The Crêpe Escape

One of my first memories of a stonking good crêpe was back in uni days sinking my teeth into a glorious example of one from La Crêperie de Hampstead, which is London’s most typical Parisian Street Crêperie and rather legendary amongst North Londoners. Fast forward an X number of years (I cringe at the actual number) and a different part of the world, and I’m sitting down in La Crêperie in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. This Brittany restaurant chain is going from strength to strength, with branches in Sheung Wan and Wan Chai, as well as in Shanghai, Vietnam, Taipei and Phnom Penh. Their latest location in L Square in Lockhart Road is more spacious than the others but somehow still feels cosy, with little details that reflect the maritime culture of Brittany.

By kind invitation to their new Causeway Bay restaurant, I was able to take my temporary guy-tai friend along with me to nosh on some savoury and sweet pancakes. I was honestly rather excited, as for reasons that escape me, whenever I have tried to go to their Wan Chai branch randomly over the years, it’s always been shut! Though that is probably more my fault than theirs as I recall being struck by a hankering for pancakes at bizarre hours. Anyway, moving on….

So, they did try to tempt me with their Brittany cider (which I later had when I finally went to the Wan Chai branch for dinner with friends a fortnight later, which was delicious – tart with a sweet edge and very refreshing), but as it was a working day, we felt it safe to stick to their apple juice. Whilst this information is not of any import, what I’m trying to express is how much I loved their dinky little bowls that the cider and apple juice were served in. Très mignon! It reminded me of the bowls of hot chocolate my French exchange’s mum used to serve me for breakfast (the only highlight of that hideous exchange programme).

La Crêperie’s menu is quite extensive, with most of the ingredients imported from France. The main feature of the menu is of course the famous dish for which Brittany is known for- the galette. Most people are familiar with the normal dessert pancakes, but galettes are the savoury counterparts made with buckwheat and loaded with a variety of tasty fillings.

To accompany the launch of the new branch, there are naturally, new dishes on the menu. Nothing quite whets the appetite, especially when in a ravenous state, than the tempting wafts of black truffle. The black truffle made an appearance on our first dish- two mini galettes ($98). These were cooked (a little on the crispy side) with a quail egg bouncing seductively in the middle, emmental cheese and slices of French cooked ham draped around the egg yolk, before being finished off with aromatic blobs of black truffle paste. These were actually delightful little bites and although the galettes were a tiny bit overcooked on the bottom, they definitely left guy-tai K and I in eager anticipation of the full-scale versions.

Our next starter was the pan-fried foie gras with caramelised apples, apple cider and salted butter caramel sauce. This particular dish was no different to many of the standard foie-gras dishes peppered about HK restaurants, but I was happy to see a generously sized piece and the foie-gras had a gorgeous, crispy, sweet glaze and I did enjoy the accompanying apples which gave the dish a bit of a lift.

For mains, we shared the new galette on the block- La Capitaine ($128). This seafood creation boasted pan-fried scallops (on point) nestled on a fondue of leek, bacon, cream and flamed with Jameson Irish Whisky. The flavours came together excellently and we wolfed the entire galette down in silence- such was our enjoyment. I love how simply the dish was presented, but don’t be fooled as it is quite filling.

To end, we had the “Sexy Suzette”, which is a celebration of the famous “Crêpe Suzette” and in this version, is served with Mövenpick passion fruit and mango sorbet, lime juice, grilled almonds and flamed with Cointreau (HK$88). The Crêpe was lovely, the sorbet delish (it’s Mövenpick, what’s not to love?), but the Cointreau was just a tad too strong for my taste, though it did jolt me awake just as I was skimming the surface of a food coma.

K and I had a great meal at La Crêperie, and in fact, I returned, this time to their Wan Chai branch, a mere two weeks later (you don’t go in 4 years and then you go twice in a fortnight!). This time I had a more cheesy galette- Les Poulains, which had French raclette cheese, ham, smoked ham, potatoes and pickles lovingly wrapped in a crêpe. Omnomnomnom. Highly recommend this one if you like raclette, and what could be better than raclette in a galette?! And because I was extremely hungry, I followed that up with a sweet pancake. Le Sextant is a deliciously sexy concoction of Vanilla ice cream, caramelized apples and the all popular salted butter caramel. Pancake heaven. Unfortunately my friends, no photos of that particular outing as we were all too busy eating, or perhaps I should just blame it on poor lighting. In any case, if you are craving a serious crêpe escape, look no further than La Crêperie, which is probably coming to a neighbourhood near you, if their popularity is anything to go by!

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5

La Crêperie Causeway Bay, 8/F, The L Square, 459-461 Lockhart Rd. Tel: +852 2898 7123 / La Crêperie
WanChai, 1/F, 100 Queen’s Road East. Tel: +852 25299280 / La Crêperie Sheung Wan,G/F, 69 Jervois Street. Tel: +852 26794666

Meal at Causeway Bay was by invitation- many thanks to the kind hospitality at La Crêperie and Jin Communications.

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Serge et le Phoque- C’est Magnifique!

Wan Chai market is not a location that springs to mind for a French restaurant, but Serge et le Phoque is like a chic tourist quietly taking in the local culture. Strange as the setting may seem at first, interior designer turned restaurateur Charles Pelletier did make a good point when he remarked to me that it was like having a giant TV in their restaurant- all day entertainment and people watching. Their floor-to-ceiling windows give the space a lot of light and coupled with the muted blend of wood, white walls and pistachio green leather booths create an airy, relaxed atmosphere.

