Friday, May 15, 2015

Another Saturday afternoon at Caprice

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of eating at Caprice again on a Saturday afternoon with just the two of us this time (as opposed to a bigger group that we had a couple months ago). We picked this date out of random when we booked our table a few weeks ago, but timing turned out to be perfect as Chef Fabrice just introduced the new seasonal menu a few days before, coupled with the great weather and clear sky we got to enjoy seeing as we settled at our table by the window overlooking the West Kowloon skyline.

Faced with the dilemma of having so many new dishes we were eager to try as we carefully surveyed all the available choices, Sebastien the restaurant manager "came to our rescue" by suggesting we could leave it up to the chef to decide. "Yes, please!" seemed to be the only logical response for such a proposition, as we have grown in confidence of Chef Fabrice's cooking over the past visits.

And once again, his culinary team managed to deliver above and beyond our expectation with a series of refreshing seasonal dishes. We can't sing enough praises of everything that we had that afternoon, so I would just let the pictures spoke for themselves. In particular, late spring/early summer saw the beginning of the peak season for white asparagus, also known as spargel in its native Germany. The delicate but firm poached Brittany turbot was paired superbly with a stalk of white asparagus for its fresh clean flavors, and accented by the smoky hazelnut bits and creamy provencal veloute spooned on top of the asparagus. On the side was a small bowl of morel mushrooms added to the overall flavors. 

I am usually not a lamb person, but I thought the one we had was excellent, quite possibly the best lamb I have ever had. Saddle of lamb loin was stuffed with liver terrine, slow cooked and roast on the outside, and served with potato gnocchi, Swiss chard and jus reduction. It's gamey no doubt, something I usually wasn't a fan of, but here the overall flavors were well-balanced. That's the item I would probably have picked as my choice for main course originally and I was glad that's what Chef Fabrice prepared for us too.

We finished with the cheese platter and a refreshing and well-plated mango dessert - both excellent as always. What was planned to be a simple, leisurely weekend lunch turned out to become a 3-hour-long tasting menu with one great dish after another with excellent wines to pair with selected by sommelier Sebastien. If only life is full of pleasant surprises like this every day...

More pictures on my Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/sets/72157651758990729/

When? April 25 2015
Where? Caprice, Four Seasons Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Poached Turbot with Provencal Green and White Asparagus, Milk-fed Lamb Declinaison with Potato Gnocchi
Drinks?
Domaine Michel Bouzereau Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru Les Charmes-Dessus 2009
Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Mate 2009
Web: www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/caprice/


1 comment :

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I agree with you. I also have that dilemma every time I found myself in a new restaurant. I really don’t know what to eat because every dish seems tempting. Thanks to their manager who’s very eager to suggest what’s their number one cuisine. Like when we step our foot in Blue Butcher, they have lots of cuisine but they let me try their famous steak. It’s delicious! You should try to eat some.