Pierre

Pierre @ Mandarin Oriental

This post should've been posted perhaps.... a month or two ago, but having been mega-busy i didn't find the time to update this blog. 

After having lunch at Cafe Causette downstairs, I was back at Mandarin Oriental the same night to try Pierre for the first time. I had high hopes for tonight's dinner, for it did gain another michelin star this year... 

After deciding against the very reasonable tasting menu, I finally decided on two courses with the help of the nice french waiter (actually, all of the waiters who served us was absolutely great, a completely different experience to Man Wah next door...) 

First amuse bouche
shrimp and mango in the spoon, pumpkin puree? in a sour-salty licorice black coating, butter cookie and deep fried tiny clams in the centre. 

two types of butters

bread basket - baguette, sourdough, brioche

amuse round two. 

(amuse bouche round three): smoked haddock (white), seaweed salad (top), and lettuce wrapped bone marrow. 

I must say that whilst the amuses were definitely quirky and fun they failed to please the palate... save for a couple the others were just lacking substance - the fried tiny clams were soggy, the second amuse with banana on seafood and cream was simply not a good match. 

First course: "lobster and murex" ($690) (part 1)
Down the middle was a blue lobster salad with ginger, aloe, walnuts, cebette, lime and olive oil. On the right was a lobster consomme jelly and on the left was a cream cheese-yogurt sauce.
Although each component was tasty on its own right when put together it was surprisingly fantastic and refreshing. The lobster was so sweet and perfectly cooked as well. 

On the side with part 1 of the dish was their lime, ginger, aloe, olive oil, walnut 'salad'.  

Lobster quenelle in zezette broth (part 2)

light and fluffy quenelle of lobster and egg white in a rich bisque-like sauce.... yum!  That sauce was strong in lobster and would definitely make an awesome soup.

lobster enrobed in bisque with shiso leaf, and carrot underneath. (part 3)


last component of the lobster course was this. Again, the lobster meat was sweet and the carrot puree was a great match.  

rose champagne granita with pink grapefruit, limed celery and cucumber, burrata

This palate cleanser was refreshing but the burrata cheese was a little misplaced in the sweet and tart icy granita. 

Veal Fillet with Foie Gras on squid rings, red pepper sauce, ($680)

My second course was veal fillet with foie gras on squid rings - everything was perfectly cooked, though i personally didn't like the soft foie on tender meat... lose the foie and it would've been a perfect 'surf and turf' dish. 

Eggplant ratatouille
This was one of the sides which came with the veal

morels and shallot in cream sauce
Although potatoes were originally accompanying the veal, i asked for something else to substitute the (only) starch i detest. so in place of the spuds i received lovely morels in a earthy creamy sauce, in a pretty glass bowl. Morels are a pretty rare find in Hong Kong so the substitution was a nice surprise. 

"Seabass, Abalone and Grey Shrimp" ($630)

my mum strayed from the tasting menu as well and ordered the roasted seabass fillet with red wine sauce. on the side (not photographed) was  mashed new potatoes, mixed herbs and pink berries and 'marauder' toast. the fish was honestly cooked to perfection. crispy crust (slightly breadcrumbed) on the outside, extremely tender fillet on the inside, with a rich wine sauce to boot - no complaints here. 


for the others, the tasting menu was the choice of the night.

tasting menu

first course - foie gras 

second - sole fish 

third - lobster fricasse with fresh ginger, endive fondue and white balsamic vinegar, black forbidden rice (right top corner) which came with a surprise side of scallop topped with cauliflower (below)

scallop and cauliflower 

fourth - milk calf

end of veal loin with lime and honey, vichy carrrots 


Although i did get to try most of the dishes i will refrain from giving detailed comments. I can however, say that all the proteins were perfectly cooked again, and i especially liked the lobster course - it was very different to what i had ordered but the flavours were very good. What wasn't that great was the capers crust on the milk calf... it was too much and thus too sour, overpowering the natural taste of the milk calf (veal)

before the grand dessert there was a goat cheese course paired with some apricot jam and frozen tangy sweet creme on cracker (not pictured).. if you are no lover of strong cheeses this plate was probably not going to be enjoyable.

Pierre's grand dessert course round 1

meringues, jellies all tangy and lemony.
A close second to the chocolat dessert (below), for its textural contrast and balance of tart and sweetness. 

coffee ice cream with coffe foam and an espresso powdered cookie disc 

mini tart with cheesy creme filling
we weren't a fan of this one.,. 

orange soup
 quite interesting, as the bottom layer was a bitter-orange puree and the inner a sweeter tangy one, and so after mixing it was better. 

chocolate crisps on chocolate soup with cubes of dark chocolate mousse
the fruit jelly at the bottom created a fun texture. this dessert i liked the most, which isn't surprising being a chocolate love,  but honestly, the dark chocolate sauce was wonderfully rich in cocoa but light at the same time. the crisps on top were really crunchy for a textural contrast. 


Pierre's strength tonight was definitely the friendly service and the execution of the proteins. perfectly cooked fish, lobster, veal, foie etc one after the other is not easy to find in Hong Kong and so for this, i really appreciated this dinner. that said, some of the pairings with the proteins didn't work too well, and the amuses and desserts could definitely have been stronger. 

Food: ♥♥♥♥ - ♥♥♥♥ 1/2 

Service: ♥♥♥♥

Price: $$$$$$

Pierre

25th Floor, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 

5 Connaught Road Central, 

Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2825 4001