Le Dôme de Cristal (已結業)

With a nom de guerre like "Le Dôme de Cristal", one might expect chortling Bankers popping $2000 HKD bottles of bubbly among a throng of beautiful ladies, resplendent cars (with a Driver idling behind the wheel), and other signs of decadence and opulence. To wit, the restaurant is backed by the Louis Roederer group, the makers of Cristal champagne.But during our visits for after work drinks, we found none of the above. Chiefly because the restaurant was empty. Barren. Not a peep until we walked in at 7:00pm nor until we left at 9:00pm. Sure, the $2000 HKD bottles are on the menu, but we were there for the modestly priced happy hour - $88 for a generous pour of house wine or two for one beers, also $88.It's semi-baffling that a venue with such reasonable HH specials was desolate as it was. It's located in the heart of the business district and is upscale enough to keep any boss or client happy. And the bar menu isn't bad - an adequate cheese platter was only $148 and the well executed fries were as 'cheap as chips' at $38. Nor was the service a slouch - attentive and gracious (a given that there was a 1:1 ratio of waitstaff to customers).Perhaps such a haughty alias is Le Dôme de Cristal's ultimate downfall. In order to keep the image, the restaurant feels immalleable and overly refined without good reason. The space and the service is devoid of warmth or passion, opting for formality and sobriety. Drinking here is an awkward affair. There is a central irony in all of this - a brand such as the Louis Roederer group, which is devoted to exclusivity, has alienated every diner in Hong Kong - pathétique, n'est ce pas? 继续阅读

甫进大厅，oh so spectacular。首先登场的是醋渍茄仔配海藻沙冰，冰凉清新，微酸的茄仔令人胃口大开。法国安素莲生蚝配自家制酱汁：肥美的蚝仔口感丰腴，海水味道浓郁。但个人喜欢原汁原味，极其量加两点柠汁，惟蚝仔送上时已被加油加醋，未能由食客自行选择。慢煮法国布列塔尼龙虾配胡萝卜,柚子及柠檬橄榄油：法国布列塔尼龙虾比普通龙虾更更更有鲜味，肉质更弹牙饱满，慢煮令龙虾的鲜味锁紧，没有半点流失，亦能保持其特有口感。菜上桌后身旁友人（我的朋友不是我）急不及待起动，谁不知吃了大半口后，侍者才徐徐地把即场准备的酱汁淋上，虽然对这道菜来说，酱汁真的是可有可无，但真系丑死怪了。香煎鲷鱼配芹菜,柚子及海苔蘑菇清汤：经一事蔡一智，上菜后大家都静心等待侍者把蘑菇清汤灌上，灌汤的同时会有数条蘑菇从茶壶内跌出，拥有一颗童心的众人都觉得此安排实在是神来之笔，令人拍案叫绝，啧啧称奇，惟有少数人觉得跌出来的蘑菇数量不一的安排不公平，大吵大闹。蘑菇清汤香气四溢，众人系咁索，彷佛无谂住食，味道甘香甜润，蘑菇的口感弹牙，犹如在口中起舞，实在出色，震撼人心，与此同时，如此脱俗的佳肴，有著宁神的效用，令刚才吵闹的数人都静静地享用美食。芹菜如何？忘了。法式鹅肝馄饨配椰菜：一道中西合壁的菜式，鹅肝是意料之内的嫩滑，丰膄油脂味齿颊留香，馄饨皮薄轻滑，令整道菜的口感更上一层楼。水煮有机鸡蛋配烟熏蔬菜及里昂香肠：蛋白嫩滑非常，其他都没有特别。（有机鸡蛋听上来很高级，但其实其营养价值跟普通鸡蛋无异，别被骗了。）慢煮法国白鸽配红菜头,粉红果仁,薯蓉及酸果汁：慢煮方法没有破坏肉质，锁住鲜味，令这道菜十分惹味，回味无穷，众人们埋头进食，这数只白鸽继蘑菇清汤后为这顿饭带来了片刻的宁静，惟份量不多，点到即止，大家都有一种意犹未尽的感觉，餐厅亦贴心地准备了柠檬水作洗手用途，故大家能够尽情放开徒手吃！甜品没有特别，对本人来说可有可无，有兴趣的可看其他人的食评，我好大方的，我唔会介意的。 继续阅读

Le Dôme de Cristal，一直在我心中都是那样的华丽，特别是周末时，来这里吃brunch是棒的，享受著日光，享受著美食，数小时便快快渡过了。早阵子曾来过吃brunch，那时的brunch是以semi-buffet形式供应的，现在已经改变了，变成超懒人享受；餐厅会视乎人数而定，为大家送上美食，不用走来走去，可以吃得更舒适，十分适合超懒的我。这里的brunch只在星期六和假日供应，价格为$580/位，另收加一服务费，当中包括了生蚝和火腿等的前菜，主菜则有六款可选，另外还有芝士和甜品，而且有free flow鲜果汁；适逢今年的情人节是星期天，餐厅特意推出了情人节brunch，详情可以浏览餐厅的网页: Valentine's Day - Cristal Brunch 。Louis Roederer, Cristal 2005 来到Cristal，怎能不喝cristal呢? 细密而美丽的气泡，带著金黄的颜色，未喝已醉。这里的面包也很美味呢，再涂上那香浓的牛油，肥数磅也不管了。3-Piece of French Oysters每人都会有生蚝，这里的生蚝质素是不用置疑的，新鲜，鲜甜，特别喜爱法国蚝，那肉质带爽，海水味浓而不咸，喜欢!Fish Sashimi, Cured Meat Platter, Mixed Salads餐厅是这个形式serve，那一刻我觉得我在buffet枱上吃brunch，想吃便拿，不用走来走去，放假是要这样hea的。cauliflower scallop salad椰菜花爽脆又清甜，吃吃沙律开一开胃，之后可以吃更多。 再说开胃，又怎能错过蕃茄沙律呢；用上了黑醋，味道上带酸，但蕃茄十分清甜，当brunch吃到一半时，不得不来点蕃茄沙律，这样子又可以吃更多。