Caprice (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My buddy St Paul is back in town for only 40 hours and I had the distinct pleasure of having lunch with him on his lone full day here. Needless to say, I wanted to make the most of it.

Over the past few years, the restaurants in the Four Seasons Hotel have become my go-to options for entertaining overseas guests. I guess you can’t really go wrong with Caprice and Noi when it comes to impressing friends from abroad. They truly are as good as it gets. This afternoon, it was Caprice getting the call.

While there are always unlimited conversation topics between the two of us, we decided to take a pause for a taste of Caprice’s fine bread selection.

They apparently have a new amuse bouche to kick off 2026 (OK, it’s my first visit in 2026). It’s a refreshing bite of sea bream sashimi, drizzled with white miso sauce, and served on a bed of diced cucumber.

Green asparagus, verbena, lemon, spring jelly — Asparagus season is here, so not surprisingly, it’s prominently featured on the menu. The slices, spears, and gelée made from green asparagus from Provence, were beautifully paired with lovely acidity from verbena and lemon cream. Fresh, clean, and satisfying to the palate, it’s the perfect formula for a successful appetizer.

My Hot and Cold onion soup — This is one of those dishes I’ve had on many occasions, yet I never get tired of it. 

The hot-and-cold contrast is a perfect move on a hot, humid day, quickly whetting the appetite and setting the tone for the courses ahead.

Dover sole, white asparagus, curry, vanilla — French Dover sole, served with wood-smoked white asparagus, was finished with seaweed powder and an emulsion made from curry, vanilla, and coconut. It was undeniably exotic, and sweet at the same time. While the combination of flavors and textures was certainly interesting, I wasn't entirely sure if it worked for me personally.

Yellow chicken, pea, verbena — The grilled yellow chicken, cut into little square pieces, was succulent and wonderfully complemented by baby carrots and a range of pea variations — poached, purée, and emulsion. A refreshing verbena sauce provided the perfect finishing lift.

I especially loved the crunch of the fresh peas. It played brilliantly with the richness of the chicken.

Valhrona chocolate ganache, black olive praline, dill — I thought this would be another “ordinary” chocolate dessert, but it turned out to be anything but. 

The dessert came with dill sorbet, laid over a bed of basil sponge and biscuit, along with dark chocolate ganache and black olive praline. On the first bite, the grassy notes from the basil were immediately noticeable, alongside a hint of mint layered over the deep chocolate and olive character. Pretty intriguing and definitely memorable.

The usual mignardises: Hazelnut rocher, praline chocolate and I think this is a new one, a strawberry tart with diplomat cream.

St Paul and I had never stopped talking since we met this morning. It was nice to catch up with him after his life-changing big date, and even better to finally share a three-Michelin-starred experience together to celebrate our steadfast friendship.

Food Rating: 7.6/10
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
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 6:30pm - 10:30pm daily

S. Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurants: 35th (2026)

Caprice (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

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.

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.

Food Rating: 7.5/10
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
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 6:30pm - 10:30pm daily

S. Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurants: 18th (2025)

Caprice (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★★

In recent years, I've lost quite a few of my dining buddies for a couple of reasons. Some of them have permanently relocated elsewhere while others stopped visiting Hong Kong following COVID.

It's been almost 8 years since I last saw Scuba-Kitty, my dear friend from high-school and university. She also happened to be one of my dining partners from overseas so I was more than happy to finally see her in town. Since she's only here for two days, I thought I should take her out on a relaxing lunch somewhere nice.

That place turned out to be Caprice, which I managed to find ourselves a table at the very last minute. The weather's gorgeous today and just so happened that we were seated by the window.

Some bread to kick things off including a corn bread which I have never had the pleasure of trying before.

As it turned out, they are serving a new amuse bouche too. Chilled sweet corn chowder was topped nicely by a quenelle of sweet corn mousse. Very very cute and just perfect for the social media.

Duck foie gras terrine, pear marmalade and spiced caramel – My cold starter was duck foie gras terrine topped with a layer of wine jelly to cut through its richness. The pear marmalade and spiced pear were very refreshing, and the spiced caramel added a nice extra kick to the classic dish. Very strong start!

