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I decided to give this new restaurant a try since it's been open for a couple of months. The reviews have been good so far despite the drawback of not being able to BYO.
The space is very modern and rather dark - mostly black and grey granite. As you enter you pass thru the wine cellar with a showcase display rack (more about this later). What follows then is a winding path around several corners of the "show kitchen" where patrons sit on high chairs much like a sushi bar and face the chefs as they prepare the food. Finally, you walk past a private room and enter the main dining room, which is actually considered Le Jardin.
We sat at a table for two (banquette seating for one person) and noted that space was rather cramped. The interesting thing is that if the waiter stood between tables to serve the customer sitting on the banquette, s/he would have to carefully maneuver out of the tight space like putting a car in reverse and walking backwards.
As you would expect, there is a tasting menu which featured creations in small portions. As our reservation was rather late, we decided not to go for this option. What is encouraging is that half of the à la carte menu is made up of items in tasting portions (some of which are identical to courses in the tasting menu), so you can create your own tasting menu by choosing exactly the items you want as well as the number of courses. This is very much like some of the restaurants in San Sebastian where everything is available in half portions. I chose 4 tasting portions - all meat based and all were very good.
The pied de cochon was made into a rillette and served on baguette slices with thin wafers of black Périgord truffle and parmesan on top.
The foie gras d'oie was a very smooth mousse (I would have preferred a slightly viscous, richer version) served with the usual gelée, thin slices of black Périgord truffle, and plenty of gold foil on top.
The caille came in two pieces - a cute, sausage-like cut of breast stuffed with foie gras as well as the leg with the bone protruding out (reminding me of the quail at per se in NY), and the creamiest of potato purée topped with ground black truffle.
Finally the ris de veau came in one rather large chunk which was quite creamy, although I would have preferred smaller pieces and slightly more crispy on the outside. The single leaf of romaine lettuce covered tiny cubes of cooked ham, and was flavored with the juices of the ham.
BTW the calamar was also excellent, as the flavors blended well with the chorizo.
Dessert was excellent and I highly recommend the white chocolate pastelle, which was a blend of white chocolate / caramel mousse served with a rum sauce and thin, flavored wafers of white chocolate.
For those who prefer rich desserts at the end of the meal, the chocolate vanilla is perhaps a better choice, although the vanilla cream is a bit heavy for me.
Now the wine list. It is simply amazing and no doubt the best in Hong Kong, and probably second in Asia only to Robuchon a Galera in Macau. The list is extensive with many trophy bottles, and a good selection of half bottles among the Bordeaux and some Burgundies. Prices are quite reasonable and appears to substantiate the rumors that they transported these in from Macau. This is the reason for not allowing BYO, as there is definitely enough of a choice for most of us.
As I stood by the display rack after the meal, I first came upon one corner of the cellar displaying vintage port. Several bottles of Quinta do Noval Nacional '63 and '70 were in full view, as well as 2-3 bottles of the Quinta do Noval '31 (NOT the Nacional but just the "regular" bottling from this most famous of port vintages).
Next was the "Burgundy wall" and everything from eye level down was DRC and Leroy, which a few Ramonet Montrachets and Coche-Dury whites acting as "filler". I didn't bother to look at the "Bordeaux wall" as it was just rows of Petrus, Mouton and other first growths. But as we were heading for the door, the last side/corner of the cellar caught my attention. Numerous bottles of vintage sherry (similar to ones I had seen at Macau Duty Free) were displayed, as were rows of Yquem. I was curious about which vintages were stocked, and to my absolute surprise I counted three bottles of the legendary '21 Yquem... What I wouldn't give to sample this amazing nectar that one London brokers lists for a mere GBP 6,000+ in bond...
Anyway. Looks like I will be returning to this establishment very soon.
February 6, 2007
February 4, 2007
Some thoughts on HK's new restaurants
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A number of world-class restaurants have opened in HK over the last few months, thanks to a roaring economy and booming stock market. I finally paid some of these a visit and thought I'd give a quick review...
Nobu
Nobu has been a big name in fusion Japanese for over a decade. However his creations have never quite caught my fancy. My limited experience at Nobu Next Door in NYC years ago wasn't quite what I thought it would be, so my expectations weren't high going to the new Nobu at the InterContinental in HK.
Nobu took over the space formerly occupied by Yu, and it's a pretty large area. There is a bar/lounge area as you come in, and the whole decor is pretty modern. Most of the seating at the restaurant (other than the sushi bar) gets you a fantastic view of Victoria Harbor. The staff/customer ratio is pretty high and there are lots of people dressed in black running around. We chose to sit at the sushi bar and watch them prepare the food.
