Executive Chef Olivier Elzer needs no introduction to anyone familiar with the local dining scene. He was on the opening team of our beloved Joël Robuchon Hong Kong and helped them achieve three Michelin stars. After a cup of coffee at Seasons, he went on a hiatus the last couple of years (though I heard he did a brief stint as consultant at W Hotel) before landing this job at St Regis Hong Kong. So I bet he's well rested and ready for this new challenge. I think anything less than a Michelin star won't be acceptable by his fans and certainly not by the management folks here.
If there's such a thing as first impression, we started off with a very good one here thanks to the elegant setting and modern vibe. It's going to be the perfect match with Chef Olivier's contemporary French cuisine.
L'Envol is open for lunch and dinner daily. At lunch time, you can choose between the 3-course ($588), 4-course ($698) and 5-course ($798) set menu, very similar to what Seasons used to offer (but $200 more which is very acceptable for a hotel restaurant these days).
We were first greeted with some canapés to kick things off. The artichoke topped with crispy bacon and artichoke was a nice playful take on our Chinese turnip cake (A miniature one!). It was followed by a mini foie gras ginger cracker and a Spanish-style bikini sandwich (truffled sandwich).
Jelloman couldn't wait to get a photo uploaded to her Instagram.
Grilled tuna with five spices - For me, I will start things off with the house specialty (according to my inexperienced server). It's done like a tuna tataki with the thinly sliced tuna crusted with sesame and spices, and finished with avocado purée, crispy shallots and a sherry vinegar sauce. What a refreshing start that was.
Marinated obsiblue prawns with Tamarillo ice-cream - But frankly, I would trade my starter with this one on any given day. I love Obsiblue prawns and they were beautifully presented on a bed of crustacean jelly with different shapes of pink radish, topped with a Tamarillo ice-cream. Very nice contrasting flavors, textures and temperatures all combined together in one dish.
Green asparagus cream, onion custard - A very simple dish but you can tell they have put a lot of thoughts into it. On top of the cream made with green asparagus, green pea and mint (that was according to my server but no sign of mint in there) were poached green asparagus, white asparagus foam and a "Menton" lemon emulsion. It was really rich, creamy and not surprisingly pretty herby.
But that's not all. As soon as I started spooning from the bottom, I realized there's a thin layer of custard made with what I thought was artichoke but I later found out it was onion. That was quite a lovely match with the asparagus.
Burgundy snails au "pastis" - Anyone who has dined at Seasons, should know this dish by heart. This was done like a Burgundy escargot and mushroom fricassée tossed with cherry tomatoes and chicken mushrooms in a tangy tomato sauce. The only difference is that, they finished this one with an open ravioli on top.
Wagyu flank steak, "pommes gaufrette" - After four excellent dishes, it's about time we found out about our main courses and how they fare. For me, I am going with their Wagyu flank steak. I asked for medium instead of the recommended medium rare, which luckily didn't make the meat any less tender and juicy. Not bad but definitely didn't blow me away.
The steak was served with their homemade "pommes gaufrettes".
Abalone "choucroute", horseradish emulsion - As always, Jelloman is the more adventurous one between the two of us. She went with the abalone dish which has been done two distinctly different ways.
They first had it sliced into ribbons before blending them with kale, pickled vegetables and horseradish cream. I really thought the horseradish was a little too overpowering for the abalone (not to mention the pickled vegetables).
With the second serving, they had it braised but too bad the seasoning was again a bit heavy handed. This reminded me why I've never ordered abalone in a French restaurant (unless it's a Japanese-French hyrid). I think Asians have the best way of cooking abalones. Enough said.
Hazelnut parfait with praline, mandarin coulis - Luckily, the wheels didn't fall off and with the two desserts, it's back on the right track.
I thought both desserts were excellent today but I like mine a little bit better. They had the hazelnut parfait and praline hidden inside the chocolate dome with the cold mandarin coulis providing the finishing touch.
Very refreshing, well-balanced dessert which was perfect on a hot summer day like this.
Poire Belle Hélène, pear confit and chocolate sauce - This wasn't bad either.
A contemporary Poire Belle Hélène served with pear confit, pear sorbet and a dark chocolate sauce.
Petite fours were nice too. A light and airy lemon meringue tart, Earl Grey chocolate bon bon with kumquat compote and I forgot what the last one was. It was a very nice wrap for our relaxing lunch.
St Regis Hong Kong is going to be very popular around here because Wanchai has not seen a new luxury hotel for decades.
Chef Olivier is an old friend so I'll go easy on him with my food rating this time around. Especially since his kitchen is just warming up.
Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 3/F, The St. Regis Hong Kong,1 Harbour Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2138-6818
Website: www.marriott.com/hotels/fact-sheet/travel/hkgxr-the-st-regis-hong-kong/
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