The Epure Kitchen Journey

5th May, 2015 Spring

Sweet and thankful that my sister had finally put on her wedding gown, under this whole year from engagement to organizing the whole wedding ceremony, my family decided to round this important moment up with an elegant finish (believe it was actually a kick-off of this newlywed couple's brand new page) by joining Epure again for a decent dinner. 

In contrast with the shiny and forestry atmosphere in the afternoon, Epure turned to be a lot more romantic and elegant with its dimmer environment this evening. Golden linings along the interior walls, doors, and all utensils shone all over to adorn this beautiful dining night. 

To start off this evening, we ordered the 6-course "His" tasting menu, which comprised very appetizing oyster, foie gras, green asparagus which was on season, wagyu (with supplement $200), cheese and dessert.

Finger food (5/5): (From left: Comte cheese ball, Artichoke tart, foie gras ball with cherry glacing) 

-This very HOT comte cheese ball had its cheesy heart wonderfully melting! (It's like the Pizza Hut ad which you could pull the cheese string out!) The strong flavor of Comte was enhanced after deep-fried.  

-The foie gras ball made me think of another haute restaurant's signature lollipop. Nevertheless, it was also perfectly executed, with slightly sour cherry glacing on top and the umami foie gras filling inside. A combination that could never fail.

-Artichoke tart was refreshing enough to be stood in the middle of the other two and cleaned our palate.

Amuse Bouche (3.5/5): Pan seared tuna, topped with basil (green), olive (brown), lemon (yellow) and chilli sauce (red). 

The tuna was medium-seared with beautiful pink flesh. These 4 sauces were interesting, each paired with tuna to give its own typical character. But overall it would say it's creatively presented, rather than outstanding in taste.

Pain (4/5): Baguette, Croissant, Mustard seed bread, Black olive bread, Black pepper and cheese bread, soft milk bread

*With orange chilli butter and unsalted butter 

Have been writing about pain de Epure in my last review but this time they slightly earned their marks. The new flavor black peppers and cheese bread was ultimately impressive, imagine cheesy savory flavor lingered with exciting black peppers dancing on your palate. 

This piquant orange chilli butter was only spicy in nose and a bit salted only. It did complement all breads very well. 

Huitres de Bourcefranc(5/5): Special French Oyster, cucumber, melon & spicy crunchy peanuts

The dish setting was enchanting to kick a nice start of the night. The delicate french fresh oysters was carefully wrapped with a thin transparent greenish cucumber jelly and an beautiful orange french melon sorbet came along to garnish this hearty cradle. A nice blow of cooling dry ice vapor ran out over the dish once the servers poured water to the bottom of the dish. (The dry ice effect is always adorable, even for a milk tea in HK Tai Hing).

The oyster was remarkably crispy and fresh. I always agree that tasting freshly shucked oysters alone could retrieve its biggest taste. But out of our expectation this time, the honey sweetness of melon sorbet accented the oyster’s tang of ocean and went along so harmoniously with all ingredients. Rarely could an oyster dish offered such a clean finish.   

Chateau Haut-Brion 1993 (4/5): 

Daddy brought us one of his prestigious wines to Epure for our celebration tonight (as Epure has great discount on corkage: Purchased 1 in-house wine and receive 1 self-brought in full bottle corkage free). Again, not a big fan of reds, but found this wine rather intriguing. Garnet in color, a medium+ leather and blackberry aroma and hints of black peppered meat. On palate, it was a very elegant and full bodied wine with obvious coffee and smoky wood, medium+ alcohol. The black fruit revealed after it had been breathed along the dinner.

Le Foie Gras de Canard (4/5): Seared duck foie gras, poached rhubarb, Tonka beans sauce

Have been in love with Epure’s foie gras since my last visit and I did expect something new (or outstanding) this time. The foie gras was again thick and juicy enough, it just smoothly melted on your palate luxuriously. Rhubarb, with its natural tart flavor, has been used this time to offset the greasiness of foie gras. Impressed with the use of tonka bean nuts as sauce as it burst a wonderful nutty, vanilla-like and coffee aroma which exceptionally complemented the foie gras. A very special combination indeed.

L'asperge de Jerome Galis (3/5): Warm Jerome Galis green asparagus & mousseline sauce

Attendant suggested that Asparagus was just seasonal and I believed she was right. Keeping the texture crispy, and smooth without any residue, the flesh was also sweet and juicy. However, the mayo foam with lemon was a tad too oily, and seems it walked alone itself. It might be my prejudice that vegis should always be kept less oil and healthy when preparing them.

