子's Le Crabe was better accomplished flavorwise. Generous amount of fresh crab meats were encased in edible vertical “rolls” made with fine semolina (I think). Since king crab didn’t have much sweetness on its own, the red-pepper(?) spiked sauce helped to elevate the dish with some zest, and the crab eggs enhanced the overall texture with a bit of crunchiness. Nothing revelating, but pleasant nevertheless.

My Les Tagliatelles was probably my favorite savory dish of the meal. The tagliatella pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, with each strand coated with just enough pistou sauce and not much residue left at the bottom of the plate. The intertwine of the two kinds of savory aroma from the parma ham juliennes and the parmesan strips completely enchanted my tastbuds. (I should apologize to 辣子for not giving her enough ham so her portion was a bit under-salted). This pasta was very simple yet extremely satisfactory, and was prepared much more skillfully than what you get at a lot of the citified upscale Italian restaurants.

辣子's Le Bar showcased two fillets of sea bass beautifully plated and appeared full of potentials. My portion, however, was slightly undercooked with the flesh a bit “sticky” at the center. The slight “fishiness” of the fillet was probably due to the under-doneness. 辣子's portion, from what I gathered, was done right, so again there was some inconsistency in execution. The salmon roe was a bit letdown. It was of very mediocre quality, something that I wouldn’t consider coming out from a Robuchon’s kitchen. Even though the sauce was seasoned well, enough damage was done for it to revive this dish.

When it comes to desserts, the menu taps into its reliable Le Salon’s creations. Both the salted caramel tart and the chocolate mousse cake are available at the salon and ours were every bit as tasty. We both enjoyed the salted caramel tart more, and I loved that they found the right balance of saltiness and sweetness which seemed to always go to extremes of one way or the other in other restaurants. The chocolate mousse was creamy and luscious with a clean chocolate flavor, a great vehicle for one to indulge in chocolate heaven without the heaviness.

To our surprises, petite fours were served with their mini macarons (a favorite of mine) and some fruit jellies and chocolate bits. We ended our meal with a cup of coffee which I believe was Blue Mountain Kona coffee but not completely sure. It was very smooth and aromatic just like the one at Le Salon , and a soothing way to end the meal.

While there were some hits and misses to the meal, I think the L’Unique menu is still a bargain with better value and quality than a lot of the comparable lunch offers in Hong Kong. The problem wasn’t as much on the superficial compromises, like having all courses served at one time or eating at off hours. Rather it was the inconsistency in the kitchen execution that detracted from the wholeness of the meal. It’s not “unique” to this menu as I have had similar experiences in this branch in the past. Having the good fortune to dine at the L’Atelier in NYC, I found the food there to be much more expertly and carefully prepared. Seasoning was more spot on, presentation was more succinct, and the ingredients were for some reasons fresher and more flavorful.

Putting criticisms aside, I think L’Unique gives diners an opportunity to a meal that’s relatively economical and filling in a stylish setting. However, like having lunches at many famous and expensive Japanese restaurants, there are compromises to be made. It’s an express lunch, a good quality lunch, but quite far from a true Robuchon experience. In my opinion, lunch is a good way to see if a restaurant is serious to food preparation and execution, as a great restaurant will prepare the food with care and with skills even with ingredients that aren’t premium or pristine. However, if you want to experience the best that a restaurant, like Robuchon, can offer, a proper dinner is the way to go.

* The L'Unique menu is available Monday - Sunday:
For Lunch:11:30am-12:15nn; 2pm-2:30pm;
For Dinner: 6:15pm-7pm; 9:30pm-10:30pm
The selection of dishes change daily
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I really want to thank 辣子 for her invitation and apologize for my delayed arrival that day . It was definitely quality time spending with her and enjoyed this great experience to chat and share common interests. The off-peak hour actually worked in our favor as the restaurant was barely full and we didn't have to be "disturbed" by the servers during our meal. Thank you once again 辣子! It's a great pleasure to know you as a friend!

I read from the Chinese papers the other day that Robuchon Hong Kong has launched a set meal since the beginning of this month. If you visit during off-peak hours, you can enjoy a 3-course meal, in which you can "create your own menu", for just $268. Bargain isn't it...for this price you can barely get a main dish there.