We chose the omakase for $888 (chuckle, chuckle...) to see what they have in store. What followed was a 5-6 course meal which was reasonably good. As you would expect it wasn't very traditionally Japanese, what with lots of salads/greens and intresting jalapeno sauces. The ingredients were very fresh and delicious, although the soy sauce made the beef a bit salty.
The dessert was simply divine - layers of cappuccino ice cream / coffee cake / ground coffee beans / meringue all topped with Suntory whiskey foam... I'd go back just for that.
But at the end of the day, this still isn't my cup of macha. If I wanted Japanese, I'd probably still end up at Imamura where I'd get the freshest live botan ebi and nama toro.
Pierre
I finally decided to give Pierre a try after a few months. I must say that, other than the special menus tailored for some wine tastings, this is probably one of the best meals I've had in HK. Once again I went for the degustation menu to see what the chef can deliver. Almost every course was very delicious, with the best ingredients.
One curious observation was the the unusual taste of "bitterness" (as opposed to sweet, sour...etc) featured prominently during the meal. Quite a few courses had elements which were slightly bitter, although they actually enhanced the overall experience.
The beetroot/celeriac starter was very interesting, and the scallops were sweet and tender. The sweetbread was unusual but nice and creamy, and the lamb loin was a bit more "lammy" than usual but I loved it. And they do have a lovely selection of cheese.
What followed was dessert, which was listed on the menu was "Les desserts de Pierre Gagnaire". This was deceiving because what followed was FOUR desserts. We started with an unusual set of petit fours, and ended with a rich chocolate/hazelnut combination.
Unfortunately this was a bit too much for me, and I felt a little unwell at the end of the meal. Having said that I think this is still a wonderful meal, and I look forward to returning for many meals in the future.
A number of world-class restaurants have opened in HK over the last few months, thanks to a roaring economy and booming stock market. I finally paid some of these a visit and thought I'd give a quick review...
Nobu
Nobu has been a big name in fusion Japanese for over a decade. However his creations have never quite caught my fancy. My limited experience at Nobu Next Door in NYC years ago wasn't quite what I thought it would be, so my expectations weren't high going to the new Nobu at the InterContinental in HK.
Nobu took over the space formerly occupied by Yu, and it's a pretty large area. There is a bar/lounge area as you come in, and the whole decor is pretty modern. Most of the seating at the restaurant (other than the sushi bar) gets you a fantastic view of Victoria Harbor. The staff/customer ratio is pretty high and there are lots of people dressed in black running around. We chose to sit at the sushi bar and watch them prepare the food.
We chose the omakase for $888 (chuckle, chuckle...) to see what they have in store. What followed was a 5-6 course meal which was reasonably good. As you would expect it wasn't very traditionally Japanese, what with lots of salads/greens and intresting jalapeno sauces. The ingredients were very fresh and delicious, although the soy sauce made the beef a bit salty.
The dessert was simply divine - layers of cappuccino ice cream / coffee cake / ground coffee beans / meringue all topped with Suntory whiskey foam... I'd go back just for that.
But at the end of the day, this still isn't my cup of macha. If I wanted Japanese, I'd probably still end up at Imamura where I'd get the freshest live botan ebi and nama toro.
Pierre
I finally decided to give Pierre a try after a few months. I must say that, other than the special menus tailored for some wine tastings, this is probably one of the best meals I've had in HK. Once again I went for the degustation menu to see what the chef can deliver. Almost every course was very delicious, with the best ingredients.
One curious observation was the the unusual taste of "bitterness" (as opposed to sweet, sour...etc) featured prominently during the meal. Quite a few courses had elements which were slightly bitter, although they actually enhanced the overall experience.
The beetroot/celeriac starter was very interesting, and the scallops were sweet and tender. The sweetbread was unusual but nice and creamy, and the lamb loin was a bit more "lammy" than usual but I loved it. And they do have a lovely selection of cheese.
What followed was dessert, which was listed on the menu was "Les desserts de Pierre Gagnaire". This was deceiving because what followed was FOUR desserts. We started with an unusual set of petit fours, and ended with a rich chocolate/hazelnut combination.
Unfortunately this was a bit too much for me, and I felt a little unwell at the end of the meal. Having said that I think this is still a wonderful meal, and I look forward to returning for many meals in the future.
December 31, 2006
Getting in shape
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I have finally gotten off my butt and signed myself up to a gym. I have gained too much weight over the last year, and it's time to get healthy and lose that fat. I joined Pure Fitness and will try to go regularly for workout and yoga. Aim is to drop 5kg first, then down 10kg to get back to my ideal weight.
