An oral infection has robbed me of any joy of food this past week. But with a morning meeting out of the way, I decided to take the afternoon off to start my weekend early. A decent lunch perhaps? I ended up ringing up the folks at three-Michelin-starred Caprice, a place I haven't had the chance to visit since March.
To my pleasant surprise, the dining room was nicely filled for a Friday afternoon.
.JPG)
Before anything else, I first enjoyed a small sesame roll. Warm, comfortingly crisp and wonderfully fluffy as usual.
Lunch started off brightly with an amuse bouche I have never had before — a delicate mushroom consommé jelly topped with yellow wine foam and a sprinkle of coffee powder. Earthy, aromatic and surprisingly intense. A warm welcome back to a familiar gastronomic ground.
Duck foie gras terrine, fruit marmalade, trapper spikes – The first of my five-course meal was duck foie gras terrine, nicely paired with seasonal fruits chutney, fresh pear, and a thin slice of sourdough bread.
This was the same dish I had as a starter during my last visit. Decadent and silky, but I found it richer than I could remember.
Hot and cold onion soup – I had the pleasure of having this dish at least five or six times by now (time to change things up?). The traditional French onion soup with caramelized shallots hidden underneath came with a slice of bread and cheese floating atop. It was finished with a scoop of onion ice-cream for a interesting play of temperature and texture.
Clever, comforting but perhaps a little too familiar.
Sole, snails, razor clams, Emerald sauce – The fish course was herb-crusted sole fillet, served alongside a snail and razor clam cannelloni (wrapped in cabbage instead of pasta) and finished with a vivid Emerald sauce of parsley and garlic.
While the technique was faultless, I found the herb crust made with parsley, almond and butter a little heavy for such a delicate fish, and the bold and herby sauce somewhat overpowering.
Yellow chicken, piquillos calisson and coriander, mango – Beautifully cooked yellow chicken was slow-cooked and finished on the grill. It was served with a mango piquillo pepper tower and a flavorful mango-infused chicken jus.
The chicken itself was sublimely tender and juicy but I didn't enjoy the condiments and sauce flavored with pepper and fruit. They were a little too “exotic” for my old-school palate.
Roasted figs, fig sorbet, lemon, vanilla – Dessert was a beautiful celebration of seasonal Solliès figs from France. This came in different variations of textures including roasted figs, fig cream and sorbet matched up nicely with decorations of lemon and vanilla cream, and roasted pistachios. A lovely interplay of sweetness, acidity, and texture — subtle, satisfying, and a delightful end to the meal.
Petite fours were the usual suspects of raspberry and passion fruit tart, praline chocolate and one that I haven't seen for a while, Caprice's hazelnut rocher.
That was enjoyed with a cup of English breakfast tea.
As usual, the meal was immaculately presented, expertly executed, and cooked with precision. The only hits and misses seemed to come from the pairing of sauces which fell short of satisfying this old man's palate this afternoon.
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
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 6:30pm - 10:30pm daily
S. Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurants: 18th (2025)
Post a Comment
Please tell us what you think