Being alone for the first day of the new year, I've picked this place for a holiday lunch. I arrived at 12noon and got seated at the near-window seats because I would like some day light for my reading.The set menu is pretty impressive I shall say. Firstly presented is the appetisers, a nicely designed dish with lobster, smoked salon and sea urchin tart. Secondly, there comes the bread basket with two kinds of butter- unsalted and one with chilli. I love the bread so I finished it all. The
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Being alone for the first day of the new year, I've picked this place for a holiday lunch. I arrived at 12noon and got seated at the near-window seats because I would like some day light for my reading.
The set menu is pretty impressive I shall say. Firstly presented is the appetisers, a nicely designed dish with lobster, smoked salon and sea urchin tart.
Then following is the pouched egg dish, the taste is not very obvious but the ingredients is very fresh, I especially like the yellow sauce on the top of the crunchy part
I made the RSVP very late at 1am the night before and I wrote down that I don't eat Fois gras. Epure is very accommodating and they serve me Scallip with pomegranate which is actually my favourite dish of all. The pomegranate sauce has vanilla in it so I felt like having a taste of icecream and it surprises me.
After the soup, I'm already half full. Then the A4 Waygu beef arrive with black truffle sauce. The beef melts inside my mouth and it is very delicious with the mushroom sauce.
After the beef dish, the cheese dish is served. The alcohol jelly under the cheese is really special and I like it. I wish I pair the meal with Wine. Perhaps next time I should not drive when I dine here
Toward the end, here comes to dessert. The way they display the Frozen meringue remind me of snow flake and it's very Christmassy. The cherry sorbet inside taste very refreshing .
I really enjoyed my 3 hours lunch there while reading. The service is top notch and I will definitely be back for their signature lunch tasting menu and hopefully like the French manager says, I can have a tour of their kitchen Thank you Epure for letting me have a good meal on new year day.
最後出場的為Petit Four，Petit four 法語是小焗爐的意思，十九世紀時法國人一般有大小焗爐兩個，大的焗蔬菜肉類，小的較為低温用作製麵包及餅類。現在petit four 泛指小糕點或小塊的餐前鹹點。這Petit Four 是我見識過中，最袖真小巧的，馬卡龍及巧克力撻都比一圓港幣還小，製作這種餅食所花的功夫遠比正常大小的餅食為多！四款餅食包括了香橙馬卡龍、開心果小蛋糕、巧克力方型小蛋糕及巧克力撻。上一道甜品已介紹了委內瑞拉巧克力的味美，兩款巧克力製小點便不作詳述了，但在這裏必須一提香橙馬卡龍及開心果蛋糕。
On my birthday this year, my best friend decided to bring me to this French fine dining restaurant for an unforgettable and luxurious weekend brunch. We ordered 2 sets of brunch priced at $398 per person.Amuse-bouche: As a glimpse into the art of French cuisine, we were first offered this bite-sized fanciful teaser to delight the appetite. The amuse-bouche of the day was not just a visual delight, it was very delicious.Shucked to order Marennes d’Oléron oysters n°4: The exquisite Saturday 4-cour
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On my birthday this year, my best friend decided to bring me to this French fine dining restaurant for an unforgettable and luxurious weekend brunch. We ordered 2 sets of brunch priced at $398 per person.
Amuse-bouche: As a glimpse into the art of French cuisine, we were first offered this bite-sized fanciful teaser to delight the appetite. The amuse-bouche of the day was not just a visual delight, it was very delicious.
Shucked to order Marennes d’Oléron oysters n°4: The exquisite Saturday 4-course brunch set based on seasonal ingredients started with 3 fresh oysters farmed in western France. Though oysters are a delicacy frequently consumed by the plate-load here in Hong Kong, looking for the right place can be an agonizing task. If you are looking for the cream of the crop, ÉPURE will never let you down. Those oysters were some of the finest, meatiest and freshest we had in a long while. Complemented with watermelon radish sorbet, a fruity and tingling aftertaste was left inside my mouth even after the oyster was completely swallowed. I personally prefer to have a quick chew (at least) to really savor the natural flavors of oysters, but if the briny taste is somehow a bit too overwhelming, squeeze a little lemon on top to balance out the saltiness and to retain the freshness of the oyster.