Together with Mr. Pelletier, the other powerhouses behind Serge et le Phoque are Chef Frédéric Peneau, former co-owner of famed Le Chateaubriand with Iñaki Aizpitarte and Café Burq and Chef Christophe Pelé, formerly of La Bigarrade. Serge et le Phoque (Serge and the Seal) may be a random appellation, but it was named after and by Peneau’s son Serge, who thought it made sense as another of Peneau’s ventures is Le Dauphin (the Dolphin).

The kitchen produces beautifully plated contemporary French cuisine and Mr. Pelletier explained that they did not want the portions to be too big as their vision is for diners to enjoy their food “with their mouths not their stomachs”. Don’t worry about going hungry though, their 3 course set lunch menu ($250pp) allows you to feel utterly satisfied without being stuffed to the rafters. You may even avoid the dreaded food coma.

Their menu is seasonal and changes once a month, with all ingredients flown in from Japan or Europe, but all their meat is from Hugo Desnoyer, the famous Parisian butcher.

The eventual presentation of each dish belies the actual complexity of technique that has gone into it which makes the meal even more of a gastronomic enjoyment. We started with a lovely amuse bouche, a sensational mouthful of toro with raspberry and shiso dressing. For starters the Asparagus with Mizuna and Orange was a heady blast of citrus which could be a little overpowering for some, but the asparagus was crisp-tender.

Amuse bouche- toro with raspberry and shiso dressing

Asparagus with mizuna and orange

We loved the thickly sliced Red snapper ceviche which was fresh and bouncy in texture but the real star was the hen egg with squid ink, grilled corn kernels and fried fish. It was one wonderful, gooey mess of deliciousness.

Red snapper ceviche

Hen egg with squid ink, girlled corn kernels

Fried fish- too addictive!

Our surprise middle course had me longing for more. Two pieces of chargrilled octopus on Japanese mustard sauce topped with Tobika roe were spot on tender and slightly caramelized.

Chargrilled octopus on Japanese mustard sauce topped with Tobika roe

For mains, the choice is simple but vague- Meat or Fish. As there were two of us, it was only sensible to have one of each. The fish main course was a Red snapper served with grated cauliflower, Nori, clams, a watercress emulsion and yoghurt.  For Meat it was Pork Belly on an eggplant and squid ink blend with Harissa paste and smoked Herring. Both dishes had to be admired for their aesthetics but Rach and I felt the pork belly had the edge in terms of a complete taste. The pork was fantastic, its crackling prepared to crunchy perfection and I liked the kick of the Harissa paste. The Red snapper was lovely too but its flavours were less punchy.

Red snapper served with grated cauliflower, Nori, clams, a watercress emulsion and yoghurt

Pork Belly on an eggplant and squid ink blend with Harissa paste and smoked Herring

To end we had the chocolate lover’s Chocolate Cream with Caramelized Nuts and the Dacquoise with Vanilla Cream and Nougatine which I was most excited about. I love Dacquoise which is traditionally a dessert cake with almond and hazelnut meringue and cream. In their amazing mini bite-sized version, the Vanilla cream and Nougatine made it irresistible and we tried our best to convince them that opening a little shop selling these would be met with much enthusiasm. We also had a taste of their Brie from Alléosse, Paris which was creamy and rich and served with a plum and lemon compote.

Chocolate Cream with Caramelized Nuts

Dacquoise with Vanilla Cream and Nougatine

Brie from Alléosse

It has been a while since I was truly excited about a French restaurant in Hong Kong, and now that it has been open a few months, I think most of the initial hiccups some may have encountered with service have been ironed out. They are sticking to a set menu for both lunch and dinner, where a 4-course dinner set is $550pp or you can have the 3-course Hugo’s menu for 2 which gives you the option of sharing a 1kg Cote de Boeuf ($1450) or a 700g of Quasi d’Agneau ($1250). Lunch is definitely great value and I do think the food and attention to detail, the hospitality of Pelletier and the Wan Chai market entertainment, will make Serge et le Phoque anyone’s regular hangout.

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5

$$$-$$$$$$$$$$

Serge et le Phoque, B2, G/F, Tower 1, The Zenith, 3 Wanchai Rd, Wan Chai, 5465 2000.

Mon 7pm-10.30pm, Tue-Sat noon-2.30pm, 7pm-10.30pm.

This review can also be seen on Sassy Hong Kong. This tasting was by invite- many thanks team Serge et le Phoque!

Lunch in Chocolate Hévin

I am a chocolate window shopper. I let my eyes lovingly take in pretty displays of truffles, pralines and cocoa balls, and drink in my calories that way! Jean-Paul Hévin is one such chocolatier whose window-front on Lyndhurst Terrace is a visual pleasure whenever I walk past. Although I count myself lucky that I am not a chocolate junkie like Rach, I have demolished their chocolates before with gusto – I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there are more than just these delicacies on offer.

Jean-Paul Hévin chocolate cake!

Who would have thought that behind those rows of tasty treats, there is also a proper feast to be had? Aside from Jean-Paul Hévin’s chocolates, or ‘black pearls’ as he calls them (as each piece is created from the highest-quality ingredients), the ‘Boutique et Bar à Chocolat’ has now launched a two-course set lunch. The set lunch comprises a soup or salad plus a main course of the day (which alternates between fish, meat and vegetarian pasta or risotto dishes) for a very reasonably priced $108 – and if you need to end on a sweet note, you can indulge in a slice of one of Jean-Paul Hévin’s six signature chocolate cakes for an additional $40.

When Rach and I stepped into the chocolate zone, our noses were immediately assailed by delicious wafts of cocoa – and sadly, our ears were also assaulted by the grating construction noises out on Lyndhurst Terrace! With our seats by the window (and outside din notwithstanding), the environment was relaxing and the meal quite delicious, making it a nice little spot for your lunch break if you work nearby.