Le Bauf Japonais (supplement $200) (3.5/5):  Seared Kagoshima Wagyu striploin, pointed cabbage, cider jus

Before serving wagyu, a strawberry sorbet was served to clean the palate. Actually we had been more than 70% fed up when this course was approaching. This was meant to be the main course of the night but seems it had slightly pulled the climax down.

The potato soufflé was cute and airy, but again seems it did not participate much in this dish. Wagyu slice (not at generous portion) was at medium and its interior was pinkish, however it didn’t show up adequately with luscious greasiness nor meatiness. Cider jus at the side was a tad too sour in my opinion.

Trust me, desserts from Epure could never disappoint anyone, and we even got their in-house sauternes collection: Chateau Doisy Daene Sauternes 2004 (4.5/5)

A golden yellow hue sprinkling in the glass, you could feel its honey and apricot bouquet. The palate demonstrated even more strongly, with caramel, honey, peach jello, pear and dried apricot dancing all along. Just that the acidity could be more pronounced for a perfect balance.

Quelques Fromages de Saison (4/5): Selection of matured cheese by Xavier, from Toulouse, France 

(Starting from 12:00) Ossau, St. Maure, Tomme de Soulor, Cabrioulet, Roquefort

The cheese were very new to me, seems they were not easy to find at supermarkets except St. Maure and Roquefort. I especially love St. Maure, (I rarely like goat cheese) and Tomme de Soulor. Both was mediumly strong in character and revealed intense milky flavors. 

Le citron de Menton (4/5): Light lemon mousse, marinated pineapple, faisselle sorbet

I did appreciate Epure that they endeavored to exhibit perfect artpieces to you, you could never be pampered less from any aspects. This dessert was a good example which they made several layers of ingredients in this really tiny cup, pineapple compote and white choco coated rice crunches at the bottom and on top fresh and tangy lemon mousse with a zest of lime peel. 

A la carte - Le Souffle de Grand Marnier (Epure's signature dessert) (5.5/5)!

We picked our favorite souffle in Mandarin flavor out from the a la carte menu because of the highly acclaimed dessert reputation at Epure. The souffle was a pretty large one and the surface was beautifully smooth and flat. Spooned a mouthful out, you could see the very small bubbles formed a fluffy yet concrete souffle, and it went very smoothly, lightly like wind but at the same time reflected deep citrus flavor. Every single part of the souffle was densely packed, without any bigger holes or hollows you could find. This was absolutely the best souffle I have ever meet. Complementing with the Mandarin sorbet at the side brought out the full citrus bouquet. Truly well executed dish. 

Petit Fours (4.5/5): 

By the time we finished whole menu,  we were super full (and a bit drunk actually) to enjoy the Petit Fours. Nevertheless, the quality of these little sweets were still outstanding  (Attendants even asked us to try even a tiny bit as they just recommended so much on the mango tart and truffle macaron). 

For a wonderful restaurant like Epure, it would be definitely regretful if you missed the chance of visualizing this esteemed secret kitchen. Attendants invited us for a little "tour guide" to the cooking area and I was more than pleased to have this fascinating opportunity! The working environment in Epure was really really decent and hygenic as you could see, and I was really thrilled to have a little chat with Chef Nicolas and Chef Matthieu that night to know more about the other side of this pretty place...:'> 

*Corkage: For 1 bottle of wine purchased in house, they will waive the corkage of 1 BYOB :)

That's why we were so much eager to open our Haut-Brion here :) 

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 

Dear Chez Patrick

The launch of La table de Patrick has been a big news in the culinary industry, fans had actually been waiting for long to try Chez Patrick’s brand new style of private dining.

Following these successive years of supporting HK Restaurant Week by Chez Patrick’s group, La table de Patrick at its first time entered this promotion. 

Had been compared with the normal lunch set menu (and even a la carte),  the Restaurant Week menu is extraordinarily special. I therefore bought my loyaugei there for a Sat lunch.

La table de Patrick is located at an old building in Sheungwan (Entrance opposite to Lan Fong Yuen). Right when the escalator opened and turned left, it was just right to see Chez Patrick preparing for the meticulous cuisine at the open kitchen. We arrived at the place. 

The restaurant is not big, most likely in size of 2 classrooms. Seatings are slightly packed and overall there is around 20-30 seats. Decorations are simple and clean, with red painted walls and simple white tables. Having adequate sunlight penetrating into the whole restaurant, the atmosphere is comfortable and natural. 

When we were choosing the courses, Chez Patrick unexpectedly came over and asked us if we were interested in having his newly invented Black Truffle dish. I was really thrilled with his kind introduction, which was like friends giving you recommendations that could never be wrong. He was passionate to his food inventions, and never hid his happiness towards it. Who could ever resist such a sweet and warm invitation to try Chez Patrick’s very special dish?