Fellow Openricer Little Meg kindly agreed to join me in this bargain hunt adventure. We booked at the 2 pm slot (order time 2 - 2:30 pm). They could only offer the counter seats to us (this is on condition of the meal), which I think is an advantage instead because we could see the chefs at work from there!

I'm just a novice when it comes to fine dining, perhaps Little Meg could tell you more about how Robuchon in HK compares with those else around the globe...

First the all-so-chic black and red decor caught my eye. The receptionist led me to my seat, and I started snapshooting around right away (ahem, now I've forgotten my manners) - I guess pictures speak better than words?

Then I started browsing through the menu. The official name of this "Express Lunch Menu" is "L'Unique", in which you can pick 1 appetizer, 1 main course and 1 dessert item from the 2 choices of each (choices rotate each day). They are served together like an airline meal - "haute" version of course. So it's best to go in pairs, then you can try everything on the menu if you share.

While waiting for Little Meg I was served the bread basket. With the fame of the bakery items downstairs, it didn't disappoint, but could have been better if the bread were hotter. I thought I tried the mini croissant and the bread with some bacon inside, both were good but not exceptional. Probably the most adorable part was the basket itself; I'd have bought it if I could.

OK let's come the to the meals themselves. You can make any combination from the menu (make the calculation and there'll be 8 in total), and it's fun looking at the chefs assembling and dishing them out, all meticulously made to precision.

Appetizers

La Tomate (Tomato salad, olive oil and basil with mozzarella cheese)
We're in a French restaurant right? I think even Robuchon himself wouldn't be content with just making a "copy and paste" of the Insalata Caprese Salad from Italy...so his French rendition here was a clever twist of beautifully stacking up the ingredients. Not bad to look at but it proved a bit difficult to eat because I couldn't elegantly eat all the layers in 1 bite without messing the architecture of it. Taste-wise, we ended up asking the wait staff for extra salt, otherwise it was fine; I guess this is what they call "healthy eating" ?!

La Crabe (King crab meat with semouline and crab eggs)
So here comes another "fusion" dish which reminds me of something similar that you see in a Chinese banquet...it's crab meat rolled in a fine translucent semouline sheet (semolina - very fine flour I guess?) topped with crab roe. I'm not a big fan of crabs, so I thought this was just on the par; it looked better than it tasted.

Mains

Le Bar (Fillet of sea bass gratinated with salmon roe)
I chose fish for myself. Again stylishly presented, the dish left more to be desired. First I had no idea where the word "gratinated" came from, perhaps it had something to do with the creamy yellow sauce? As there was no crust to be found whatsoever.

(FYI, to "gratinate" means to make an "au gratin", which is "a top crust consisting of browned crumbs and butter, often with grated cheese". Source: dictionary.com)

As for the fish, I thought the piece I had was OK, but could do better if the flesh were more juicy. We thought the other piece might have been a bit undercooked, but weren't sure due to the dim lighting. Luckily the luscious salmon roe saved the day both in appearance and in taste.

Les Tagliatelles (Tagliatelle pasta with Parma Ham)
Hey pesto, are we temporarily transported to an Italian restaurant? Although the French would never do pasta as good as the Italians do, the tagliatelle here was just fine. Simple is best with the good old pesto, parmasen and parma ham. But again Robuchon again cares about our health - we needed some extra sprinkles of salt. Another note is that the parma ham here was the thicker variety, not the thinner slices that you eat with melons, but of course the former went better with pasta.

Desserts

"Le meilleur" is the word!!

La Tarte (Sea salt caramel tart) - thumbs up! While Meg may have her expert opinion on the various kinds of salt to match with food, I'm more than content with this tart. Caramel au beurre salé (salted butter caramel) is a northern French specialty, its rich but not-too-sickly sweet caramel was simply heavenly! The buttery-ness of the filling was highlighted with a tinge of salt, and also the fleur de sel o n the top of the tart.

My delight can't be simply put in words...go try it!

Le Chocolat (Chocolate mousse with caramelised walnuts) -
An exquisite work of art and an indulgence of velvety chocolate mousse. Chocoholics would want a more chocolaty flavour but it's just right with me.