With a choice of either the green pea soup or celeriac remoulade to start, Rach and I decided to get one of each so we could try a bit of both (sharing is caring, after all!). The celeriac remoulade, a lovely mildly piquant celeriac mash, was a scrumptious start to the lunch, going well with the green apple and Parma ham. Rach’s green pea soup was creamy and satisfying but importantly not overly heavy, paving the way for our mains.

Celeriac remoulade

Green pea soup

For mains that day, there was a sweetcorn risotto, a garlic herb roasted chicken thigh and a crispy sole fillet on offer. The meat and fish dishes were calling to us, with Rach going for the sole fillet, while I opted for the chicken.

It wasn’t that I necessarily went to Jean-Paul Hévin with low expectations, but as their forte is clearly chocolate, I did wonder how their savoury offerings would fare. After the starters, I was looking forward to the mains, and I was quietly impressed. My garlic roasted chicken was excellent – the meat succulent and the skin nice and crispy. The accompanying soft polenta and mushroom ratatouille was also good and I cleaned my plate with relish. Rach’s sole fillet was pleasing to the eye and equally well executed, with a delightful lemon chilli remoulade to give the fillet a bit of zest. The accompanying buttered new potatoes were also a hit.

Garlic-roasted chicken

Sole fillet

But one cannot leave a chocolatier without some chocolate, so Rach and I each ordered their signature ‘Chocolat chaud Parisien’, classic Parisien hot chocolate made using cocoa from Central America. I loved it – a happy medium of rich but not sickening, sweet but with the perfect amount of cocoa to prevent it from being just a cup of melted chocolate. The cocoa really shone through and I was surprised that I could actually detect some of the spicy tones alluded to on the menu.

Chocolat chaud Parisien

The ultimate sweet ending was our gâteaux au chocolat, and at an additional $40 to your set-lunch, it’s a very good deal indeed, especially if you are a chocoholic. I adore praline chocolate so I immediately jumped to attention when I saw their hazelnut Quinola Gâteaux, whilst Rach went for the classic Guayaquil, a densely layered chocolate almond dream.

Guayaquil gateaux

I was an utter glutton and finished the lot. My Quinola was divine and I could easily become a total chocoholic if I were to live or work anywhere near Jean-Paul Hévin!

I was pleasantly surprised by Jean-Paul Hévin’s set lunch and I am glad to see that they have made the leap from patisserie and chocolatier to small restaurant. Their dishes were well prepared, very enjoyable and at $108 for two-courses, extremely reasonable for the standard. Jean-Paul Hévin already makes for a sweet addition to Lyndhurst Terrace, but their lunch offerings ensure that they’re more than just a candy-coated shop front.

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5 (That chocolate gateaux completely won me over)

The set lunch costs $108 (with an additional $40 for dessert) and is served Monday-Friday, 12-2pm.

$-$$$$$$$$$$

Jean-Paul Hévin Boutique and Chocolate Bar, No. 13, Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong, 2851 0633

www.jphevin.com.hk

You can also read this review on Sassy.

Appealing to the Sens-es?

Private kitchens are so intriguing to us expats. When I first moved to HK and heard about them, I remember thinking that the label ‘private’ gives these places such an air of mystery and, for lack of a better word, coolness. The idea of knowing about a secret place to eat is appealing and fun, and more often than not, they make great venues for group dining. And for a while these mini restaurants, holed up in apartments or random, seemingly abandoned or dodgy-looking buildings held their appeal and garnered a strong following of patrons eager to have something different or perhaps better than what we can get at a regular restaurant.  From what I recall, many of the private kitchens used  to price their meals extremely reasonably as well, which made me feel that I had stumbled across not only an eatery that many did not know about, but also a place that served fantastic food at fantastic prices. What’s not to love? However, all good things must come to an end, and I feel that this is the case with some private kitchens beginning to lose sight of what used to make them so attractive, including high prices and serving food that strives too hard to set itself apart from everything else on offer. This was the case with newly opened private kitchen, Sens, which opened its apartment doors in February and specialises in ‘modern French Asian fusion’. Blending two or more cuisines together takes a certain amount of bravery, especially as not all flavours and ingredients necessarily work together. I sometimes think that the novelty of making a ‘collage’of cuisines becomes the element that a chef relies on, rather than the taste. With Sens set up in a residential apartment in Causeway Bay and sitting only six to eight people at a time and for one sitting only, it makes for a cosy environment.

Sens Private Dining

A group of seven friends and I went along one Sunday evening last month, guaranteeing a night of good company. Corkage is 50HKD (private kitchens have started charging for corkage which I find irritating!) , but with everyone working the next day, it ended up being a fairly non-alcoholic night, with eight us sharing a very sensible one bottle- livers saved, hooray! Our friendly host, Joy, who opened Sens with her chef partner Michael Druont, welcomed us into her home, which had been cleared to make way for the prettily decorated dining table in the centre. Full respect to Chef Druont who we observed navigating a typically sized HK kitchen (i.e. TINY) with impressive skill, (I can barely cook bacon and eggs without making my kitchen a complete bomb-site, I have no idea how he churned out a 6-course meal replete with presentation).

I accidentally blew out the candle!

Chef Druont, who had his own restaurant, Fleur de Sel, in France and subsequently worked in San Francisco and then for Starwood Hotels in New Caledonia, has a passion for French fusion and since his move to Asia, has been passionate about combining Eastern cuisine influences with French. At Sens, he has created a six-course degustation menu for $800 per person, a rather hefty price for a private kitchen, especially when I can have a veritable feast at that price at some fantastic restaurants in HK. So was the meal worth that pricing? Ingredients-wise, yes, I can see why they would want or need to charge that much as the menu was very seafood-heavy with uni, roe, scallops and jellyfish and also included duck and foie gras. However, we all were in agreement that there was not a particular dish out of the six that really wowed us.

