This French-Japanese restaurant is located on 5/F The Mira Hong Kong, at the heart of TST. Under Chef William Lau, the menu is designed to feature seasonal Japanese ingredients and prepared using French cooking techniques.
With a high ceiling, soft lighting and plush carpet, the atmosphere is welcoming. The window side looks out to the terrace of the hotel but are not particularly interesting. We are seated at the other side, with the table spacious and the sofa seating quite comfortable.
Ordering the 10-Course Dinner Menu ($1,288), I also opted for wine pairing ($680). The first course is Kabu et Fleur de Caviar. Featuring kabu, or Japanese turnip, the chef creates the flower petals using the turnip as well as spinach puree and potato crisp, with the caviar on top. The tartlet underneath contains some minced French Obsiblue prawn together with fermented kabu leaf. The savoury of the caviar, the delicate taste and crisp texture of the turnip, the sweetness from the blue prawn, and the umami of the fermented turnip leaf is a great harmony of flavours. An impressive starter. The wine paired was Duval-Leroy Fleur de Champagne Brut 1er Cru NV.
The second course was Gillardeau Oyster. On the other side of the oyster shell the chef had prepared a pudding using oyster jus and milk, with golden beetroot puree on top. Serve as a palate cleanser before eating the lightly grilled oyster, which has added diced Japanese blood orange and golden beetroot for a bit of acidity and condiment, the oyster had a rich taste, cooked just perfectly to give a nice texture on the bite. Another great starter.
The third course featured Hamachi. The Japanese yellowtail sashimi were beautifully seasoned with homemade smoked soy sauce and some tosa buntan shavings, supplemented with petits pois, braised small peas. The chef had prepared a taiyaki crust to hold the yellowtail. The two condiments on the side include a white vinegar sauce, and some caviar. A fun and delicious dish, another example of the creativity of the chef and his team. The wine paired was Comet Char Spacewatch Junmai Ginjo.
The fourth course highlighted Hokkaido Scallop. The large scallop is wrapped as ravioli and then cut in half, cooked perfectly with nice softness. Served with some delicious bamboo shoot slices that had been grilled, on ago dashi made from flying fish, with a touch of smoked fish bone oil to further give flavours to the dish. An amazing integration of Japanese cuisine with western cooking, the profound umami was memorable.
The fifth course featured Razor Clam. The dish was a small rice-shaped pasta in spinach sauce, with the razor clams cut into small pieces, similar in size as the pasta, mixing with an abundance of banno-negi, or Japanese long green onion, with also stracciatella, the inside of the burrata cheese, to add flavours and texture. The pasta was very good, with al dente chewiness. The flavours of the green onion and spinach sauce were also complementary.
The sixth course was Sakana, with the ocean trout being seeped in oil before charcoal-grilling, the flesh very soft and beautifully seasoned. Together with white asparagus, there were also some flying fish roes as condiments. The sauce was made from white kombu and fish stock with some yuzu kosho to add to the flavours. Robust in taste. The wine paired was Domaine Fouassier Sancerre Les Romains 2019.
The seventh course was a real specialty. Featuring Lobster, Chef William Lau personally came to our table to grill the lobster on charcoal, in traditional yakitori style. A friendly and humble person, we conversed happily with the chef while he meticulously grilled the lobster to perfection, brushing with homemade koji butter in the process. Finally adding the smoked nori sauce on top, the wonderful sweetness of the lobster, and the impeccable texture of the meat, was truly exceptional. The wine paired was Valentin Zusslin Gewurztraminer Bollenberg 2019.
There were three choices for the main course, and we have both opted for the French Pigeon ($168 additional each). The pigeon breast was slow-cooked, then caramelized and grilled to the pinkish medium rare, juicy and flavourful, with a gorgeous pigeon jus to accompany. The barbeque leg was stuffed with black truffle, with kombu sauce and roasted blackberries as condiments, together with a Japanese red cabbage puree. Another great dish in terms of flavours and presentation. The wine paired was Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Malbec Cuvee M 2019.
The ninth course was Sakura, featuring ice-cream made from the prized Japanese strawberry, with a layer of rhubarb jam to give a bit of sourness to balance the sweetness. The large strawberry on top, decorated with some small edible flowers, further increase the visual appeal. A refreshing first dessert. The wine paired was Kuroushi Shitate Yuzushu.
The tenth course highlighted Hojicha. With the fluffy hojicha sponge cake on a tartlet, sandwiched with Japanese yokan. Surrounding the hojicha sponge cake were some warabi mochi, which provided a q-bite and contrast in texture. On the side was a smoked vanilla ice cream, nice in taste and not too sweet, and combining the two actually created an interesting experience.
The Petit Four was Homemade Almond Cake with Chocolate Mousse. A very rewarding and great finale to a fantastic meal. We also ordered a cup of coffee which was complimentary from the restaurant.
Service was good, with the staff friendly and courteous. The bill on the night was $3,233 after a 20% hotel guest discount, and in my opinion was very good value for money. Chef William Lau had mentioned that they would frequently change their menu, and I look forward to returning again to try their new creations very soon.
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