On a personal note, I have not been back to Caprice as much as I would like since the departure of opening chef Vincent Thierry. But now that they have re-captured the third star, I thought I should come back and check things out myself (at least once within this year).
The weather has been pretty poor all day (so is my mood) but luckily, I was able to arrive at Caprice largely unscathed.
Caprice is open for lunch and dinner from Monday to Sunday. For lunch, the restaurant offers a set menu varying by the number of courses (3-course $645, 4-course $790 and 5-course $895). There's also a 5-course omasake tasting menu priced at $1288 and of course the a la carte menu. I was a little hungry so I went with the 5-course set lunch menu this afternoon.
Some homemade bread including my favorite brioche to kick off the meal.
Lunch started off brightly with a small amuse bouche, silky green pea mousse topped with crispy croutons (Chef Guillaume Galliot in the background!).
The clean flavors of the green pea was nicely matched with the saltiness of the cured bacon on the bottom while the croutons added a satisfying crunch to this otherwise soft and smooth dish.
The first dish from the set menu was Aji fish carpaccio served on a tower of fennel and pomelo salad. This was a pretty "safe" dish to start the meal as one could never go wrong with the combination of refreshing raw fish and fruity salad. I thought the saltiness of the Aji fish really caught me by surprise while both the fennel and pomelo did very little to neutralize that saltiness. Decent start.
The carpaccio was immediately followed by a heartwarming green pea soup, served with mint perfumed green pea tartare and bacon foam (same combo as the amuse bouche).
The soup was accompanied by a green pea tartlet on the side.
Following the starter and soup, my fish course was next and I went with their hake fish which was beautifully decorated with cauliflower crumbs and smoked pike caviar.
The soft-textured hake was lightly coated with seaweed giving it wonderful texture and flavor. It was finished off brilliantly with a rich-flavored champagne sauce. A well-executed dish with a symphony of umami-rich flavors yet without going over the top. Without a question, the best dish of the afternoon.
My final savory dish was roasted French duck breast with variation of carrots. There's really nothing more appealing to me than a gorgeous piece of French duck (Too bad they thin-sliced it!).
A star anise sauce with ginger provided some extra heat to the dish (Interesting that the sauce actually tasted a bit like those in Chinese cuisine).
If there's an area to improve upon, it's definitely the dessert department. I was looking for something rich and perhaps a bit cheesy so I went with the lemon cheesecake.
This came with cédrat confit and a scoop of white sesame ice-cream. At this point, I was really missing former Executive pastry chef Nicolas Lambert.
I couldn't exactly remember when was the last time I enjoyed a slow day like this. I think I need more of this in the future.
Petite fours are always something to look forward to at Caprice. Today's no exception.
This is certainly one of my most enjoyable lunch at Caprice since the days when Chef Thierry was still at the helm. I'm not entirely sure about the three stars but one thing for sure, it's moving in the right direction.
Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 6/F, 8 Finance Street, Four Seasons Hotel, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Hong Kong Station
Tel: +852 3196-8860
Website: www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/caprice
Post a Comment
Please tell us what you think