266
36
8
Level3
46
3
Great food, great service, but lacking originality
2016-12-12 3850 views
My wife and I celebrated my birthday at L'atelier de Joel Robuchon. The service was very friendly without being pushy. You don't have to order bottled water unless you want to (which isn't the case in some Michelin-starred restaurants). The server won't even push you for ordering wine or other drinks unless you ask. Our server (Benfi? He didn't introduce himself) was informative about the food, keen to take pictures for us and answer questions, always around when we need him, and was pleasant an
Read full review
My wife and I celebrated my birthday at L'atelier de Joel Robuchon. 
The service was very friendly without being pushy. You don't have to order bottled water unless you want to (which isn't the case in some Michelin-starred restaurants). The server won't even push you for ordering wine or other drinks unless you ask. Our server (Benfi? He didn't introduce himself) was informative about the food, keen to take pictures for us and answer questions, always around when we need him, and was pleasant and cheerful all the time.  
The food itself isn't bad, but certain courses are quite expected in taste without the insightful and unexpected juxtaposition of mouthfeel and tastes that I'd expect from someone like Joel Robuchon... All in all, we had a great time and for the price (HK$698 for a 4-course set), I'd say it's really worthwhile. 
Here comes the food:
bread basket with French butter
109 views
0 likes
0 comments
amuse bouche
132 views
0 likes
0 comments
 The amuse bouche is quite nice, especially the pirouette filled with pork sausage -- intensive flavours in a small crispy cigar cookie. The Christmasy garnish on the plate also adds to the warmth and heartiness of the food.
Salmon tartare with imperial caviar, turmeric toast and whole wheat toast
181 views
0 likes
0 comments
 I started with salmon tartare. While it's delicious, it's kinda too expected in terms of taste. The highlight for me was the little sprig of Shiso flowers on the side that looks elegant and tastes divine with the caviar. Yet, the Shichimi Togarashi doesn't add much to the palate. 
Egg mimosa salad with spiced alaskan king crab, wasabi dressing
169 views
2 likes
0 comments
 My wife ordered egg mimosa salad with king crab as appetizer. This is absolutely stunning. The king crab is flavourful, firm and chunky. It is marinaated with a pinch of turmeric that complements the briny seafood taste very well. Though it says the dressing is wasabi, I can barely taste it. My only complaint would be the stringy and chewy celery on the bottom... Not sure it works with the course. 
scampi bouillon with prawn ravioli and langoustine
233 views
0 likes
0 comments
 We both had the scampi bouillon. Again, this is the highlight of this meal. The flavours of the bouillon is very intriguing with many layers to it. It has a very subtle warmth of chilli pepper, yet without being overwhelming. It is cream-based, but the mild heat cuts through the greasiness and for me it's a masterpiece that deserves 3 Michelin stars. The langoustine was cooked perfectly -- still juicy and tender. The prawn filling of the ravioli is very "springy" -- which isn't unlike the "crunch" of the prawns served in Chinese restaurants. All in all, a great course.
Pan-seared veal with brussel sprouts, falsifies, shaved parmesan
139 views
0 likes
0 comments
 The main courses are not as spectacular and inspiring... unfortunately. The veal is cooked perfectly. The gravy was great. The veggies cooked in cream and topped with parmesan shavings are yummy. But they all just tasted like any veal or veggie you can get from any good restaurant. I mean, it's good, albeit not stunning. The combination itself is also a bit mundane... though you can't get falsifies everywhere, they don't add any magic to the course.
maine lobster spaghetti
174 views
0 likes
0 comments
 Again, the lobster spaghetti is very delicious and flavourful, as expected. Maybe we're spoiled, but we come to expect something more experimental from a Michelin 3-starred chef...
La fraise -- Japanese strawberries with almond tuiles, kirsch cream and strawberry sorbet
137 views
0 likes
0 comments
 For dessert, my wife ordered La Fraise, a combo of strawberries in various form. She loved it as it's zesty and tangy to cut through the heavy meal she just had. The kirsch cream in particular won her heart.
La chocolat tentation - choco triology: chocolate ice cream, chocolate cream, chocolate sables with a JR 10th anniversary chocolate thin
120 views
0 likes
0 comments
 The chocolate trilogy (and a white chocolate plaque with "happy birthday" written on is not shown here) is a bit less inspired... The chocolate ice cream has very intense cocoa flavour, but comparatively, the chocolate cream on the bottom and the choco sables are not very flavourful... All in all, the combination of mouthfeels is good, but there's no surprise in this one.
Capuccino + Petit fours (rose macarons, medaleines, raspberry gelee, choco covered sable beads
124 views
0 likes
0 comments
 The petit fours are delicious. Even the baby medaleines taste great with a strong scent of lemon zest. But the presentation is a bit of a let-down... They were just haphazardly stacked on a small plate. And our server Benfi asked the kitchen to put happy birthday on my cappuccino, which is a nice touch. The coffee itself is nothing to write home about... 
We ended up paying HK$1100 per person including wine and sparkling water, a fairly good deal given the quality of the food and the service. Though certain courses don't deserve Michelin 3 stars, the food is still great nonetheless. Oh, one last thing -- we had a major problem with their goofy stamps and funny childish art on the rim of the plate... We think those are really bad taste. There is a red crab stamp on the plate for the mimosa salad with king crab. There are flowers and leaves in metallic turquoise and purple on the plate for the scampi bouillon. (not shown in the pictures because we hated them). Maybe it's hard to breakthrough from the typical fine-dining presentation, but making it childish doesn't really help...
Other Info. : We sat in Le Jardin area with proper dining tables. We think the L'atelier area with bar stools was less classy. Just make sure you're booking the right area when you do it online.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
  • Recommend
    Recommended
  • Report
1 Recommended
    Post
    DETAILED RATING
    Taste
    Decor
    Service
    Hygiene
    Value
    Date of Visit
    2016-12-11
    Dining Method
    Dine In
    Spending Per Head
    $1100 (Lunch)
    Celebration
    Birthday
    Recommended Dishes
    bread basket with French butter
    amuse bouche
    Salmon tartare with imperial caviar, turmeric toast and whole wheat toast
    Egg mimosa salad with spiced alaskan king crab, wasabi dressing
    scampi bouillon with prawn ravioli and langoustine
    Pan-seared veal with brussel sprouts, falsifies, shaved parmesan
    maine lobster spaghetti
    La fraise -- Japanese strawberries with almond tuiles, kirsch cream and strawberry sorbet
    La chocolat tentation - choco triology: chocolate ice cream, chocolate cream, chocolate sables with a JR 10th anniversary chocolate thin
    Capuccino + Petit fours (rose macarons, medaleines, raspberry gelee, choco covered sable beads
    • Scampi bouillon
    • egg mimosa salad with king crab