While I was
pretty tied up the entire week to go to the special 4-hands dinner
featuring Chef Vicky Cheng of VEA and Chef Julien Royer of Odette happening in late February, I was lucky
that Vicky asked me to come along for a preview at his restaurant the day
before the actual event.
I was just
having some of the dishes by Chef Vicky a few days before the lunch at another occasion,
but I ain’t going to complain for a repeat that quickly, as his creativity
never ceases to amaze me. And though I still haven’t been to Chef Julien’s
restaurant Odette in Singapore (and that’s only because I haven’t been to
Singapore for the last few years), I was a huge fan of his food when he’s cooking up a storm at JAAN, where he became famous for his modern take on classic French
cuisine, before he went solo and opened Odette in 2015.
VEA
normally does not open for lunch service, but the team was well ready for a few
of us when I walked in, just as both chefs giving the team the final briefing
before this special meal service. I was expecting an abbreviated menu from what they would be
serving at night, but they decided to serve the entire 10-course menu to us. We
started with a pair of amuse-bouche bites presented by Chef Julien – the mini
tartlet of kegani (Japanese hairy crab), cauliflower and “vadowan” spices (with
curry-like flavor) was refreshing with a good kick, but the uni “French toast”
was the one that truly wow, with fresh sea urchins served on a round of brown
butter toast (in black color) with finger lime zest and garnishes on top. It’s
a delightful bite with a hint of fragrance.
Chef Vicky
then presented an equally impressive course – this time it’s a “pigeon assiette”
with pigeon done a few different ways in a spectacular presentation. Inside the
wooden board with floral decoration (and completed with the sound of bird
chimes for special effect) was a smoked pigeon egg topped with caviar and the deep-fried
pigeon leg coated with spices. The egg was slightly pickled giving it a complex
flavor which matched well with the golden caviar, and the tiny pigeon leg has a
crispy crust that I enjoyed too. Then from a tea pot poured into our small
glass in ceremonious fashion was the pigeon soup (“done Cantonese double-boiled
style”, according to Chef Vicky, and what I thought would be an intense meat
broth was actually dominated by the soothing taste of jujube and chrysanthemum,
which was a good palate cleanser to start.
More caviar
was on our way, and this time it’s Chef Julien’s confit beets arranged
beautifully in a glass bowl with horseradish and smoked herring mixed and put
underneath, and topped with the dark Oscietra caviar. It’s well balanced with
the tiny blini served on the side.
Our next course by Chef Vicky looked similar
to what we had just a few days ago, but the preparation was completely
different. The fillet of local “Ma Yau” (or threadfin) was pan-fried with crumbs
mixed with preserved black bean (a common ingredient used in Cantonese cuisine),
then served with celeriac mousse mixed with mandarin peel and the beurre blanc
sauce plus a dash of basil oil. It’s a clever course making use of local ingredients
in a totally unexpected way.
Next was another
seafood course, this time presented by Chef Julien. The piece of “XXL Langoustine”
(an accurate description given its size) was slightly poached and served with a
few different fruits – a few types of apples and pears – plus bergamot zest
with the refreshing aroma (smelling it I felt like I was in a spa). And in the
dish there was local prawns (the “red rice” prawns) and a creamy sauce infused
with seaweed flavor. So many ingredients went in and they all matched with one
another harmoniously.
The sea
cucumber dish has become a “symbolic course” of VEA of sort, with many
variations that changed regularly. And I must say the one I had this time was
the most memorable one to date, with the piece of sea cucumber roasted with a
crispy crust, matched with a sauce made with female mud crab (with both the
meat and roes giving it a golden color), ginger and egg drop. And at the table,
22-years Hua Diao wine was sprayed with a diffuser for that unique aroma of a
well-aged Shanghainese rice wine (which traditionally was paired with crab
dish) Somehow this reminded me of the Singaporean chili crab with the similar thickened
sauce (sans the chilies) and it was delicious.
Unfortunately
I couldn’t get to finish the whole menu and I had to stop at the last course by
Chef Julien, which is his loose interpretation of “Chicken Rice”. We were shown
of the whole roast chicken with black truffles stuffed between the skin, which
was then carved (with the skin on), a Albufera sauce plus more truffles shaved in
front of us. On the side was the rice cooked in a stone casserole with chicken
jus and more truffles mixed in. The chicken breast was impeccable, tender and
flavorful, and I thought the rice worked best mixing with the sauce on the
plate.
A few cocktails
and wines were served along with the dish and they were well thought out. My
favorite was the one with shiso, apple, elderflower and gin, which I thought went
well with the few seafood courses. I am
grateful for this 2/3 tasting menu experience – just wish I could stay til the
end as I would love to see how Chef Vicky uses “Lotus Seed Paste” in one of his
dessert courses. Definitely next time.
(The meal
is by invitation and based on a special guest chef's menu. More photos in my Flickr album at https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72157707016519574)
Where? VEA Restaurant & Lounge, 29 & 30/F The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Threadfin "Ma Yau" with Preserved Black Bean, Mandarin Peel and Celeriac
Drinks?
2016 Domaine Alain Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Folatieres"
2006 Domain Faiveley Nuit-St-George 1er Cru "Les Damodes"
Web: www.vea.hk
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