Meet The Man Who Fed Me Parsley

I hate parsley - that's my number one pet hate when it comes to food. This evil, curly little green thing can ruin a whole dish for me. Well today actually it didn't, and that is probably a first ever. Not that my palate is changing, no... it think it may actually all be down to the skill (the word I really want to use here is genius...) of the Chef. For the first time, I get to try a dish where parsley actually blends in with the flavours rather than clash with everything else on the plate and fight for domination... I was privileged today to have lunch at Gaddi's (1/F The Peninsula, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong). This venerable institution, all heavy velvet curtains, ankle-deep carpets and shiny brass door knobs that is The Peninsula hosts a couple of very fine restaurants, and this is one of them. Gaddi's is old fashioned as only a serious timeless classic can be, and in its kitchen Chef David Goodridge makes wonders happen...
Fellow foodie Sunday Driver being a VIP here, she organised lunch at the Chef's Table for us; while the rest of the party splurged on an offal feast, I stayed in the comfort zone and ordered from the seasonal menu. I had long wanted to come to Gaddi's - I walked in excited, I walked out in awe...

Amuse-bouche: black olive and anchovy crostini, cheese feuilleté, cheese and black pepper roll

All served warm. Delicious feuilletage, tasty cheese and slightly pungent anchovies. Homely yet refined.

Echiré butter - What do you mean, it's not Bordier??

I highly respect you, Chef Goodridge, for not succumbing to the Bordier fad in town. And also for remaining off the Michelin map...

I know a good bread basket when I see one... (cheese croissants, whole wheat and raisins,

épi baguettes)

The perfect épi baguette - crispy without being hard at the tips. Impressed.

Amuse-bouche: Colchester oyster sashimi, rose champagne mousse, pink grapefruit granité and Oscietra caviar

When the staff presented the dish, I was a bit incredulous. Very daring flavour pairings here, I thought, this is never going to work... turns out, it did work. This was absolutely amazing. The fruity bitterness of the grapefruit granité echoed the delicate bitterness of the fatty oyster, and the slightly sweet champagne mousse added sparkling and mildly astringent notes, elegantly complemented by the salty caviar. A revelation.

Gratinated white asparagus with morel foam

Asparagus as still in season for a short while, so I wanted to grab some before they disappeared for another long year... these chubby specimen where extremely tender for their size - I cut through them like butter, not a string in sight. They were also extremely fragrant and tasty, and had been gratinated under a morel-encrusted cheese blanket. Some delicious buttered spinach topping and a supremely yummy morel foam finished the dish. Solid, almost rustic flavours, perfectly paired and balanced, and impeccable execution.

Old fashioned, I said...

Baby lamb 3 ways with seasonal vegetables and morel cream sauce

Also in season for a few more weeks, baby spring lamb. This one came from the Pyrénées region of France (the mountainous region at the Spanish border) and was succulent. The loin was cooked sous-vide, medium as requested and perfectly pink. The fatty belly had been braised and was gently caramelised, and the oh-so-tender chop came with a gremolata-like parsley topping that was actually quite delicious. A whole roasted garlic clove, steamed white asparagus and some minted crushed green peas topped with a gorgeous morel cream sauce finished the dish. Unreservedly awesome.

Side dish for the lamb: potato gratin with parmesan

Sweet, fondant potatoes under a buttery and cheesy crust of slightly pungent cheese... what's there not to love?

Pre-dessert: Cavaillon melon and champagne

Chef Ludo's touch on the desserts shows immediately to the trained eye - Caprice never really replaced him and we still miss him sorely everytime we go back. It's melon season again so PCs all over town are dusting off their cuillères parisiennes and scooping like there's no tomorrow... add a spakling champagne and melon juice jus, a quenelle of vanilla ice cream and a croustillant of buttery caramel and hazelnuts and you have one of Chef Ludo's signature fruity and delightful desserts. I can't wait for apricot season to see what delicacies he will treat us to this year :-)

More Chef Ludo at work - Layers of strawberries with coconut and mascarpone

Now that's what I call a dessert with the "oh la la" factor... and Chef Ludo is going molecular!! The white sphere are the forefront was a thin white chocolate shell filled with yoghurt ice cream, and a strawberry sphere was hiding behing the biscuit... the swiss cheese-like slice is white chocolate and the cake itself was a light coconut meringue biscuit topped with mascarpone mousse, strawberry jelly and wild strawberries. Light, fruity and delicate. So enlightened, so Ludo :-)

Petits-fours galore: financiers, passion fruit tarts, chocolate-coated caramel slices, fondants

Classic flavours, outstanding execution - butter, butter, butter!!. God I missed you, Chef Ludo!!