Provencal Seafood Lunch

A few Sundays ago we made a quick walk down Nathan Road after morning church service to eat at Rech at Intercontinental Hong Kong. We were here last year when it first opened and liked its menu and dishes which leaned towards seafood done in classic French way, and we were happy to check out their weekend brunch offered as prix-fixe menu with choices for each courses.

With the bright, white Mediterranean-style décor, and the harbor view from the floor-to-ceiling window on one side of the dining area, we were set in the right mood for some serious seafood dishes that the restaurant was specialized in, amid the rainstorm from outside that went on throughout the weekend somewhat obstructed the view from our table right by the window. Their weekend lunch menu was sumptuous with a seafood platter to share, then a choice of starter and main courses, followed by their signature Camembert cheese and dessert at the end offered on prix-fixe basis – definitely of excellent value if you happened to be a seafood lover.

While munching on the seaweed cracker served with green aioli, our seafood platter arrived on a fancy glass tray with a medley of good treasures from the sea. The freshly shucked oyster was slightly mineral, working well with the splash of shallot vinegar served on the side, and I also loved the shrimp with its rich umami taste, also served chilled.

Funny enough, my salmon koulibiac appetizer spoke loudly of classic Provencal bistro cuisine despite the dish’s Russian origin. Think of this as the seafood version of “Beef Wellington”, except it’s served cold and with salmon filling instead of meat, and went through a similar complicated cooking process of baking in a puff pastry crust with mushroom stuffing lined right underneath. The salmon has a firm texture yet moist and juicy, and the crust was buttery and kept its crispiness. It worked particularly well with the glass of white wine I ordered to go with the meal – the slightly off-dry Alsace Riesling seem to work well to cut down the fatty fish flavor.

My main course of Grand Aioli was another perfect summer French dish, served with poached wild cod fillet served tiède, with a medley of vegetable and seafood sides – clams, shrimps, asparagus, cucumber, potatoes, olives and poached egg – and of course, a small bowl of aioli. The cod was perfectly cooked – poached just right with the silky, delicate and flaky meat with minimal seasoning yet rich flavor. And same can be said with all the accompaniments – almost felt like there’s not much chefs need to do with good ingredients like these other than bringing out the best for each.

Before dessert, each of us were offered a big slide of Camembert from the wheel just baked. It’s the restaurant’s specialty with the cheese aged slightly longer than usual (30 days) giving it a stronger, more pungent flavor, and served with bread crisp and a bowl of salad greens. That is followed by our dessert of choice, and in my case, it’s the strawberry vacherin. I personally could live with a slightly bigger portion of the dessert but I loved the rich strawberry glacé and the tiny pieces of meringue on top – again, the perfect kind of dish for the season. To wrap up, it’s another special feature of the restaurant, which was the warm madeleine just fresh off the oven to bring the feast to a comforting end.

More photos on my Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72157671227691118

(Meal was by invitation)

When? July 15 2018
Where? Rech by Alain Ducasse, Intercontinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, Kowloon
Menu Highlights? Grand Aioli with French Wild Cod
Drinks? 2015 Valentin Zusslin Riesling Orschwihr, Alsace
Web: hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com/en/dining/rech-by-alain-ducasse/