法租界 (已結業)

This restaurant is located in Lan Kwai Fong, inside a dark alley which honestly is a bit intimidating for the first timers. Having visited another restaurant here before, at least I knew that the place was not dangerous. After checking with the staff at Brickhouse, who directed us to walk up the stairs, we arrived at a nondescript door without any sign. It should not be a surprise, however, as Fa Zu Jie is indeed a private kitchen.Seated at the other end of the restaurant near the big covered terrace, the atmosphere was cozy and comfortable, offering us a nice ambiance though one could also see the interior decorations was a bit dated. The open kitchen is on the other side where diners could easily see the activities. Greeted warmly by Chris, who managed my reservation and special requests, we started the 7-course menu ($598 each, with the additions of $80 each for the souffle).The name of the dishes is rather unique, and by looking at them one could not guess what would be coming. Take the first course as an example. It is Fake. Pleurotus Abalonus. In fact it was an abalone cooked nicely, tender on texture, cut into slices and marinated to show an interesting mushroom flavor, while on the side are some kale, sauteed with mushroom and thin radish slices. Overall the flavors are very harmonized.The second course was Garlic in Love. Salt. Slow-cooked Belly. I thought the dish was inspired by the Shanghai cuisine of a similar combination. The slices of pork belly got a nice bite, rich in taste and seasoned with some salt. The celery strips on top provided a refreshing and different texture, while the garlic paste was creamy and not excessively pungent. A nice dish.The third course was The Mood. Deep Bay. The deep-fried radish cake was something traditional and available in fishing villages in HK, according to Chris. Recreating this, and then adding some deep-fried small shrimps on top, I found the radish cake's texture firmer, with a nice bite and paired well with the parsley and anchovy sauce on the side. There is also an Hiroshima oyster too, intense on flavors, full of umami elements. I also like the sauce having a nice acidity to reduce the weight of the deep-fried radish cake.The fourth course was Exotic Mediterranean Sea. Enchanting Shanghai. The broth was prepared using some local fish, with some crab meat added, reminiscent of the famous Marseilles seafood broth. My wife opted for the pure fish broth however, showing up whiter and not as intense. The Shanghai noodle accompanied was to be eaten after dipping into the soup. For some the broth might be a bit under-seasoned, but I feel it is appropriate, in order not to overpower the delicate notes of the noodle. After finishing the noodle we also drank the broth, knowing that all the great essences had dissolved into the soup.The fifth course was Elegant Face. Elegant Rice. Originally with Australian wagyu beef cheek, I changed that to a duck confit instead. It was beautifully done, with a crispy skin while not making the meat overly dry. Nicely seasoned, it is a good complement in taste with the Shanghai vegetable rice, which are prepared with some Chinese ham and lard, giving a nice fragrance and smoothness, but not oily to make it repelling. This is my favorite of all the dishes in the evening, and I also thank Chris for arranging the duck confit upon my request.Moving to dessert we had the Summer. A Pre-season Performance in Winter. A really innovative idea, using winter melon to prepare this dessert, with the bottom pieces soaked in mulled wine, having a taste like pear and honestly if you don't tell me I would not be able to tell the difference. On top there are caramelized winter melon slices, with some sour cream added to balance the sweetness. A truly creative dessert.We added the extra dessert option, with Ginger. Souffle. Beautifully presented, when scooping in there are some small pieces of ginger, not only giving a nice fragrant note to the souffle, the slight spiciness is also a great complement to the light sweetness, balancing it perfectly. A really nice conclusion to the meal and another testimony to the uniqueness of the chef's in combing French techniques with Shanghai and HK cuisines to make a good fusion dinner.Services are very good, with Chris coming to explain each course in details. One thing to note is that the restaurant did not sell alcohol so they encourage customers to bring their own wine, without corkage. But it is also important to note that they only accept cash or bank transfer, no credit card.The bill was $1,356 and the portion was appropriate to make us full but not overly so. No wonder that despite its relatively difficult to find location it is still popular, even in the recent political and economic difficulty in town. 继续阅读

