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2017-03-19
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It's been over 5+ years since coming to Caprice. The last experience with the chef's tasting menu was extremely positive and had left an outstanding impression corresponding well with the restaurant's top ranking position for years to continue. With the busy schedule of trying out numerous new restaurants in HK opening every month, there hasn't been a chance to come back again till now as a food-loving friend was in town for a visit. The Caprice ambiance still upholds a very elegant mood an
With the busy schedule of trying out numerous new restaurants in HK opening every month, there hasn't been a chance to come back again till now as a food-loving friend was in town for a visit.
The Caprice ambiance still upholds a very elegant mood and of course the Victoria harbour view makes the perfect complement. The set menus didn't seem all compatible with what we wanted to try, so we chose to go with a-la-carte instead.
The bread was amazing - a warm and soft brioche.
Amuse bouche - a generous portion of two items:
Appetisers - Homemade Salmon Confit Glazed w Watercress & isigny cream $550 - the salmon presented as a chunky roll felt a bit 'heavy', thanks to the green cream surrounding it, the palate was a bit more revitalized.
Chilled Risotto, Sea Bass Capaccio, Spider Crab & Kristal Caviar $880 - a much more refreshing choice vs the salmon. Instead of the typical presentation, the capaccio is used as a wrap to roll up the fish. The caviar added a nice uplift to the risotto's light taste.
Mains - Roasted Blue Lobster, Lobster Claw Raviole, Brittany Artichokes, Spinach Leaves $890 - the lobster was cooked to perfection with the just right texture, very tasty with the light cream foam. The log of spinach leaves was like a mousse cake, tasted a bit too strong as a companion for this light delicate dish. One precious raviole was served in a small bowl on the side in consumme, very small portion and did not feel matching with the taste of this main dish, only they were both made with lobster.
Salers Beef Tenderloin, Wild Mushroom and Shallot Tart, Pommes Soufflees, Red Wine Sauce $850 - no special comments about the tenderloin but the cauliflower looking item on the dish we assume is the wild mushroom & shallot tart - the taste wasn't much more appealing than the presentation.
Dessert - By now, we were extremely full (maybe too much of the lovely brioche at the start) . The dessert menu consisted mainly of 'chocolate' choices if not the cheese. We opted for something more fruity...not knowing what this item was (and the waiter's description didn't help at all), we decided to take our chances.Orange Baba, J.M Rum Chantilly and Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream $180 - the rum hidden in the orange baba was overpowering and the bitterness threw us off a bit, in regret to not have ordered the safer choices. I suspect it may not be a choice typical Chinese people would like.
Petit Fours - an abundant portion including the madeleines - a good way to bring our saddened tastebuds back to sweetness after the bitter orange baba.
In overall, the dining experience was a bit disappointing comparing to the nostalgic impression I had from years ago. The dishes and their presentation were honestly lacking excitement - perhaps nowadays there are so many more fine dining choices in competition that one would have much higher & beyond expectations from this long-time Michelin star contender. The service also felt much less attentive, hope it's not because we've ordered a-la-carte instead of the tasting menu.One other minor thing that gave this dinner a lower rating : There was a somewhat pretentious caucasian waiter whom made his smile into an instant smirk the moment he turned away after my friend had asked to clarify about an item on her dish. Not what could be expected/acceptable from a Michelin starred / 5-star hotel restaurant.
I hope if I do ever visit again, that my perfect impression of "the" Caprice from before would resurface again.
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