Special: Appetizer: Truffle Cream Foam, Shaved Black Truffle, Rockets Salad with Vinaigrette in Crunch Roll, Parmesan Cheese (6/5!!!)

The black truffle aroma had already strongly pierced into our noses before Chez Patrick shaved this small black diamond in front of us. The light brown colored creamy sauce was deeply infused with truffle, while the foams above balanced the creamy texture. The Parmesan cheese slices added enough saltiness and the rocket salad garnished the dish with a hint of freshness. Heavenly when bringing the real shaved truffle together with the foams and crunches, the truffle flavors lingered in mouth for long. This dish was a sheer ambrosia.

Foie Gras Cake in Lyonnais Style, King Prawns’ Sauce (5/5)

We were thrilled to proceed to our next dish. The foie gras cake just differed from what we expected. Minced into grainy texture, the foie gras was shaped like a pudding. Tasting it alone would be rather dull and a bit bitter, but then it transformed to be magically sweet and balanced when dipping with the strongly flavored king prawn sauce; and finally with a nice foie gras aftertaste. It was wonderful, technically wonderful, to put these 2 strongly flavored ingredients together and played this beautiful harmony! And it was also my very first time to try a foie gras in a very grainy rough texture. Excellent.

Tuna Fillet, Quinoa Risotto, Creamy Bacon Sauce, Baby Asparagus (3.5/5)

As cod fillet was sold out, Chez replaced with a red tuna fillet. Based from the photo I showed, one of my friends could already tell how Chez was experienced with the golden brown seared striping pattern (never black!). The fish was straight medium done, just right with pinkish red flesh at the middle. Though the tuna was obviously not as complementing with the creamy bacon sauce as the cod fillet.  The quinoa risotto was of my surprise to be nice. That hint of sweetness and chewiness had given me more appetite.

Warm Brie Cheese Parcel, Apple and Raisin (3/5)

The warm parcel was very mildly warm, but the outer spring roll layer was crisp enough. When directly sliced it into half, you could see apples, raisins and some walnuts filled along with the brie cheese. I would actually prefer getting the cheese a lot warmer, like in running state; but I appreciate the salads vegis around the dish which made it overall less oily.

Attendants forgot to serve us tea & coffee (might be because it is already 3pm and is time to close). But overall, my friend and I were deeply impressed with Chez Patrick’s creations and how he paired  the ingredients. We were actually surprised with the just right amount of sauce at all the dishes (which were observed by my friend). Never knew how deep and comprehensive his culinary experience could be, but it’s absolutely amazing visiting here.

I would definitely come back to try Chez’s signature Foie Gras Trio.   

La Table De Patrick

中環閣麟街37-43號祥興商業大廈6樓

Tel: 2541 1401

Mon-Fri: 12:00-15:00; 19:00-23:00; Sat: 19:00-23:00; Closed on Sunday

http://www.chezpatrick.hk/?cat=restaurant&page=cp_default 

Epure

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.

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)

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 

A Well Seasoned Wine Pairing Dinner

Credits to my company for an annual dinner that there could be such a wonderful eye-opening (and mouth-widening as well :p) experience at the Seasons. Well reported on food news everywhere about Mr. Elzer, no matter in the aspect of his background at Joel Robuchon, his creative inspirations or his previously launched tea set in wooden box. But despite these compliments for this restaurant, very honestly I have to permit that Seasons is really a place where I can get myself indulged with really nice ingredients. If to pinpoint, I would say the dessert is not as pampering as I expect.

 

 

It was around 6:30pm when we arrived the place. The outdoor was nice with wooden decorations and some plants alongside.

Separating the interior restaurant and the outside is the full height glass partition, it was with quite a spacious settings in between tables for the area near the entrance. While passing through the aisle will be another dining area with more chic but close packing seating. And we were arranged to sit at the spacious area under the romantic warm dim lights. 

 

 

Before we order, it was first served with bread baskets. A good assortments of breads which included brioche, chips, small baguette and spiced bread. Breads were nicely hot enough! Both salted and plain butter were available. Best pick would definitely be the spiced bread, which had rosemary, parsley on top and smelled really good.  Both salted and unsalted butter were available.

 

We in table of 8 decided to have Special Tasting Menu by Chef Elzer at 6-course (HK$1,188+10%). Thanks again for the wonderful lists of self-selected wine pairing by my boss that night, with a start of Champagne.

 

1st Wine: Jacques Picard Selection (Brut)

Light yellow in color. Very fine, soft and irrepressibly rising of bubbles from the bottom to make a little cute floating cordon. Very fresh lemon and unripe pineapple in nose. I actually tasted lemon cello and lime at first and then slight limestone at the back. A very agile champagne.

