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2012-05-13
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It's one of life's mysteries why I haven't come to know The Helenia Home Bistro earlier. There is no review (so far) on it on Openrice, it's not that new apparently, and the food is fantastic.Having parents that demand high standards means I don't usually take them to restaurants unless I've test-driven them before, and even then... But I'm glad I took the plunge in choosing HHB, a restaurant specialising in sous vide cooking. I first came across sous vide cooking while I was researching on ho
Having parents that demand high standards means I don't usually take them to restaurants unless I've test-driven them before, and even then... But I'm glad I took the plunge in choosing HHB, a restaurant specialising in sous vide cooking. I first came across sous vide cooking while I was researching on how to make onsen eggs and had been intrigued ever since, so glad I got to try it and boy, was it good!
Helenia Home Bistro is indeed a homely and cosy sort of restaurant, with an open kitchen tucked away in a small street in Tai Hang. White-washed decor, wooden louvre blinds, flickering candle light in a cute little oil lamp on each table. Since the dishes had been pre-ordered 2 days ago, we could go straight into the drinking and the bread. Frankly, the bread wasn't that great, a bit too crunchy, but the spread was tasty: one was garlicky butter, strong but not pungent, the other was a basil butter which was lovely.
First course was salad. A nice portion of fresh crunchy salad leaves in a simple but delicious olive oil and vinegar dressing. I have never tasted salad so fresh in any restaurants in Hong Kong, seriously. The balsamic vinegar was the real McCoy: sweet, glossy, rich. Absolutely delicious.
Next came a real gem: smoked bacon pesto linguine. The dish came covered; once the cover was whisked away, a cloud of fragrant oaky smoke escaped to tantalise. The linguine was nothing short of "Wow!". I think it was one of the best pasta dishes I had ever had. I fear any attempt to articulate how it tasted would do serious injustice to the dish, so let me just leave it at "it was pasta heroin". Owner and chef, Jonathan, later explained that the pasta was cooked in a broth that had been simmered for 8 hours. More please.....
Main course: Ribeye steak, rack of lamb and salmon. The meat was cooked sous vide but slightly char-grilled before serving. As expected, the steak and the lamb were tender, succulent and full of flavour (and rare - yay!!). The salmon was just cooked with a delicate scent of dill. All three dishes were very good but paled in comparison against the pasta past. The side dish was disappointingly the same for all three dishes: mashed potatoes, steamed veg and cherry tomatoes, but I must add that the tomatoes were dressed in a garlicky oil and very yummy.
Dessert was a mango Napoleon of sorts. Instead of puff pastry, a more crusty biscuit was used. Not bad but not spectacular either. The low point of the entire meal was the tea and coffee. Sort that out and I really can't find much to complain.
Service was attentive and friendly, albeit a bit slow once the place filled up; afterall, there was just the lovely Helen tending every table.Definitely would visit again!
Other Info. :
According to Wiki, sous vide cooking is "a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath for a long time—72 hours in some cases—at an accurately determined temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 60 °C (140 °F)."
Corkage $150/bottle, or buy one free one.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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