Petits fours

An important part of the dining experiece today at Robuchon, in my opinion, was the joint's attention to detail, even the petits fours -

Yum yum yum...macarons!!! (I insist on using the French term )

Presentation trumps. The reddish one was actually chocolate, and the white one was vanilla. The former was a signature item, which had the exact bittersweet balance(literally) . The vanilla one was light on both the texture and sweetness sides. Complete with fruit pastilles and crunchy golden chocolate pearls, these little delights looked like jewels.

We each had a coffee ($45@) to conclude the meal. I thought it was a perfect match with the caramel tart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The service was close to impeccable for a restaurant of this class. The atmosphere was "smart casual" sans much of the formalities of a top French restaurant, which made us at ease. The wait staff were friendly and attended to our requests almost immediately. Even when it was well past their break time, one of the crew members enthusiastically showed us around the restaurant, and we got to have a peep at the gardened dining area (Le Jardin).

Thanks for bearing with me this lengthy and lungy review. Yet I do appreciate L'Atelier de Robuchon's efforts of bringing Hong Kongers the taste of the Michelin chef's "culinary art" at more down to earth prices. I'm not sure whether I'll come for the main menu stuff (due to financial concerns ), this was a remarkable dining experience for me at least.

And thanks to Little Meg again, it's good to have someone who has the same passion for food and life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More info on this deal:
L'Unique
$268 + 10%
Available between 11:30 am - 12:15 pm & 2:00 - 2:30 pm for lunch and
6:15 - 7:00 pm & 9:30 - 10:30 pm for dinner
Reservations strongly recommended (not essential, but the news would soon spread so better book in advance!)

今日 有同事生日
所以我地專程由灣仔去到中環黎到呢度買左呢一個朱古力蛋糕
因為我地既袐書話呢一度既蛋糕係全城最好味既

這一個朱古力蛋糕 應該係我食過最貴既一個蛋糕
兩磅重盛惠560大元
我地呢一班貧窮線下既小朋友聽到緊係嘩一聲啦
好彩 我地有零食基金既贊助 咁都無咁肉痛

當我地打開個盒時
我已經索到陣陣既朱古力香味
正! 而佢個樣都唔錯
佢既表面真係好平滑... 滑到好想摸下佢, 訓落去~~

不過我地都有少少奇怪
點解兩磅既蛋糕咁細個既?!
呵呵~ 當你食落口就知道箇中既奧妙

一層滑到溜既朱古力醬包住密度好高既既朱古力 mousse
嘩! 朱古力味真係好濃 好重
食到我地個個都好感動(為左一舊蛋糕就好感動~)
因為我地都好鐘意食朱古力
雖然係貴 但係真係貴得有價值
同埋一定會對呢一個蛋糕留下深刻既印象

之前在樓上食過一次，很滿意！今次跟同事來試試另一面貌的Robuchon - 同事形容為快餐，因為是半 self serve 形式的，自己先排隊點餐，然後找個位子便會有人奉餐。

同事推介這兒的 roasted pork，但是日 daily roast 是 chicken。反正小女子一向同雞有仇，就要這個吧。同事同選了這個主菜，只是我們一個飲 orange juice，一個飲 perrier 吧。

找到近窗欄走廊的位子，坐下來不久，飲品和我最愛的餐包就上檯了。餐包是哄熱了的，有芝士包及軟硬餐包各一，全都很好吃！如果可以"添食"整件事就完美了！

主菜 roasted chicken 是由一件雞胸和一件雞上髀組合而成，同事的雞胸部份連著雞翼，她說雞翼很美味！我也覺得很美味啊，雞肉很焾且滑，很入味，真的很好吃！而且雞胸也很滑溜~~ 嗯~~ yummy!

伴碟的菜是生的，我本不好生的食物，但這菜伴上一點酸醋汁，也是非常清新啊~

smashed potato 非常幼滑，而且很香牛油味，又要再講 -- 如果可以"添食"整件事就完美了！

很滿足很滿足~ ...... 很滿足之餘，還是和同事各買了鼎鼎大名的 croissant 回去 tea 一 tea！呵呵~