I had the pleasure of visiting Terroir Parisien in the 5th arrondissement when I was visiting Paris back in 2014 and was quite impressed with how they brought back some of the forgotten dishes in the Parisian cuisine with a touch of modernism.
This branch in Hong Kong has modern French bistro written all over it.
Could this be the hearty French bistro fare that the four of us have been waiting for? Let's find out.....
Warm artichoke salad with mustard and shallot vinaigrette ($135) - As a fan of artichoke, there was no better way to start off this meal than a warm artichoke salad with slices of poached artichoke at center stage. This was pretty tasty especially with the mustard dip. A little small in size but fairly good start.
Shredded beetroot tossed in a remoulade sauce with beetroot chips ($98) - I thought the artichoke salad was small but I guess I should have waited until our second starter to land. This was even smaller and despite our gallant effort, we weren't able to give everyone a fair share of all the ingredients (especially the beetroot chips). Like the artichoke salad which came before it, it was an above-average dish but our experience was hampered by the incredibly tiny portion.
Saffron tagliatelles tossed with goat cheese pesto and spinach leaves ($228) - Seriously not bad. The portion was again a little small but I like the goat cheese pesto there playing the role of catalyst giving the tagliatelle some much needed mix of flavors.
Sea scallops cooked over simmered rice pilaf in an aromatic broth with fresh herb ($288) - The rice pilaf was pretty tasty after absorbing the flavors from the sea scallops and aromatic broth with the sea scallops surprisingly taking the backseat.
Charolais beef tartare with French fries ($330) - What they have here is a perfectly executed beef tartare and as expected, there would be no modern twist to this French classic. I thought the mouthfeel of the beef tartare was beyond buttery and the balance of savory and spicy notes was right on the money. It was our best main dishes along with the sea scallops without a question.
Cocotte of roasted corn-fed chicken breast with seasonal vegetables and Dauphine potatoes ($288) - Everyone barely got a piece of this roasted corn-fed chicken breast. Like your typical French chicken, it was tender and full of flavors.
It was getting a little late and we were one of the few tables sticking around at almost 3:30pm. So instead of exploring the dessert menu, we decided to settle the bill and go somewhere else for our sweet treats.
Some random thoughts on this meal.....so did we end up getting our hearty French bistro fare? I believe we did. But was it the fulfilling lunch that we all expected coming in? Not even close. I thought the portions of everything were so small that none of us felt like we've just eaten lunch. It was a pretty sad reality that with a modest budget of $400 per head, we couldn't even net ourselves a fulfilling lunch in the city these days. Sad, isn't it?
Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$$
Address: Shop M20-M24, M/F, Prince's Building, 10 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2522-9990
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