As a fan of Chef Philippe Orrico, we were disappointed to see him leave St. George but were very excited to hear that he has finally realized his dream to open his first restaurant. His first solo venture, Upper Modern Bistro, recently opened its door in the up-and-coming district of Sheung Wan.
Since arriving in Hong Kong more than seven years ago, Chef Orrico has been a big part of the city's fine dining scene having worked at Pierre of Mandarin Oriental Hotel and St. George of the Hullet House, so this is definitely a change of pace for him.
At Upper Modern Bistro, the setting is modern chic and the menu is largely contemporary bistro-style with an Asian twist. This poses a sharp contrast to what we used to see from Chef Orrico which was far more formal and up-tight.
There are 2 different menus being served at the restaurant at the moment. The first was a short menu comprising of small tapas-like dishes such as mini-veal burger, quail eggs buns and salmon toast. Then there is a more comprehensive dinner menu serving regular-portion starters, main courses and desserts.
And from the open kitchen, we could see Chef Orrico working hard behind the scene.
Mini veal burger, mushroom garnish, 7.5/10
We had a perfect start with their mini veal burger which came highly recommended in various online sources. The veal was very juicy and a secret cheese sauce helped to tie everything together nicely by adding a creamy texture and rich flavor to the mix.
Served on the side was a porcini mushroom purée which brought the taste of the burger to another dimension.
Pig's trotter and oyster toast, green salad, 8/10
We were glad to see Chef Orrico bring his signature dish here.
The pig's trotter, braised to perfection, was placed on a crispy slice of toast topped with a freshly shucked Gillardeau oyster and parmesan cheese flakes. That was irresistible.
I also loved the small garden green mixed with a little bit of Iberico ham. That worked wonderfully well to balance the richness of the pig's trotter and oyster.
Onto our main courses we go, here's a homemade tagliatelle with assorted mushrooms, poached egg, bellota ham and parmesan cheese. I thought the tagliatelle had wonderful texture and the perfect bite. That was another enjoyable dish.
Braised beef cheek, mash potato and confit apple, 7.5/10
The moment I cut through this braised beef cheek, I knew it was good!
The slow-braised beef cheek was very tender and it almost seemed to melt right in my mouth. The sauce was quite intense and it was a near-perfect match for the beef cheek.
Lemon panna cotta, 7/10
Our starters and main courses were so close to perfection. That was somewhat expected from this talented kitchen but we just couldn't imagine that their desserts could be equally impressive.
Look at this beautifully presented lemon panna cotta that was nicely complemented by
yuzu parfait, lemon zest and a spicy citrus sorbet. It reminded me of another delicate dessert we had at 22 Ships a while ago. Very refreshing and all the different flavors seemed to harmonize with each other.
Upper chocolate, 6/10
Finally a little bit of chocolate before we called it the night. A bowl of ganache with chocolate cubes, orange zest and nuts with a scoop of calisson ice cream on top.
I definitely liked the lemon panna cotta more.
This 50-seater is currently run by a restaurant manager, 2 waiting staff and a hostess so expect a few glitches here and there (such as not topping water) but the food is so good that I am sure we can work around those issues.
Food Rating: 8/10
Price: $$$
Address: 6-14 Elegance Court, G/F Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central / Hong Kong Station
Tel: +852 2517-0977
Website: www.upper-bistro.com
Tel: +852 2517-0977
Website: www.upper-bistro.com
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