To start there were Canapés- a fairly standard plate of tasty mini bites of prosciutto with sun-dried tomatoes, smoked salmon wound around cream cheese and smoked ham.

Canapés

A pre-course taster was an Asparagus and mushroom consommé with pesto which was creamy and well-seasoned, whetting the appetite for the entrees and mains. Our first entree was the scallop with seared foie gras and quinoa. If I had to choose one dish that I enjoyed the most, this would be it. The scallop was quite perfectly prepared and I liked the contrasting nuttiness and texture of the qunioa against the bouncy scallop. The foie gras was a little over-seared but added a good, fatty flavour to the dish.

Asparagus and mushroom consommé with pesto

Scallop with seared foie gras and quinoa

The prettiest dish of the night was the next entree- Poached Egg with Japanese Uni and Ikura with special chef consommé. The ikura (salmon roe) were fresh and the egg nicely poached. Presentation was lovely, but the addition of the jellyfish coupled with the roe AND the uni created an overpowering taste of the sea that drowned the petite egg and its glorious yolk. I would have much preferred the egg served with the jellyfish and the roe only, or just with the uni, to bring out the best in one of those ingredients.

Poached Egg with Japanese Uni and Ikura with special chef consommé

Our first main was chicken ravioli with clams, Maitake mushrooms and an élixir of mushroom sauce. The ravioli filling was quite tasty but the pasta was a little dense. None of the flavours in that dish particularly stood out and the mushroom sauce tasted a lot like the asparagus and mushroom consommé that we had at the beginning. I think it would have been better if there was less sauce and the clams and the chicken did the talking.

Chicken ravioli with clams, Maitake mushrooms and an élixir of mushroom sauce

Our penultimate main was a filet of Seabass on a bed of puy lentils and baby pak choi. The topping of roe gave this dish a wonderful burst of colour but the presentation was not enough to carry it through, as sadly the seabass was a tad overcooked. The lentils did not add anything to the dish and were lacklustre.

Seabass with puy lentils

If the last two mains had made an impact or had been prepared perfectly, it would have saved the menu somewhat, but our final main- duck breast with raspberry sauce, was also overcooked for some of us (I was fortunate and had the slightly pinkier section of the duck). This for me was something that was fundamental, especially when you are charging your patrons $800 per head.

Duck breast with raspberry sauce

With the mains finished, we had our dessert to look forward to and we were told to expect their signature dish which arrived in the form of a Tomato and Mixed Berries Confit. The idea behind this dessert was clever. I liked the creativity of using tomatoes as a sweet, but the execution was poor. The tomato itself was not sweetened and the accompanying rosemary cream was savoury. When mixed with the berry confit, the concoction was fairly unpleasant. I commend Chef Druont’s attempt to fuse these flavours together, but unfortunately I ended up feeling like my palate was stuck awkwardly in no-man’s land of neither savoury nor sweet. The cream reminded me of roast lamb (I am sure this was not his intention) and the tomato was not only not sweet, it was bland.

Signature special Tomato and Mixed Berries Confit

Sens has a long way to go if it wants to establish itself. Chef Druont’s ability to present his dishes is good, but the ingredients and the flavours need some further thought. The menu was too seafood and too cream heavy and the sauce flavours too similar. The ambience was a little stiff and the lighting a little too fluorescent and harsh to make this a really intimate dining experience. I keep coming back to the pricing, but honestly, at $800 per person with corkage fee (I know that at $50 this may seem nominal but most private kitchens do not charge), I would expect much much more for my money. The dessert was extremely disappointing and I hope that they take the time to improve the execution as I believe Sens does have the potential and is worth keeping an eye on. But for now, they should experiment and perfect their menu.

Chopstixfix rating: 2/5

$$$$$$$$$$

Sens Private Dining and Catering, B3, Floor 25, Pearl City Mansion, 22-36 Patterson Street, Causeway Bay. Tel: 6165 5483

{This was by invitation (only me though) but the rest of my party paid for theirs and I split the bill with the rest of them}

A touch of France in a Le Creuset dish- Bistro Du Vin

French restaurants and their air of je ne sais quoi seem to generate much excitement in HK, leaving people all hot under the collar. With a bevy of unpretentious French eateries popping up around town of late (e.g. La Cantoche, Les Fils a Maman), Bistro Du Vin in Kennedy Town is the newest addition to the scene. Created by Les Amis Group who also own Piccolo Pizzeria and Cepage, it’s already attracted a fair bit of attention with its rustic, home-style and finely executed dishes.

Kennedy Town, like the other hip foodie hotspot Tai Hang, is starting to come into its own and Bistro Du Vin is another reason to hop on that tram, enjoy the ride west and explore the area.

Bistro Du Vin

The interior is welcoming and eclectic with a lovely collection of unconventional but distinctly French antiques; delicate drawings of can-can dancers, Mickey Mouse vintage prints and tastevins (small metal cups used in times gone by to assess wine by candlelight) adorn the walls in a charmingly haphazard manner.

Bistro Du Vin’s eclectic interior

The owner’s passion for wines from the Burgundy region is evident by the extensive wine collection housed at the back of the restaurant, which in itself adds a decorative flair to an establishment, capturing the essence of a Parisian bistro quite successfully.

