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2010-02-15
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To many Hongkongers, Valentine's Day is a byword for rip-off, preset meals served by sleepy waiters in a fake romantic setting. Orange Tree, however, is an entirely different story. Thanks to sheer serendipity, I went there for our Valentine's Day dinner with my beloved gf (well, she is reading this note). We heard Orange Tree is serving great food. And now we can testify that it is serving not only great food, but also something unique in HK. When the table was booked, I was told that set din
Orange Tree, however, is an entirely different story.
Thanks to sheer serendipity, I went there for our Valentine's Day dinner with my beloved gf (well, she is reading this note).
We heard Orange Tree is serving great food. And now we can testify that it is serving not only great food, but also something unique in HK.
When the table was booked, I was told that set dinner would be served on Valentine's Day. My gut reaction was: gosh, would it be another trap?
It proved that if ever there was a trap, it was a nicely devised, meticulously formulated dinner with three sumptuous and delicious courses: starters with platters of seafood (scallop, tiger prawns etc) or platters for meat lovers (duck liver, confit, etc), which are followed by, well, in my plain and bland English, tenderloin wrapped in some pastry with truffle sauce, or seabass and french mussels in some orange juice sauce. The final dish is an assortment of desserts dotted by two big hearts (one white cheesy heart and one chocolate mousse cake) and various sweeties of Dutch origin. I washed down the meal with a glass of champagne and a glass of Chilean white wine.
To summarise our comment in one word: marvellous!
The thing so special about this restaurant is the use of quality ingredients and food, which sets this restaurant light years away from the high-street restaurants or hotel eat-outs. I can smell and taste the freshness of the beef (a few bites thanks to my gf) and seabass. I also feel the backbreaking efforts of the chefs to prepare the dazzling array of sweet desserts.
The environment is typical of a small boutique restaurant. Tucked away in an area a bit hard to find for me, but nevertheless serene with a feel of old Hong Kong as it is surrounded by old streets and buildings, it is a place for relaxation and some fine dining.
I was quite surprised to see quite a number of young people dining there on Valentine's Day. It is gratifying to see that some "people born in the 1980's" would gravitate themselves towards truly good food. And for those who cannot read English menus or lack knowledge about proper table manner, they should calm down and think about how great food should be consumed.
Overall it was some of my best dining experiences in my life. The food quality is even better than many restaurants in so-called five or six-star hotels. After the dinner I kept on thinking how on Earth Hong Kong has the fortune to have such a great chef from Holland. He must be honoured as a master chef, smiply for his passion about food and about life.
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