Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Ta Vie

My first visit to this French restaurant was back in 2020, and I was very impressed with the wonderful food and services. Now already a Michelin 3-star, today we came back to The Pottinger Hotel to experience what Chef Hideaki Sato has prepared to showcase in his menu.

Stepping out from the elevator, on the wall is the board showing the restaurant is celebrating its 10^th anniversary. Led to the innermost table, its décor has not changed, with a white and dark theme, dated wooden shatters on the windows, aged wooden floor tiles, and different oldies gadgets re-creating a vibe of nostalgia.

The Seasonal Tasting Menu costs $2,980 each, and I also go for the wine pairing at $1,980. Starting with an aperitif, Maison Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs 2015 ($298). Chef Sato has been appointed by the champagne house as their Gastronomic Global Ambassador, and it is best to start the dinner with this BdB, refreshing and subtle, having a delicate minerality.

The House-made Sourdough has been served since the restaurant’s opening in 2015, crunchy on the outside while soft and moist inside, one of the best sourdoughs I have eaten in HK. Chef Sato has also prepared house-made butter as well as ricotta cheese which is freshly made everyday at their own kitchen. The cheese and olive oil spread was phenomenal.

The first wine is Cave d’Occi Albarino 2023, from Niigata in Japan. While the prefecture is famous for sake rice, the winery focuses on grape cultivation and this Albarino delivers a nice perfume nose, with good acidity, rich minerality to match with the geoduck.

The first course features Shiromiru White Geoduck, which are prepared two ways, raw and grilled. Seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil, the geoduck is tossed with julienned vegetables and jalapeno pickles for additional flavors and texture, while setting on top of a terrine made from cucumber, celery and seaweed. Together with a geoduck sauce, with some capers and vinegar to give the necessary acidity, resulting in a fantastic dish with wonderful taste and texture, appetizing with the umami of the geoduck shining through.

The second wine is Maison Mumm RSRV Cuvee Lalou 2013. The bottle is the house’s flagship champagne, this wine features a 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with a nice buttery, ripe yellow fruit, toasty nose, and the hazelnut and rich flavors made it a good match with the blue lobster.

The second course is Crispy Blue Lobster Paella, presenting the crisp bottom of the paella upside down. Inside with the diced lobster meat with the rice and shallot, cooked in lobster broth and saffron. On the side is Rouille red bell pepper and tomato sauce, together with parsley oil infused with lobster shell extracts. Mixing everything together, the paella is amazing, with the different components integrating perfectly in taste, and each component are showcased to its full extent. Another phenomenal dish.

Another bread served is their other signatures, but I cannot remember its name. Made from wheat flour from Hokkaido, with a thin crunchy crust while the inside is airy and chewy in texture.

The third wine switches to a Japanese sake. From Gochouda Brewery in Saga, Azumaichi Junmai Ginjo is made from 100% Yamadanishiki, with rich umami flavors that goes well with sea urchin and the richer sauce in the upcoming pasta.

The third course features House-made Fresh Pasta, and the chef cooked the pasta together with Aonori butter sauce, topped with some fresh Yamaguchi uni. The pasta has the perfect al dente texture and picking up the rich flavors of the seaweed butter sauce, supplemented further by the umami and sweet taste of the sea urchin. It might look simple, but the flavors are amazing.

The fourth wine is Domaine Tollot-Beaut Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2022. The prized Burgundy white has a complex nose, with a clear buttery oak on top of the citrus, white peach, pear and honey, as well as the strong minerality and almond characters. An elegant wine with body and richness that goes well with the corn and its butter sauce.

The fourth course is a seasonal dish featuring Crab & Corn. The chef used Hokkaido Kegani crab, removed the meat and made it into a dumpling. Together with steamed sweet corn from Hokkaido, some deep-fried pasta made from corn flour on top, it is dressed with Cajun spices butter sauce to give a hint of spiciness. Again, both the quality of crab and corn are showcased impeccably, true to Chef Sato’s belief in pure, simple, and seasonal.

The next bread served is Pain de Campagne, with distinct flavors of roasted chestnut. All the bread were so good that we finished all the pieces straight away.

The fifth wine is Hospices de Beaune Volnay 1er Cru Santenots 2015. The wine has a beautiful ruby red with a fresh nose of berries, nice mineral notes of earth, with also silky, elegant tannin to go with the veal.

The fifth course is Roasted Limousin Veal. The nicely roasted veal is cooked to medium rare, juicy and seasoned beautifully with garlic and herbs, together with a rich and flavorful veal jus with Madeira wine reduction, along with some shaved black truffle on top. On the side is a mashed potato stuffed with beef ragu, along with sauteed spinach and brown butter confit carrots, top with roasted hazelnuts. Everything is harmonized, on the texture, flavors, and it is like a orchestra of delicacies. Fantastic.

To transition to dessert, the chef has prepared a Signature Flower Tea to cleanse our palate and helps to remove the heaviness in stomach. Made with Roselle flowers and dried blood orange, it is fragrant and soothing to the palate.

The sixth pairing is not wine but a cocktail instead. Guava Salty Dog is an original cocktail concocted by the restaurant, to match with the seasonal fruit of guava and white peach featured in the dessert. Refreshing and not too sweet, it is a nice cocktail I am happy to order on its own.

The sixth course is Peach & Guava Sorbet with Soda Mousse. With a beautiful pinkish crispy peach scarf covering, the sorbet has rich flavors of Yamanashi peach and pink guava, covered with guava jelly. The combination of the two fruits is surprisingly complementary, enriched by the different textures of sorbet, mousse, and crisp. Very delicious.

The seventh and final pairing features Prototip Raki Lot 2023, a liquor from Turkey, made from distillation of fermented must, like grappa. There is fragrant star anise aroma, with a smooth palate and while the alcohol level is high, it does not have a burning feeling on the swallow.

The seventh and final course is Pineapple Compote with Anise, dressed with anise liqueur from South of France. On top are some mousseline creams and a piece of crispy puff pastry and meringue for additional texture. On the side is pineapple sorbet, together with pineapple mint sauce and vanilla yogurt sauce. The chef also provided a fizzy drink made from pineapple, anise and lime juice to go together with the dessert. A great finale.

After a cup of nicely brewed coffee, the Petits Fours is Chocolate Praline serve in a jar. The rich chocolate goes perfectly well with the coffee, and wraps up the night for us with a happy, satisfying contented feeling.

Service is very good, with the staff all very polite and courteous, as would expect in typical high-end Japanese restaurants. It is great to see Chef Sato and his wife come to the table repeatedly to introduce the dishes and wines. The bill on the night is $9,610 and while it is not cheap, it is one of the best French restaurant in HK in my opinion to experience the pure and true flavors of the top-notch ingredients in perfectly crafted dishes. Impeccable overall.