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2023-07-19
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This restaurant is located on 5/F of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, having recently been awarded Michelin 1-star status. Noi means ‘us’ in Italian and is the philosophy for diners to get close and personal with Chef Paulo to learn his culinary heritage and passion for high quality ingredients. After arriving we were seated at the casual breakout lounge featuring a wine bar with nice decors, and what caught my attention most was the interesting lightings on the ceiling, showing different sea creat
This restaurant is located on 5/F of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, having recently been awarded Michelin 1-star status. Noi means ‘us’ in Italian and is the philosophy for diners to get close and personal with Chef Paulo to learn his culinary heritage and passion for high quality ingredients.
After arriving we were seated at the casual breakout lounge featuring a wine bar with nice decors, and what caught my attention most was the interesting lightings on the ceiling, showing different sea creatures. There were also a few cartoon figures bringing a touch of youthful fun and naughtiness.
Very soon the staff came to greet us and introduce our full menu ($2,800 each), showing the amazing ingredients the chef would be using, including from Europe, caviar, blue lobster, and razor clam, and from Japan Botan-Ebi, scallop, and abalone. Very fresh and seasonal.
From the vegetable side there were different types of citrus fruit including Amalfi lemon, yuzu and calamansi, pistachio, wasabi, myoga, galangal, lemongrass, kohlrabi, jicama, morel mushrooms, sweet peas, artichoke, and pearl onions. Just looking at the vibrancy was already a treat.
With wine-pairing ($1,280) starting at the third course, and the staff told us we would be having the Amuse Bouche in the lounge before moving in, I order a glass of Diebolt-Vallois 2013 ($350) to start. A Blanc de Blancs, it has great purity and good balance, stimulating to the palate.
There were three Amuse Bouche. The first was Botan-Ebi Tartar with Artichoke, on a crunchy cup, with plenty of deep-fried leek on top. The sweetness of the prawn was lifted by the acidity of the artichoke pieces underneath, and the leek giving a hint of fragrance on top of the decoration. Very delicious.
The second one was Abalone Tart with Sweet Peas. The glistering, poppy sweet peas were so tempting on the appearance I almost wanted to ask for a tweezer to eat one by one. Underneath were slices of braised abalone, soft and not chewy, with nice umami flavours. This was my favourites among the three.
The third one was Aji Ceviche with White Asparagus. The Japanese horse mackerel had been diced and marinated, with tender texture, rich and intense in flavours. The appealing, thinly peeled white asparagus on top had been dusted with seaweed powder to add to the umami notes. Very good.
We were then asked to move to the dining area entering through a door. It has a nice, darker toned ambience, with plush sofa seatings on one side, and counter seats facing the open kitchen on the other. There is still that playful element showing up through artwork on the ceiling and cartoon figures.
The first course featured Hokkaido Scallop. Serving it raw, the scallop was large, with some finely chopped kohlrabi underneath to give a contrast in texture. Poured with a sour sauce mixed with vanilla oil, it helped to highlight the umami and sweetness of the scallop. Interestingly delicious.
The second course featured Squid. The Japanese squid had been lightly blanched, perfectly cooked without any chewiness. On top were pieces of lardo, Italian cured pig fat. The savoury of the lardo with the smokiness of the roasted sauce were good complement to the squid. Very delicious.
The third course featured Tuna and Kristal Caviar. The fatty tuna tartar had wonderful fish oil, intensely flavourful. To balance the heaviness the chef had cleverly used bonito dashi jelly to give some acidity, while the caviar not only added the exquisite luxury, but also savoury notes to supplement. Fantastic.
The fourth course featured Hiramasa, with the yellowtail amberjack having firm texture and great taste. Decorating the sashimi were tiny slices of turnip, sea grape, and battera kombu. The sauce was made from tomato essence, together with kombu and shiso oil to enhance the fragrance further. Amazing.
The wine paired was Domaine Jonathan Didier Pabiot Pouilly Fume Florilege 2019. This organic Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley has been aged in stainless steel and concrete tanks, with refreshing acidity, grassy and floral notes. Good match with the tomato on its flavours.
The fifth course featured King Crab, serving in chawanmushi, or Japanese egg custard in teacup. Apart from the sweet and delicate Alasakan crab meat, there were some myoga on top, plus the Japan sweetcorn to give a nice bite, finally adding a rich Iberico consommé to the silky egg custard. Tasty.