I have finally gotten off my butt and signed myself up to a gym. I have gained too much weight over the last year, and it's time to get healthy and lose that fat. I joined Pure Fitness and will try to go regularly for workout and yoga. Aim is to drop 5kg first, then down 10kg to get back to my ideal weight.
December 22, 2006
Taking time to do things right
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I passed by a shoeshine guy yesterday and finally got a chance to get my beat-up work shoes a makeover. As I sat down and chatted with him, he started rambling on about how his fee (HK$ 25) is so much cheaper compared to the group of shoeshine guys in Central (behind Shanghai Tang in Pedder Building)...he kept talking about the quality of his work compared to the Central guys, how they rush the job...etc, and how his skills in shoeshining will be lost as no one wants to learn it.
As I sat there listening to him, I watched him slowly work over my beat-up shoes with fascination. It has been a long time since anyone has taken so much care over these or any of my shoes. He worked on them very slowly, taking his time and doing one step at a time, almost caressing them lovingly like a parent to a child. I was actually quite moved.
In today's fast-paced society, especially in the business district of downtown HK where time literally is money, someone is still doing things the old-fashioned way just to get it right instead of getting things done quickly. He spoke of loyal clients who bring their shoes to him personally instead of sending an errand boy, as doing it otherwise would rob them of the enjoyment of caring for their shoes and seeing them sparkle after a good shoeshine session. He's right, you know. It IS an enjoyment to see your shoes treated with so much care.
When he was done after more than 10 minutes later, my shoes had a shine that they had never seen, not even when they were purchased new more than a year ago. He told me that if I was careful, the shine would last for 2 weeks. I do not doubt him. I happily paid him $40 for his work, and will be visiting him regularly in the future to give all my shoes the same makeover.
I passed by a shoeshine guy yesterday and finally got a chance to get my beat-up work shoes a makeover. As I sat down and chatted with him, he started rambling on about how his fee (HK$ 25) is so much cheaper compared to the group of shoeshine guys in Central (behind Shanghai Tang in Pedder Building)...he kept talking about the quality of his work compared to the Central guys, how they rush the job...etc, and how his skills in shoeshining will be lost as no one wants to learn it.
As I sat there listening to him, I watched him slowly work over my beat-up shoes with fascination. It has been a long time since anyone has taken so much care over these or any of my shoes. He worked on them very slowly, taking his time and doing one step at a time, almost caressing them lovingly like a parent to a child. I was actually quite moved.
In today's fast-paced society, especially in the business district of downtown HK where time literally is money, someone is still doing things the old-fashioned way just to get it right instead of getting things done quickly. He spoke of loyal clients who bring their shoes to him personally instead of sending an errand boy, as doing it otherwise would rob them of the enjoyment of caring for their shoes and seeing them sparkle after a good shoeshine session. He's right, you know. It IS an enjoyment to see your shoes treated with so much care.
When he was done after more than 10 minutes later, my shoes had a shine that they had never seen, not even when they were purchased new more than a year ago. He told me that if I was careful, the shine would last for 2 weeks. I do not doubt him. I happily paid him $40 for his work, and will be visiting him regularly in the future to give all my shoes the same makeover.
December 21, 2006
The amazing tasting that I missed...
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My regular wine tasting group, MNSC (Monday Night Supper Club), was mentioned by James Suckling in his daily blog on Wine Spectator. James was invited by Paulo (host for the evening) for his annual birthday MNSC dinner, and was asked to blind taste all the wines like we do at all our gatherings. He was pretty blown away by the wines that actually get served by us thirty-somethings...
Sadly, I had to miss this particular dinner as I was in Japan vacationing with my parents...damn!
Here is the full text of the blog:
Believe It or Not Blind Tasting Dinner Posted: 09:58 PM ET, December 17, 2006
Insane is the only word I can use to describe it. I was invited to a blind tasting dinner at the restaurant Caprice to celebrate the 30th birthday of Paulo Pong, a Hong Kong wine merchant, and I really didn’t expect to have to try to “find” the wines I tasted during the outrageous dinner.
Most of the time, “mystery” decanters normally mean finding the variety like Pinot Noir or Sangiovese or Nebbiolo or Merlot. And then you go to country, area, vintage, appellation and maybe winery. But the first wine of the evening served blind was the Leroy Le Montrachet 1969. I think I was off about two decades, although I did say that it was a Montrachet—Chassagne-Montrachet. Oops!
I was with Paulo’s usual tasting group, about eight of them, all in their late 20s or early 30s. I was the only salt-and-pepper-haired guy in the group, although Frédéric Engerer of Château Latour was also there, and he's no spring chicken. Anyway, apparently they have this group every month or so and they taste blind against one another. They didn’t say what they won at the end of the year, whoever finds the most wines ... but I was afraid to ask.