Slow cooked organic farm egg with Basque cured ham, baby spinach & Hollandaise Sauce: It tasted far better than it looked. The egg white got a great silky mouthfeel whereas the medium-soft boiled yolk was wonderfully creamy, just like custard. The deliciousness was packed full of flavor and paired delicately with a slightly acidic Hollandaise sauce. The semi-translucent French ham was a slightly sweet with nutty aroma and very little salt to the taste. It was cut very thin and had a chewy texture.
Freshly Baked Bread: This was such an impressive and delicious bread basket that I couldn't stop eating it. All of the bite-sized bread was baked in-house and I could literally eat the whole basket in lieu of a proper meal. The croissants were definitely the knockout items. ÉPURE has perfected the crunchy, flaky crust and splendidly soft interior of croissants.
Butternut squash veloute, pear and chestnut: Both my friend and I were huge fans of this creamy and satisfying soup with the comforting flavors of butternut squash and pear. The chopped chestnuts added an additional richness and texture to the soup, which is perfect during the fall season.
Spit roast of the day, cooked autumn vegetables and mesclun: I was advised the roast was chicken. The dish came in well-presented and a really decent size. The appetizing roast tasted so excellent, possibly the nicest roast chicken ever! The accompanying assorted young and tender green leaves were refreshing. My personal pick would be the Brussels sprout which was so softened on the inside but crispy on the outside.
Seafood pot, saffron, pink garlic, citrus and basil: Another phenomenal main course of the brunch set. The seafood pot consisted of a small segment of lobster, octopus tentacle and fish. The awesome selection of fresh seafood tasted of the clean open sea and was bathed in the most delicious garlic and citrus sauce.
40% milk chocolate- creamy and ice cold, lemon confit and cocoa tuile: The brunch experience finished off with the restaurant’s signature chocolate dessert. This chocolate lovers’ dream was heavenly delicious with a very pretty décor.
Petits fours: Last but not least, we were provided with an assortment of bite-sized confections, which were a mastery of texture, flavor and visual presentation. My favorite was the “orange blossom” macarons. The dainty macarons were delicately crunchy on the outside, while moist, chewy, and super flavorful on the inside “orange blossom” fillings. It was a classy end to an exceptionally classy meal.
We absolutely loved the delicious four-course brunch featuring the use of exceptionally fresh and seasonal ingredients. The service was friendly, the ambiance was cozy, and pricing was fair at this level. I would definitely recommend ÉPURE as an ideal place for a relaxing weekend.
(以上食记乃用户个人意见 , 并不代表OpenRice之观点。)
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张贴
评分
味道
环境
服务
卫生
抵食
用餐日期
2015-11-28
用餐途径
堂食
人均消费
$450 (午餐)
推介美食
Amuse-bouche
Shucked to order Marennes d’Oléron oysters n°4
Slow cooked organic farm egg with Basque cured ham, baby spinach & Hollandaise Sauce
Freshly Baked Bread
Butternut squash veloute, pear and chestnut
Spit roast of the day, cooked autumn vegetables and mesclun
Seafood pot, saffron, pink garlic, citrus and basil
40% milk chocolate- creamy and ice cold, lemon confit and cocoa tuile
Petits fours
Slow cooked organic farm egg with Basque cured ham
baby spinach and & Hollandaise Sauce
Seafood pot
Amuse-bouche
Shucked to order Marennes d’Oléron oysters n°4
Slow cooked organic farm egg with Basque cured ham, baby spinach & Hollandaise Sauce
Freshly Baked Bread
Butternut squash veloute, pear and chestnut
Spit roast of the day, cooked autumn vegetables and mesclun
Seafood pot, saffron, pink garlic, citrus and basil
40% milk chocolate- creamy and ice cold, lemon confit and cocoa tuile
This was the week the Hong Kong & Macau Michelin Guide was updated. Now, this post is not about the guide itself, but did stem from some of the articles I'd read, most of which really questioned the relevance of the guide after some shock omissions and demotions. One of the best meals I'd had in Hong Kong was from NUR (see post here), which was one of the unlucky restaurants to be demoted. I'd also read that a little French fine diner called EPURE was widely regarded as extremely unlucky to have
This was the week the Hong Kong & Macau Michelin Guide was updated. Now, this post is not about the guide itself, but did stem from some of the articles I'd read, most of which really questioned the relevance of the guide after some shock omissions and demotions. One of the best meals I'd had in Hong Kong was from NUR (see post here), which was one of the unlucky restaurants to be demoted. I'd also read that a little French fine diner called EPURE was widely regarded as extremely unlucky to have missed out.