The interior creates the right ambience, but what about the food? The compact menu has a good selection of ‘Les Charcuterie, Pate et Rillettes’, ‘Les Entrees, ‘Les Oeufs’ and ‘Les Plats Prinicpaux’, as well as the all-important ‘Les Desserts’. A mini chalkboard at each table showcases the appealing selection of daily specials; that day, I sampled the baby squid a la plancha as well as the bouillabaisse. But before plunging into the mains, the homemade pork paté, duck paté and duck rillettes were an absolute must.

Daily specials on mini chalkboards

All three were superbly prepared, with both the pork and duck paté vying for attention from my knife! The duck paté was beautifully smooth and rich, and was scrumptious with the sourdough bread. Given a choice, I normally prefer rillettes as I’m a particular fan of its more rustic texture, and in this case the fat-encased duck rillettes came out top, with me eating it on its own (no bread required!) and having to stop the waiter from whisking it away.

Homemade pork paté, duck paté and duck rillettes

The baby squid a la plancha were delightfully fresh and I adored the simple seasoning and squeeze of lemon that brought out the flavours. This was definitely one of the highlights of the meal.

Baby squid a la plancha

Although the bouillabaisse, presented with aplomb in a blue Le Creuset dish, was teaming with sea life (mussels, prawns, crabs, fish), the thin broth was lacking the robust flavours that would have reflected the many hours of stewing – though it still makes for a great way to fight off our current cold spells!

Bouillabaisse

Egg-lovers will be interested in the ‘Les Oeufs’ section and I would be surprised if diners didn’t enjoy the home-salted brandade and soft egg with Espelette Hollandaise sauce. The brandade, traditionally an emulsion of salt cod and olive oil, was perfectly salted and tasted heavenly with the runny yolk and Hollandaise sauce. Espelette pepper is a variety of chili pepper that was originally cultivated in Espelette in the Basque region but is now also grown in other areas; the addition of the pepper here gave the hollandaise a slight smoky tang and sweetness, rather than the heat or strength one might expect from a chilli.

Home-salted brandade and soft egg with Espelette Hollandaise sauce

The usual French fare of coq au vin or duck leg confit caught my eye on the menu but upon spotting rabbit, I knew this was a dish worth checking out, especially as rabbit is not common in Hong Kong. The rabbit leg was tender with a subtle game taste. Generous amounts of white wine had gone into the white sauce and the pommery grain mustard was just a tad too piquant, but otherwise the dish’s flavours combined well on the palate.

Rabbit leg with white sauce and pommery grain mustard

The classic apple tart with vanilla ice cream was a scrumptious end to the meal and beautifully made. I loved the crisp flaky pastry with slices of still juicy apple, finished off with an attractive dusting of sugar.

Classic apple tart

Bistro du Vin is worth the journey to Kennedy Town, and the quiet area adds to its charm. The relaxed atmosphere and quirky decoration is a definite draw, and the dishes are prepared with enough care to tell me that no detail has been overlooked.

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5

Bistro du Vin, Ground Floor, Shop 1D, Davis Street, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong, 2824 3010

You can also read this review on Sassy.

I don’t think canteen food normally tastes this good…

With Hong Kong stuffed to the rafters with fine-dining restaurants it makes such a refreshing change to have a slew of casual, humble and reasonably priced eateries opening up. This city, as always, has a habit of flooding diners with restaurants of the same cuisine in a short space of time, and recently it has been French food following hot on the heels of the Spanish and Mexican invasion. But before the likes of the cosy Les Fils à Maman and Bistro du Vin, the funky La Cantoche opened its doors to the public back in July. My girlfriends and I first popped round soon after its opening, (yes, yes, I know I’m really behind on the posting, but better late than never! I have returned since, but have done nothing, till now,  except stare at the poor quality photos I took). I love that La Cantoche (‘The Canteen’ in French), is tucked away off Hollywood Road and if you spot the small sign on the corner of the side street, it points you in the right direction. The glass entrance is bright and cheerful and the eye is drawn to the foosball table and the colourful, graffitied, white-washed brick wall inside.

Foosball table!

I arrived early and was greeted by an ebullient David Sung, the French-born owner, who gave me a huge smile and welcomed me like a long-lost friend. His equally buoyant staff ushered me upstairs and settled me at a table in front of a wall projection of an awesome, old-school kung-fu film which I gazed at, mesmerized, whilst waiting for the girls. When I pried my eyes away, (I’m easily distracted by TV, am such a child), I managed to drink in the rest of the decor and liked what I saw. The interior is very minimalistic, with a mix of concrete and white brick walls, cement flooring and almost playground-like primary-coloured chairs. It has a hip, industrial feel but it doesn’t try too hard to be achingly cool.

Loved the decor

Our waiter was brilliant. Introductions were made, water provided and the menu explained. David later came up and took time to tell us a bit of his background. The menu is simple and pretty much a hark back to his childhood, with French, homey comfort food a mainstay. His mother grew up in Vietnam, which explains the Vietnamese influence in the appetisers and salads. A lot of the recipes are his mum’s and the joy on David’s face as he talks about his dishes is quite infectious.

We started with the Boulettes Viet, two herb-infused meatballs skewered and balanced over a salad of cabbage and carrots dressed lightly with nuoc nam and lemongrass. The meatballs were a tad overdone, their bottoms overly scorched, but I could taste the potential within and would definitely give them another go and hope that they are less eagerly cooked. The salad was lovely though and saved the dish.

Boulettes Viet

The Rice Krispies de la Cantoche were great and warrant a bit of fun DIY- wrapping the puffed up rice and Vietnamese-spiced minced pork combo into a lettuce leaf before taking a big flavoursome bite.

