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2012-08-18
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I am not a big fan of the private kitchens in Hong Kong and do not frequent them often. For me, they tend to be relatively overpriced disappointments. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Liberty Private Works is an exception.I would like to begin by saying that I had not done any research about LPW prior to going and knew nothing about the chef/owner and their past exploits. Although the evening began slowly, it turned out to be a very enjoyable one, thanks to the solid culin
I would like to begin by saying that I had not done any research about LPW prior to going and knew nothing about the chef/owner and their past exploits. Although the evening began slowly, it turned out to be a very enjoyable one, thanks to the solid culinary skills and casual dining atmosphere.
The evening started slowly because LPW is in Central, yet not in a major building or hotel. This can make it tricky to find for those who do not work in the district. Then, when you find the building, you might be shown into the cargo elevator, as I was, for a relatively long ride to the 26th floor. Once I got there, I found a very well put together, modern, bar dining room with decent views of the Mid-levels.
We were served a Tasting Menu (I think that is the only choice one gets) which included an amuse bouche, six cooked dishes and two desserts.
Amuse Bouche: Looked fantastic, did not taste good. Amongst the few blemishes of the evening was the amuse bouche, which looked great and was well worth the photo, but did not taste very good. If LPW has the aspirations to reach the higher echelons of the fine-dining world, my recommendation would be to elevate this dish, especially given where all the other ones are. I recall I had the good fortunate of having dinner at Le Bernardin in New York, one of my all-time favourite fine-dining spots, where we began the Chef's Tasting with a lovely salmon amuse bouche. The only plus for starting with a weak amuse bouche as LPW did when I was there, is it set my expectations for the food lower for the rest of the evening. That said, please read on and do not let this affect what I have to say about some of the cooked dishes below.
Sea urchin and tuna tartare, topped with caviar and cucumber thins on top of rice crispies: This dish was good, not great, but good. Although this dish tasted good, it was not impressive, given it is not hugely difficult to combine uni, caviar and tuna to make a delicious dish. This combination is not new for those who have been fine-dining for the past ten years. In fact, we even joked about this amongst my dinner party. However, the addition of the crunchy rice crispies underneath was a good touch.
Shellfish composition served on thin jelly: OK, this was the first moment in the evening where the food raised one of my eyebrows. It was a combination of shrimp, cuttlefish and clams on top of a thin slice of jelly. The flavours came together nicely. Not enough to be warrant a "wow", but this was very well done, given all the ingredients were cooked "just right", which is very well done because it is very easy to overcook these items.
Crispy amadai (fish) with peas and mushrooms: Definitely a dish one could expect to eat at any top fine-dining restaurant when eating fish. Great texture and complimentary flavours. If every dish on the Tasting Menu were executed to this level, LPW would be a two or three Michelin star restaurant.
Egg ravioli with caviar: The egg ravioli followed the fish, which was a great idea in this case as the excellent amadai was followed by a rich ravioli which was delicious. For me, this was when my dinner experience at LPW peaked in the evening. As such, although I had two more dishes after this, I probably drank a few more glasses of wine at this point, as such, would like to provide my review of the last two cooked dishes after my next visit!
The two desserts were good, with the first one being more spectacular in preparation, presentation and flavour. It was some combination of coconut and pineapple flavoured creams and bits of different textures.
For those familiar with the fine-dining ratings in New York or for the New Yorkers, if LPW was in New York, I think it would probably achieve one Michelin star and a solid 24-25 on Zagat's for food. I have decided to include these estimates as LPW deserves to be compared to restaurants in New York.
Overall, this is an experience I would recommend to anyone who enjoys modern fine-dining. From a culinary experience standpoint, LPW for me probably ranks just below the bar at Robuchon at this point. Nonetheless, more than worthwhile if you have three hours for dinner one evening, would like to impress a date and can afford to dish a thousand dollars per head.
Thank you Liberty Private Works, I had a great time!
張貼
