A lunch date

Ms Dyson 2000 had a reservation at Caprice for lunch today and no more guest to go with, so I volunteered (huge sacrifice, I know) and joined as her date (sorry Spartacus...). Caprice needs no introduction, it has been featured in this humble blog and many others countless times, and it is always with great anticipation that I return to sample more of Chef Vincent's delicious creations. The service today was at its usual best, smoothlessly choregraphied and as attentive as ever. And the food... ah! the food... I think it reduced us both to grunting cavewomen. There were so many interesting dishes on the lunch menu that the choice was excruciating. A big merci to Jeremy, Mr Garcia, Benny & all the staff at Caprice for their warm welcome. We certainly look forward to coming back soon :)

Great light for shooting, thanks to a harbourside window table :)

Garlic bread sticks, warm and delicious

I NEVER drink at lunch on a weekday when I have to go back to work... EVER!! ;)

This chinon was light and fruity (and paired quite nicely with my fish main course) and we both marveled at the perfect temperature at  which it was served.

Beurre Bordier - the flattened cone is the salted one, which we destroyed in no time. The unsalted one was once more left untouched.

The bread at Caprice is always a feast for the eye and the palate. My choice today was the sourdough, which was served warm (perfect as I love my butter melting on the bread) and was fluffy, crispy and absolutely delightful.

Petit gris snails, meurette poached quail's eggs and sweet garlic espuma

This was absolutely gorgeous. Nutty, bouncy snails, cubes of melt-in-the mouth pork knuckle, croutons, marvellous garlic espuma and red wine sauce. The play on the textures and the pairing of flavours was superb.

Quail's egg, poached to perfection

Cod brandade pastilla, escabeche vegetables and sea urchin emulsion

Each season Chef Vincent comes up with new pastilla dishes for his lunch menu. Lamb, duck and now cod. This was right up my alley. A colorful explosion of crunchy, slightly pickled seasonal veggies and a hearty cod brandade in a crispy fillo casing. Absolutely delicious.

Cod brandade - supremely yummy. I did not really enjoy the urchin sauce though; it was impeccably executed and the mineral, briny flavour was spot on and incredibly fresh, but I am still working at acquiring a taste for urchin and sometimes still find it a bit difficult. That said, for people who enjoy it more than me, it made sense as a flavour on this dish.

Having to go back to work without the time for a nap, we were heartbroken to pass on Jeremy's awesome cheeses... we also passed on dessert, for the usual reason. The petits fours were *yawn* as usual - technically the standard is high, but taste or texture-wise there is always something amiss. Take the pistachio marshmallows on the left for instance. Topped with a cranberry (or was it raspberry??) jelly cube, the pistachio marshmallow was served on top of a pistachio cream. On paper, an awesome combination of flavours and an intersting play on textures, but why oh! why serve this in a dark chocolate cup? Not that pistachio is bad with chocolate, but the proportion was wrong (too much choco killed the pistachio) and I think you should choose between choco or sour fruits as a pairing with the green nut. Even tough the concept is good, it always ends up messy and misses the spot. "Less is more" applies to many areas of life - desserts included. The mango-passion and white chocolate one did not fare much better. The raspberry milk chocolate tasted strangely artificial. The caramel though was very good; I loved the fact that they used roasted walnuts, which are in season, instead of the usual almonds or hazelnuts - nice touch.

Seasonal highlights

I have been raving about Caprice (6/F Four Seasons Hotel, Central, Hong Kong) to a lot of my friends, and despite this, Agent J from the J&T Special Unit had resisted for the best part of a year paying his respects to this temple of fine French food... well tonight that was about to change, as Agent T managed to lure him in on account of having out-of-town guests to honour. I think it won't take too long for him to book his next lunch there ;)



In season: green Vaucluse asparagus

As usual, Chef Vincent's very fine cuisine triggered bouts of ecstatic grunting around the table and the service was absolutely impeccable, even if none of the restaurant manager or his trustworthy second-in-command were in sight.

Amuse-bouche: mini-brioches with garlic & spinach and cauliflower mousse


Still as nice as last time and unfortunately still a one-bite affair :)

 

Baby baguette and sesame roll


No introductions needed for these classics. The roll was at its usual buttery and nutty best, and the baguette was a very welcome vessel to carry a load of Bordier butter.