Rice Krispies de la Cantoche

The Goat’s cheese spring rolls, (Nems au Chèvre) were incredible. I loooveee goat’s cheese, and love it even more when its in all its gooey, melty glory, which was the case with these golden delights.

Nems au Chèvre

The mains selection is concise with seven hearty dishes to mull over. All come with a side dish of your choice- including potatoes three ways, ratatouille and buttered macaroni. I have a massive weakness for mashed potato, and David was not kidding when he said I would want to cry with joy after one mouthful of his creamy Purée maison. It was seriously potato heaven. My girlfriend was obsessed with the pommes noisettes, (something I’ve not had in many years since my less than enjoyable French exchange when I was 13 years old), which are these glorious bite-sized, crispy golden potato balls hiding mashed potato inside. Our waiter was starting to think we had a carbohydrate problem as we also ordered the frites. They were very helpful as well, as we were able to get half portions of our potatoes to make room for some peas and carrots and the ratatouille.

Pommes noisette

Pommes frites

Ratatouille

Anyway, back to mains, and I ordered the Cordon bleu, a beautiful breaded, then fried cutlet of tender chicken breast rolled around ham and soft cheese. For me, this was the most outstanding dish, made more mouth-watering by my generous slathering of mash. The roast chicken (which I had the second time I went) gets my vote for second best dish followed by the Poisson Papillote, (fish wrapped in foil), which my friend had on our first visit. As we unwrapped the foil, a billow of steam was released, revealing the delicately textured fish with a lovely buttery sheen from basting in its own juices.

Cordon Bleu

Poisson papillote

The desserts are definitely worth attacking. I’m pretty much in love with their M&M nougat ice-cream which was absolutely divine. It’s playful presentation reflected the essence of La Cantoche, and us girls couldn’t help but ‘oooh’ and ‘ahhh’ over every spoonful. We were also in raptures over the crème au chocolat which would make many a chocolate addict happy. At this point, David then popped up with a slice of his ridiculously yummy chocolate cake sitting in custard. If you want to win over girls’ hearts, this is the way to do it.

M&M nougat ice-cream

Chocolate cake!!

OOooooohhh Chocolate cake!

We were utterly replete with sugar. With smiles on our faces from the chocolate high, we got ready to settle the bill and give a good tip (there’s no service charge, so it’s up to you, but they deserve it!), but not before David produced 3 shot glasses of vodka, toasted our health and gave thanks for visiting La Cantoche. The best bit about the shots? The naughty glasses reveal a naked lady at the bottom when you’ve downed your drink. Ooh la la!

Waiting for the naked lady while David pours us vodka

I love this place. It’s fab to have a laid-back spot to hang out and enjoy simple, good food with your mates. Even though I’m not French, I can pretend to be one for a few hours and hop over there for a slice of ‘home’.

They definitely deserve a tip!

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5

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La Cantoche, 5 Wa Lane, Sheung Wan, 2426 0880. Mon-Sat midday-3pm & 7pm-10.30pm. Closed Sun.

Musseling In

Oh là là, and along comes yet another French restaurant, except this little place is slightly different as it’s apparently the first traditional Northern French brasserie on the Hong Kong scene. Replacing Philia on Arbuthnot Road, but retaining the DJ booth for private functions, (not sure if busting out Eminem and Beyoncé is good for the ambience, but meh), Brasserie de L’ile is casual; a place for people watching, having a café au lait or enjoying a quick meal and warm, buttered, crusty bread. Like the function of brasseries in France, the turnover is quick, but that doesn’t mean you can’t while away the time sipping on Chardonnay. The menu is not too dissimilar to what you’d find in other French eateries in Hong Kong, but Northern French cuisine seems to be all about moules-frites, and Brasserie de L’ile delivers. The mussels are exceptional. We had a mahoosive 800g pot of the Ibérique mussels with chorizo, which is enough to feed a nation, though you can also have the slightly easier-to-manage half-portion if you don’t want to feel like a beached whale afterwards. The mussels were exquisite; small and therefore packed with flavour, the soup was delicious and tastes even better when a hunk of buttered bread soaks it up. Definitely the best mussels I’ve had in HK thus far. They also came with homemade fries which were drool-worthy.For starters we had the Cold Cut platter of homemade pork (locally sourced) rillette and terrine, Bayonne ham and saucisson, and also the Warm Goat’s Cheese salad. I adored the terrine, which had a lovely hint of fruitiness from the prunes. The rillette on the other hand was barely flavoured and extremely light, and needed a flavour boost from a slice of saucisson and a piece of bread. The goat’s cheese salad was superb. I’m a cheese fiend, so it doesn’t bother my nose at all if the cheese is smelly and strong, but those of you who shy away from goat’s cheese normally, may enjoy this salad as Chef Bruno Gautier imports the very mild, young, soft Soignon Saint Maure cheese from France. The slices of cheese were ever so slightly grilled to a translucent pallor and had a light herby seasoning. I was really having a wonderful meal and it didn’t stop with the starters and mussels. We were treated to a plate of Steak Tartare which was excellent as well. The beef had a fantastic chunky, coarse texture and was seasoned and spiced wonderfully.Chef Bruno told us that steak tartare should always be prepared not more than fifteen minutes beforehand and at de L’ile, they mix in the egg by hand and cut it coarsely with a knife, rather than use a machine as in other establishments. I think it made all the difference to the taste, as I’ve not previously enjoyed a steak tartare to this level. Or maybe I was high from the outstanding but strong cup of coffee I had at the start and a glass of wine. But I don’t think so. It was genuinely tasty. To end the meal, we had these gorgeous tiny profiteroles. They were ‘pop-in-your-mouth’ goodness. The food’s great, the prices are extremely reasonable, so what’s the catch? If you’re deaf, then this place is perfect for a laid-back meal with friends on a sunny day. However, the noise pollution on Arbuthnot Road is truly horrendous, horns blaring, trucks trundling slowly by, which is a mighty shame because the place is very inviting when they open it out at the front. Maybe it was an off-day, but it’s not the best place for wooing, unless you want to use a megaphone to shout those three little words.

