EAT.it and SHOP.it :)

EAT.it. A recently launched Italian restaurant that shade itself as a fast food dining place. Getting more obviously known with its comfortable, cozy, flowery and grassy environment, I grabbed my sister for a dinner on Sunday.

Just by walking the outdoor area of EAT.it had already been impressive. The environment was simply beautiful with glasshouse design, and chilled natural air flowing all around the area. You could enjoy a breezy afternoon with zips of tea, or you could have a romantic and relaxing dinner with your another half at the outdoor area. We opted for a cocktail table indoor.

Simple instructions for newly arrived diners at EAT.it:
1. You will be provided a card.
2. Go to different food counters and request what you want, chef will tap the card for you.
3. When u finish your meal indoor, pay at the entrance / pay before dining at outdoor area.

The whole food station is divided into many sections: from Antipasti, Cold Cuts, Pizza, Pasta, Deep Fried Foods, Desserts to Beverage (Tea/Coffee/Beer/Wine. Foods neatly aligned all along were so colorful and alluring that you just couldn't wait any longer to order.

Ciabatta (4/5)
I actually brought one extra for my breakfast the next day :) The crust was crispy with sesames and the interior was moist and soft enough. You could smell its motherdough's unique flavor. Chef would warm it and cut for us when ordering.

*Nice condiments: One additional point I have to add is that each table will have a set of nice condiments: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Tomato Vinegar (Though I don't like this actually; I would prefer a white grape vinegar at the public tables), Himalayan Pink Salt etc. They were all very nice for bread tipping.

Salad: Small pasta salad mix, salted brussels sprout, red cabbage with greens (3/5)
Salad was very soso indeed. The brussels sprout was too salty to us. Though it was cooked (but remained cold now), the grassy and fishy flavor overwhelmed so much...we had to pair it with ciabatta.

Tomato seafood fettucine (4.5/5)

It is flexible to choose the sauce, ingredients and pasta at our own choice. I especially liked talking to the pasta chef as he was really passionate and confident about his cooking.

We preferred trying their homemade fettucine and chef recommended a tomato sauce for us. We chose seafood to combine.

Much appreciated chef’s effort on really using much less oil on the pasta based on our request! The pasta was very well executed – Al dente and well-seasoned enough. I especially liked the tomato sauce, it was just as you are eating real ripe tomatoes.

 

Lime Tart (3.5/5)
Most of the desserts at EAT.it are at generous portion and economical. The lime curd is tarty and zesty enough with fresh lime peels, though there was a slight attack of bitterness at the end. Meringue on top was quite velvety actually, my sister actually recommended it to be whipped up more for a lighter texture. Overall the lime tart was fulfilling.

Strawberry Gelato (4/5)

This gelato was STUNNING if to compare all other brands in HK, though it still cannot replace my favorite GROM in japan. The gelato texture was chewy enough, strawberry taste was real and strong and blended with milky flavor. Just hope chef would give a larger scoop for me next time. Thumb up!

Rose Tea (4.5/5)

The rose aroma were very naturally presented and is easy drinking even though it has been soaked for some time.

 

There was actually a small market near the entrance as well for diners to purchase ingredients/seasonings which were used in Eat.IT. Varieties were not very versatile, but they were all very traditionally Italian and of genuine quality.  I especially loved the Prune tomato (freshly from Sicily) as it is SURPRISELY sweet. Another that I proudly bought is my first ever burrata cheese ($55) which was great value for money to get it home and try *V*.  

 

Eat.it Italy Eatery

Shop 1, G/F, 9 Kingston Street, Causeway Bay

Tel: 2489 8822

Mon-Sun: 11:30-22:30
www.facebook.com/italyeatery

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