I didn't really need more of a reason to check it out. I wanted to see for myself if EPURE was indeed Michelin Star worthy.
EPURE is located in Tsim Sha Tsui, or TST, and is one of the many restaurants in the very popular Ocean Centre at Harbour City. This is where the massive ocean liners dock while in Hong Kong and is probably the biggest indoor shopping centre I've ever seen, you can get lost there for hours! We had a pretty good idea of how to find EPURE, but we arrived early anyway, so we could have a wander around the shops and have a pre-dinner drink.
Without doubt, my favourite style of cuisine is French fine dining, so I was super keen to learn that Executive Chef Nicolas Boutin was at the helm of EPURE. Having worked at Michelin three-starred Troisgros as well as a handful of two-starred restaurants around Europe, I was expecting French cuisine of the highest order. With a philosophy of delivering a glamorous and chic dining experience and inspired by French royalty, the layout of the EPURE dining room was certainly very plush and luxurious.
Luxurious is a word that we'd use throughout our dining experience at EPURE, which started as soon as we were given the extensive wine list (more like a phone book) and gilded menu that held a range of exquisite looking dining options. While the a la carte options looked appetising, we couldn't go past the tasting menu, which was a little different from your traditional tasting menu, in that we had a number of options to choose from for 'entres' and 'plats' including several signature dishes. Best of all, we were able to customise our tasting menu to our personal desires.
Just after we placed our orders, one of the most knowledgable sommilliers we've ever encountered came over to help the girl with her wine selections. With an understanding the food selections, he was able to precisely help with the right selection and at the same time, educate us about the region and details of the winery for each options. I don't drink wine, but even I was super impressed!
A couple of things happened in quick time. We were given a bread platter that had a range of bread choices that ranged from a mini baguette to sour dough to olive encrusted rolls. Practically every conceivable bread choice was available and served with room temperature unsalted butter, as well as a light chilli butter.
Then we were given a little trio of h'orderves consisting of a truffle potato ball and a cauliflower puree tart (I didn't catch the third). Presented on a pretty little plate, each of the horderves were quickly devoured with my favourite bing the truffle potato ball, manly due to its wonderful truffle flavour that sat on my palate for some time.
No sooner had we finished our h'orderves than an amuse bouche of artichoke puree with lobster foam and toasted nuts was presented. The texture of the puree and lobster foam were lovely with the sweetness of the artichoke contrasting nicely with the slightly bitter foam bisque. Texture came from the nuts, but they didn't really have any flavour, which was just fine by me! I wanted to savour that lovely foam for as long as possible.
My first dish from the tasting menu was one of EPURE's many signature dishes, the champignon de Paris; white button mushroom soup with baby spinach gnocchi. My plate was presented with some dainty little green gnocchi pieces, along with some spinach puree, before the creamy white mushroom sauce was poured over at the table. Our waiter gave a complete description of the meal, along with tips on the best way to enjoy the meal. Following his instructions, I tried some of the powerfully flavoured mushroom soup before next bite combining the soup with the gnocchi. The flavour from the soup was intense, very concentrated and delightfully luxurious but I found the gnocchi a bit too subtle to compete with strong mushroom flavour.
The girl had deviated with her first course, instead choosing the boudeuses by David Herve; French oysters, one with a watermelon horseradish and the other calamansi lemon 'Huilerie Beaujolaise' - which is a cider vinegar. Both oysters were super sized and delicious - one hot and one served cold - with intensely fresh flavour of the sea prevalent.
We'd both been unable to pass on the next course, which was another of the EPURE signature dishes and perhaps the most enjoyable of the evening. Truffle blanche du Piemont; aged risotto with tuberous chervil and Alba white truffle was magnificent. We had bowls of slightly runny risotto that emitted an aroma that had me wanting to dive straight in, but couldn't because we were being teased by the EPRUE manager telling us the story of the white truffle. We were first given a viewing of the truffle, before being allowed to sniff the aroma from it's glass casing. Next was the story of the unique identifying number, which were we to check online, would find out the exact location and date of the truffles' existence. Lastly, the white truffle was shaved over the top of the risotto, ready for us to devour.
