Laris (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

David Laris first burst onto Shanghai's dining scene by opening the highly acclaimed Laris at the prestigious Three At the Bund over a decade ago. Ever since then he has been an integral part of the rapidly evolving culinary culture in Shanghai. At the end of 2012, he is finally bringing his creativity to Hong Kong.

His latest venture, Laris Contemporary Dining, is his first restaurant in Hong Kong and it serves his trademark contemporary cuisine with an Australian touch.




The size of his first Hong Kong restaurant is by no means big. It can accommodate approximately only 30-40 guests but inspite of that, we really enjoyed the simple and contemporary decor. It matches the theme of contemporary dining perfectly.

We arrived at Laris fairly early for dinner and were still stuffed from a very late lunch. So instead of going for the usual one starter and main per person, we decided to order a trio of starters and then one main course to share.

Now, time to put on my tuxedo and wait for my food to arrive.

Seared scallops, green pea, mint & pancetta, 6/10
After a delightful baguette, we began our dinner with a nicely executed pan-seared scallops. The scallop, although golden on the outside was still half raw inside. Combining it with a green pea puree, a slice of crispy pancetta and a mint foam provided a sparkling contrast both in taste and texture.



Foie gras with hazelnut praline, muscat jelly and freshly baked brioche, 4/10
Next up was a foie gras terrine trapped inside a muscat jelly with toppings of hazelnut powder. The dish was served with two freshly baked brioche.

I really had high hopes for this dish but it turned out to be a rather subpar offering. The muscat jelly was disappointingly sour and way too overpowering. On the other hand, the hazelnut powder was too light to even make an impact on the overall taste of the dish.




Lobster blini, kombu poached lobster tail and sweet corn soup, 6/10
What a great way to wrap things up before our main course with a nice bowl of sweet corn soup.

It tasted silky smooth but yet light and fresh. The poached lobster tail and small piece of lobster cake helped to bring the soup to another level by adding a strong lobster essence.

Pigeon stuffed with foie gras, Japanese pumpkin, port braised prunes and apple, 6/10
Our lone main course of the night was pigeon stuffed with foie gras serving with Japanese pumpkin, apple and plums.

I liked the pigeon which was quite tender to go with the sourness of the sauce but the taste of foie gras seemed to be missing in action.

Lime curd meringue tart with passion fruit, 5/10
We were almost ready to ask for the bill but at the end, could not escape from the temptation from their many desserts. We decided to take on the lime curd meringue tart which we hoped would be a bit lighter (than a cheesecake at least). It was not bad at all although the passion fruit sauce could have been a bit sweeter.



The food, although not superb, was pretty good but what separated this dining experience with many others we had recently was the quality of service. From start to finish, we were thoroughly entertained by a dedicated team of staff. After being informed that we would be sharing three of our starters, the kitchen staff went the extra mile to split the portions for us (even for our soup). That was an excellent effort that was well received.


Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: 2/F, 77 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Hong Kong Station
Website: www.diningconcepts.com.hk/laris/index.php



View Larger Map