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2023-12-25
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This Michelin 1-star French restaurant is located in The Peninsula, with a long history serving fine cuisine and good wines for more than 66 years. It is with great anticipation we return tonight, since my last visit was 2020, going up from the shopping mall of the hotel using the old-style elevator dedicated to the restaurant.The décor has not changed, with a grand design showcasing plenty of chandeliers, velvety carpet and spacious tables, with the Christmas decorations providing a festive amb
The décor has not changed, with a grand design showcasing plenty of chandeliers, velvety carpet and spacious tables, with the Christmas decorations providing a festive ambience for the diners. The live band playing music on the background further adds to the wonders of the restaurant, with the lead singer’s amazing voice weaving a magical atmosphere.
I start off with an aperitif of Champagne Helene Beaugrand Le Grand Carre Blanc de Blancs ($380), aged in cellar for at least 36 months before disgorging, from a small producer in Ay. The wine is crisp, with good acidity and vibrancy, fresh and with good fruitiness.We order the 6-Course Festive Degustation Menu ($2,488 each), with also the Prestige Wine Pairing ($1,688). Soon the staff serves us some welcoming canapes. The Cheese Puffs are airy and light, with rich cheese flavours though not feeling heavy on palate. Great together with the champagne.
Another canape is Red Cabbage Macaron, with Red Cabbage Marmalade on top, Beef Consomme Jelly in middle, sprinkled with some Parmesan cheese crumbs. The other piece is also delicious in taste, with a bit more savoury element. Great snacks to start our meal.Then the staff brings us the bread basket, with different types of freshly baked breads to choose from. We both end up picking the brioche and baguette, with the brioche buttery and soft, while the baguette having good crunchiness. There is also a sourdough to share, with homemade butter and chili-flavoured butter to go along. The breads are really good and I have to restrain myself from eating too many before the start of dinner.
The Amuse Bouche has Onion Mousse on the bottom layer, Potato Crisps and Langoustine Jelly in the middle layer, with a Sea Urchin Foam and some Caviar on top. Each spoon to the bottom provides a feast of delights in flavours, with the umami of the jelly and the foam matching well, while the mousse and crisps showcasing different texture. A really nice starter.The first wine is Georg Breuer Berg Rottland 2019, a biodynamic Riesling from Rheingau. With great minerality, very aromatic and refreshing apricot notes, the grapes come from the best vineyard of the producer, the grand cru of Rottland. Perfect match with the blue lobster.
The first course is Le Homard Bleu de Bretagne. The Brittany Blue Lobster salad is under a sheet of lobster jelly, with some fennel puree on the bottom. On the top is Kaviari Kristal Caviar, and with some sea herbs on the side to give extra layer of fragrance. The delicate sweet blue lobster is truly phenomenal in taste. Wonderful.
The second wine is Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvee Rousseau-Deslandes 2018. Auction every year for charity, this barrel has been purchased by the hotel, with a nice mix of red and black fruit, lively and appealing on the nose. Good match with the black truffle.The second course is Raviole de Foie Gras a la Truffe Noire du Perigord. The Raviolo is paired with some finely chopped Root Vegetables to give a good bite, with the creamy Foie Gras inside. The Duck Consomme is a good match with the foie gras, and the shaved Perigord Black Truffle further adds to the fragrance with an earthy note. Another wonderful dish.
The third wine is Chateau de Meursault Meursault-Perrieres 2020. The wine has nice minerality, creamy and buttery on the nose, with good citrus and white flowers characters. A very balanced wine perfect for the seabass and other types of seafood.The third course is Bar de Ligne des Cotes Francaises. The slow cooked Line-caught Seabass is very soft and moist, with some Confit Potatoes and Calamari on the side. The chef has used Bouillabaisse to prepare a sauce together with Harissa, a type of Tunisian hot chili to give some spicy kick. Creative choice of ingredients to make the dish memorable.
Before going to the main course, we are served a Sorbet, featuring green apple from Normandy, and blended with some basil and wasabi to increase the complexity in taste. Finally, some apple brandy Calvados is poured in to give a bit of a kick on the alcohol. Refreshing.The fourth wine is Chateau Rauzan-Segla 2000. From a great vintage, the Margaux GCC has nice blackcurrant and minerality, showing wonderful development of tobacco and cedar. The layered texture, medium-bodied wine is drinking at its peak now with good elegance and power. Perfect with the roe deer.
The fourth course is Chevreuil de Chez Rhug Estate (additional $288 each). The lean Rhug Estate Roe Deer loin is cooked to medium rare, very juicy and tender, with the surface having a crust made from Peanuts and herbs. On the side are Parsnips in different Textures, with also the Grand Veneur Sauce very rich and flavourful. My favourite dish in the evening.To pair with the cheese, I have an additional glass of wine, with the sommelier helping to pick Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2011 ($380). Instead of overpowering alcohol, this port shows good delicate purity and fresh precision of fruit, with interesting floral notes as well.
An additional course I picked is the French Cheese Selection and Condiments ($140 supplement). The staff pushes the cheese cart to show the different types of cheese available, and I end up picking three types. The blue cheese is very salty, while the Comte 24 months is quite nice. The best among the three is the Auvergne, with a silky and creamy texture.To match with the desserts, the last wine pairing is Chateau Suduiraut Crème de Tete 1989. The final release of this cuvee, the wine is sweet but very well balanced with good acidity, with orange peel and grapefruit, beeswax and honeysuckle blowing away. Great wine to go with the two desserts.
The first dessert is Crème Glacee, featuring an Eggnog Emulsion on a Milk Ice Cream, with a touch of Chinese five spice. Making use of the signature cocktail of the season in this dessert is a clever way to build the festive element into the menu, and the five spices help to provide extra dimensions in flavours to the dessert.
The second dessert is Ganache a la Crème de Cassis, with Blackcurrant Cream Ganache inside the Cinnamon Sponge, topped with Light 33% Chocolate Mousse, with a cassis sauce to go with the cake. The balance of the acidity of the cassis with the sweetness of the ganache and mousse is perfect, making the dessert good in sweetness but not cloying or overbearing. A wonderful finale.I have a cup of Coffee to go with the Petits Fours, which include Lemon Eclairs, Cassis Turkish Delights, and Champagne Chocolate. All the three are tasty and goes well with the coffee, with my pick going for the eclairs. A contented dinner with good food, good wine, and good service.
The service of Peninsula is reputable, and here it is demonstrated with the staff attentive and courteous. The atmosphere is simply superb, and the live band with the amazing songs helps to make the night even more magical. The bill is $9,203 and it is one of the best fine dining restaurants in Hong Kong in my opinion.
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