I've had truffle risotto a few times in Hong Kong, On Dining (see post here) and Upper Modern Bistro (see post here) to name a few. Each time, the balance between the risotto and the truffle had been severely out, leaving both dishes overly dry. It was far from the case at EPURE, with the perfect balance of creamy risotto and white truffle. The earthy umami flavour of the truffle was absolutely stunning, made all the better by a risotto that was just right. Yeah, it was a special dish.
We were again on parity with next course of coquilles St Jacques; seared St Malo scallops presented on strips of salsify and covered with shavings of organic lemon and bottarga then finished off with a parsley sauce (again poured at the table). I thought the scallops were ever so slightly under cooked and could have used a little extra caramelisation to add to the flavour. The scallops worked nicely with the parsley sauce, but I didn't quite get the relevance of the salsify, which was a little bland for me.
It was time for our mains, and we'd again deviated in our choices, SC opting for the le faisan de sologne; pheasant supreme and crepinnete with Correze cep mushroom and a blueberry vinegar. I didn't really like the plating of the dish, nor did I like that the pheasant had been skinned, it really lacked some colour and the pheasant looked a little blonde. The pheasant was well cooked and seasoned, as was the huge mushroom that dominated the plate. There was also a lot of spinach puree, which was a little sweet and maybe a little too dominant for the subtle pheasant flavour (I think it would have been stronger with a lovely caramelised and crispy skin)
I'd decided to pay an extra supplement of HK$300 for the le wagyu du pays au soleil levant; beef striploin Gifu prefecture A5 with quince, Autumn mushroom, puff potato chips and a caramel jus. Again, I didn't love the presentation of the dish, it looked a little disconnected on the plate, which was partially resolved once the jus was poured at the table. My wagyu came perfectly medium rare and was lovely, however, I found that the quince puree that accompanied the dish to be completely overpowering, so much so that if any was added to the beef, the beef was lost completely. I also found the beef to be a little on the small side, especially given the additional supplement paid. It was a good meal, but the quince was really out of place, and would have worked better with a gamey panfried duck breast.
We were feeling very full by this time, so had to decline the offer of the cheese cart, which was wheeled by our table by the EPURE manager. He seemed bitterly disappointed that we'd decided not to partake!
Pre dessert was cueillies dans les ronces; blackberries with spun sugar and farm yoghurt sorbet. It was a pretty looking little dessert, which wasn't surprising given that Head Pastry Chef Matthieu Godard had worked at world ranked Amber at one point! Fresh blackberries sat aside a foam that was decorated with razor thin spun sugar and a perfect quenelle of creamy yoghurt sorbet. The dessert was designed as a refreshing bridge between our rich mains and our final desserts and it performed the task admirably. It was light and very tasty.
For final dessert, the girl chose the le chocolat Venezuelien; a 72% Araguani chocolate tart with citrus, confit and sorbet. The dessert looked very chocolaty with a base of crumble, topped with dollops of soft dark chocolate then covered with a super thin slice of tempered chocolate. It must have been great, I can't tell you for sure because the girl polished it off so quickly that she didn't even offer me a small mouthful! By all accounts the dark chocolate was bitter sweet and married wonderfully with the citrus sorbet.
I'd again chosen one of the EPURE signature dishes, le soufflé au Grand Marnier; Grand Marnier liquor soufflé with a mandarin sorbet. As I the soufflé was delivered from the kitchen, I could see from some distance that it had risen perfectly. As it got closer to our table, it was clear that I'd picked a winner and why this was the only signature dessert. The soufflé was perfectly prepared, incredibly light and with a strong hint of the orange flavour from the Grand Marnier. It was very sweet though, and I needed the slightly bitter mandarin sorbet to help ratchet down the sweetness. It was very, very good!
In the true tradition of French fine dining, the tasting menu took us around three hours to get through, which felt just about right. There was a mix of French and locals working as wait staff and the Manager was as French as they come, we just love that accent. Service was superb, with each course introduced in intricate detail and diners treated with respect and difference. It was just like the service I'd experienced in the very best of UK Michelin restaurants, especially the sommelier!
