Cocotte (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Another new casual French eatery hit the market two weeks ago in Central (Where else?). Located near the busy corner of Hollywood Road and Shin Hing Street, Cocotte draws inspiration from the Parisian brasseries and promises a true modern French fare in a chic setting.

The kitchen is helmed by Landmark Mandarin Hotel’s former Chef Patrick Dang and his current creations include gems like pan-fried Dover sole meunière, steak tartare and more.

After visiting the PMQ (former Police Married Quarter) across the street, we decided to drop by and check the place out.



The dining room is elegantly decorated with pattern wallpapers, green velvet sofas and black marble tables. The only blemish is perhaps space or the lack of it. I think it would be hard pressed to accommodate 20 diners here at the same time.



There is a small bar set deep in the heart of the dining area, with the bartenders eager to serve.



Two types of bread were served highlighted by this olive flavoured grain cracker.



There was no amuse bouche so we went straight to our starters firstly with the pan seared diver scallops ($198). This dish posed a sharp contrast in comparison to a similar dish we had at Bibo a few days ago.

We enjoyed how it presented contrasting flavors and textures from different ingredients including avocado purée, artichoke, morel mushrooms, peas and truffle dressing. That was a really excellent dish to start our night off (8/10). 

But things started to go downhill from here.



Our next course was the foie gras royale ($168). Despite its picturesque presentation, it didn't make much headway.

While I like the idea of serving the foie gras terrine with ham, crumbs, rhubarb and a raspberry sauce, this had to be one of the blandest and plainest foie gras I have ever had. There was no sign of any liver nor liquor flavor. What a disappointing dish it was (3/10).



Wagyu beef bavette steak ($348) was our first main course of the night. It felt a little odd that our server didn't ask how we wanted our steak done but luckily it came exactly the way we wanted it. They must be able to read our minds.

The wagyu steak was tender and flavorful. A potato tower, radish and beetroot provided a good supporting cast to the steak (6.5/10).



Finally we were down to our last dish - truffle spaghetti ($168). I thought they wanted to do a little too much with the truffle spaghetti by adding diced tomatoes and vegetables to the mix. They already got a winner here with the truffled spaghetti and the diced vegetables became a distraction more than anything (4/10).

Out of all the newcomers in Central, Restaurant NUR and Bibo are the two undisputed early winners. Cocotte still got a lot of catching up to do.

First and foremost, they have to do something with their super small tables. It can't even fit two dishes at the same time unless they shove the bread aside (to our neighboring table).


Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: 9 Shin Hing Street, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central / Hong Kong Station
Tel: +852 2568-8857
Website: http://cocotte.hk