Amuse-bouche: bouillabaisse jelly, codfish brandade mousse, seasonal vegetables, shellfish coulis


Lots of marine flavours here, all brought together by a delicate spice touch and rounded up by cream. Delicious.

Vaucluse Green Asparagus with Wild Salmon Tarama, Sour Cream Blinis and Dill Pesto


A truly gorgeous light starter, full of seasonal flavours. The asparagus were very tasty and fondant, and paired very nicely with the mild and creamy tarama and the delicious smoked salmon strips. Tiny blinis with cream and a single salmon egg completed the gorgeous plating, together with a few drops of an amazingly intense dill coulis. Very pretty and equally delicious. 

Atlantic Sea Bream with Marine Crushed Potato, Pork Knuckle Andouillette and Red Wine Sauce


This dish got me at hello... did you say red wine sauce with fish!? The sea bream was firm as it should be and cooked to my liking. The bed of crushed potatoes was tossed with seaweed (and what I thought was a very light touch of Meaux mustard) and the flavours worked just perfectly with the fruity and slightly acidic wine reduction. The pork knuckle andouillette was deliciously full of pigginess, which added even more umami to the dish. The slice of andouillette came topped with an unannounced (and IMHO unnecessary) cooked oyster, which was so bitter I could not even finish it. Even if it has been more palatable, this additional briney note would have sort of thrown off the delicate balance of flavours in the dish, and I am glad I tried the shellfish on its own rather than waste a mouthful of this otherwise awsome dish.

The cheese board... always a feast for the eyes and the palate.


I know better than to order dessert here now... I would therefore allocate precious stomach space and calories  to cheese - my selection today would include Chaource, Brin d'Amour, coulommiers, roquefort, comté 4 years,

époisses and a couple of excellent runny goat cheeses I should have noted down.

Entremets: not quite sure what the exact name was, but it was like a deconstruction of a meringue lemon pie. Not a bad idea per se, but as usual with this PC I was in fault-finding mode the second this turned up on our table. The meringue sprinkles were slightly citrussy and the crunchy texture quite nice, as was the ice cream, which was very thick and was presented to us as almond. To me it tasted more of marzipan with bitter almond than simply almonds, and also had some very tiny pieces of candied citrus rind, which cut the sweetness of the marzipan and was a very nice touch. The disappointing part was the biscuit crumbs at the bottom. While the texture was pretty nice (a bit too hard maybe...) and the taste buttery, the flavour felt overall very flat and should have been enhanced with more amonds (or even vanilla). It bugged me for a good 2 hours after leaving the restaurant before I finally figured out what was really amiss - not enough salt in the dough!! That's what it was... It takes just a pinch to bring out the flavors, and the omission here really weakened an otherwise decent pudding.

It's very sad, I can't even be bothered to shoot the petits fours anymore... *YAWN*

Redefining sublime

I have said it many times, I love Caprice, and Chef Vincent never fails to tickle my G(reed) spot and amaze my jaded tastebuds... and tonight again I sat back and let the magic operate. The food was perfect beyond sublime and each dish was delivered to our table in a carafully choregraphied ballet of faultless service. After raving about the place to her for so long, tonight I finally took patient Em out for dinner at Caprice (6/F Four Seasons Hotel, Central, Hong Kong). We were joined by Lady Dyson 2000 (as these 2 have become FB buddies but had never met) and later by Mr Dyson 3000, who ducked out of a work do to join us for cheese.

Amuse-bouche: mini-brioches with garlic & spinach and cauliflower mousse.

No matter how hard you tried, these were pretty much a one bite affair... Lady Dyson complained that the brioches should have been toasted, which IMHO would have changed the flavour and texture. I liked them just as they were...

Beurre Bordier - always a winner!

Aaaah, the baguette!! Crunchy and fluffy, as it should be. The perfect tool to scoop out that butter...

Amuse-bouche: bouillabaisse jelly, codfish brandade mousse, seasonal vegetables, shellfish coulis

Lots of marine flavours here, all brought together by a delicate spice touch and rounded up by cream. What a start!