The wine paired was Castell d’Encus Acusp 2016, a Pinot Noir from the Lleida Pyrenees, with unique climate due to its high altitude. The elegant and fresh red fruit, plus floral notes with touch of spiciness was surprisingly complementary to the chawanmushi, contrary to traditional etiquette in pairing.
Before transitioning to main course, the Bread was served. The homemade brioche was buttery, freshly baked and so good I could easily finish the whole loaf by myself. The extra-virgin olive oil and sour butter was also great complements, with the olive oil specially arranged from Italy by the chef.
The sixth course featured Lobster. The roasted blue lobster was very delicious, sweet in taste, and accompanied with a buttery, creamy beurre blanc sauce, together with a nice sweet pumpkin puree and some poppy puff rice to give contrasting, interesting bite. Another wonderful dish.
The wine paired was Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis 1er Cru Les Fourneaux 2020. With hints of oak but not excessive, the citrus acidity of the wine balanced well with the rich sauce. The flavours and texture of the Chardonnay also matched well and did not overwhelm the delicate wonders of the lobster.
The seventh course featured Pigeon. Grilled perfectly and seasoned well, with a fantastic jus made from pigeon bones and vegetables. The morel mushrooms and freshly shaved black truffle added an earthy aroma matching well with the gamey note, supplementing by the sweetness of pearl onion puree.
The wine paired was Volpolo Podere Sapaio 2019, a Super-Tuscan wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The blackberry characters were dominant, with a well-structured, round body and not too tannic palate. With a bit of spiciness and smokiness it was great match with the dish.
The eighth course was Pasta with Red Uni, but I had opted to upgrade to Truffle Pasta ($200 addition). The pasta had a great al dente texture, with a good bite and holding the sauce well. The freshly shaved black truffle was certainly aromatic and delicious. My wife had the red uni and that was great as well.
The wine paired was Manuel Marinacci Barbaresco Riserva 2015. A relatively young producer who started with nothing, and no family history behind him, he made the Barbaresco in traditional manner, had a nice kirsch, earthy minerality and acidity, matching well with the truffle.
Moving to dessert, the ninth course was Rum Mole Oscietra. The homemade rum gelato was delicate, not overpowering on alcohol. The Mexican mole sauce was added with banana to tone down the spicy notes. Mixing with the generous amount of caviar, the dessert was surprisingly well balanced with complex flavours. Memorable.
To pair with the dessert, the restaurant prepared a cocktail using rum from Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva, a producer that had a long history of almost 150 years in Cuba. The cocktail had a special fragrance of pineapple and coconut oil, with a few drops of chocolate bitters, was very delicious.
The tenth and last course was the Flan, a caramel pudding with a clear caramel sauce on top. The soft silky texture of the pudding was amazing, not overly sweet, with the addition of some fresh plum on top helping to freshen up the palate and provide a contrast on the bite. Rewarding.
The last wine paired was Vilmart & Cie Ratafia. Made by a Champagne producer we had visited many years ago, it was a fortified wine mixing marc and the unfermented juice of Pinot Noir, with the slightly stronger alcohol level supported by delicate sweetness of the grape in harmony.
Finishing the dessert, we returned back to the lounge. The staff first poured me a small cup of homemade Amalfi lemon liqueur, which got great fragrance and highly enjoyable. The Seasonal Mango Sorbet was refreshing and cleansed the palate for the sweets coming up.
The box of Petits Fours contained Whisky Gum, Lemon Tart, White Chocolate and Choux. The gum was quite strong in the whisky taste, so my wife did not like it. The lemon tart had great balance of acidity and sweetness, while the chocolate was rich. The choux, with fluffy puff and nice pistachio cream inside, was my favourite.
With a cup of Double Espresso ($70) to accompany the Petits Fours, it was a great finale to a really wonderful meal. The service was really good, with the staff all friendly and helpful. When they found they had mistakenly served me the red uni pasta instead of the truffle version, the staff not only took mine back to replace, but my wife’s one as well to re-do, to ensure we could all be served at the same time. While it was not cheap with the bill on the night being $8,569 it would be a great place to enjoy and experience an Italian Omakase.
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