有三款Cured Meat，每款都很新鲜，特别喜欢左边的salami，味道带辣，十分惹味。Egg & Caviar 不一样的egg，这个蛋经过了不一样的处理，入口十分creamy，带著蛋香；而caviar味道带鲜和咸香，与蛋同吃，简单但高贵美味，如果可以天天做早餐就好了。Chowder soup质感超浓稠，当天的天气超冷，喝著这个特别棒；味道浓郁，带著清清的海鲜味不错喔。Suckling pig似乎在港的餐厅都把suckling pig越做越好，这个皮脆肉嫩，猪味浓郁而不膻，的确比很多餐厅做得好，甚至比某些西班牙餐厅做得更好呢。吃过些前菜后，开始吃主食了；因为选了pigeon，所以可以选刀，这些刀很美喔，超喜欢!!!大家猜猜我选了甚么颜色??Pigeon in 2 ways这是我的pigeon，pigeon做得超软喔，肉味亦很香，肉味上比较浓郁，吃时伴以旁边的beetroot能够减其浓味，怎样觉得这道菜像画一样的美呢??超喜欢。另外伴碟的还有薯蓉，这是超邪恶的薯蓉，很香牛油，很滑的质感，是肥的，但吃了再算吧。Venison˙Winter Mushrooms˙Natural Jus主菜方面，还有venison可选，吃了数口，味道十分浓郁；旁边绿色的是海绵蛋糕来的，吃著这个，怎么觉得好像走进了森林一样呢。Eggs “Florentine” 另外主菜亦有蛋可选；说实话，吃著前菜已经很饱，吃蛋都已经够了。接下来，又怎么芝士呢?总共有八款芝士可选呢，只要你吃得下就好。花心的我，始终想试所有的芝士，每款我都很喜欢，当中有羊奶芝士、蓝芝士、金文毕、triple cheese、melted cheese等；吃时记得伴著餐厅自家制的果酱，这样子没那样腻呢。最后，又怎少得甜品呢?不过我真的吃不下了，所以只吃了1/3件朱古力松，很松脆美味呢。最后最后，还有煮菠萝!原来用大量牛油和糖来煮菠萝是很美味的，味道上甜中带酸，作为最后的一道食物最适合不过了!Le Dôme de Cristal中环皇后大道中9号嘉轩广场2-3楼2116 4688请支持一下小妹，给我一个like 继续阅读

这个周末天气超级冷，早上的气温只有几度，但仍无阻我跟友人一起品尝美食的决心，一来很久没吃Brunch了，二来这里刚好推出全新的Brunch吃法，不再是Semi Buffet，而是可以静静的坐著等吃。好久没来这里了，环境依然舒适，绝对是享受丰富午餐的好地方。记得上次来也是吃Brunch，不过今次吃的是革新版Brunch，每位$680，包Free flow汽水或果汁，果汁有芒果苹果汁和梨汁，当然也可以加钱配这里最有名的香槟啦～侍应先送来新鲜的面包篮，每个都看似很美味，可是知道还有很多食物紧随其后，所以只要了一个小圆包。再来三只新鲜生蚝，是法国诺曼第蚝，肉质爽滑，中度海水味，余韵鲜甜。接著侍应们送上丰富的冷盘，有三文鱼刺身、风干肉拼盘和三款沙律碗，友人说彷佛把整张自助餐台送到面前一样。三文鱼刺身并不是一般货色，肉厚鲜甜；风干肉拼盘亦同样有质素。还未吃完冷盘，小巧精致的Egg & Caviar就送上，蛋壳里的是蛋慕丝，有鱼子酱作点缀，味道像咸版的Creme Brulee。吃肉类主菜之前可以挑选自己喜欢的餐刀，全部都很漂亮。Venison。在香港比较少吃到鹿肉，我觉得鹿肉的质感和味道与牛肉相若，没有很重的肉燥味，营养价值也比其他肉类高，吃闷了牛羊等不妨试试啊。Pigeon in 2 ways。摆盘很用心，鸽肉呈粉红色，生熟度处理得很好，酱汁带点微甜，与鸽肉很配，另外伴碟的薯蓉十分美味，薯味与牛油味都很浓郁。Cheese Trolley。有八款不同芝士让我们选，侍应很细心的逐一介绍，另外还备有三款自家制的美味果酱：梨酱、血橙酱和芒果酱来配芝士，果酱非常Rich，用来涂面包一定也很美味。 Dessert Buffet。吃完芝士已经很饱，吃不下甜品，只拍了张照片，最后的位置留给了糖煮菠萝。糖煮菠萝。侍应会在客人面前即煮，用两块大牛油煮三片菠萝，虽然看著都觉得邪恶，但味道的确很好，酸酸甜甜的，刚好可以消滞。跟友人边吃边谈天，不知不觉在这里坐了三个小时，离开前听侍应说本来这里周日是不开门的，但原来今年情人节在周日，所以当天会破例营业，而且也会有供应丰富的Brunch，还未想到情人节要到哪里庆祝的话不妨考虑一下哦！ 继续阅读

It might be said that heading to the first global collaboration between renowned French Champagne house Cristal by Louis Rogederer and a restaurant might be a waste for a tea-totaler like myself. I mean, I've never been a connoisseur or consumer of champagne. But I am a fan of exquisite French cuisine and found that the prospect of the promised unparalleled dining experience by the luxury group appealing.It was exactly that promise and the lure of the very experienced Chef Charles-Benoit Lacour and his pursuit of perfection that finally convinced me to check out Le Dome de Cristal. After working with legendary French Chef Guy Savoy in Paris before becoming the Chef de Cuisine at Guy Savoy in Singapore, Chef Lacour continued his journey into Asia by becoming the culinary director and head chef of Le Dome de Cristal.I'd walked past the innocuous entrance to Le Dome de Cristal, which is located in The Galleria in Central, many, many times on my way to work, never realising how close I was to the completely opulent and luxurious restaurant that took up almost ten thousand square feet. It wasn't until we ascended the steps to the main dining room that I was able to truly understand how spectacular Le Dome de Cristal actually was. Award winning interior designer Steve Leung was responsible for blending the contemporary and classic design which fully utilised the massive dome ceiling that was the highlight and centrepiece of the restaurant.We walked to our table, mouth