Chopstixfix rating: 4/5

Brasserie de L’ile, 4 Arbuthnot Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 2147 2389. Opening times: 12pm to 1am – Monday to Saturday

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You can also read this review on Sassy.

Patisserie heaven

Dessert, pastry, chocolate. These words speak to me and many women of guilty pleasures, extra calories, the naughty but oh so good end to a meal or a sneaky sugar fix during the day. But it makes us happy, and Hong Kong females are going to be ecstatic to hear about a branch of the French patisserie Paul Lafayet, in Windsor House in Causeway Bay, which opened 6 months ago.The original branch has been in operation for over a year in Tsim Sha Tsui, but frankly having a Causeway Bay shop means we no longer have to trek over to the dark side to get our Macaron fix.

Toni Younes is the French entrepreneur behind Paul Lafayet, (the name inspired by his Great-grandfather I am told), and is a world traveler and a food lover. Such is his passion for French food, pastisserie in particular, that he was compelled to open Paul Lafayet in Hong Kong to share the art of artisanal French pastry.  Two French chefs act as consultants – Alexandre Brusquet who worked for seven years with 3 Michelin Star chef at Paul Bocuse restaurants in Lyon, France and Pascal Schwalm who was the Intercontinental Hong Kong pastry chef for four years until the end of 2009. There is a kitchen offsite that delivers the fresh pastries twice a day to both branches.Paul Lafayet clearly targets females. Everything is just so…pretty. The presentation of their pastries, cakes and macarons is exquisite. Each sweet beautifully created and nestled safely behind glass, gawked at by passing children, mothers, groups of women and the odd lone female caught unaware as she walks through the mall who then stops and looks longingly at the cakes. And drools.I myself end up taking a bazillion photos of the display cabinet; it’s like a cake gallery. It should have had a place in Art HK. All the pastries are made from premium ingredients with no preservatives and are all Artisinal French style desserts.

I don’t have a sweet tooth, more a savoury one, my first inclination is to hanker after a bacon buttie rather than chocolate, but my dinner of dessert was sublime, I almost cried when I ate my Macaron. So God help those of you who love sweet things. It will be like Christmas, all birthdays and festivals have come at once.

The creme brulee is reputed to the best in Hong Kong. I can’t say that I’ve had every creme brulee in Hong Kong to judge this but, it was certainly the best I’ve ever had. It is hand-caramelised on site, (you can watch the shop girl wield the blow torch), and you can even take the bowl it comes in, home. The texture and the taste was unbelievable. Trust me when I say that every morsel must be savored, because before you know it, it’s all in your tummy and you’ll mourn for a few minutes. I adored the crunch of the crystallized sugar and the smoothness of the vanilla egg custard within glides off your tongue. I love how you can actually see the vanilla pods in the custard.The next two cakes were both gorgeous. The Craquelin au chocolate, made from 70% single origin dark chocolate with a crisp base, will satisfy anyone’s chocolate craving and more. Very rich, the chocolate was intense and a little too much for me (but I’m not a chocolate fiend unlike some).The Cremoso craquelin- a maccha mousseline with crispy praline chocolate, was divine and so delicate in flavour. The green tea penetrated through the mousseline with none of the bitterness you sometimes get in green tea puddings and I loved the praline finish.Ah macarons. Little round parcels of food joy. I selected four- jasmine, pistachio, oolong and sesame.I started with the lightest in flavour, the jasmine macaron, which was subtly infused and fragrant. All four were ambrosial but my absolute favourite was the sesame. I smile thinking about it.

If you’re thirsty, Paul Lafayet serves a selection of the fine Kusmi teas which were founded in 1867 in Saint-Petersburg, Russia and then taken to Paris by the company after the Revolution. I had the Prince Vladimir, a blend of Ceylon and China teas with scents of orange, lemon, vanilla, grapefruit and spices. A refreshingly smooth and elegant accompaniment to dessert.

And after this tasting, a few weeks later I attended a Paul Lafayet grand tasting event. Check these gorgeous cakes out!Paul Lafayet, Shop G13, G/F, Windsor House, 311 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay/ G23, G/F, K11,18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.

(The super professional photos courtesy of Paul Lafayet- many thanks!)

Marmite, not as you know it

Another new French restaurant graces the streets of Soho. You can also read it on Sassy:

A little slice of Paris has come to Staunton Street. Injecting a little “oh là là” into Soho life, is the new addition to the Aqua group, La Marmite, serving up classic French Bistrot cuisine. The restaurant is not named after that most beloved (or hated) spread, much to the disappointment of my friends who were wondering how many dishes could be created from Marmite, but in actual fact, means cooking pot in French.

Affordable French cuisine can be quite difficult to come by, but La Marmite strives to offer its customers no frills, hearty and authentic French fare without emptying the wallet.

If you’re wondering about how authentic the food is, despair not, as along with Head Chef Renaud Marin, there is an all French team including Michelin-star Chef Philippe Orrico, Pastry Chef Alexis Watrin , and Maitre’d David Noblet.