Alaskan king Crab, crustacean jelly and Osciètre Prestige Caviar – My friend helped me drop a few extra bucks by taking the restaurant signature king crab dish which also had crustacean jelly and Osciètre Prestige Caviar from La Maison Kaviari in the mix. I wasn’t much of a crab fan before, but thanks to Scuba-Kitty, who gave me a couple of whacks at it, I've now officially become one.

Bisque soup with lobster ravioli – My hot starter was a delicate flower-shaped ravioli filled with delicate lobster meat, served atop a rich and intensely flavored bisque.



Brittany blue lobster, beetroot and chocolate, Ruby sauce – Another house specialty here. Beautifully cooked homard bleu from Brittany, served with lobster mousse and the chef's signature "sauce ruby" with raspberry vinegar. I loved the natural sweetness of the beetroot, clashing with the chocolate sauce and raspberry vinegar creating a wonderful symphony where they all come together seamlessly.



Racan pigeon pithivier style, cocoa sauce – I had the pleasure of having the chef's signature Racan pigeon in the past but it was the first time it was offered in pithivier style during my visit so of course, I couldn't resist.

Underneath the golden, flaky pastry lay tender Racan pigeon, a rich mousse of pigeon and foie gras, elegantly finished with a raspberry and cocoa sauce and truffled radish on the side. It couldn't get any more perfect than that!

My friend had the roasted Japanese Saga beef (I was wondering why as she just spent two weeks in Tokyo) and was raving about its beautiful texture.

All About Chocolate – My dessert was chocolate tart with cocoa nib espuma, mango and passion fruit confit hidden underneath. So, a nice blend of bitterness, sweetness and acidity.

Mignardises were white chocolate ball with coconut, praline chocolate and raspberry tart.

This was by far my best meal at Caprice in recent years. I joked with Scuba-Kitty that it must be the way she dressed and talked that made the restaurant staff see us as international foodies or maybe even Michelin inspectors! As a result, they were putting their best foot forward. I thought the service team was outstanding this afternoon and so was the effort by the kitchen staff, just very very solid all around. The damage to my wallet was significant but I was more than happy to share a wonderful lunch with my dear friends of 30 years. 

Food Rating: 8.4/10
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
Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 6:30pm - 10:30pm daily

S. Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurants: 18th (2025)

La Villa Madie (Cassis, FRANCE) ★★★★★

La Villa Madie is our second three Michelin starred experience of this trip, immediately following yesterday's impressive lunch at L'Oustau de Baumanière. Located in the coastal town of Cassis, this fine-dining restaurant boasts stunning cliffs and beaches right in its backyard. 

Prior to 2022, La Villa Madie was considered a hidden gem in southern Provence. The restaurant, which had held two stars since 2017, made a surprising leap to the prestigious three-star status in 2022.

Owner-chef Dimitri Droisneau, originally from Normandy, possesses an exceptional resume that includes experience in some of France's finest kitchens such as La Tour d'Argent, Lucas Carton and Ambroisie.

At La Villa Madie, they have a menu with an oceanic theme to match the breathtaking seaside view. Needless to say, we are in for a very special treat.

Before the trip, I was given the option to sit indoor or outdoor and without much hesitation, I have requested an outdoor seat with a view to the beach. That sounded like a pretty good decision now.

Although we certainly won't mind going all out for the tables under the sun!

We were first started off with a refreshing welcome drink made with garden herbs and flowers.

It was immediately followed by an amazing array of amuse bouche.

Shrimp tartare sprinkled with coffee powder was served on a spoon.

Refreshing summer soup made with watermelon and cucumber finished off with a touch of olive oil, accompanied by a spoonful of summer salad.

Pita bread with olive and capers delivering a vibrant burst of sharp acidity.

Last but not least, a small Provençal-style ratatouille covered nicely by a layer of refreshing onion foam. This was served up with a tiny seaweed sandwich with some sort of smoked vegetable purée in the middle. If this is for the purpose of stimulating our palate and getting our taste buds prepared for the meal ahead, they have achieved exactly that!

A further amuse bouche showed up in the form a chickpea tart with cheese and garlic and I've forgotten all about the second nibble.

