United We (Fine) Dine

From our experience normally it does take a new restaurant team between 3-6 months to get around their feet with their culinary direction, so I did come with rather high expectation for our dinner at Amber, my second visit after they re-opened almost one year ago after renovation and transformation, and we were eager to check out the latest menu by Chef Richard Ekkebus.

Friday evening probably marked one of the busiest services for the restaurant, in relative terms these days, and actually the dining room was pretty full when we arrived slightly earlier than usual. I still love the room decor with soothing lighting, natural and brass color scheme from floor to ceiling, curvy couches and clothless tables, and windows with the city view.

We went with their special "United We Dine" menu, part of the territory-wide promotion to garner local support to F&B industry with an abbreviated 5-course seasonal menu with wine pairing offered at a special price. We began with a lovely bowl of amuse-bouche course, with green peas and trout roes served atop smoked trout-soy cream espuma with generous drizzle of dill-infused oil. It's a classic combination in a new format with a different flavor profile.

My first course was fluke. I was told the fish (known as karei in Japanese) came from Kyushu and treated Ikejime-style to preserve its quality. It's sliced thin like carppacio and served with brunoise of cucumbers and honeydew and a refreshing dressing of buddha hand, shiro-soy, chevil and myoga spooned on top. Love the bouncy texture of the fish with mild flavor paired with the crunchiness of cucumbers and slight acidity but complex taste from the dressing.

Spelt Risotto was my favorite course of the evening - it's prepared on the crunchy side mixed with black trumpet mushrooms and truffles, with celariac foam and espuma plus threads of hijiki (cured Japanese brown seaweed) on top. I like that rich, earthy umami taste and nice presentation in a handmade, rustic-style porcelain deep dish. The lobster was another beautiful dish - chunks of spiny lobster prepared a la plancha was served with red ogonori on top, and underneath was edamame (soy beans) seasoned with lemon, ginger, sake, hijiki and plankton. The lobster was a tad bit overcooked - hence a bit rough to my taste but other than that, I like the combination of land and sea flavor.

Main course is one of the 2 courses that came with a choice, but I decided to stick with the seafood theme and went for the toothfish. The thick slab of the fatty fish fillet was poached then finish on the grill for the slightly crispy crust. The pairing with a red wine sauce (a pinot noir reduction) with the fish sounds peculiar at first, but the acidity from the wine reduction (plus the sweetness from the onions) did complement well with the oily fish. The thin slice of raw mushrooms and baby leeks worked well as condiment, bringing some nice color to the overall presentation.

While I thought the wine pairing choices were better suited for a high street wine bar rather than a well-regarded starred restaurant, they were alright. We started with the new release 2012 Moet which was gripped with much austerity. In comparison, the glass of easy-going Soave seems more approachable with a nice hint of refreshing citrus notes and well-rounded. I decided to stick with a glass of red for my main course, and the medium-bodied Nero d'Avola worked well with the fatty fish served with wine sauce.

A number of sweet plates were served at the end, including my favorite Amalfi lemon custard with rosemary icecream with cacao nibs and pine nut tuiles. I also liked that touch of serving chunks of sweet Okinawa pineapples as part of the petit fours. Overall this is a much enjoyable meal - solid execution and offered something slightly different. Miss the time when we could pop by to the kitchen as part of the dining experience (that's suspended because of the virus outbreak) but then we treasured the time when we could dress up and go out for a nice dinner every now and then given the circumstances.

More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72157713947637893

When? April 17 2020
Where? Amber at Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Spelt, Black Trumpet mushroom, Celariac, Hijiki, Preserved Black Winter Truffles
Drinks?
2012 Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage Brut
2017 Cecilia Beretta Soave Terre di Brognoligo, Veneto
2017 Villa Degli Olmi Baglio le Mole Nero d'Avola, Sicilia IGT, Italy

United We Dine
As part of the Hong Kong food community, I felt strongly that we should all stand together to support our fellow restauranteurs, hoteliers, and passionate people which made our dining scene one of the best in the world. "United We Dine" is a city-wide restaurant campaign that calls on Hong Kong food lovers to dine out. In March and April, over 100 dining destinations across town offered limited time menu or special promotions to customers, not to mention a lucky draw with some attractive prizes. Go visit www.unitedwedine.hk for more details.