I want to first of all sing the praises of David Noblet, who is possibly the most patient Maitre’d ever to work in Hong Kong, due to the demands of yours truly. I asked for a table of 12 for dinner on the Saturday night of the Rugby Sevens, and that number steadily expanded on a daily basis to a whopping 18 people on the day. David was lovely, and very good-natured about it all, rearranging furniture and keeping me posted on how they would be able to accommodate all of us. In the end, he managed, fitting our group on the top floor of the restaurant, so we’d have it all to ourselves! David and the Chef also asked that we decide our budget and create our own 3 course set menu from the à la carte, so they would be better able to serve us. After casting votes, my friends and I settled on the Burgundy snails in parsley butter, Foie gras crème brulée and steak tartare to start, followed by the poached Silver Cod, Rabbit Pie, Rack of Lamb or Oxtail for mains. Our desserts were a selection to share, chosen by the Chef.Out of all starters, the firm favourite was the steak tartare which was seasoned wonderfully and extremely fresh, down to the cracked egg on top. I had the foie gras crème brulée which was creamy and smooth and served with sour dough toast. There wasn’t nearly enough toast to spread the foie gras on, but that wasn’t a problem as I ended up eating large spoonfuls of it. Don’t judge.The snails were a hit with the guys; good portion size, well cooked and not overwhelmed by the butter.There was a bit of food envy going on at the table when the mains showed up. Only a couple of people went for the rack of lamb, which looked (and tasted) amazing and those of us who ordered the rabbit pie, were immediately asked to carve it up and distribute precious wedges of it.The Silver Cod was presented simply, and though delicate in taste, could have done with slightly more seasoning.  The oxtail was succulent and served shredded with coquillettes or pasta shells. It didn’t have as much of an impact in flavor, as perhaps was expected, but was nevertheless a pleasing dish. The carnivores amongst you, however, might want to opt for the rabbit pie, which had lovely tender chunks of rabbit, foie gras and also some offal. Herby, bold and extremely delicious. More gravy would’ve been perfect.To finish off, we sampled the tarte tatin, crème caramel and a riz au lait (rice pudding). All three were of a high standard, successfully reflecting the aims of the Aqua group, to have a restaurant with good quality food at decent prices.If you’re a Francophile, or simply want to sit back and relax over a café au lait or wine, look no further than La Marmite. The atmosphere is distinctly Parisian, helped by unpretentious décor- on the walls hang vintage French posters and an open front, reminiscent of Parisian cafes.

Bon appétit mes amis!

Chopstixfix rating: 3.5/5

La Marmite, 46 Staunton Street, SoHo, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 2803 7808

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Do you know your ABCs?

I’d forgotten about ABC Kitchen in Sheung Wan until I came across my photos of all its dishes. I attribute this lapse in memory to ABC being a dai pai dong in a cooked food market and having automatically filed it away as a Chinese restaurant.

It’s not. It’s a very well thought out Western eatery surrounded by typical Chinese dai pai dongs, a Nepalese stall is its neighbour in fact. It was opened by the chefs from the now closed M at the Fringe and there are only 4 or 5 large tables. If you think you can waltz in and grab a table, you can forget about it. ABC aka “A Better Cooking” stands out with its Tricolore colours of the Italian flag and it’s bright red chequered tablecloths adorning the tables. The atmosphere isn’t great, we could barely hear each other speak but that wasn’t important. What was, however, was the food, so we decided to order pretty much the entire menu.

The menu was a bit on the scant side, but I was told that the stand out dishes were the bouillabaisse and the suckling pig, so I went in with quite high expectations.

We began the meal with almost all the starters. Being the clever people we are, we miscalculated and ordered only 1 pan fried foie gras which was miniscule and obviously wasn’t going to feed all 7 of us. So, instead of ordering an extra one, Krispy K split it into sevenths. The blob of foie gras I tasted was average, more grease than flavour and I’m not convinced worth the $98.The figs and lapin (that’s rabbit to you and me) salad was good, the figs were refreshing and sweet, complimenting the lapin well and balancing out the richness of the foie gras from before. Next, was the soft shell crab, nicely crisp on the outside, with only the odd one or two soggy bits and not too much batter. Best bit was that it was served with little cornichons- love those things!The margherita pizza was.. a margherita pizza- cheesy. If you can mess that up, then you shouldn’t be allowed in a kitchen let alone open one to the public.Lastly, was the long awaited La Bouillabaisse. This traditional Provencal fish stew was fresh and light and packed with loads of ingredients- fish, scallops, prawns, mussels, squid, cherry tomatoes and onions. Half of us loved it, the other half including myself were indifferent, I felt it needed a bit more seasoning and I grew bored of wading through the mountain of ingredients to get to the soup itself.For mains, we had the roasted suckling pig which was excellent. Crispy, exquisite crackling and little fat, tender, succulent meat on the inside.  The other dish we tried was the spring chicken roll stuffed with goat’s cheese and spinach which was tasty but nothing special and became dry towards the end. Lastly was the angus rib eye steak which was average- not the best place to go to for steak, much too big, too gristly and sloppily presented (no photo of this one).The desserts were pretty good. The banana banoffee pie, so named as there was extra banana, was scrumptious and just the right balance of sweet. The creme brulee was “meh”, not a stand out pudding as it was lacking in smoothness and vanilla flavour. I can’t remember what the mousse was, except that it was mousse like.. sorry, not very helpful! But the chocolate souffle was enjoyable and as always, a joy to deflate 🙂

Overall, ABC Kitchen is a great experience. It’s not everyday that you get to eat decent Western food in a wet market, so get yourself down there for a good slice of suckling pig and remember to book in advance and take a healthy set of lungs so you can shout across the table at your mates.

Chopstixfix rating: 3.5/5

ABC Kitchen, Shop CF7, Food Market, 1 Queen Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 9278 8227

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