The food was lovely too and while I had a few niggles about some of the courses, in particular my main course with too much quince and the lack of the skin on the pheasant, it was incredibly tasty. It wasn't cheap though! EPURE is noted as one of the Top 100 Tables in Hong Kong, but it's charging more like a three Michelin-starred restaurant.
I can see why many thought that EPURE was unlucky to miss out on achieving a Michelin Star this year, it's better than a number of other Michelin-starred restaurants I've been to. But, I did have a little buyer's remorse at the end of the meal, it was probably just a little too pricey for a non Michelin restaurant.
Sweet and thankful that my sister had finally put on her wedding gown, under this whole year from engagement to organizing the whole wedding ceremony, my family decided to round this important moment up with an elegant finish (believe it was actually a kick-off of this newlywed couple's brand new page) by joining Epure again for a decent dinner. In contrast with the shiny and forestry atmosphere in the afternoon, Epure turned to be a lot more romantic and elegant with its dimmer environment this
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Sweet and thankful that my sister had finally put on her wedding gown, under this whole year from engagement to organizing the whole wedding ceremony, my family decided to round this important moment up with an elegant finish (believe it was actually a kick-off of this newlywed couple's brand new page) by joining Epure again for a decent dinner.
In contrast with the shiny and forestry atmosphere in the afternoon, Epure turned to be a lot more romantic and elegant with its dimmer environment this evening. Golden linings along the interior walls, doors, and all utensils shone all over to adorn this beautiful dining night.
To start off this evening, we ordered the 6-course "His" tasting menu, which comprised very appetizing oyster, foie gras, green asparagus which was on season, wagyu (with supplement $200), cheese and dessert.
Finger food (5/5): (From left: Comte cheese ball, Artichoke tart, foie gras ball with cherry glacing)
-This very HOT comte cheese ball had its cheesy heart wonderfully melting! (It's like the Pizza Hut ad which you could pull the cheese string out!) The strong flavor of Comte was enhanced after deep-fried.
-The foie gras ball made me think of another haute restaurant's signature lollipop. Nevertheless, it was also perfectly executed, with slightly sour cherry glacing on top and the umami foie gras filling inside. A combination that could never fail.
-Artichoke tart was refreshing enough to be stood in the middle of the other two and cleaned our palate.
Amuse Bouche (3.5/5): Pan seared tuna, topped with basil (green), olive (brown), lemon (yellow) and chilli sauce (red).
The tuna was medium-seared with beautiful pink flesh. These 4 sauces were interesting, each paired with tuna to give its own typical character. But overall it would say it's creatively presented, rather than outstanding in taste.
Pain (4/5): Baguette, Croissant, Mustard seed bread, Black olive bread, Black pepper and cheese bread, soft milk bread *With orange chilli butter and unsalted butter
Have been writing about pain de Epure in my last review but this time they slightly earned their marks. The new flavor black peppers and cheese bread was ultimately impressive, imagine cheesy savory flavor lingered with exciting black peppers dancing on your palate.
This piquant orange chilli butter was only spicy in nose and a bit salted only. It did complement all breads very well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UPQVCHnF9k Huitres de Bourcefranc(5/5): Special French Oyster, cucumber, melon & spicy crunchy peanuts
The dish setting was enchanting to kick a nice start of the night. The delicate french fresh oysters was carefully wrapped with a thin transparent greenish cucumber jelly and an beautiful orange french melon sorbet came along to garnish this hearty cradle. A nice blow of cooling dry ice vapor ran out over the dish once the servers poured water to the bottom of the dish. (The dry ice effect is always adorable, even for a milk tea in HK Tai Hing).
The oyster was remarkably crispy and fresh. I always agree that tasting freshly shucked oysters alone could retrieve its biggest taste. But out of our expectation this time, the honey sweetness of melon sorbet accented the oyster’s tang of ocean and went along so harmoniously with all ingredients. Rarely could an oyster dish offered such a clean finish.
Daddy brought us one of his prestigious wines to Epure for our celebration tonight (as Epure has great discount on corkage: Purchased 1 in-house wine and receive 1 self-brought in full bottle corkage free). Again, not a big fan of reds, but found this wine rather intriguing. Garnet in color, a medium+ leather and blackberry aroma and hints of black peppered meat. On palate, it was a very elegant and full bodied wine with obvious coffee and smoky wood, medium+ alcohol. The black fruit revealed after it had been breathed along the dinner.
