Pre-Christmas Lunch

I thought we would pay Chef Guillaume's team a visit at Caprice before they got swarmed during the Christmas week. Well, special “festive menu” may not be our thing, but given my last meal here was already 3 months ago, I am interested in checking out some of their new seasonal dishes.

This time we did end up with a whole new set of courses, along with some new tableware that they began to roll out at the restaurant starting next year. But we started off with a familiar one with the amuse-bouche course, with the whole Alaskan king crab leg served with a quenelle of oscietra caviar, leek and mimosa egg. Can't go wrong with such combination. I thought the first course was perfect for the holiday-themed menu, with the terrine of Racan pigeon breast and mushrooms glazed with chocolate (and dusted with nuts and cocoa nibs). On the side was celeriac cream covered with julienned black truffles, and pears done 2 ways, poached and in marmalade. I love the nutty, rustic flavor matched with a hint of sweetness in a fine presentation. Was told that's what they were planning to serve on the Christmas Eve menu so we were given a sneak preview.

I thought the combination of ingredients in the next course was interesting, in a good way. The piece of langoustine was poached then briefly pan-fried, with raw button mushrooms and white truffles shaved on top. Underneath was a creamy and rich yellow wine sauce, more mushrooms which were diced and sautéed, and finished with a splash of mint oil. The contrasting land and sea flavors from the mushrooms and langoustine went well together, and the yellow wine sauce was just of the right richness as complement rather than overwhelming the rest of the ingredients.

Our fish course looked a bit mild but turned out it was tasty. The generous piece of turbot fillet was slow-poached and dusted with seaweed powder on top. On the side were potatoes, leek and spinach, and the chardonnay cream sauce was poured in at the table. Execution was great – the turbot was of perfect texture - silky and delicate - though I did feel something is missing, perhaps a seaweed-infused oil for deeper flavor, or some more different textures?

I was under the impression I had the chicken dish before but turned out I probably only saw it in pictures previously. The piece of Bresse chicken breast was slow-cooked, and served with a poulette sauce. On the side was tiny pieces of crayfish, celeriac, kabu? (white radishes) and potato puree. I felt there’s a hint of laksa herbs in it – so I guess Chef Guillaume threw in some curry leaves – and there’s a distinct acidity in the sauce which worked well with the creamy taste.

We had our fair share of cheeses while travelling but we still felt like ending our meal with some more before dessert, so they brought us a well-stocked platter on the wooden block, with a few familiar ones and some new to us. (forgot the name but the few soft cow cheeses were lovely, good with the pear jam) And Chef Vivien also brought us the new dessert on the menu, which was the coconut souffle. Couldn't ask for a more perfect-looking souffle on the table with excellent texture and rich flavor. And a quenelle of coconut icecream on the side.

With a lighter menu we went for a glass of white from Savoie region. Full-bodied, straw color, dry, with bouquet of ripe stone fruits and honeysuckle and a tint of bitter aftertaste. Call this a pre-Christmas Christmas meal, and this brought the holiday mood to us 2 weeks before the real holidays began.

More photos in my Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72157712207868193

When? December 17 2019
Where? Caprice, Level 6, Four Seasons Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Pigeon Breast from Racan “Chaud-Froid”, Pear and Vanilla Marmalade
Drink? 2016 Domaine Partage Gilles Berlioz Vin de Savoie Cuvee "Les Filles" Chignin-Bergeron, France
Web: www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/caprice/