agape as we took in the opulence of the restaurant. We were truly transported from Central Hong Kong to the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Our table afforded us a wonderful view of the dining room, which was centred around the spectacular dome ceiling and an open void that was the only link to the real world. Smartly dressed wait staff brought over the menu for us to peruse and without much thought, we confirmed that we would be partaking in the eight course tasting menu. It seemed only fitting in such a setting.Like all of the European fine dining restaurants we'd experienced, a cart was wheeled over with a selection of Champagnes to start the meal. Forgoing the obvious choice of the Cristal, the girl chose a lesser known but equally delightful Pierre Peters Rose NV. We were also given a selection of warm and crusty breads, clearly just out of the oven and piping hot, as well as a slab of butter that was appropriately room temperature.Our amuse bouche was quite different from the expected, with a small serving of pickled vegetables and a soft and smokey tropical egg plant delivered. In what would become the theme of the night, our smartly dressed wait staff also played the role of table chef by adding a scoop of seaweed granita to the dish. The saltiness of the granita played wonderfully against the pickled vegetables, and while I didn't really like the soft eggplant, the girl found the combination to be matched perfectly.We started our degustation with a very large Brittany oyster that came with a garlic oil and ponzu sauce, with a squeeze of finger lime. The plump and creamy oyster had a medium salinity level, which allowed it's natural salty flavour to play delightfully with the garlic and sweet ponzu sauce. Presented simply on a black rock plate that seemed purpose made for the oyster shell, the dish was perfect in every way.I loved the presentation of the second course, which continued the seafood theme by delivering a Brittany lobster with pickled heirloom carrots, radish and citrus. I loved the splashes of orange from the lobster on the black bowl with geometric patterns, but the addition of a rich orange sauce veirge further enhanced the contrasting colours. What was fantastic was the preparation of the sauce at the table, which included mixing in some butter and ginger. The lobster was expertly cooked and was light and sweet, contrasting to the slightly sharp sauce and well rounded off from the acidity of the pickled vegetables. There was also a creamy sauce on the plate, possibly a mayonnaise, that helped to bring the dish together. It was both a visually stunning dish and very enjoyable to eat.Seafood continued with our next dish, again combining the sea and land to bring a dish that was both spectacularly presented and interesting to eat. The bowl delivered an exquisitely cooked piece of Daurade (more commonly known as Seabream), sitting on a celeriac puree and surrounded by thin strips of celery and seaweed. Our wait staff then brought over a large teapot and pulled out a maitake mushroom and carefully placed the maitake on our fish, before pouring over a mushroom and dashi consommé and finishing off the dish by shaving yuzu rind over the dish. It was a complicated procedure but