Gaddi's 吉地士 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

After spending the entire morning at CHP, I’m finally a free man minutes past noon hour. Since I have absolutely no intention to waste any precious time from my afternoon off, I decided to venture straight over to the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui. After kicking things off with quick strolls around a couple of empty shopping malls, I met up with my family for a long awaited lunch at Gaddi’s.

It’s been almost a year since I last got to sit around this elegant dining room. Nothing has changed since then; still as busy as ever despite the pandemic.

 
Did I mention that they have the best brioche in town? Always enjoyed this one with bacon.

 
Our amuse bouche was a deconstructed French onion soup. It wasn't introduced as one but it certainly tasted like one. Delicious onion foam was served on top of braised shallot along with a layer of onion jelly. A very nice start to the meal.

 
Concameau Mackerel, carrot variations, black garlic condiment, blood orange – Lightly torched mackerel was matched up nicely with the clean flavors of the carrot variations (purée and poached) and pearl onion.

I wasn't a huge fan of mackerel but I like the acidity from the blood orange working well with the richness of the mackerel.

 
Pan-seared foie gras, mango and pineapple chutney, long pepper – Some of us who were less health-conscious decided to drop a few extra bucks on one of Gaddi’s most popular dishes, their pan-seared foie gras.
 
This particular version was paired with mango and pineapple chutney. Trust me, it was very very delicious (based on the small piece I got from Jelloman). If my cholesterol level was any lower than it was, it would’ve been my natural choice.

 
Hokkaido scallops, watercress, Noirmoutier potatoes with seaweed, cockles – Everyone seemed to be less adventurous when it came to our main dish as all of us decided to pick the Hokkaido scallops over roasted Anjou quail.

And why not? The scallops were roasted to absolute perfection. I was pleasantly surprised how well they meshed with the earthy watercress flavors. Touted as some of the most expensive potatoes in the world, I thought the French potatoes from Noirmoutier Island were really nice and buttery, albeit not enough to steal the show (from the scallops).

Soft chocolate cake, sea salt caramel cream, cocoa crumble, hazelnut ice-cream – I had trouble picking out my dessert from an uninspiring list. Since everyone went with the panna cotta (the other choice was traditional creme brulee, yawn~), I thought I should take my chance with their soft chocolate cake instead.

This tasted exactly like a typical chocolate cake with a soft centre. No surprise there. For the first time since Chef Francois Delaire took over as the hotel's Executive Pastry Chef, I found myself not really looking forward to the dessert portion of the meal.

Coconut panna cotta, mango mousse, fresh fruits and French meringue – Well, this looked much much better. Very elegantly plated with fresh fruits and meringue on the outer circle of the mango mousse.

Very refreshing finish!

As usual, petite fours came from Peninsula Boutique's chocolate collection - caramel with sea salt, dark chocolate and citrus.

Just when I thought we were done here, our server brought out a “Hanami” cake, custom made with a "Happy Birthday Daddy!" sign next to it. This really looked too beautiful to eat. White chocolate Chantilly cream encasing fresh Japanese strawberry jelly, sakura cream and a unique crunchy sponge cake on top of a hazelnut sable base. Look at the cute little chocolate sakura tree. Very nice touch.

Little nugget couldn't help himself from humming the happy birthday song when he sees a birthday cake. I managed to make a quick birthday wish just before he unexpectedly blew off the candle. It was a wish for the end of the pandemic. I bet it's everyone's wish these days.

There's a reason I picked Gaddi's as the venue for our celebration this afternoon. It's the consistency in their offerings, quality and respect for their products. That's what it counts. We are so blessed with many French fine-dining restaurants in the city but there aren't many of them I rather have this meal at than Gaddi's.

Food Rating: 7/10
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: www.peninsula.com/en/hong-kong/hotel-fine-dining/gaddis-french-restaurant
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 7:00pm - 10:30pm (Tue - Sat)