Obsiblue Prawn Carpaccio with Sour Cucumber, Wasabi Jelly and Osetra Caviar

An exercise in finesse, all in delicate and refined flavours. The super-fresh prawn was extremely sweet and the firm flesh tasted like it had still been swimming not so long ago... The crisp flavour of the cucumber was somewhat toned down by the pickling without becoming too sour, and the wasabi jelly was flavourful without being overpowering. The caviar was obviously the real deal (read: not from China) and a few sprigs of chives finished the dish. Brilliant flavour pairing, very harmonious and balanced, and masterfully executed. Wow.

Melba toast for the prawn carpaccio

Périgord Milk-Fed Veal with Grenaille Potatoes, Green Peas and Sucrine Salad in Natural Jus

Rib for 2 

Périgord Milk-Fed Veal with Grenaille Potatoes, Green Peas and Sucrine Salad in Natural Jus

Carved table-side...

Périgord Milk-Fed Veal with Grenaille Potatoes, Green Peas and Sucrine Salad in Natural Jus

Tadaa!!

Rib bone, (very) thick cut fry, jus

Lady Dyson 2000 took care of this Flintstone-style (grunts included...)

Périgord Milk-Fed Veal with Grenaille Potatoes, Green Peas and Sucrine Salad in Natural Jus

The veal (obviously sous-vide before being braised) was perfectly pink (we asked for medium) and extremely tender and delicate in flavour. The grenaille potatoes were sweet and fondant, and the green peas and crunchy salad offered some interesting texture contrast. The jus was absolutely delicious (as always). A truly delightful and gorgeous dish. 

The cheese board - always a feast for the eyes and the palate

My cheese selection - good I asked for small pieces!! O_O

Front to back, clockwise: Brin d'Amour, Coulommiers, Colombier, Mimolette 24 months, Comte 4 years, fourme d'Ambert, Roquefort

Some pairings for the cheese: Chateau-Chalon for the comte, and Hoegaarden for the mimolette (yes, you read well, beer with cheese. Do try it at home if you can't believe it works...)

Pre-dessert: panna cotta, citrus fruits, merlot wine coulis, crumble, peach mousse

An interesting flavour pairing. The wine coulis was deliciously fruity and the peach mousse just smelled heavenly.

Petits fours: salted butter caramels, carrot cake with cream cheese topping, red berry (?) macaroon, passionfruit tartlets

The passionfruit tartlets were on a chocolate rather than pastry base, which was kind of *yawn* even though the custard itself was deliciously acidic and creamy. The pretty macaroons did not have much flavour (and what's with the tasteless coloured white chocolate decorations!?) and the carrot cake was not particularly remarkable (or carotte-y, for that matter). I passed on the chocolates. Once in a while I would like to see a good old-fashioned classic on that dessert menu, like a baba au rhum or a chocolate eclair, a good financier... I would even settle for a decent madeleine! Something old school, something unfancy, no gimmicks, no pretty decorations, no gold foil... just something traditional. Seems even that might be a bit too much to ask.

A big thank you to Jeremy E., Ludovic G. and all the dining room staff at Caprice for their amazing service and reliable advice. See you soon, guys! :-)

Oh ouiiii, Chef!!

Last time I met with my friend L. for lunch, she treated me to an excellent meal at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon; today was my turn to treat her, and as I know she loves the place, I suggested we meet up at Caprice (6/F, 4 Seasons Hotel, Central, Hong Kong). Having booked a table for 12noon (which is the opening time), I arrived 10mn early only to find the restaurant door closed and the reception desk empty. I had to wait for a good 3 to 4 minutes before the receptionist popped her head out of the small office behind the desk and started to pay attention to me. After taking my name, she proceeded to inform me very casually that, sorry ma'am, we are not open yet, and if I could be kind enough to retrace my steps and walk over to the Spa to have a look around and come back at noon on the dot thank you very much. I was gobsmacked. I just turned around without a word an walked away. 10 minutes later and a few hundred Honkies lighter (yes I did walk over to the Spa...), I returned to find the door still half closed but this time, I was allowed in. My guest was already there, and when she proceeded to tell me about coming early and being turned away, my blood just boiled. Frankly people, I hate to sound like a spoilt brat, but this is not the standard of service I expect from the 4 Seasons, let alone form a *** restaurant. I know this girl is just doing her job, but her management should give a bit more thought and consideration to situations like this. I thought that's why they have a bar, to park guests waiting for their table ?? I am not one to kick up a fuss over bad service, but do this to me one more time and I'll take my hard-earned Honkies elsewhere. Thank goodness there was Chef Vincent's food to look forward to!