Red mullet, sea urchin – This was not part of the set menu so I took it as another nibble to kick off the meal as well. Red mullet carpaccio was beautifully presented on a bed of crispy pastry with an accompanying sea urchin emulsion serving as a dip.

The tender and flaky red mullet with its typical delicate and mild flavor, but there was the sea urchin emulsion adding a rich umami note to elevate the dish.

A brioche topped with sea salt came with the carpaccio so we could use for soaking up the flavorful sauce.

Toutreau crab, crab ice-cream, garden herbs, consommé – A small tower of Toutreau crab meat elegantly crowned by a scoop of crab ice-cream (tasted more like crab roe) was finished with a nice pour of chilled consommé made with the crab shells.

The delightful dish was garnished with fresh garden herbs, adding a burst of flavor and color to the mix, and there was the finishing touch by the consommé enhancing the overall flavor profile with its rich, savory essence.

A few of these madeleine were served on the side in case we wanted to dip into the umami-rich consommé. This was very pleasing to the eye.

Seabass, oyster, lime, sancho – Beautifully cooked French seabass with a satisfying foam made with oysters by Pascal Migliore delivering a briny sea water flavor that complemented the sweetness of the fish brilliantly. The dish was further enhanced by the zesty notes of lime and the subtle spice of sansho pepper, creating an incredible balance of flavors.

Turbot, tomato, tarragon – Next up was turbot grilled with tomato which was served with a few different condiments highlighted by a powerful tomato and tarragon emulsion in the middle, and juice from the turbot which was then flavored with saffron. There was a side dish of a gorgeous vegetable tart topped with lettuce, caramelized onions, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms and baby turnip. 

Rabbit, lobster – Our main course was a delicious fricassée of rabbit and lobster. The superbly cooked lobster was nice but it was the rabbit rolls made from different parts of the rabbit that stole the show here. I particularly loved the creamy liver bringing out the best of the gaminess from the dish.

The sauce was a wonderful symphony of flavors and fragrances starting with a rich red wine reduction and tarragon foam (again?), which was infused with the sweetness of raspberry jam and grapes, complemented by the savory notes of onion, shallot and celeriac. Easily my favorite dish of the afternoon.

A small bite of what I thought was deep-fried celeriac came as a side dish. 

Vanilla flan, praline, rum – We have two desserts on the menu this afternoon and the first to arrive was a vanilla flan made with Madagascar vanilla and praline. Small Dabs of vinegar and rum from La Maison Ferroni, 20 minutes from the restaurant further enriched the vanilla notes while creating a more balanced mix of flavors.

All around the fig – I love French figs and this was surely right up my alley with the dessert building around different textures of figs from Valence.

In the centerpiece, we have the fig tower stuffed with fresh figs topped nicely by a layer of fig jelly. A refreshing verbena sorbet added herby notes to the dessert, while a light green foam made with fig leaf tied everything together with its thick, gluey texture and minty note.

And we have more figs to come, roasted fig with its leaf. Very natural sweetness and clean flavors there.

At this point, Chef Droisneau came by to say hi and we just couldn't resist asking for a photo together!

We were truly blessed to indulge in two exquisite meals from two world-class kitchens on back-to-back days, each a masterpiece in its own right. As our journey through France draws to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on the unforgettable flavors, the warm hospitality, and the artistry that defined every plate.

Chef Droisneau’s seafood-inspired menu was a feast not only for the palate but for all the senses. As someone who doesn’t typically enjoy eating fish, I was genuinely impressed by how he transformed each course (especially the three fish courses) into something elegant but unpretentious. Each course showcased a deep respect for the sea, crafted with creativity, finesse, and a touch of magic.

This trip has been a true celebration of the senses. It was a harmonious blend of culinary mastery, cultural richness, and timeless beauty; and I know the memory of this will stay with me for a lifetime.

Food Rating: 9.2/10

Price: €€€€

Address: anse de Corton, 30 Av. du Revestel, 13260 Cassis, France

Tel: +33 (0)4 9618-0000

Website: http://lavillamadie.com/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 1:30pm, 7:30pm - 9:00pm (Thu - Sun)