It's mom's first visit to Gaddi's so naturally, she has some butterflies in her stomach but I told her we're in very good hands with Xavier Boyer calling the shots at the grand daddy of French fine-dining.
Our lunch got off to a nice start thanks to a pretty entertaining amuse bouche. My little nugget loves the cute little mushroom which was actually foie gras and raspberry. It was served with a bed of crumbs, mushroom and edible flowers which were supposed to be the soil and grass next to the mushroom.
I told mom before the meal that whatever she does, don't miss the bread and brioche here. This one with onion and bacon is one of my favorites in the city.
Scallop terrine, saffron and kaffir lime jelly, crustacean dressing - A well-designed scallop terrine with slices of poached scallops glued together by a lobster consommé jelly. There were three jelly cubes made with saffron and kaffir lime on the side which were supposed to introduce some lovely fragrance to the dish while also make the flavors of the scallops stand out even more. But a couple of things didn't work out as planned.
For one, the lobster consommé jelly was pretty bland. If our server didn't mention it in the first place, we probably couldn't tell it's supposed to taste like lobster. The second culprit was the saffron and kaffir lime jelly which was also pretty light in flavors. So, a supposingly refreshing starter ended up being surprisingly bland and under-seasoned.
Grilled American striploin, white asparagus, bell peppers - I went with the safe bet, grilled striploin and it was very nicely done. Each piece of meat, topped off with some mixed peppers, mushrooms and white asparagus, meshed pretty well with the aromatic Romesco sauce and bell pepper purée.
Roasted lamb loin breaded with herbs, variations of zucchini - Equally tasty was the roasted lamb loin which was crusted with herbs and served with tomato and different textures of zucchini.
Poached cod, shellfish broth, celery - Mom wanted something light so I ordered the poached cod fish for her. The key here was the shellfish broth which was flavorful and foamy, perfect to go with the cod fish.
Smooth chocolate cream, hazelnut crunch, cocoa nib ice-cream - It's my first visit since Executive pastry chef François Delaire came on board so I was a bit curious of whether the Robuchon alumnus had a hand on the dessert menu. I hope he does.
This was a very good impression (assuming chef Delaire did have a hand in these). On top of the smooth chocolate cream custard were tubes made with chocolate mousse and hazelnut crunch. Very nice and delicate. The cocoa nib ice-cream provided a bit of contrasting temperature, texture and flavor to the mix. I was impressed, very impressed.
Lemon tart, fresh mint, basil sorbet - I was wondering if this was going to be a traditional lemon tart and thankfully, it was not. I love this contemporary lemon tart. The lemon "ball" which was sitting on the almond crust provided a nice burst of acidity, working well with the fresh mint and meringue. I thought the basil sorbet was an interesting match for the acidity from the lemon. That was a pleasant surprise.
Strawberry with French meringue, red berries coulis, vanilla cream - A very difficult dessert to photograph in my opinion. Very refreshing though, and mom seemed to love it. That's the key.
Being the good son that I am, of course I didn't forget to ask for a "Happy Birthday" message to be put on the petite four. Mom was so happy to see it that she jumped the gun to blow off the candle before I got the chance to take a photo!
This was a pretty good meal (only blemish being the scallop terrine) backed up by some exceptional service. Dessert, without question, was the highlight of the meal. But between the French fine-dining heavyweights of Gaddi's and Petrus, I probably prefer Chef Ricardo's brand of contemporary French cuisine at Petrus a little more since his style is more up my alley.
Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 1/F, The Peninsula Hong Kong, 22 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2696-6763
Website: http://hongkong.peninsula.com/en/fine-dining/gaddis-french-restaurant
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