not unwanted, with the consommé being light and so full of flavour and the yuzu rind adding some acidity to the fish. I loved the crunch from the crispy skin on the Daurade and the mushroom broth, but found the seaweed just a little overbearing.The simplicity of the presentation of our next dish belied the complexity in its composition and flavour profile. Simply called wonton, the traditional Chinese pastry was filled with creamy foie gras and made to look like a large ravioli. It was then placed into a foie gras foam and sat atop some sautéed cabbage, perfectly bending elements of East and West. The creamy foie gras was superb and while the dish could have been incredibly rich, the addition of cabbage helped level out the balance of the dish. It's hard to describe our next dish, which was a process as much as it was a dish. We were first presented with a funky bowl that contained smoked winter vegetable and slices of cooked Lyonnaise sausage. The rest of the dish was prepared at the table, with the vegetables and sausage being added to a couple of traditional Chinese bowls containing a foamy broth that contained a slow cooked organic egg. Our instructions were to mix up the vegetables and egg to form one final 'one pot' and then get busy consuming. I was a bit apprehensive at first, mainly due to the contrasting styles and food groups, but it only took one spoonful to be transported to my happy place. The combination was spectacular, with the meaty sausage offsetting the smokey vegetables and the velvety egg yolk.We were presented with a box full of sharp knives in varying colours and asked to select our preferred 'weapon' for our main course. The girl selected the red knife, which would have been my selection, so I was left to choose the bright pink handle. It was signature dish time with the delivery of Chef Lacour's well known pigeon dish, with beetroot prepared various ways, pink pralines and a super creamy mashed potato. A sticky and acidic jus was added at the table. The dish looked wonderful, but didn't photograph as well as I'd have liked. There were a couple of elements that really stood out with the dish, the perfectly cooked pigeon breast and the seriously buttery mash. Both combined well with the sticky jus and beetroot, although I found that there was just a little too much beetroot puree on the plate. What I didn't like so much was the pigeon leg, which looked quite ugly and provided only a small amount of flesh that was quite tough and stringy. Take that leg off the plate and just a little less beetroot puree and it would have been the perfect dish for me. I also didn't really get the sweet pink praline surrounding the dish, it seemed just a little too sweet for the pigeon and may have been just for presentation.It was cheese cart time and while not anywhere near as impressive as the Caprice cheese board, provided enough options to keep the girl happy. In fact, buy the time the cheese course was presented, we were both feeling a little on the full side.I'd decided to skip the cheese course at the beginning of the meal and instead was presented with a simple truffle salad. To be honest, I'm not sure that it was the right choice, while I appreciated the generous amount of truffle, it was quite difficult