Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Bouchon

This French bistro is located in Soho, Central, at the end of the pedestrian escalator. Having made the reservation online, when we arrived it seemed the staff could not find our booking but we were quickly seated without much hassle.

The setting is one of bistro style, with small tables and high chairs so overall it was not particularly comfortable for diners. But the biggest issue for me was the lack of air-conditioning. The restaurant was hot, and even with the fans overhead it did not help much in cooling me down, particularly since we walked up all the way from Queen's Road Central via the escalator.

I drained my glass of water and ordered a virgin mojito, and finished that also in no time. I noticed that many other customers also had voiced out the temperature problem but seem there is nothing the staff can do. I have to say that seriously affect our overall dining experience.

For starter we ordered the Assiette de Charcuterie, which is a cold cut platter comprising of Foie Gras, Bayonne Ham, Garlic Sausages, Saucisson Sec, Chorizo and Duck Rillette. The ham and sausages are good, but I like the foie gras most, which is creamy and melting in mouth. There are some toasts provided to accompany the foie gras which gives a contrasting crunchy bite. The duck rillette is seasoned nicely also.

The other appetizer is Escargots de Bourgogne, which are a dozen of Burgundy snails with herb butter. The herbs butter are fragrant and rich. The snails are tender in bite, but a bit under-seasoned. Overall not a bad attempt.

For the main course my wife went for Poulet Roti, which is Chicken Breast, Crispy Polenta, Chanterelles, and Truffle Jus. The chicken is juicy and not rubbery, and the polenta is creamy with a nice cheese flavor, but the portion is a bit too big for her to finish. The mushroom is tasty and paired well with the truffle jus. Quite a nice dish also.

My main course is Bouillabaisse, the signature Provencal Seafood Stew. There are prawns, mussels, perch and crab served on a nice rich seafood stock, with parsley, onion and potatoes as well. The soft-shell crab can be eaten whole, and the perch is pan-fried with crispy skin. Both are quite nice but the prawns are not up to standard, tiny in size, lacking flavors and I suspect are frozen ones. It is difficult to imagine the signature dish of the restaurant using such and I have to say I am quite disappointed.

Not until we got the bill did the staff came to check in with us on the food, and there are basically minimal service throughout. However, this is not totally unexpected as this is nevertheless just a bistro. With the above four dishes plus a mocktail the bill on the night was $969, which is quite reasonable. But unless coming in cooler time of the year, or you can really stand eating outdoors in a summer evening, the restaurant is just too 'hot'.

My overall rating is 50/100.