Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic

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On the second day of CNY this year we have fireworks in Victoria Harbour, so I decide to find a restaurant to enjoy a good dinner while able to watch the show at the same time. Having come to Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic previously and enjoyed a nice dining experience, I have reserved early and secure my table.Arriving at 44/F of Gloucester Tower at Landmark, the staff shows us to our table, directly facing the windows looking out to the Admiralty and Wanchai harbourfront. We cannot believe our luck as it has an unbeatable view of all the three barges anchored, guaranteeing an unobstructed spot for the display.Before the excitement of the fireworks, we start with dinner. Choosing the 6-course Menu ($2,480 each), we also opt for the special Balade pairing, a non-alcohol flight ($888 each). To toast for the occasion, I start with a glass of Champagne, from Domaine de Bichery La Source 2021 ($390), with wet rock and apple aromas, good acidity, and crispy dry on the palate.The Premices include three small bites. First is a Mushroom Tartlet, which has been infused with tonka and meadowsweet inside. Second is a cute-looking Pie Tee, having liquorice-marinated trout inside and some smoked trout roes on top, decorated with dashi seaweed tuile and yuzu gel.The third small bite is a beautiful Wakame Taco, having a subtle sweetness from the kelp. Inside the taco are some shiso leaves and tarama, a spread made from fish roes, seasoned with a bit of Chartreuse, the liqueur with a unique herbaceous note, with a lot of edible flowers on top.The Homemade Brioche is very buttery and delicious, with one end ‘pressed’ to somehow resemble a log of wood in appearance. The butter is set into a rose shape, amazingly beautiful, with some pollens on top. True to high-end French cuisine, every detail is meticulous, wonderful in both taste and presentation.The first pairing is a natural fermented sparkling from a collaboration between Muri and Anne-Sophie Pic. The dry sparkling rose Uzume is a blend of strawberry, tomato and smoked vanilla, a aperitif which is good for salad and grilled vegetables, and even for shellfish or lobster.  The first course is Tomato Tartelette. Put on top of the tartelette is a nice, bright red plump tomato, specially grown by a local farm for the restaurant. The staff then opens a box showing the premium Kaviari Dauricus Caviar, and scoops some on top of the tomato, before finishing with a geranium and longjiang beurre blanc sauce. Fragrant and nice in taste.The second pairing is Da Hong Pao, a Wuyi rock tea from Fujian. This brewed tea has its signature terroir, with a bit of smokiness, hints of chocolate, and a mellow and smooth palate. It also can kill the fatness in the palate, so is particularly suitable to match with heavier dishes.The second course is Les Berlingots ASP. It is Chef Pic’s childhood memories, transforming a hard candy she loves to eat into this Pasta Parcels, which are filled with Comte Cheese aged 24 months and vin jaune, the French yellow wine from Jura. It is served with an onion consommé flavoured with chamomile and madras curry, complex yet harmonized.The third pairing might look like a cappuccino, it is in fact a hojicha infused with beeswax, offering a richer texture, and flavoured with a syrup that is made from a blend of the skin and juice of lime and lemon with sugar over a long time, with the sweetness and acidity well balanced. On the top is a dried yuzu peel foam. Very refreshing.The third course is Salsify from Eric Roy. It is a root vegetable dish, with the assorted pieces glazed with honey and beer, as well as a bit of lardo to give savoury flavours. On the side is a beautiful black sesame sabayon with cacao nibs, infused with yuzu for freshness. The chef recommends us to mix everything together to enjoy all the flavours together.After watching the beautiful fireworks at such close location, we resume dinner. The beverage pairing is Rosemary Tonic, using distillate of the rosemary to create a gin tonic alternate, infused with syrup that is a mix of rhubarb scrub with vinegar and sugar to extract the flavours, with green picking grape juice, which replaces lemon, for acidity.Next is an optional dish which my wife decides to skip. The meaty and deliciously sweet Brittany Blue Lobster ($588 additional) is cooked over embers, infused with douglas fir for extra fragrance. The coral sauce is made from the lobster tornalley with capers and rosemary. On the side is a carrot voile, interestingly shaped like a fold.The fourth pairing is a type of white tea, Ya Bao from Yunnan. The buds are hand-harvested, with only a very short window to process. The tea is smooth and aromatic, with a delicate peach, tangy forest notes. The palate is mild, simple and clean, which the sommelier specially targets its purity to pair with the seabass, the signature of the chef.The fourth course is Wild Seabass, with Kaviari Dauricus Caviar on top, together with a Champagne Sauce. The taste of the seabass is enticing, very flavourful without the reliance of a lot of seasoning. The caviar has added the touch of umami and savoury to the fish, while the sauce, from mix of champagne and sake, has kabosu citrus for nice acidity.The fifth pairing is Cold Brew, with the coffee coming from Ethiopia, of Geisha variety, which has nice acidity and aromatic. The sommelier has used the whole beans, without grinding, to infuse in cold water for four days, resulting in a light-coloured, elegant and delicious coffee, without the bitterness but instead showing exceptional freshness.Both of us have chosen Venison from Alsace for our fifth course. The beautifully grilled meat is marinated with mint and combawa leaves, tender and without any gamey note. With puree made from glazed Jerusalem artichoke and black garlic on the side, as well as the venison jus infused with peppermint, great in taste.The sixth pairing is Pure Matcha mocktail, with an interesting ricey note, elegant and fresh. With a touch of geranium syrup, it is of sufficient sweetness to match with the dessert while not indulgent or overly cloying. It is a good circle back to the first beverage too, both equally refreshing.For dessert, I have chosen Le Millefeuille Blanc. It is the signature of Chef Anne-Sophie Pic, beautifully rendered, with the geranium Chantilly having the multi-layer of crisp texture, filled with rich and velvety genmaicha cremeux. On top there are some candied ginger and crispy tuile, to decorate and also add further contrast on the bite.My wife has picked Foret Noire. The traditional black forest cake has been deconstructed into this contemporary dessert, breaking into three components of cake with douglass pine and vanilla infusion, a rich Guanaja cremeux flavoured with cinnamon, plus also a sour morello sorbet on the side. A clever way to present the recipe in a totally new manner.Coming to the end, the Mignardises include Madeleine made with local honey, delicious and not too sweet, with the chef adding some camelia pollen and edible flowers on top, to give a crunchy contrast in texture as well as to dress up the madeleine with colour and flair. A very good snack to go with coffee too.The other one is Marshmallow, coated with chocolate. Presented like a lollipop, it brings forth some childhood memories of licking a lollipop as a treat. This modern version has a crunchy crust encasing the soft marshmallow, while the caramel and white chocolate ganache further add to the texture. Service is good, with the staff friendly and cheerful, and I am particularly impressed by the sommelier who showcases his creativity using different ingredients to mix the beverages to good effects. The bill on the night is $8,750. Reasonable. Great in food, wonderful service, amazing beverages. Happy we start the Year of Snake with this visit. continue reading

