There's been a lot of exciting news going on in the city's pastry world the last few months with Amber (Michael Pretet), Caprice (Nicholas Lambert) and Peninsula Boutique (Frank Haasnoot) all naming their new pastry chef. That's great news for those of us with a sweet tooth. Out of the three newcomers, Frank Haasnoot certainly owns the most interesting resume having been crowned World Chocolate Masters at the World Championship for Pastry Chefs 2011 where he also won the award for the best showpiece and dessert. It didn't take long for the Dutchman to make a name for himself at the Peninsula Hotel. Many of his signature creations, including his Cocoa Noir, have quickly become fan favorites here and he's been getting very high praises for his work so far.
Unfortunately, there will be no Cocoa Noir for me tonight as they've been all sold out. As a matter of fact, only 5 pieces of pastries were left and there's still an hour left before they close at 7:30pm!
Le Peninsula - Who can turn down a pastry named after the storied hotel. This is a combination of yoghurt mousse, grapefruit compote infused with jasmine tea and lemon madeleine. The mousse was absolutely perfect with a silky smooth texture. Also perfect was the acidity of the yoghurt. Light and not overpowering. I like the tea infused grapefruit compote too. Very nice.
Sakura - Obviously I miss the sakura season of Japan too much and to a degree that I'm getting anything that labels itself "Sakura". This is really cherry blossom mousse with cherry compote in the middle and underneath that, pistachio dacquoise and tart sable. Not bad but perhaps a bit more contrasting flavors and textures would give us something slightly more interesting. But that's just me being a little picky.
Food Rating: 6.5/10
Price: $$$$
Address: Shop 7-9, The Peninsula Hong Kong, 19-21 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2920-2888
Website: www.peninsulaboutique.com/hk
