Finally I have realized that I have run out of dining ideas. So rather than bringing mom to the same old Chinese restaurants again, I decided to introduce her to her first ever authentic French meal at St. George today.
St George is a Michelin one-star restaurant at Heritage 1881, a restored historic site which used to be our navy police headquarters back in the late 1800's. It is now one of the very few pieces of history left from our colonial days. From the moment we stepped into Heritage 1881, it felt like stepping into a time machine and travelling back in time where Hong Kong was still a British colony.
Head chef Philippe Orrico is a protégé of Pierre Gagnaire and from what we have been told, he specializes in contemporary French cooking with emphasis on preserving the natural flavors of ingredients.
St George is a Michelin one-star restaurant at Heritage 1881, a restored historic site which used to be our navy police headquarters back in the late 1800's. It is now one of the very few pieces of history left from our colonial days. From the moment we stepped into Heritage 1881, it felt like stepping into a time machine and travelling back in time where Hong Kong was still a British colony.
Head chef Philippe Orrico is a protégé of Pierre Gagnaire and from what we have been told, he specializes in contemporary French cooking with emphasis on preserving the natural flavors of ingredients.
Amuse bouche consisted of a crispy parma ham toast, a tomato biscuit and a tiny cup of tomato salad with parmesan cheese topped with a rice biscuit (3/10).
None of these three items could be considered mind blowing but if I had to pick one, I would take the tomato biscuit. That simply because of its popping candy like sensation that kind of "exploded" in my mouth.
None of these three items could be considered mind blowing but if I had to pick one, I would take the tomato biscuit. That simply because of its popping candy like sensation that kind of "exploded" in my mouth.
Our second amuse bouche was a chestnut velouté with a bacon foam that was a whole lot better (7/10).
Foie gras terrine marinated with aged port wine, 4/10
Our lunch officially started with a foie gras terrine that was marinated with aged port wine and served with dry figs and brioche toast.
This terrine came with a silky smooth texture but unfortunately not enough of the rich foie gras flavor. There was also no sign of any aged port wine in this at all.
This terrine came with a silky smooth texture but unfortunately not enough of the rich foie gras flavor. There was also no sign of any aged port wine in this at all.
Zucchini and crab meat rolls with herring roe, 6/10
I looked at this appetizer that mom was having and started to wonder if this was really edible. And it was.
This was an absolutely picture-perfect dish of zucchini and crab meat roll decorated with herring roe, cherry tomatoes that were stuffed with avocado and cress. Although the taste was less impressive than its look, it was still considered a great dish that was tantalizing for our taste bud.
This was an absolutely picture-perfect dish of zucchini and crab meat roll decorated with herring roe, cherry tomatoes that were stuffed with avocado and cress. Although the taste was less impressive than its look, it was still considered a great dish that was tantalizing for our taste bud.
Roasted US Scallops, 9/10
We moved onto our main courses now and first up was a roasted scallops from the States that were sitting on a pool of sautéed mushrooms. The scallops were roasted to perfection and the celery and porcini emulsion on top was an amazing complement.
That was heaven!
That was heaven!
Milk fed veal with oyster butter "Maitre d'Hotel", 3/10
The roller coaster ride continued here with my milk fed veal that was served with French beans "Mimosa" and celeriac with miso and nuts. I have ordered this dish mainly because the Restaurant Manager here hinted to me that his chef was absolutely phenomenal in preparing meat dishes.
Well, perhaps not this time. I had asked for my veal to be medium but it arrived exactly close to medium well. Apart from that miscue, I also didn't like the spring onion and egg on top of the veal. They just didn't feel right together.
Well, perhaps not this time. I had asked for my veal to be medium but it arrived exactly close to medium well. Apart from that miscue, I also didn't like the spring onion and egg on top of the veal. They just didn't feel right together.
Pur caraibe chocolate bar, 5/10
Finally our dessert arrived in the form of a pur caraibe chocolate bar with chocolate cream, passion fruit, salted caramel, hazelnut cremeux and popcorn ice cream. Not bad but not overwhelmingly delicate.
I really enjoyed the ambiance of this historic dining room. And so did mom. The cuisine, well, let's just say it's been a roller coaster ride from start to finish. There were flashes of brilliance seen from the crab meat roll and scallops that reminded us of its one-star status but there were also times that they fell flat on their face with some of their less successful dishes (veal?).
Despite that inconsistency, I would still recommend this place based on the history, ambiance, service and of course, the highly innovative haute cuisine.
Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: 2A Canton Road (Hullett House), Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Website: http://hulletthouse.com/#/stgeorge/concept
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