Anne-Sophie Pic出生於名廚世家，家族位於法國Valence的Maison Pic從1939年開始已經被米芝蓮星星加冕，輾轉在三星與一星之間來來回回，然後Anne-Sophie在2007年將餐廳變回三星食肆之後一直到現在，再加上她旗下在世界各地的其他餐廳，擁有的米芝蓮星星數目在女廚師之中是世界第一的，而她在香港的Cristal Room餐廳位處中環核心地段的高層，景觀不會差。開張一年多拿取米芝蓮一星也是相當正常，由Gilles & Boissier作餐廳的室內設計師，以及用上Baccarat的玻璃餐具，在法式典雅之餘，又大有幾分少女味，老婆對其餐具真的愛不釋手，當然價錢也是天價，弄破一隻杯可能比整餐的花費更貴。（笑)Les Berlingots ASP和Le Millefeuille Blanc也是她的經典菜式，在這裏的表現也相當不錯，前者24個月熟成的Comté芝士和voatsiperifery胡椒填充三角形意大利餃，配以注入橙皮普洱茶的蘑菇清湯，展現濃郁而和諧的田野風味；後者作為甜品用上塔希提香草奶油、茉莉果凍和馬達加斯加胡椒雲，層次分明且外觀精緻，彷彿像當代的後現代建築。主菜的雞胸和劍魚也相當吸引，這兩道菜充分表現出她的”Suffsion”風格，像是前者用上本地三和雞浸上尤加利葉和咖啡醃製，配南瓜和枸杞果醬，味道清新之餘，也能感受到雞油的香味；後者則以傳統的白醬浸泡，輕盈順滑，在魚肉本身的鮮味之餘也感受到微微的酸香，吃得滿足而舒服。再加上侍應的服務水準相當不錯，看過之前食評的評論有點擔心，但吃過後憂慮一掃而空。Anne-Sophie Pic, the most Michelin-starred female chef, leads Cristal Room in Hong Kong, earning a Michelin star within a year. Signature dishes like Les Berlingots ASP and Le Millefeuille Blanc highlight her “Suffusion” style, blending rich flavors and delicate techniques. The elegant interior, Baccarat glassware, and attentive service complete the exceptional dining experience. continue reading