Two of the guys at the dinner had been partying all night in Tokyo the evening before. They said they were blind tasting some 1986 Jayer and 1985 Guigal single-vineyard Côte-Rôties in the Ginza with newfound friends. So they were in perfect shape for the dinner, I told them.
The next two wines were served. And this is no lie. I realized that Paulo was going to pull out the stops, so I was going for broke on my educated guess. And Paulo would not say anything about the wines. Nothing. I was sort of pissed off. He said he would not reveal the names or anything else until we tasted all eight of the wines, each with a different course of food.
But I will tell you what they were as we go, because it’s more interesting.
So the next pair was old. I am mean really old. But they tasted young. So many of the group said they were from the '50s, or even the '80s. I went large. I felt like I was playing roulette. “1899 Margaux and 1900 Margaux,” I said. Paulo looked at me like I had just heard a few words from God.
I had actually had a 1900 Margaux in Hong Kong last year during a dinner and the wines reminded me of it. Well, they weren’t the Margaux 1900. But they were 1899 Cos-d’Estournel and 1899 Léoville-Barton. I was sort of pleased with myself … maybe there is a God who helps us in blind tasting! Normally, I am not very good at finding bottles to be honest.
The Cos, by the way, was not a very good bottle. It was very acidic. But the Léoville-Barton was glorious. I posted this in the Forums tasting section over the weekend: It was a lovely wine with a light amber red color and delicate aromas of sweet red fruits and citrus. It was medium-bodied with silky, almost oily, tannins, and a long, caressing finish. It was very layered. 94 points.
The next pair was even better to drink. They were old and dreamy with layered, silky tannins and an oily and refined finish. They reminded me of old Lafites like 1929 and 1928. So I threw that out. You know the saying about throwing stuff on the wall and if it sticks …. Anyway, they were 1929 Ducru (88 points) and 1929 Beychevelle (98 points). The latter tasting note is in the Forums. The Ducru may not have been a perfect bottle.
Perhaps you are noticing a pattern. Of course, we didn’t know that, because Paulo would not tell us the wines or anything until the end of the dinner. But Paulo chose vintages ending in “9,” which the Chinese believe gives you longevity as a lucky number. And I do hope the longest life for Paulo (and myself) if he keeps serving wines like this!
Back to tasting. The next set was so delicious and luxurious. They went surprisingly well with the roasted sea bass in a red wine reduction sauce. One of the wines was so rich and powerful, with a unique aroma and flavor of raspberry reduction sauce with chocolate and mushroom that it reminded me of a 1947 Lafleur that I had in New York a few weeks ago during a dinner tasting. So I said that. The other bottle was corked! Ouch! The good bottle was the 1949 Lafleur and the bad one 1949 Cheval-Blanc. I gave the Lafleur 100 points.
Two more bottles to go. These two were equally rich and wonderful. One in particular had a mind-blowing aroma of eucalyptus and chocolate with currants. I joked and said it must be the 1974 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard. But that was not my official guess.
I thought Paulo was really pushing the boat out here—1945 Mouton. OH MY GOD, I thought to myself. What is this guy going to do for his 40th? I don’t care but I am there!
But in all honesty, the wine was not as rich as I remember, if it was the 1945 Mouton. So may be it was not a perfect bottle? So I said it anyway. And the other was so outrageously gorgeous and so delicious to drink with tobacco, berry, mint and a caressing finish that lasted for minutes, that 1959 Lafite popped into my mind. The wines were 1959 La Mission (100 points for me that night!) and 1959 Mouton (98 points).
There was no room for dessert. Honestly, my palate was overwhelmed with pleasure. And I think everyone else felt the same. We had been spoiled rotten! And it had been the most amazing birthday wine bash I had ever been to.
We decided to pass up the 1989 Yquem and dessert for karaoke …
My regular wine tasting group, MNSC (Monday Night Supper Club), was mentioned by James Suckling in his daily blog on Wine Spectator. James was invited by Paulo (host for the evening) for his annual birthday MNSC dinner, and was asked to blind taste all the wines like we do at all our gatherings. He was pretty blown away by the wines that actually get served by us thirty-somethings...
Sadly, I had to miss this particular dinner as I was in Japan vacationing with my parents...damn!
Here is the full text of the blog:
Believe It or Not Blind Tasting Dinner Posted: 09:58 PM ET, December 17, 2006
Insane is the only word I can use to describe it. I was invited to a blind tasting dinner at the restaurant Caprice to celebrate the 30th birthday of Paulo Pong, a Hong Kong wine merchant, and I really didn’t expect to have to try to “find” the wines I tasted during the outrageous dinner.
