Classics from Oncle Joël

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After a fun evening out at Caprice last month, the Tea Supplier very kindly invited the gang to dinner at Le Jardin de Joël Robuchon. To be honest, I don't visit the Hong Kong outpost of the Robuchon empire very much, and as they've gone through an extension renovation, this was a great chance for me to see how different the place is.

We were across two tables in their large private room, which was pretty stunning. I was fortunate that the Mushroom Supplier kept us company.

Cream of corn soup with smoked duck and foie gras terrine - there was a spicy kick from the piment d'espelette. Did I mention how bling this dish was? LOVE IT.

Le saumon, en tartare aux pousses de shiso et caviar impérial - we've got salmon tartare with 20g of French caviar impériale de Sologne from La Maison Nordique.

We have thin waffle fries on the side...

...which were perfect with caviar. There's a nice, spicy kick in the tartare there.

L'œuf de poule miroir, au plat sur un riz nacré juste coloré, fricassée de girolles au vin jaune - we see a fried first-born egg surrounded by girolles and thin slices of ham, along with some chicken jus.

There was actually a layer of lightly-crispy rice under the egg, and this was pretty delicious when everything came together.

Since it's been a while following my last visit, I couldn't resist chomping down on a baguette epi aux lardons. These are always so good, thanks to the little bits of lardons.

Le Saint-Jacques, la noix au curry vert et à la coriandre - a classic that I've had a few times. The scallop from Hokkaido (北海道) came with a green curry, coriander sauce, coconut milk foam, chives, ginger, and a squid ink pasta.

The scallop was mi-cuit, of course.

Le homard bleu, cardinalisé au beurre salé, pois princesse mitonnés et bique épicée façon "bouillabaisse" - another classic I've had several times. The homard bleu came with some fennel foam on the claw, a swoosh of garlic and saffron sauce on the side of the bowl, and some simmered peas.

The dish isn't complete without some "bouillabaisse", and a tuile on top made with squid ink.

Le black cod, caramélisé au miso, sur une émulsion à l'ail noir et matsutaké - AH... the classic black cod. The familiar flavors which evolved from saikyoyaki (西京焼き). The cod came with a "mushroom" - the explanation from our server, without elaborating that it was, in fact, matsutake (松茸). Served with dots of black garlic purée and a chip made of lobster tomalley (?) This version is very different from what I used to get in Macau a number of years ago, but so nicely done. Just perfect.

La caille, des Dombes caramélisée au foie gras, raisins verjutés ornés de cerfeuil - I've always loved the quail at Robuchon, and this was a "Rossini" much like what Julien used to do with beef. The wine-soaked grapes with ginger came with some kick.

That foie gras was so, so, soooo tender.

We've got a nice chicken consommé on the side to go with the quail. This was so good.

And OF COURSE the iconic mashed potatoes... but I could only manage about 2 spoonfuls tonight.

La pêche, fleurie et rafraîche en granité sur un onctueux cottage fermier - cottage cream cheese at the bottom, with white peach granité above and some slices of white peach.

La symphonie des douceurs, au choix selon vos désirs sur notre chariot de desserts - for the first time since they opened, Robuchon Hong Kong now has the dessert trolley. The selection was pretty decent, and I picked out a couple.

Chocolate tart

Crème caramel

We were then served a series of mignardises:

Madeleine

Pineapple choux

Strawberry maracon

Mango tart - with coconut cream.

Raspberry chocolate

Our gracious host arranged a wonderful lineup of wines for us, from a cellar that is arguably the best in Asia:

2008 Bollinger R.D., dégorgée le 28 Octobre 2022 - the nose was yeasty and a little toasty. Acidity was high on the palate.

2007 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Meal Blanc - the nose was very, very buttery and ripe, and this was heavier than a white Burg would be.

2006 Joh.Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - this was really, really sweet. Lovely and elegant, and so classic, with honey, marmalade, and apricot notes.

2022 Geantet-Pansiot Corton Le Rognet - this was really fragrant, with blueberries and also a little metallic.

2000 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon - unfortunately not great, dusty and chalky. More savory on the palate. Pretty disappointing.

The dinner was just as expected - excellent execution of many familiar and classic dishes. Having familiarized myself with the cuisine of Oncle Joël over the years, and having visited Robuchon au Dôme numerous times (and Robuchon à Galera before that, I'm just happy to revisit all these classic dishes - some with updated presentations. I'm very, very grateful to our host for the kind invitation. Maybe it's also time to go back to Macau... since my last visit was more than two and a half years ago.