Having
been a Dalloyau fans ever since it has launched in HK, I had always been
glancing through and imagining what’s actually behind its golden gate to its
fine dining side Epure.
Couldn’t
believe it was just a decision right in the morning that daddy would be bringing
sis and me to Epure.
And
right when I stood in front of this golden gate, I could exactly feel how
exciting Charlie was when he opened his eyes to his long-awaited chocolate
factory.
The journey finally started. We were
arranged to have window seats (even it was a last-min booking at 11am that
day). Though Epure is at G/F, the bar environment outside was actually cozy
enough. It would be nice if a sunny day came through.
Seatings at Epure were spacious and private in between tables. I liked the greenish design and sofas all around which made the environment a lot more enjoyable.
Epure
offers a tasting menu (4 course*starter, soup, main, dessert/cheese - $598) and
a self-selection of weekday lunch menu (2 course - $398, 3 course -$498,
4-course - $598 *Note: starter, main, cheese, dessert). Without any hesitation,
I chose the tasting menu, with duck foie gras as starter, chestnut soup with
black truffle slices, lobster as main and cheese assortment as final.
Pain (3/5)
5 selections of breads were available at Epure. Soso breads but the herb butter was yum.
Pain (3/5)
5 selections of breads were available at Epure. Soso breads but the herb butter was yum.
Eager to
look at the wine list of Epure, selections were just enough for French countries.
Fans of wines from other countries might be slightly looking for more.
Apertif: Saracco Moscato D’Asti 2013 ($500/bottle) (4.5/5)
Having a very nice mood that day, we in four have ordered a bottle of Moscato D’Asti.
Beautiful fluffy bubbles unlimitedly rose from bottom to shape a small cordon on top, the moscato d'asti was as expected utimately refreshing. Pear and white peach flavor came forward and a slight touch of fresh lime was just right to raise the acidity. A light and straight forward wine most suitable for apertif.
Amuse bouche (4.5/5)
Citrus jelly and apple puree tart: Both were refreshing.
Mini ham croissant: Size was just enough and was buttery and crispy.
Truffle creamy foam: Absolutely gorgeous taste of truffle and creaminess, very lovely
*Nice Service: One of the servers proactively asked us to enjoy it before the foam just all sank down (as we had been chatting for long)
Entree: Seared Duck Foie Gras, Cabbage puree and Elderberry vinigarette (6/5!!!)
The duck foie gras really SURPRISED us! This very thickly cut foie gras (around 4cm i guess) had been firstly poached before searing, so that the inner flesh was still so soft, smooth and melting-in-mouth, but maintained solid (rather than runny) in texture (See the cross section). I would rather describe it as a jelly dancing on the dish.
The crispy outer layer and the cabbage puree complemented the overall mouthfeel perfectly. I particularly loved pairing the foie gras with vinigarette for a cleaner version.
Texture wins and it dominates my no.1 foie gras ranking.
Soupe: Chestnut & fennel velvety soup, crunchy wheat berries & winter black truffle (4.5/5)
The soup base was silky and quite watery and has a lighter taste on its own. It actually didn't taste like chestnut, but rather a mushroom flavor?
When mixing with fennel puree, the soup became a lot more strongly flavored by the fennel and was garnished with a slightly grassy mouth feel. With generous amount of winter truffle slices, the divine aroma swirled around my palate and gave additional crunchiness.
Plat Principal: Poached Lobster, Amandine Mousseline, Baby Leeks, Comte Cheese & Jura Yellow Wine Jus (4/5)
The yellow wine sauce was strongly umami but with a hint of sweetness. It combined with the tender lobster perfectly through a very flavorful chemical reaction, leaving it a sweet and meaty aftertaste. I also loved the little peels of comte on the dish which mixed all ingredients harmoniously together.
Fromage by Xavier (4/5)
Having recalled the media interviews about Epure on its unique cheese collection, without doubt I ordered the cheese selections as my dessert. Cheeses from Epure could disappoint no one. All 5 selected cheeses were ripe enough to be served and were just with enough characters.
I especially loved the St. Felicien at the 12am position which had a runny texture and deep strong mellow taste. The goat cheese Gour Noir was less strong but its creamy and supple texture just stole my heart away. If to pinpoint, I would suggest to serve with more dried fruits and honey for pairing these lovely cheeses.
(Dessert: from sister)
My
sister ordered a blood orange dessert instead and was unexpectedly large
portioned and beautiful! Tarty flavors refresh every taste buds from the
powerful dishes. Textures were comprehensive with the use of chips, fruit
pulps, sorbet, mousse, orange peels and sauce. Very nice dessert with effort
seen.
Wine: Fritz Haag 2012 Brauneberger Juffer Sonneuhr Riesling Auslese (3.5/5)
Craving
for a dessert wine to accomplish this lunch with a wonderful finish, daddy
finally ordered an extra wine in glass.
German
Riesling is always girls’ favorite. This Auslese style was at medium sweetness, soft and
light, with a bit of honey and yellow peach in flavor. Quite balanced with the
adequate level of acidity, but I would always opt for sweeter ones. Very nice with my sister’s dessert and to some extent could also pair my
loved St. Felicien and the blue cheese.
*Nice Service: Another server proactively provided us one of our preferred dessert wines to taste before ordering.
Petit Four (4.5/5)
Petit Four (4.5/5)
The
petit four were also elegantly presented like a mini high tea. The lemon
marshmallow was zesty like a real bite of lemon juice.
The truffle macaron was very stunning and stood out from the crowd. The truffle aromma blended so well
with the smooth black chocolate filling. Chestnut puff was soso but again not too sweet. Finally I had the Japanese Lime tea as a decent and clean ending.
Service (5/5!)
Their service is absolutely professional; Servers were all very experienced and knowledgeable, very eager to share and interact with us on the food and wine tasting, very attentive to details that we might want (or forget), very smart on explaining the ingredients used, cheese varieties and wine knowledge.
This first Epure experience was truly all rounded at all aspects. I actually found truffle dishes by Epure (the milky foam, chestnut soup and truffle macaron) particularly outstanding. Would definitely come back for sure.
*Corkage: For 1 bottle of wine purchased in house, they will waive the corkage of 1 BYOB :)
Epure
尖沙咀廣東道17號海洋中心4樓403號舖
Tel: 3185 8338
星期一至日: 12:00-14:30, 18:00-22:00
http:///www.epure.hk