Most of the time, “mystery” decanters normally mean finding the variety like Pinot Noir or Sangiovese or Nebbiolo or Merlot. And then you go to country, area, vintage, appellation and maybe winery. But the first wine of the evening served blind was the Leroy Le Montrachet 1969. I think I was off about two decades, although I did say that it was a Montrachet—Chassagne-Montrachet. Oops!
I was with Paulo’s usual tasting group, about eight of them, all in their late 20s or early 30s. I was the only salt-and-pepper-haired guy in the group, although Frédéric Engerer of Château Latour was also there, and he's no spring chicken. Anyway, apparently they have this group every month or so and they taste blind against one another. They didn’t say what they won at the end of the year, whoever finds the most wines ... but I was afraid to ask.
Two of the guys at the dinner had been partying all night in Tokyo the evening before. They said they were blind tasting some 1986 Jayer and 1985 Guigal single-vineyard Côte-Rôties in the Ginza with newfound friends. So they were in perfect shape for the dinner, I told them.
The next two wines were served. And this is no lie. I realized that Paulo was going to pull out the stops, so I was going for broke on my educated guess. And Paulo would not say anything about the wines. Nothing. I was sort of pissed off. He said he would not reveal the names or anything else until we tasted all eight of the wines, each with a different course of food.
But I will tell you what they were as we go, because it’s more interesting.
So the next pair was old. I am mean really old. But they tasted young. So many of the group said they were from the '50s, or even the '80s. I went large. I felt like I was playing roulette. “1899 Margaux and 1900 Margaux,” I said. Paulo looked at me like I had just heard a few words from God.
I had actually had a 1900 Margaux in Hong Kong last year during a dinner and the wines reminded me of it. Well, they weren’t the Margaux 1900. But they were 1899 Cos-d’Estournel and 1899 Léoville-Barton. I was sort of pleased with myself … maybe there is a God who helps us in blind tasting! Normally, I am not very good at finding bottles to be honest.
The Cos, by the way, was not a very good bottle. It was very acidic. But the Léoville-Barton was glorious. I posted this in the Forums tasting section over the weekend: It was a lovely wine with a light amber red color and delicate aromas of sweet red fruits and citrus. It was medium-bodied with silky, almost oily, tannins, and a long, caressing finish. It was very layered. 94 points.
The next pair was even better to drink. They were old and dreamy with layered, silky tannins and an oily and refined finish. They reminded me of old Lafites like 1929 and 1928. So I threw that out. You know the saying about throwing stuff on the wall and if it sticks …. Anyway, they were 1929 Ducru (88 points) and 1929 Beychevelle (98 points). The latter tasting note is in the Forums. The Ducru may not have been a perfect bottle.
Perhaps you are noticing a pattern. Of course, we didn’t know that, because Paulo would not tell us the wines or anything until the end of the dinner. But Paulo chose vintages ending in “9,” which the Chinese believe gives you longevity as a lucky number. And I do hope the longest life for Paulo (and myself) if he keeps serving wines like this!
Back to tasting. The next set was so delicious and luxurious. They went surprisingly well with the roasted sea bass in a red wine reduction sauce. One of the wines was so rich and powerful, with a unique aroma and flavor of raspberry reduction sauce with chocolate and mushroom that it reminded me of a 1947 Lafleur that I had in New York a few weeks ago during a dinner tasting. So I said that. The other bottle was corked! Ouch! The good bottle was the 1949 Lafleur and the bad one 1949 Cheval-Blanc. I gave the Lafleur 100 points.
Two more bottles to go. These two were equally rich and wonderful. One in particular had a mind-blowing aroma of eucalyptus and chocolate with currants. I joked and said it must be the 1974 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard. But that was not my official guess.
I thought Paulo was really pushing the boat out here—1945 Mouton. OH MY GOD, I thought to myself. What is this guy going to do for his 40th? I don’t care but I am there!
But in all honesty, the wine was not as rich as I remember, if it was the 1945 Mouton. So may be it was not a perfect bottle? So I said it anyway. And the other was so outrageously gorgeous and so delicious to drink with tobacco, berry, mint and a caressing finish that lasted for minutes, that 1959 Lafite popped into my mind. The wines were 1959 La Mission (100 points for me that night!) and 1959 Mouton (98 points).
There was no room for dessert. Honestly, my palate was overwhelmed with pleasure. And I think everyone else felt the same. We had been spoiled rotten! And it had been the most amazing birthday wine bash I had ever been to.
We decided to pass up the 1989 Yquem and dessert for karaoke …
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