Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I have been thinking about having a decent meal to wrap up the Year of the Rabbit (兔年) on a high note. With my recent hiatus from the city's fine-dining scene, it wasn't all that difficult to find a high-end restaurant that I have never visited before. Just out of curiosity, I decided to ring up the recently opened Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic at Gloucester Tower in Central and amazingly, they've got a table for me on the Eve of Chinese New Year.

Behind the closed doors was the culinary world of renowned chef Anne-Sophie Pic in an impressive Baccarat setting.

I had the pleasure of dining at the prestigious three-Michelin-starred Maison Pic in Valence back in 2016 and was really blown away by Chef Pic's innovative take on classic French fine-dining. Eight years later right here at Cristal Room, I am expecting the same finesse and creativity. Needless to say, I am just sitting back, relax and enjoy this ride.

Before the amuse bouche arrived, I took some time to check out the stunning view from forty-four floors up.

Not only from my seats but up against the window too.

My highly anticipated lunch started with three lovely canapés. First up was a sweet corn pie tee with fillings of sweet corn foam and corn kernels. It was followed by a squid-ink wafer which was topped with pesto marinated squid tagliatelle and black garlic mayo. Last but not least, a Mimolette tartlet with variations of dill. 

Next up was homemade coffee and caraway seed bread served with pepper butter.

Hokkaido king crab, sobacha, geranium, tarragon – A refreshingly cold starter with floral notes sounded like the perfect way to kick off the meal on a chilly afternoon like this one. On the bottom of the dish was Hokkaido king crab meat seasoned with sobacha, or Japanese buckwheat tea, and accented with a touch of geranium. It was crowned nicely with a scoop of tarragon ice-cream. We have got some earthy notes from the tarragon, floral notes from geranium and sweetness of the crab meat. A really lovely mix of interesting flavors, I thought only some fruity acidity was missing here.

Les Berlingots ASP, Comté, truffle, pink pepper – The second dish of the lunch menu was Chef Pic's signature Berlingots, a goat cheese filled homemade triangle-shaped pasta served in a broth.

This version of the berlingots filled with 24 months aged Comté was served in an intense Roscoff onions consommé with Tuber Melanosporum truffle and pink pepper. A very nice, heart-warming dish for winter time.

Challans duck, eucalyptus, coffee, butternut squash, goji berries – My main course was thick-cut challans duck cooked with eucalyptus and coffee (can't recall having such thick-cut of Challan ducks before in my life. I need to go out more!). The duck itself wasn't bad but the sauce and condiments (i.e. goji berry chutney) were more on the sweet side. I was expecting something with acidity to help cut through the richness of the duck breast.

Le Millefeuille blanc, Tahitian vanilla, Jasmine jelly – Dessert was another signature dish from the highly decorated French chef who currently holds 10 Michelin stars.

The White millefeuille as she calls it, came in the shape of a perfectly seamless white cube.

Once I cracked the cube open, there were the layers of thin pastry interspersed with Jasmine jelly, vanilla cream and spiced with Madagascar pepper. So, it's got that savory-sweet flavor which I thought was always nice for a dessert.

Mignardises were rice pudding with geranium and genmaicha (thus the green color) and

chocolate tartlet with chocolate hojicha ganache. I don't think I can take on any more food. Not in a couple of hours.

I think that's more than a decent meal I just indulged myself in this afternoon. Largely considered one of the most successful female chefs in France, Chef Anne-Sophie Pic's cuisine is highlighted by its delicate elegance, striking a great balance between boldness and harmony. It's also very feminine, and appealing to both the eyes and the palate.

Food Rating: 7.5/10

Price: $$$$

Address: 44/F, Forty-Five, Gloucester Tower, Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central

Tel: +852 3501-8580

Website: https://cristalroombyasp.com/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:00pm (Wed - Sat), 6:30am - 10:00pm (Mon - Sat)