Garlic bread stick, beurre Bordier salé



AB: scallops ceviche, pomelo, sake jelly, seaweed coulis, melba toast


The AB at Caprice seem to become more elaborate every time I come... This one strangely resembled the Japanese scallops ceviche, citrus oyster leaves and seaweed coulis offered as a starter on the set lunch menu. As for ceviche, the two rather thick slices of raw scallop were more like a marinated sashimi than a proper ceviche, with a touch of pepper, some pomelo and thinly shredded kaffir lime leaf on top. Not sure what the marinade was, but clearly not lemon juice or anything acidic, as the scallop meat wasn't "cooked". The cubes of sake jelly were amazingly tasty, as were the micro-greens on the side. This was an excellent AB, but I did not enjoy the seaweed coulis - nothing wrong with it, the texture was great but it was way too briny for my taste. The accompanying melba toast wasn't really necessary but made a fine vessel to carry some Bordier butter to my greedy mouth...

I came in thinking about the awesome beef consommé I had last time (a meal which never got blogged as it was a professional meeting so no shooting, I had to pretend to be serious and credible for at least 90 minutes...), and then noticed the lunch menu had changed again, and there was now a chicken consommé on offer - easy choice. I am a huge soup fan, especially in winter time, and I find light soups like a clear broth or consommé are a perfect way to start a meal - tasty and light, they gently awaken the tastebuds without being heavy on the stomach.

Golden chicken consommé, winter artichoke and marinated breast bruschetta

The consommé was absolutely delicious, thick with collagen and full of chickeny tasty goodness. The thin breast slices on the bruschetta were moist and tender, and sandwiched around a layer of thinly chopped celery and greens. Very nice.

Surprise!!

The bowl of consommé came with a few small white-ish lumps resting at the bottom. The gentleman waiting our table introduced these as Japanese corn, which I knew was wrong... not only because I randomly happen to know Japanese white corn is no longer in season, but also because the veggie in question happens to be my absolute favourite and I would spot one a kilometer away. These little worm-like lumps were crosnes, and I can't thank the Chef enough for using them on his menu. They are a terribly old fashioned veggie, rather hard to find even in France, and require a special, quite lengthy and meticulous preparation (they cannot be peeled and grow in sandy soil, so they have to be patiently rubbed off  of all their grime with coarse sea salt in a kitchen towel...). Why they are called winter artichokes in English I have no idea - I suspect they might be of the same family as Jerusalem artichokes (topinambours for us Froggies). I had not had one in many, many years and the three little ones I got in my soup made my day!



Skate wing Meunière, Aldudes ham, Pleurotes mushrooms and eggplant caviar in piquillo sauce

When I saw there was skate on the menu, I barely looked at the other main course options... I have always loved this fish, and given that Meunière is not a traditional preparation for it, I was curious to see how Chef Vincent would pull this together. The Meunière butter was brilliant, of a deep golden colour with a pronounced nutty flavour, the skate was grilled crispy on the outside while still reasonably moist on the inside, and the mushrooms and eggplant caviars on the side were delish (the eggplant one tasted a bit smokey, which I found very nice). The thinly diced piquillo pepper on top of the fish had a very deep, almost musky flavour and was absolutely delicious. The thin slice of Aldudes ham provided salty and meaty flavours, welcome to balance the whole dish, which had otherwise rather sweet notes. I am considering returning and skipping starters to just order a double portion of this as a main - delicious.

Petit-fours: baby madeleines, marshmallows with quince compote, salted butter caramels, chocolate and raspberry compote cups with *GOLD FOIL*bling*bling*


I had to have one of each... unfortunately I forgot to pick up my caramel for the road when leaving...  :*(

Chestnut éclair, raspberry and blackcurrant marmelade, cassis beetroot sorbet

Side cut - were is the chestnut??