to eat. Perhaps an alternative to the cheese course could have been a simple pre-dessert.There was a moment that could have gone quite wrong for both myself and Le Dome de Cristal, with the presenting of the palate cleanser. We were given a martini glass with a decent amount of apple puree and a coconut granita, which was to be filled with the restaurant's namesake, Cristal Champagne. I'd let the wait staff know that I didn't want the Cristal, which led to a crestfallen look and an explanation that the Cristal was needed to balance out the apple puree. I reluctantly agreed to have some of the Cristal added, and was really surprised by the transformation that happened, the alcohol twang that I hate disappeared in the apple puree, just leaving a pleasant fresh flavour behind.First dessert was a very pretty chocolate mousse, encircled with dollops of caramel sauce and topped with crisp chocolate tuile. The chocolate mousse was quite dense and sat on a bed of what seemed to be a chocolate praline. It was tough going, not because it wasn't lovely, it was just a little heavy to be finishing off a degustation that had been quite generous in its serving sizes. I can't help thinking that a chocolate soufflé wouldn't have been a better option (yes, I do love a good soufflé!)We weren't expecting a final dessert, but were surprised when a carte was wheeled over to our table which included the materials to make a crepe suzette. I'd never had the quintessential 70's style French dessert before, and was stoked to be finally getting to sample the classic dish. There was a theatre to the preparation of the dish that we loved, especially when the waiter slash table chef flambeed the Grand Marnier. It was almost mesmerising watching the whole process take place and when the final product was placed on little square plates, the result was a little bit of a let down! It was an OK dessert, but not one that I'd order specifically again. We were stuffed and literally couldn't eat another bite, which became a problem with Chef Lacour came out to thank us for dining at Le Dome de Cristal and presented a box with one last treat. The little chocolate dome's would have been the perfect finish the the meal if we could have found room for them!Our meal at Le Dome de Cristal was spectacular if not completely perfect. The journey that the incredibly talented Charles-Benoit Lacour had taken us on had been one of the better degustations we'd had in Hong Kong. It was so typically French with its rich flavours and beautiful sauce, but also the little nods to Asia helped.Service was a cut above, with the impeccable wait staff being perfect in every way, including the theatrics at our table that, in theory, could have gone wrong with lesser staff. They were dressed perfectly for the setting, their black suits continuing the illusion of complete opulence in the centre of Hong Kong.Look, if you're not into the opulent setting and incredibly rich French cuisine, then you might not like Le Dome de Cristal. Personally, I loved the flavours and the pomp and ceremony of the setting, especially loving the dome centrepiece of the dining room. There's always room for decadence for those special occasions, or if you just want to treat yourself.....@FoodMeUpScotty 继续阅读