許多年前試過 Amber 令我想寫评語，寫不成。這是第二家又令我提起熱誠寫評論的餐廳。那麼就由这餐廳開始吧！踏進餐廳，就被 Baccarat 系列吸引了，由入口至內，滿是精緻擺設，令我更有期待。笑容滿滿的招待員引領我去到預訂時要求的座位，細心清楚地介紹當日menu。我吃的是一個lunch set, 也有wine pairing可選擇的，但我們中午还是不喝了。用餐過程，都有專人講解每一道菜的材質，來源，設計及做法，每一道菜都顯示廚師的精心佈局，对食物的追求與熱誠，作為顧客的我，實在想不到再有什麼要求，只可欣賞與enjoy。在我心中，無論是款待，環境，食物質素，滿足度，暫時這家是置頂的。 continue reading

見到有好多網上介紹呢間新星餐廳, 前幾日還邀請了閨蜜陪我去. 可以說是一次極度失望的用餐體驗. 食物味道十分奇怪, 令我和閨蜜一邊食一邊摸不著頭腦, $1280的set lunch, main course竟然是超市買到價值$10的mackerel魚, 而且難食. 從來未試過食完fine dining之後個胃同心靈都咁空虛. 沒有order酒, 最後埋單要$1600 per head. 為咗唔好令大家有更多人中伏, 我特登register openrice寫食評同大家分享呢個經驗. continue reading

Throwback lunch at Cristal in late March.This is a restaurant that I was hesitant to visit after the underwhelming experience at P late last year - so much so that I didn’t even bother to write about it (and P is just 2 blocks away from Cristal and was said to be the most anticipated opening in 2023 🤔). Perhaps because of this mindset, the complete lack of expectation plus the company of J and E, the meal at Cristal was enjoyable. Decor was top notch. Loved the open kitchen that patrons get to see the Chef in action and the Baccarat crystal glassware. In terms of the meal, perfect execution from start to finish. Standouts for me include the Chinese peas from Yunnan, geranium rosat leaves and Gyokuro with Kaviari Oscietra caviar. Aesthetically pleasing and a harmonious symphony of spring flavours. Their interpretation of St Marcellin cheese in an iced mochi with smoked Madagascar vanilla was intriguingly delicious - especially for a mochi lover like me, it was heaven sent. The usual heaviness of cheese was removed yet its tantalising flavours were retained. I do not have a sweet tooth but their signature Le Millefeuille blanc (Tahitian vanilla, jasmine jelly with Voatsiperifery pepper cloud) was sublime. Not overpoweringly sweet and it was, as Cristal aptly described it, light and fluffy like a bite of cloud. It would be better had its flavour profile been more diverse, perhaps a smidge of yuzu might had it altogether elevated. Currently the flavour profile is rather singular and monotonousThat said, it was an overall delightful meal and an opulent affair. A well deserved Michelin ⭐️earner! continue reading