朋友介绍下去了中环食私房菜，地点有些隐秘，有点忙中带静嘅感觉。朋友话饮食节目都推介，当然要试试。食物水准确是美味出色，fushion菜充满惊喜特色，每碟看似少少的份量，最终食得包包的，好满足，绝对是高质，啱哂三五知己聚会及情侣节日庆祝。餐牌的菜名别具心思，未食已吸引。伪·鲍鱼菇鲍鱼新鲜爽口，用鲍鱼扮鲍鱼菇，很有创意肉末·甘蓝情怀·后海湾地中海风情·上海妩媚沪酸菜·意国红烧·德国米月半·抱中环🤩姜·飞雪😋姜梳乎厘，有少许蓉粒，味道适中，不会太甜太腻。正!老板好细心食之前介绍每道菜。👍款款都好食，值得一试。😋 继续阅读

Went there for my birthday dinner. The place was nice but the food was a huge disappointment. We were served an appetiser with avocado that was too sour, a fish burger with eel and Shanghainese flatbread that was cold, risoni with shrimp roe that did not require much cooking except boiling pasta and mixing it with store bought fried fish roe, room temperature ‘Shanghainese wonton’ filled with cheese (once melted but cooled) that looked nothing like Shanghainese wontons, braised lamb and rice cakes with a medium size tomato that overpowered the whole dish, and worse still, some warabi mochi that was cut in a way too thin strip places on some dry rice pudding to make it look like sushi. I don’t usually write negative reviews unless I was very angry at the restaurant. The chef, to me, did not put much thought into designing these fusion dishes. The flavour and texture pairing was terrible. Made us wonder if he tasted his menu before confirming it. So bad. 继续阅读

同同事食开年饭，又系同事发板～最开心同班同事出去食😍餐牌系 Tailor made, 真系不得了～.叫咗八样菜，虽然每份都细细份咁，但系超级饱！.听名真系唔知系咩黎嘅，每一味𩠌都食落去好惊喜流动的阳光，冬日，福：系菜，腐皮福袋入面装住流心鸡蛋！.马铃薯沙律系用德国酸菜同薯仔整咗个酸酸地嘅汁，再点埋炸咗嘅腐皮，好开胃！.北海道野带子，溶化的粟米，虾子油：个名真系好得意😂系香煎北海道带子，在加好似薯蓉咁样样嘅粟米碎，再淋埋虾子油好香！.层层叠：本身以为会系牛柳粒𠮶啲，点知系手撕鸡！好香麻油味，正.渔乡：系意大利粒粒pasta配大虾，再加发菜source，好新颖！.软米香：系上海菜饭再配烧鸭肉！好香好正～.白雪风铃：系欧洲果个贝壳蛋糕feel，细细粒配cream食落去好清新.姜雪菲：系姜味梳乎里，出面食吾到呢个味！多谢我班好同事，等我咁有食神！老板咁有心机设计啲𩠌，仲系食之前简介，心思100分！唯一一个缺点就系，厨房抽风唔够强，食完个身有阵又油烟味... 继续阅读

去之前已经收到餐单觉得好神奇劲有创意 完全睇啲名唔会知道佢食咩 一去到已经觉得劲有高级餐厅感觉 场地唔大 可以容纳20几人 好彩攞咗张圆枱有啲私人空间 第一道菜系半醉八爪鱼同带子刺身第二度菜系茄子加素鸡同埋鱼松加素鸡 佢个素鸡 口感超级弹牙劲似鱼蛋 觉得好有新意 之后系一个挞 佢嘅皮好似云吞皮咁薄咁脆 有阵牛油酥香味 入面系轻芝士乳酪菠菜蓉 甜而不腻 佢有个姜梳乎厘 入面都真系有姜蓉同埋老板拎咗去支私伙嘢出嚟佢话系客人自己酿制嘅桂花酒 超好饮 超甜超香桂花味 继续阅读