Caprice (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

There are still two more days before little nugget finishes his exams but Jelloman decided that she had enough as his personal tutor already. So, the plan was to leave little guy in the capable hands of the grandies while the two of us head out for some quality time. I was again entrusted with the task of finding ourselves a place for lunch. Not taking the duty lightly, I rang up the folks at Caprice and was rather surprised to learn that they still had one last table available.

After enjoying a buttery sesame roll, our amuse bouche was already waiting on deck.

Hidden underneath the refreshing potato espuma and fresh chives was an array of ingredients including salmon and lemon butter. A pretty nice way to whet our appetite.

Classic Pâté en Croûte, marinated pear – This reminded me that winter is just around the corner. There are many interpretations of pâté en croûte in France but what we were having here this afternoon came from a more traditional recipe by using duck meat, foie gras and duck consomme jelly as stuffing. Some crushed pistachio under the pastry provided us with some extra bite.

The marinated pear chutney and sliced pear delivered a nice touch of fruity sweetness and spicy edge to the dish.

My Hot and cold onion soup – I had this when I was enjoying their degustation menu last year. Warm onion soup was poured onto the bed of caramelized shallots with parmesan chips and onion ice-cream floating atop. A play on the contrasting temperature of course. I had to finish taking my photos real quick cuz the onion ice-cream was melting right before my eyes. This wasn’t bad.

Wild sea bass, saffron – Wild sea bass from Brittany topped with crispy puff rice and a touch of mango coulis, was matched with potatoes, dill and a rich saffron sauce. A very nice match for the mild flavored sea bass fillet. I love the quenelle of tomato purée with minced meat on the side too, giving the fish some strong savory notes and much-needed spicy kick.

Chicken stew, wild mushrooms, foie gras – The stewed chicken was held up nicely like a sphere by a sheet of spinach and chicken skin (almost like the skin of a ravioli).

It was complemented nicely by the different textures of wild mushrooms and an aromatic sauce made with foie gras helped to tie everything together neatly (though a little heavy).

Roast pigeon, foie gras tart, pear, coffee – Jelloman had the restaurant’s signature pigeon which was again roasted to absolute perfection. The super tender and perfectly rosé flesh was finished off elegantly with a touch of coffee. The dish was decorated beautifully with a triangular foie gras tart and pear on the side.

My chicken stew wasn’t bad but I’ll give the edge to the roast pigeon as the better main dish of the afternoon.

Classic Mont Blanc, lyokan, yuzu – They said classic Mont Blanc and I thought for the most part, it was traditional thanks to the usual ingredients of meringue, sponge and chestnut cream. The part that I didn’t totally like was the yuzu and dry candied lyokan taking away the intense sweetness of the dessert with its zesty, citrusy flavors. I am an old school guy when it comes to Mont Blanc so it’s supposed to be predominantly sweet.

Tea was next.

The mignardises were white chocolate ball with coconut, praline chocolate and raspberry tart.
Jelloman seems to be delighted with this meal and why not, she has yet to come back this year. 

Now that we are done with our indulgence, it was time to go back home and face the music. Two more days of exams to go and I’ll be (psychologically) ready for Christmas.

Food Rating: 8/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 6/F, 8 Finance Street, Four Seasons Hotel, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Hong Kong Station
Tel: +852 3196-8860
Website: www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/caprice
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 6:30pm - 10:30pm daily

S. Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurants: 49th (2023)