Le Foie Gras de Canard (4/5): Seared duck foie gras, poached rhubarb, Tonka beans sauce
Have been in love with Epure’s foie gras since my last visit and I did expect something new (or outstanding) this time. The foie gras was again thick and juicy enough, it just smoothly melted on your palate luxuriously. Rhubarb, with its natural tart flavor, has been used this time to offset the greasiness of foie gras. Impressed with the use of tonka bean nuts as sauce as it burst a wonderful nutty, vanilla-like and coffee aroma which exceptionally complemented the foie gras. A very special combination indeed.
L'asperge de Jerome Galis (3/5): Warm Jerome Galis green asparagus & mousseline sauce
Attendant suggested that Asparagus was just seasonal and I believed she was right. Keeping the texture crispy, and smooth without any residue, the flesh was also sweet and juicy. However, the mayo foam with lemon was a tad too oily, and seems it walked alone itself. It might be my prejudice that vegis should always be kept less oil and healthy when preparing them.
Before serving wagyu, a strawberry sorbet was served to clean the palate. Actually we had been more than 70% fed up when this course was approaching. This was meant to be the main course of the night but seems it had slightly pulled the climax down.
The potato soufflé was cute and airy, but again seems it did not participate much in this dish. Wagyu slice (not at generous portion) was at medium and its interior was pinkish, however it didn’t show up adequately with luscious greasiness nor meatiness. Cider jus at the side was a tad too sour in my opinion.
Trust me, desserts from Epure could never disappoint anyone, and we even got their in-house sauternes collection: Chateau Doisy Daene Sauternes 2004 (4.5/5)
A golden yellow hue sprinkling in the glass, you could feel its honey and apricot bouquet. The palate demonstrated even more strongly, with caramel, honey, peach jello, pear and dried apricot dancing all along. Just that the acidity could be more pronounced for a perfect balance.
Quelques Fromages de Saison (4/5): Selection of matured cheese by Xavier, from Toulouse, France
(Starting from 12:00) Ossau, St. Maure, Tomme de Soulor, Cabrioulet, Roquefort
The cheese were very new to me, seems they were not easy to find at supermarkets except St. Maure and Roquefort. I especially love St. Maure, (I rarely like goat cheese) and Tomme de Soulor. Both was mediumly strong in character and revealed intense milky flavors.
Le citron de Menton (4/5): Light lemon mousse, marinated pineapple, faisselle sorbet
I did appreciate Epure that they endeavored to exhibit perfect artpieces to you, you could never be pampered less from any aspects. This dessert was a good example which they made several layers of ingredients in this really tiny cup, pineapple compote and white choco coated rice crunches at the bottom and on top fresh and tangy lemon mousse with a zest of lime peel.
A la carte - Le Souffle de Grand Marnier (Epure's signature dessert) (5.5/5)!
We picked our favorite souffle in Mandarin flavor out from the a la carte menu because of the highly acclaimed dessert reputation at Epure. The souffle was a pretty large one and the surface was beautifully smooth and flat. Spooned a mouthful out, you could see the very small bubbles formed a fluffy yet concrete souffle, and it went very smoothly, lightly like wind but at the same time reflected deep citrus flavor. Every single part of the souffle was densely packed, without any bigger holes or hollows you could find. This was absolutely the best souffle I have ever meet. Complementing with the Mandarin sorbet at the side brought out the full citrus bouquet. Truly well executed dish.
By the time we finished whole menu, we were super full (and a bit drunk actually) to enjoy the Petit Fours. Nevertheless, the quality of these little sweets were still outstanding (Attendants even asked us to try even a tiny bit as they just recommended so much on the mango tart and truffle macaron).
