Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Summer in Caprice

We went for lunch at Caprice in mid-July after realizing it’s been a few months since our last visit (back during Chinese New Year). There’s always something new to look forward to at the restaurant, with the menu changes constantly depending on seasonal ingredients and flavor. 


We came with an empty stomach so we left it to chefs Guillaume and Suveg’s team to decide on our menu. The combination of strawberry and tomato was a nice refreshing start with visually pleasing presentation, the perfect summer salad appetizer with nice sweetness and acidity and I love that touch of almond flavor in the midst. Hamachi was another gorgeous appetizer dish, served marinated with dots of green apple, kumquat and smoked eel espuma on top and a generous dollop of Kristal caviar. More caviar came our way, this time in a warm dish with the softest, creamiest mashed potatoes served with caviar and champagne sauce. 

Moving on with a couple more seafood courses. The Brittany blue lobster is great this time of year, and it’s prepared two ways, with the tail poached, and the rest of the body mashed and stuffed in the seasonal zucchini flower. The ruby sauce was super rich and loaded with sweetness, and on the side was a raspberry quenelle. The piece of John Dory fillet cannot be cooked more perfectly, slow and easy and just cooked through in the center with firm texture. The saffron sauce was intense and with caramel-like flavor, balanced well with the punchy acidity from the mango fricassee on top and the tomatoes on the side. The couple pieces of pearl potatoes was just perfect to mop up the sauce. 


Our main course today was pigeon, again perfectly executed with the pink meat cooked just right with shaved black truffles on top. On the side was the white bean fricassee, reduced jus and herb coulis prepared with mint and terragon for a touch of exotic flavor. Cheese course was next – glad we were able to finish almost everything on the wooden board, before we moved to the lovely final cousse of cherry “clafoutis”, a more refined version of this classic summer dessert with cherry amaretto sorbet and yogurt mousse on top.  

Went light on wine today but Victor and Dan poured us a few nice glasses, including the rare vintage of Anseillan Pauillac from a magnum bottle ex-chateau. Classic left bank style, full-bodied with plenty of ripe red fruits – definitely going for being approachable than something overly complex like its more extravagant cousins from the legendary wine family. 

More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72177720310138118

When? July 15 2023
Where? Caprice, Level 6 Four Seasons Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Brittany Blue Lobster, Zucchini Flower with Ruby Sauce
Drinks?
Champagne Vincent Bliard Eternal Optimise Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Brut NV
2021 Domaine Joseph Pascal Puligny-Montrachet AOC
2015 Chateau Anseillan Pauillac AOC
Web: www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/caprice


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