Why I had to have dessert, I don't know... I guess generally I like to give people a second chance. Since the PC changed last year, I have consistently been unimpressed by the offerings on the dessert menu. Today, the word chestnut caught my eye, and I decided to give that éclair a try... the execution was fine, but the prominently advertised chestnut was noticeably absent, apart from a stingy layer of mousse on top of the éclair, which tasted more of cream than chestnut, and a few thin slivers of "marron glacé" on the plate. Not sure where the "marmelade" was (on the plate was jelly, in the éclair were fresh raspberries), or why one would think that blackcurrant and beetroot are an interesting flavour pairing (!?). The éclair pastry was strange - it was clearly not choux pastry, but it wasn't clear either what it was trying to be... The resulting combination was ok but rather uninteresting. The red crispy thing between the cream and the éclair was particularly annoying, as it was impossible to cut through it without destrying the whole dessert and making a mess in your plate; taste-wise, it made no contribution whatsoever. I am a Frog of simple taste - I like a dessert that does what it says on the tin... and if it says chestnut, I am expecting something about as chestnutty as a Mont-Blanc. My guest ordered a black forest, which turned up looking nothing like one. I don't know what it is with this PC but she just doesn't make me tick. I will surely stick to cheese going forward.


Overall, it was yet another excellent meal at Caprice, kudos to Chef Vincent and his team for the exquisite food and ever so attentive service. See you soon, guys!

Chef Vincent strikes again

Our lunch club reunion was long overdue and Ms Dyson 2000 and I thought Caprice would be an appropriate venue. We both love the place and had not been in a long time. Reviews have not been great of late regarding their new pastry chef, and even if I have not tried any of her creations yet, I have to admit I find the idea of wild strawberries in September quite disturbing. Not to worry though, with Jérémy and his humongous cheese platters, we stand no chance to make it to dessert anyway. I am having a sneaking suspicion he might be at war with the new PC too ;-)





Amuse bouche: Pine nuts & anchovies cannelé

Served warm. Round, mellow smell of toasted pine nuts (and I think maybe also a touch of olive oil) and perfectly discreet salty taste of anchovies. Pretty good.

  



Amuse-bouche:  Royale Cabanon Oyster (from Marennes, Oléron Island, France), flash poached and served on shallot cream, topped with yuzu granité and (what I thought was) thinly chopped candied yuzu peel

How elaborate for an AB! I remember having something pretty similar as a starter at Caprice last year, except that the oyster was then raw and therefore a lot more briny, so the flavours did not work as well as with this one - which was just perfect. The yuzu granité was very fragrant and full of this characteristic citrussy flavour only yuzu has, and the delicate flash-poached oyster was just as I like them (read: with a bit of bite and above all not too briny) and the shallot cream was sufficiently mild to pair nicely with the other flavours without taking the lead. Very, very good.

 

Crab Bisque with Sudachi Lime Zest and Shellfish Roll

 First came a whiff of crab as the dish neared the table, then came a distinct nose of ammonia - I knew I would love this the second the dish landed in front of me. The bisque had been made with crab, lobster and other shellfish and was perfectly creamy and packed with flavours, and came dotted with sprinkles of pulverised sudachi lime zest (so fine you would think it had been flash-frozen with dry ice, reduced to a powder and then thawed at the surface of the warm bisque). But what made the dish was the addition of the brown "roe" of the crab, which gave it this ammonia flavour I love so much. The bisque was served with a couple of slices of a (visibly handmade...) shellfish roll (lots of lobster, wrapped in nori seaweed, could not taste any crab) with a pickled carrot center. DE-LI-CIOUS !!



Australian Lamb Fillet with Pleurotes Mushrooms and Sautéed Potatoes in Irish Coffee Sauce

 Oh-my-gawd... where do I start on this one ?? The lamb came perfectly cooked (sous-vide obviously, I asked for medium - look at this beautiful pink!), veined with a bit of fat and collagen, and was very tasty. The pleurote mushrooms very nicely done, as were the potato cubes (nice browning!), which came in handy to mop the delicious Irish Coffee sauce. The waiter said Bailey's liquor was used with the lamb juices to make the sauce, which I doubt as Bailey's has cream which would have made the sauce cloudy - I would be curious to know what they really used (I would bet on lamb juices infused with coffee beans and a touch of whisky). I had a hard time picking my main course (as the Braised Wagyu Beef Shoulder with Celery Purée and Seasonal Vegetables in Red Wine Sauce looked terribly attractive to me too) and finally went for the lamb as I thought the lamb/mushroom/coffee/whisky combination would be interesting - I was right, this dish just "clicked" and the flavours worked perfectly together. So delicious. I can still return to get the beef shoulder ;-)

