With the famous Michelin 2-star Bo Innovation moved to Central, Chef Alvin Leung and LUBUDS Group has opened this restaurant at the same location, with the concept of farm to table to highlight fresh and quality local ingredients. The name actually comes from Bauhinia, Hong Kong’s iconic floral emblem.
The general setting of the restaurant has remained, but there are some changes on the paintings on the walls, highlighting local scenes including those images of the neighborhood. With comfortable leather seats, good distance between tables, the place offers a pleasant, cozy and warm environment.
Ordering the 8-Course Tasting Menu ($998 per person), I also picked a bottle of Domaine Mosnier Chablis 2020 ($720) to enjoy. The easy-to-drink white wine is light and delicate in taste, with good minerality, and nice to pair with most the seafood on the menu.
The bread includes slices of Sourdough and another I could not recall the name, accompanied with a foam made from preserved olive vegetables. What got us eating the bread non-stop is the airy foam, with the unique savoury taste highly appealing.
Two Amuse Bouche include Charred Watermelon, with a Sichuan dressing on top. The grilling of the watermelon brings forward the sweetness, balancing the spiciness from the dressing, with some slices of a small cucumber to provide another layer of crunchy texture.
The other amuse bouche is Luncheon Meat Tart, with the concept coming from the local café or cha chaan teng. Featuring a mousse made from luncheon meat, the tart has a thin and crunchy crust, with a custard on the bottom and kumquat puree on the side. Very creative choice of ingredients.
The first course is Home-grown Veggies, featuring sliced and salted Beetroot, charred Corn, with a Pat Chun Vinaigrette, some Walnuts and Homemade Cheese. The sweetness from the vinaigrette reminds us of the pig knuckle vinegar people eat after giving birth. Very good combination of flavours.
The second course is Hand-cut Penne Cacio e Pepe, Preserved Clams. The Yellow Chicken Wings has the bone removed, seasoned beautifully and stuffed with finely chopped morels to give a crunchy bite with earthy flavours. The penne have al dente texture, with wonderful umami from the preserved clams.
The third course is Grilled Squid, tender and tasty, with some spicy Shatian Pomelo sauce to add to the flavours. Underneath are Barley stewed from a broth made from Smoked Flounder, with a great bite and also full of savoury and umami. The Squid Ink Chips add a nice crisp for a contrast in texture.
The fourth course is Soup of the Day, which is a Lobster Bisque. The rich and intense flavored soup is served in a coffee cup, with a nice foam on top reminiscent of an espresso. A few drops of dill oil has helped to enrich the taste to another level.
The fifth course is Catch of the Day, which is a Fourfinger Threadfin, a prized fish. The fillet has been grilled to perfection, with crispy skin and moist flesh. Paired with some Local Pak Choy and Potato Puree, with a Yangjiang Black Bean Vinaigrette which helps to balance the fat of the fish with some nice sourness as well as a savoury note of fermented black beans.
Next comes Salted Lemon Sorbet, refreshing to help cleanse the palate, with a pickled papaya on the bottom. The salted lemon and pickled papaya flavours are both childhood memories, when there are hawkers selling these on the street. A great transition to the dish coming up.
The sixth course is Slow-cooked Oxen Brisket, which is very tender and with intense flavours. Paired with a Red Wine Shallot Sauce, the fragrance of the shallot is very complementary to the beef. On the side is Taro cake, made with thin slices of taro pile on top of each rather like a mille-feuille.
The seventh course is Sugarcane Sphere, with the chef using the membrane to contain s sugarcane juice, so on each bite the juice bursts forth. Together with some fresh Aloe Vera, this pre-dessert has lighter flavours and paving the way for the final course.
The eighth course is Signature Custard Tart with Homemade Crème Fraiche and Almond Crumble. The tart looks quite similar to the famous local egg tart, with a thin crust of even thickness. The crème fraiche has a slight sourness which helps to balance the sweetness, with addition texture from the almond crumbles.
The Petits Fours is Madeleine and Salted Caramel Chocolate. The traditional French pastry has lemon zesty flavours, quite sweet in taste, and spongy on texture. The chocolate has a runny filling and even though it is also quite sweet, pairing with the coffee it has a very velvety and smooth texture.
Service is good, with the staff friendly and attentive. All the food are great in taste and also showing plenty of creativity and support the local farming and food industry. I truly applaud their farm to table concept and hope will see more restaurants adopt the same. The bill on the night is $3,201 and is reasonable. Look forward to returning again to try some of their other signature dishes.
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