For a wonderful restaurant like Epure, it would be definitely regretful if you missed the chance of visualizing this esteemed secret kitchen. Attendants invited us for a little "tour guide" to the cooking area and I was more than pleased to have this fascinating opportunity! The working environment in Epure was really really decent and hygenic as you could see, and I was really thrilled to have a little chat with Chef Nicolas and Chef Matthieu that night to know more about the other side of this pretty place...:'>
题外话/补充资料：
*Corkage: For 1 bottle of wine purchased in house, they will waive the corkage of 1 BYOB :)
Last week I was still reading up on Chef Nicolas Boutin's "For him" and "For her" menu to get myself prepared for tonight so I was caught completely off guard when I was handed a whole new set of menu for "Pre-Autumn" which was freshly launched early this week.Comparing to the previous tasting menus, I thought this Pre-Autumn menu was a little more compact with greater flexibility as we can choose between 6 or 8 courses. And if you're reading the fine prints carefully like we did, 3 or 4 courses
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Last week I was still reading up on Chef Nicolas Boutin's "For him" and "For her" menu to get myself prepared for tonight so I was caught completely off guard when I was handed a whole new set of menu for "Pre-Autumn" which was freshly launched early this week.
Comparing to the previous tasting menus, I thought this Pre-Autumn menu was a little more compact with greater flexibility as we can choose between 6 or 8 courses. And if you're reading the fine prints carefully like we did, 3 or 4 courses are also available upon special request.
The moment we stepped through those doors, I saw a much improved team of waiting staff on hand. Service was so much better this time around and even the language they used was more in par with French fine dining. Those were all missing during our last visit.
We went for the shorter 6 course set and as soon as that was taken care of, our amuse bouche was already waiting on deck. This was a combination of three small nibbles - a carrot tart, French pea biscuit and truffled potato ball with yogurt.
Following the nice array of nibbles, dinner was officially underway starting with our chilled brown crab meat from France. Each patch of crab meat was topped by a greenish heirloom tomato ice jelly with a hint of lemon. That was such a wonderful start (4.5/5).
The "sunny side up" egg was a slow cooked organic egg yolk on top of amandine potato mousse. When our server finished pouring the warm watercress velouté onto the dish, I started mixing all the ingredients together.
A spoonful of caviar from Sologne, a region of north-central France, came with this dish and I did exactly what was told and had about half of the caviar before turning my attention to the watercress velouté.
I was pleasantly surprised with the way the velouté worked with the flavors of the egg yolk and potato. Never really thought they could mesh so well together. And by the time I finished the soup, I took care of the rest of the caviar to get that extra kick for my palates (4/5).
The other soup was the restaurant's signature Paris white button mushroom soup with baby spinach gnocchi. It was simple yet elegant with a very rich mushroom fragrance (4/5)
Blue mussels from Normandy was perhaps one of the very few blemish of the evening. I love mussels and corn together but mussels wrapped in thin sheets of pastries made with corn certainly didn't make a strong enough impression on me although I did like the velvety organic corn soup that came with it. Mixed bag on this one (3/5).
It didn't take long for the talented kitchen to redeem themselves. A nicely executed seared red mullet got us right back on track. Love the green olives purée and the extra flavors from the pink garlic and basil oil along with the cider vinegar providing just the right balance of acidity (3.5/5).
Apart from the crab dish, I thought our main courses were outstanding as well. The signature butter puff ring was flaky and buttery and it was working wonders with the fresh lobster meat and line caught cod fish in the liquorice scented coulis (4/5).
But nothing beats a perfectly roasted duck from Challans, nicely complemented by Provence black berries, crispy faisselle and potato in a rich port wine jus. This was my favorite dish of the night (5/5).
Not sure if this was a pre-dessert or not but a little surprising to have a plate of arugula with Brittany artichoke 'espuma', crumbles and cheese shavings sneaked up on us at this point of the meal (3/5).
I like this one a lot better than the artichoke espuma - baked apple tatin style was served with refreshing rum raisins and Granny Smith apple sorbet. That certainly got my taste buds ready for the "real" desserts (4/5).
I had the poached William pear tonight, along with a honey and vanilla sauce, caramelized pecans and a homemade cardamom and pear sorbet. A lovely end to a wonderful meal (3.5/5).
I have never been a fan of soufflé to begin with so it was not surprising at all that I found the previous William pear dessert a little more enjoyable than their signature Grand Marnier soufflé with mandarin sorbet (3/5).
I was trying to walk off my fat belly right after dinner and seeing I needed a bit of exercise, our server promptly came up and asked if I would like to check out their private dining room. Why not?For such a wonderful facility, the minimum charges (lunch $5,000 and dinner $12,000 if I am not mistaken) were definitely more than reasonable.