 


"Hi, my name is Jérémy and I am at war with the pastry chef" - the sequel

I was so distracted by the plate of goodies in front of me that by the time I realised I had forgotten to shoot it, the 1st slice of cheese had already been inhaled... Jérémy's cheeses need no introduction, and the selection above was at its usual perfection. I - literally - cleaned my plate.

In this pic (left to right, top to bottom): Chèvre affiné au marc (actually NOT in the picture lol), Pavé de la Ginestarié, Sainte-Maure, Beaufort d’été, Persillé de la Tarentaise, Coulommiers and THE 4-year Comté

 


Petites madeleines, chocolate-caramel sauce


Both served warm. It actually struck me this time that the sauce smells like an upmarket version of the caramel sweets I ate as a kid (Carambar): sweet buttery caramel nose, with chocolatey taste. I found the madeleines very good - I cannot resist the smell of warm vanilla and butter!



Cannibalism

A casual birthday lunch celebration with colleagues at Caprice (*** Four Seasons Hong Kong)



Amuse-bouche: artichoke velouté with parmesan "capuccino" mousse, cheese sticks
The artichoke flavour was bittersweet and pretty intense, and nicely complemented by the salty parmesan mousse - good balance of flavours.



Vendéen Frog's Legs with Spanish Risotto and Iberico Ham in Chervil Sauce

I walked in resolute to try the vegetarian menu, then the regular ALC menu screamed "FROG LEGS" at me and that was it... I really enjoyed this dish, which had very clean flavours. The risotto was probably made with some kind of veggie broth..., as it was clearly creamy from the rice but not very fatty, and was flavoured with onion, red bell peppers and tiny cubes of tomato. The chervil sauce was very "green" and fresh, and the iberico ham brought a welcome touch of meaty saltiness. The risotto was topped with a bunch of lightly breaded and tender pan-fried frog legs. Pity they don't sell this as a lunch takeaway...

Poitou Lamb en Croûte de Sel with Black Olive Polenta and Vegetable Tian in Brown Nut Jus - the "Croûte" 

carefully slicing the croûte open...



... to reveal a tender lamb filet



after saucing - the flavours in this dish were right up my alley, even if the meat ended up being a tad overcooked compared to what I expected (but I still like this much better than undercooked - somehow I like meats like lamb, duck and ve...al bordering on the well done rather than rare). The black olive polenta was wrapped into a thin rolled aubergine slice and was absolutely delicious. It seemed to me that there was another flavour with the black olives (liquorice ??). The seasonal veggies to the right were funny and reminded me of the way they cook the ratatouille in the eponymous movie, piling up neat rows of identically sized sliced veggies... :-) The veggies were set on top of a bed of fondue d'oignons des Cévennes, which was sweet and fragrant. The meat jus was obviously divine (just look at that colour!!) and the lamb tender, juicy and full of flavour. I resisted the urge to lick my plate...

Another ambush by Jérémy - we asked for a SMALL cheese platter to share between the 3 of us (as I was REALLY motivated to get to dessert today) and we got this behemoth!! I was very happy to find a slice of my favourite cheese (roquefort), which was powerful and creamy *YUM*. All the other cheeses were top notch as usual.
In this picture: pavé de la Ginestarié, anneau du Vicbihl, roquefort, coulommiers, chevrotin des Aravis, mimolette extra-vieille, petit fiancé, langres, 4-year old Comté

Marinated Raspberry with Pistachio Mousse, Light Génoise and Lemon Yoghurt Ice Cream

What a great dessert!! Light and fruity, with a refreshingly tangy ice cream and sweet, juicy raspberries. I am a huge fan of pistachio desserts, and this one did not let me down. The pistachio mousse was actually closer to a chiboust cream texture than a real mousse and was totally delish. Can I have a gallon to take away please ??