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2019-10-13
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This fine-dining French restaurant is located on 25/F H Queen's in Central. Inspired by the concept of a charming forest home of a poet and cook, the restaurant offers a cozy relaxing atmosphere for diners to enjoy bohemian leisure in a home away from home idea. Seated at a table on the window side, when I looked around I got a nice reminder of some of the winery and cellars we visited in France previously. The staff came to check with us on the aperitif, along with a champagne cart which I dec
This fine-dining French restaurant is located on 25/F H Queen's in Central. Inspired by the concept of a charming forest home of a poet and cook, the restaurant offers a cozy relaxing atmosphere for diners to enjoy bohemian leisure in a home away from home idea. Seated at a table on the window side, when I looked around I got a nice reminder of some of the winery and cellars we visited in France previously.
The staff came to check with us on the aperitif, along with a champagne cart which I decided to go for a glass of Jacquesson 741 while my wife had the White Peach Nectar. Soon the staff brought some nice home-made brioche with some seaweed mixed, along with two butter, one made with mentaiko (salted cod roe) with spicy seasonings, the other of kelp with toasted seaweed. Both are innovative and tasty, where we quickly finished the one and asked for another bread.
Checking on the menu I opted for the Chef Tasting Menu ($1888) while my wife had the Seasonal Tasting Menu ($1488). Both started with the same course, 'Clam'. The feature is razor clam, served in two ways, with the first being a lightly blanched razor clam on skewer. While it is already fresh and sweet in taste without any additional condiment needed, there is a sauce on the side with some lemon leaves which greatly enhanced the fragrance.
The other dish served has a meaty piece of the razor clam on a cream sauce, intense on flavors while still relatively light and without feeling awkward and masking the delicate taste of the razor clam. There are pieces of mushroom which served as a nice decoration too. From the presentation one can clearly see the influence of Japanese cuisine to the chef, no matter on the use of the ingredients, serve-wares and presentation.
The second course is 'Scallop', with the Hokkaido scallop seared well on both sides, with some marinated sauce to highlight some savory flavors. There is a kelp jelly sauce underneath with some lime juice to again freshen up and raise the umami taste to the next level. There is also a crunchy toasted seaweed cracker on the side which offered great complement. The wine paired is Kokuryu Daiginjo Ryu, the famous sake from Fukui which uses French maturation techniques for sake making. A nice match.
The third course is 'Foie Gras', made to a creamy mousse at the bottom, then on top adding some crispy fried rice treats to give a nice contrasting texture, along with a fig jam where the sweetness balanced well with the intensity of the foie gras. This new way to prepare the foie gras significantly reduced the heavy oily sensation of the dish and making it more welcoming to diners. Really great effort by the chef and his team.
The fourth course is 'Chestnut', with the seasonal produce being the highlight. Apart from a chestnut puree similar to what you would see on a cake, but not insanely sweet as many cakes would be. There are some slices of Fuji apple giving a bit of acidity and light-weight balance. The ginkgo has a nice chewy bite as well. Wine paired was Vincent Latour Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots 2016. Good acidity and I think it is a bit too light for pairing with the food.
The fifth course is 'Sea Bream', with a broccoli puree, fish stock as sauce, and nice seaweed condiments, successfully highlighting the delicate and elegant taste of the fillet while at the same time intensifying the complexity of the dish through these condiments. The wine paired was an interesting choice, Freeman Vineyard & Winery Pinot Noir from Sonoma, with the strong cherry note not particularly matched with the dish but did not somehow affect the dish in any negative way.
The sixth course is 'Pigeon', a piece of nice pigeon breast beautifully seared with sweet wine and berries reduction, tender and juicy on the inside, and my favorite in the evening. On the side there are a piece of root (I forgot the name) which is grilled, with some other seasonal mushroom as well. The wine paired is Tignanello 2014 which got a big tannin and gamey note to match well with the pigeon.
Moving to the dessert the seventh course is 'Citrus', a yuzu and jasmine flower sorbet with a cheese meringue cracker on top of some finely chopped citrus fruit pieces. Cleansing for the palate, the dish is great to freshen up before finishing our meal with a more indulgent dessert. The wine paired was Domaine Weinbach Theo Faller Gewurztraminer VT 1989. The wine was very good on its own and appropriate in sweetness for this dish, though leaving a bitter aftertaste.
The last course is 'Madeleine', served interestingly in an ice-cream cup which included a walnut ice-cream and three big pieces of sweet black beans. A few pieces of caramel crackers provided nice supplement to the texture, the dish is a nice finale for the dinner, with also a piece of spongy canele-like pastry which is great for coffee.
The service throughout the dinner was great, with the staff coming to explain each dish in details, and the sommelier also providing the characters of the wine paired.
The bill for the night was $5,330 including the wines ($1,300). Consider the ambiance and quality of the food it was still a bit over-priced in my opinion. I am critical here but the wine pairing can in fact be improved.
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