Ever since their opening in 2014, ÉPURE has quickly established themselves as one of the go-to places for exquisite French fine dining in the city. There's every reason to believe that, under the guidance of Chef Nicolas Boutin, they are poised for their first star in this coming November.
(以上食记乃用户个人意见 , 并不代表OpenRice之观点。)
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张贴
评分
味道
环境
服务
卫生
抵食
用餐日期
2015-09-07
用餐途径
堂食
人均消费
$1088 (晚餐)
推介美食
crab meat was topped by a greenish heirloom tomato ice jelly with a hint of lemon
watercress velouté with slow cooked organic egg yolk and amandine potato mousse
watercress velouté with slow cooked organic egg yolk and amandine potato mousse
Paris white button mushroom soup with baby spinach gnocchi
roasted duck from Challans with Provence black berries in port wine jus
butter puff ring with lobster and cod
amuse bouche
melon soup with a cheese foam
crab meat was topped by a greenish heirloom tomato ice jelly with a hint of lemon
watercress velouté with slow cooked organic egg yolk and amandine potato mousse
watercress velouté with slow cooked organic egg yolk and amandine potato mousse
Paris white button mushroom soup with baby spinach gnocchi
Blue mussels and corn
seared red mullet with green olives purée, pink garlic and basil oil
butter puff ring with lobster and cod
roasted duck from Challans with Provence black berries in port wine jus
Brittany artichoke 'espuma', crumbles and cheese shavings
poached William pear with a honey and vanilla sauce, caramelized pecans & pear sorbet
signature Grand Marnier soufflé with mandarin sorbet
Tried the four course brunch at $398 that is served Saturdays and Sundays from 12-3pm.Started off with elegant and dainty amuse bouche, followed by bread and butter.For drinks I had tea because I love tea and it was brewed with tea leaves and not the tea bag.★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆taboule au homard +$38:lobster and spelt berry salad, cucumbers and salad leavesStarted off with this refreshing salad of lobster slices on top of finely chopped cucumbers herbs and spelt berries.The salad was crisp and juicy
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Tried the four course brunch at $398 that is served Saturdays and Sundays from 12-3pm.
Started off with elegant and dainty amuse bouche, followed by bread and butter.
Started off with this refreshing salad of lobster slices on top of finely chopped cucumbers herbs and spelt berries. The salad was crisp and juicy which was great for whetting the appetite and the herbs were fragrant but not too strong. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ la soupe de tomate d'antan: chilled heirlom tomato veloute, aubergine compote, basil and crispy Nyons olive bread shaving.
The soup was the next appetizer that made us hungrier because the tomato was quite tart while the aubergine compote mellowed it out. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ roast chicken:
The salad which looks simple was plainly nice because there was not much dressing yet it was slighthly salted and tasted great. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ dessert:
Finished with this lovely dessert that had light and smooth caramel icecream. As well as sweet choices, you can also choose cheese because they have famous cheeses from France. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
My husband decided to try out this French restaurant during the last easter holiday. Inside was quite spacious with nice embience. From the lunch menu, we chose a three-course and four-course respectively. All the dishes were well presented as how we would expect from a fine dining place. The canape, bread, oysters and desserts were delectable; the crab soup was especially delicious and creamy. But, the milk fed veal and cod were just bland! At the end of the meal I asked for the English breakfa
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My husband decided to try out this French restaurant during the last easter holiday. Inside was quite spacious with nice embience. From the lunch menu, we chose a three-course and four-course respectively. All the dishes were well presented as how we would expect from a fine dining place. The canape, bread, oysters and desserts were delectable; the crab soup was especially delicious and creamy. But, the milk fed veal and cod were just bland! At the end of the meal I asked for the English breakfast tea but they served earl grey...! We have dine at so many french restaurants in HK and kowloon island, Epure was really on the average side. The next day, we realized the restaurant charged the wrong amount, and of course we requested for refund. So, told the restaurant and one of the staff did follow-up -- just ONCE! No more news after weeks!!! May be it's tiny amount that need to be adjusted but NO NEWS for refund status is utterly unacceptable!!!!! Two thumbs down for customer service!! And regret to say that we do not recommend this restaurant if you are searching for an unforgettable french culinary delights!
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