L'Envol

營業中

休息中

Item: L'Envol
Rating: 5
Author: JayLowe

4.5

147 食評

味道

環境

服務

衛生

抵食

21331

灣仔

$801以上

法國菜 Fine Dining 酒店餐廳

104

JayLowe

等級3

After closing Seasons, chef Olivier Elzer opened his new French dining concept at St Regis Hotel Hong Kong. L'envol means flights in French, priming diners for a soaring and exhilarating meal. We had lunch there for my birthday and were general pleased with the experience.The Ambiance: The well-lit dining room is divided in two parts, with high ceiling and lots of windows. The side with the open kitchen feels more dynamic and bustling as you can see the chefs work, but honestly, it's a bit noisy

The Ambiance: The well-lit dining room is divided in two parts, with high ceiling and lots of windows. The side with the open kitchen feels more dynamic and bustling as you can see the chefs work, but honestly, it's a bit noisy as you can hear how the chefs prepare your food and their conversations. It's amazing how the noise dies down drastically on the other side of the wall (maybe it's some acoustic design at work? I don't know.) and it feels more serene and relaxed. The colour scheme of the dining room has a Scandinavian touch to it -- white marble with gray veins, beige and gray stones, with champagne gold accents and trims, and light grey couches and muted green cushions. The marble veins pattern is seen throughout the place -- on the plates, the tablelamp base, the carpet etc.

The Food: We order the Allure set lunch, though you can actually order the signature tasting menus of 5 to 8 courses throughout the day. But of course, Allure is of the best value.

Amuse bouche -- marinated shiitake mushroom + sardine on gingerbread

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For the amuse bouche, the marinated sardine on gingerbread on the left has nice interesting contrast of flavours. The sardine has velvety sashimi texture with robust saltiness while the gingerbread is sweet and chewy. The sauce melds the taste together and makes them creamy. The shiitake mushroom on the right doesn't hit the same note, but the meaty texture of the mushroom works well with the shaved procuitto on top.

The sourdough baked in the house is divine -- moist chewy crumbs with crisp flaky crust. The sourness is very mild and we loved it. There was also thin crisp bread served with a yoghurt-sour cream dip which didn't take a photo of. The thin crisp bread also tastes great.

Five-spice tuna with crushed avocado and crispy shallot

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For Allure set, you may choose one main dish with multiple starters or desserts. We picked two starters each and one dessert. The grilled tuna five spice is phenomenal -- the five spices aren't too overpowering, but still potent. The tuna is lightly grilled on the outside, but still raw on the inside. The avocado gives the dish a velvety smoothness and the fried shredded shallot is aromatic and crispy. It has nice combinations of flavours and textures.

parsnip veloute with mussels

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The parsnip veloute with mussel friccasee and mariniere foam is a seafood lover's dream come true. The foam is bursting with mussel flavours, balanced by the creamy parsnip veloute. The chunks of mussels therein are packages of joy to bite in whereas the crispy pastry on sprinkles work like croutons to give crunch and a variety of textures.

burgundy snails au pastis

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Burgundy snails au pastis is a dish slightly more expected, albeit still tasting good. Pastis is an anise liqueur and it's very subtle in the background. The snails are juicy and fleshy and the chicken leg mushrooms give a nice chew. The cherry tomatoes help cut through the richness of the cream sauce. All in all, the execution is flawless and the balance is well judged. I personally would prefer a slightly stronger pastis taste to give it more character.

lobster ravioli with foie gras

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This photo looks like a pile of foam and I forgot to take another one after shoving the foam aside... It's lobster ravioli and seared foie gras with lobster foam on top. This dish checks all the right boxes: the lobster is of perfect doneness, juicy and flavourful. The foie gras is crispy and caramelly on the outside and succulent and buttery on the inside. The foam has intense lobster flavour with a hint of cognac. You know it's gonna work when you hear the combination. But the execution and layering of flavours are still impressive.

challan duck breast with roast mango

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The duck breast is not as mind-blowing, but still on par with any haute cuisine standard. The duck is perfectly pink on the inside, while the skin is nicely browned with a blend of spices, which is a nice surprise. The mango is tart an fruity to cut through the richness of the duck. The dab of diced parsnip in an egg-yolky mayo sauce gives the dish more crunch. The black pepper sauce is very mild. It works to achieve a balanced between different elements, but the character doesn't stand out except the spices on the duck skin...

Le mont blanc is the autumn French classic. As it's a classic, it comes with baggage and it's always hard to re-invent. The chef cleverly juxtaposes chestnut in various forms -- candied, puree, cream, mousse and sponge cake, on top of a thin crispy sable and paper thin chocolate crust. The delicate balance is quite lovely as you can appreciate the contrast in textures in every bite.

le mure: blackberry meringue, blackberry mousse, yoghurt ice cream

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Le mure is a blackberry themed dessert -- blackberry thai basil mousse, blackberry meringue, yoghurt ice cream with blackberry syrup on a crispy sable base, garnished with blackberry white chocolate twigs. Again, it's a nice play on textures and Thai basil gives it more depth. Every component is exquisitely executed and it tastes like summer in your mouth.

The concept of balance also works in the petit four -- the mini choux pastry is filled with a chocolate orange ganache that feels exceptionally light and tangy. The dark chocolate dome has a runny ganache centre that isn't overly sweet.

The service: Servers are very friendly and knowledgeable. The sommelier knows the wines inside out. He recommended a spicy smoky Shiraz to go with my duck and I loved it. However, after serving the amuse bouche, they brought us the first starters within minutes, while we are still busy taking pictures. We ended up having to swallow the amuse bouche in a rush so that the soup won't get cold. This should not happen in the restaurant of this calibre. And besides, the hydrangea on our table has a few wilted petals -- I'm nitpicking here, but again, a restaurant of this calibre should pay attention to every little detail like wilted petals.

All in all, it's a great place for classic French with a modern update. Flavours are nicely balanced and it's definitely worth every buck you spend.