Bo Innovation (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I have always admitted that I am a fan of Alvin Leung's Xtreme Chinese cuisine ever since my first experience with it back in 2008. The cuisine itself has evolved a lot over the years and I am thrilled to see that it has finally reached the elite 3-star status in recent years.

But since the opening of MIC Kitchen in Kwun Tong, I have been leaning towards the casual "sister" in favor of the chef's flagship restaurant, Bo Innovation. It has nothing to do with its location and more to do with the atmosphere and ambiance. So I guess this trip back to Bo is really long overdue.



I couldn't exactly recall what the dining room looked like last time I visited but the current setting takes a nice "East meets West" approach, which is somewhat indicative of the chef's cuisine.



Traditional Chinese elements are everywhere in the dining area from the décor to the tableware.



There are two set menus available at lunch hour - a simpler 3-course set (HK$430) and a more sophisticated 8-course degustation menu (HK$730). I was a little pressed with time so I simply went with the shorter menu.

I certainly didn't expect to be so impressed (or shocked) even before my starter arrived. And why not, bread coming in a paper bag in the form of a Chinese egg waffle, one of my all-time favorite street food. The waffle was slightly sweet and they have added their own twist by putting in ham from the Yunnan Province as well as some spring onion.

Not the best Chinese egg waffle I ever had but nevertheless interesting.


 
The first dish of the day was the knock-out punch I was looking for - langoustine covered with a thick salty duck egg sauce, topped with an English mustard foam and served nicely with black truffle and different textures of cauliflower (including risotto/cous cous, pickled and purée).

The presentation was adorable and even better was the taste with the duck egg sauce and mustard foam bringing out the best from the langoustine (7.5/10).




I was struggling to decide between the suckling pig and pigeon but at the end, a voice inside me whistled "pork". OK.

It was a pretty delectable piece of suckling pig. Tender and juicy. I thought they would do a little more with the seasoning but a simple pork jus did most of the work (7/10).




The dessert of the day was tofu mousse cake with black soy bean milk flavored ice-cream and fried bean curd. I like the crispy flakes they put on the bottom that worked quite well with the rest of the dish (6.5/10).



Unfortunately, there was no spherification or anything molecular in this shorter menu. Sounds like a return visit at dinner time is on the tap.



Food Rating: 7/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Shop 13, 2/F, J Residence, 60 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2850-8371
Website: www.boinnovation.com
S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants: 97th (2014)
S. Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurants: 28th (2015)


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