Hearing that a new fine-dining restaurant had recently opened in Causeway Bay, we came to Jardine’s Bazaar, to try out the cuisine from Chef Toni Au, who had worked in the Michelin 2-star Ecriture previously, and now started his own business, focusing on integrating HK local food ingredients into French cooking.
The restaurant had a large open kitchen on one side, with the whole team busy preparing inside. Facing the open kitchen was a long bar, allowing diners to see up close the actions. The décor was contemporary, neat and elegant, offering a cozy and comfortable vibe to diners for a relaxing ambience to enjoy the meal.
The Tasting Menu cost $1,380 each, with the Full Expression 6-Glass Wine Pairing at $880. The first wine was Champagne Jacquesson Cuvee 747 NV. An Extra Brut that had lively, crisp acidity, highly refreshing with lime, pear, grapefruit, ginger, and some light white pepper to go well with the three canapes.
The first canape was Geoduck & Sesame Tartare. The geoduck was lightly blanched and cut into thin slices, added with sesame and put in a small tart, decorated with yellow flower petals, with some white peach on top. The umami of the geoduck with its crunchy texture, mixing with the delicate sweetness of white peach was a good match.
The second canape was Beef Tongue & Fava Beans Bowl. The beef tongue was marinated well, tender and not tough, with the fava beans having a nice crunchy texture. Together with a pesto sauce with its nice basil note and the sprinkle of Sichuan peppers on top to give a slight numb, this started to showcase Chef Au’s use of Chinese ingredients.
The third canape was Pork Trotter Cracker. On the crisp cracker was a cold pork trotter jelly, reminding us of Shanghai cuisine, with the jelly made from Shaoxing wine for its oxidation and richness, and the overall taste reminded me a bit on the local pork trotter and ginger vinegar. A fun and delicious finger food to start.
Next came the Homemade Brioche, which was fluffy and rich in butter notes, very wonderfully done. The highlight though was a Mui Choi Butter to serve with the brioche, with the savoury and unique taste of the pickled vegetables bringing forth familiar flavours, a great experience.
The second course was Chicken Liver Pie. There were four layers of texture, on top was a kiwi sorbet to give nice refreshing acidity, followed by a cucumber and celtuce peels curled into rings, sitting on Comte cheese and delicate mousse of chicken liver. On the side was a sauce of kiwi and Snap {peas. Of great balance in texture and taste, a very good starter.
The second wine was Sigalas Santorini Assyrtiko 2022. The Greek white wine from the famous volcanic island had nice acidity and intense minerality, with good citrus flavours and some saline and herbaceous notes that paired well with seafood. A versatile and easy-drinking wine.
The third course featured Mikan Dai, red sea bream from Ehime in Japan, getting its name because the fish was fed dried Japanese mandarin in farm. With nice sweetness, the raw fish was served together with peels of kohlrabi and water bamboo. The bottom was citrus puree, with a dairy sauce of white shoyu and citrus. Another wonderful starter.
The third wine was Domaine William Fevre Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent 2018. This Chablis had a nice minerality, with good limestone, citrus and white peach, finishing with an interesting saline taste. With good elegance and a decent amount of ageing but still very fresh and energetic, it was a good match with sea urchin.
There were two choices in the fourth course. I had chosen Cuttlefish Pasta, with the cuttlefish cut into strips to resemble fettuccine, and paired with a Curry Breton, a traditional recipe in France mixing the classic Indian spices to season the cuttlefish, with some seaweed salad and Hokkaido Uni, or sea-urchin, on top.
My wife had the other option ($228 supplement) featuring the seasonal Hotaru Ika, or firefly squid, with very rich taste of umami and savoury. Paired with White Asparagus, a vanilla foam, with also some large Caviar on top to give not only a premium look but also touch of savoury characters with nice poppy effects.
To pair with the upcoming pigeon, the sommelier had specially arranged an extra glass of wine, Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils, Meursault 1er Cru Les Gouttes d’Or 2011 ($380). The Chardonnay had rich aromas of flowers and citrus, plus some candied fruit with a toastier aftertaste. A very nice wine with good development as well.
The additional course of Pigeon & Foie Gras Pithivier was good for two ($588 supplement) and worth every penny. Inside the puff pastry the pigeon meat was at perfect medium rare, very tender and juicy, wrapped together with layers of rich foie gras and chicken mousse. Serving with pigeon jus, hawthorn and pineapple puree, it was fantastic in taste.
The fourth wine was Alain Voge Saint-Peray Fleur de Crussol 2021. A very good Saint-Peray made with Marsanne from old vines, the wine had rich ripe green fruit and pears, candied lemon and white flowers, plus plenty of spices. Hints of white pepper went well with seafood, and the fat in creamy texture also was good with chicken and pasta.
The fifth course featured the beautifully seasoned White Salmon, with the skin nicely charcoal-grilled seared to crispness, while keeping the flesh moist. On the side was Green Asparagus, with sea grapes on top, and finished with a reduced Bouillabaisse as a rich seafood sauce to go with the fish.
The fifth wine was Domaine Henri Delagrange Pommard 1er Cru Les Bertins 2023. Coming from a parcel with clay-limestone soil, the Pommard had a more pronounced black fruit than the typical red fruit characters, with some earthy tones and a good silky tannin, serving as a good match with duck.
For the sixth course both my wife and me went for Dry Aged Duck ($108 supplement). The duck had been aged for one week before charcoal grilling, intensifying the flavours while also tenderizing the texture. On the side was Blood Orange puree infused with rosemary, and Broccolini, plus a rich duck sauce to go with the meat. Another must try.
The seventh course served gnocchi, but the chef had modified it to resemble Mochi in texture, very interesting in the bite and enjoyable, cooked in Shaoxing Wine to give a fragrant nutty and savoury taste, with some Morel and spicy sausages cut into small pieces together. A good anchor to satisfy even big eater like me.
The eighth course featured a special Guizhou dessert, using glutinous rice and saline to make a smoothie, with some Guava and Strawberry to complement and give sweetness and flavours. On top there were some transparent Sake jelly, with a refreshing taste to help cleanse the palate.
The sixth and final wine was Mas Amiel 1985. This VDN wine was from the renowned winery in Roussillon, a fortified sweet wine made by adding spirits to stop fermentation process. The prolonged ageing in demijohns under the sun was another unique feature, resulting in nice nutty and oxidative characters best matching with cocoa.
The eighth and final course featured Milk Chocolate at the bottom, with a middle layer which showcased a Baileys ice-cream. On top were some Cocoa Nibs, with a 45% cocoa foam in-between. Breaking the crisps on top to include its crispy texture, the overall experience was fulfilling and a very nice completion to a wonderful meal.
Finally, the Petit Four included four different bite-sized confectionary. The Yuzu Tart was made from Kochi yuzu, with meringue and lime zest on top. Caramel Apple Tart was a twist from the traditional French pastry, with vanilla cream on top. Brown Sugar Madeleine was crisp and not too sweet, with Red Date and Wolfberry Tea helping digestion.
Service was good, with the staff attentive, and the sommelier knowledgeable. Towards the end the speed of service was much slowed down though, probably because the restaurant was busy. The bill on the night was $5,821. Considering the food quality and overall dining experience, I would rate this restaurant an Excellent 75 points. Worth returning.
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