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2008-08-09
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This is the second time I dined at La Brasserie as it’s doing an ‘all-you-can-eat’ promotion for $398 per person (with extra $50 for all-you-can-drink house wine). We were presented with a three-page long menu when we sat down. Choices were exhaustive and mouth-watering. With only four delicate Hong Kong girls but with immeasurable appetite, we were determined to push our week’s quota on our stomachs’ capacity, but of course it turned out to be a huge difficulty! First up, baked snails, pan
We were presented with a three-page long menu when we sat down. Choices were exhaustive and mouth-watering. With only four delicate Hong Kong girls but with immeasurable appetite, we were determined to push our week’s quota on our stomachs’ capacity, but of course it turned out to be a huge difficulty!
First up, baked snails, pan seared scallops and beef tartar. The scallops were outstanding in taste and texture. Before we knew it, the scallops already melted in our mouths but with substantiality. As for the other two, I think the snails were from the tin which I understand is the standard even in top class restaurants these days, nevertheless, the texture of these little guys was exceptionally tender and they were beautifully buttery with plenty of herbs and garlic flavour. So they made up a pretty good start already!
Next came were the tuna tartar, crab salad and salmon salad. I particularly enjoyed the tuna tartar – it’s refreshingly light and fresh. The beef tartar was excellent too, but I love the tuna’s marshmallow-like texture, and partly because I’m more of a fish fan. All these appetizers were served in appropriate portions which I think is just right for this kind of all-you-can-eat setting as one can sample the exhaustive dishes on the menu.
And here came the ultimate highlights of the appetizers – foie gras with corn bread and mussels with white wine. It’s not the first time I tried the foie gras here, and the quality was consistently exceptional. The foie gras was crispy on the outside but soft and tender on the inside. And the mussels were comparably delicious and fresh without the tangy texture that one would normally get. They were so scrumptious that we ordered another foie gras each and another mussel but cooked in a creamy sauce from the main course section.
We finally reluctantly got away from the appetizers and tried the soups. We ordered the mushroom soup, lobster bisque and onion soup. The first two were lusciously creamy and smooth just the way they should be. As for the onion soup, it was very aromatic with cheese on top but surprisingly light in taste. However, they could be smaller in portion as we’d like to try absolutely everything that’s on offer. For me, a tinned soup regular, I wonder how I can ever get back to the aluminium! We truly appreciated the non-MSG contaminated versions, but we were already a quarter full by then, so we sadly decided to ditch the other delectable choices and went straight to the main course.
For the main course, we had the beef tenderloin, duck breast, pigeon stuffed in baked potato, pan seared scallops with mashed pumpkin, cod fish and salmon with vegetable cous cous and French mussels in creamy sauce. All dishes were cooked to absolute perfection even though we were all eating with very critical taste buds. From the texture to the taste to the garnishing, everything was done with much thought and precision. As I’m a seafood fan, I was particularly amazed with the sweetness of the pumpkin mash that goes with the succulent scallops. These dishes might be typical of their kinds, but every dish had its own individuality and I could easily rave about them non-stop. But we still have the desserts to cover!
We pretty much tried everything on the menu. The undoubted hits would have to be the pistachio ice-cream, chocolate fondant and crème brulee. They were creamy and full of flavour, and especially because they are my favourite desserts. The pistachio ice-cream was extremely smooth with pistachio bits in it. The chocolate fondant was nutty in flavour with shiny flowing chocolate as soon as we broke it and the crème brulee’s crusty, crispy toffee top complemented perfectly with the velvety pudding. We really couldn’t have asked for more and we didn’t coz there’s not an itch of space left in our stomach any more!
Throughout the night, the waiters were all very efficient in clearing the plates and pouring our unlimited house wine (4 bottles altogether – shame on us and very generous of them!). They were friendly yet professional. The environment was romantic and cozy. Perhaps one of the best western meals I’ve ever had in HK. Will definitely go back again before, and even after, the ‘all-you-can-eat’ promotion ends.
張貼