 

 

1.       Appetizer: King Alaska Crab in 2 ways with avocado (8/10)

The first dish brought us an ultimate freshness with the succulent King Alaska Crab. Was recommended to start from the bottom first. The avocado dressing complemented very well with plain shucked crab meat, and the top ginger mayo crab salad was impressive, the hint of ginger actually bumped back some freshness to the umami mouthfeel.

Wine pairing: Pairing clean seafood with Champagne normally could never disappoint anyone.

 

 

2nd Wine: Domaine Tollot-Beaut Chorey-les-Beaune 2009

Use of Pinot Noir at the region Chorey-Les-Beaune. Deep ruby red in color, medium+ nose with blackberries and herb tea. Medium- tannin, medium acidity with meaty and herb tea flavor again, hidden with a very slight red fruit notes at the end.

After breathing for an hour, a distinguishable note of cranberry and cherry was revealed.

*It is actually my very first time to use a Burgundy glass for wine…not a fan of reds but amazed with its wide big bowl and the wonderful fruity aromas flowing along.

 

 

 

2.       Soup: Beetroot soup with yoghurt (4/10)

The soup had beef consommé in base and a considerable amount of beetroot. Attendant recommended to mix the yoghurt together with the soup for more creamier texture. However, unexpectedly the yoghurt simply couldn’t melt (even I smashed it so hard…in a polite way). The soup was too heavily spiced with the black pepper (I guess) and salty as well. It was too just too hard to finish...my throat was really burning. Hopefully some beetroot and veggie dices were there to soothe my palate a bit.

 

 

3rd Wine: Cordero Di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto 2009 (Best Pick of the night)

Use of Nebbiolo from Monfalletto state. Garnet in color with noticeable amount of legs. Medium- nose with sweet blends of cranberry and strawberry jelly. In palate, medium- acidity, soft tannin with black fruits. After breathing, the caramel aroma immediately stand out in nose and even more outstanding blackberry flavors. A very elegant wine.

 

 

3.       Seared Hokkaido Scallop with lemon peel herbal butter (6/10)

Hokkaido Scallop was as usual sweet and with chewy texture, very toothsome and with reasonable thickness; herbal butter was always the best garnish for scallop.

The garlic potato foam at the side added a slight saltiness to the scallop, which was nice too. Though tomato and eggplant at the bottom of the scallop seem not to be on the same picture with other ingredients.

 

 

4th Wine:  Chateau Pibran Pauillac 2009

A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in this wine. Deep ruby color, black fruits in nose and sense of alcohol in nose. Medium+ tannin and acidity, high alcohol, lingering smoky wood, vanilla and chestnut flavor with lively unripe blackberries. A full bodied and complex wine.

 

 

4.       Seared Duck Foie Gras (8/10)

Very thick in size and is seared beautifully with crisp caramelized outer skin, wrapping the smooth, turgid interior. Lovely to enjoy it with the slightly sweet pear puree and fried apricot.

Nice dish.

Wine Pairing: Chateau Pibran was too strong for foie gras. I would always opt for a dessert wine with foie gras.

 

 

5th Wine:  Cullen Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2012

Not of much impression towards as I was already very full that time

 

 

5.       Traditional Pigeon Pie (8.5/10)

Having the previous dishes well going, this main dish gave this dinner experience a very final nice kick which pushed the night to climax. This traditional pigeon pie stuffed with wonderful amounts of pigeon meat and foie gras. Mushrooms and pine nuts which filled up the rest of the space ornamented with just right amount of chewiness to the pie, giving a very satisfying mouthfeel.

Was deeply impressed with the addition of Apricot because its slight sourness balanced the overall strong gravy taste. Lovely sweet gravy sauce on the dish which made the game pie very juicy and perfect.

Found this paired exemptionally well with the Monfalletto and Pauillac wine.

 

 

6.       White Chocolate Mousse with Earl Grey Ice Cream (3/10)

It was actually quite a big slip to have this dessert served after such a fascinating main course. The chocolate mousse prettily failed. Texture went very rough with the grains of undissolved gelatin embedded. Earl Grey ice-cream was so-so in taste with a very week hint of bergamot. But sweetness overall was adequate.  

 

 

In terms of service the whole night, attendants were all smart and professional. If more warm smiles and greetings could happen that would be sweet.

You wont be disappointed about Season's art on food :)

 

Seasons by Olivier Elzer

銅鑼灣恩平道2-38號利園二期三樓308號舖

2505 6228

星期一至日: 12:00-14:30, 18:00-22:30
http://www.seasonsbyolivier.com/