Foodwise Wine pairing @ La Mer Restaurant & Lounge

As a FoodWise member, there are lots of events like wine pairing etc.
It was my first time joining the wine pairing event by FoodWise. I attended the event because I have always wanted to try the food at La Mer Restaurant & Lounge which is founded by celebrity Stefan Wong.

As well pairing it with fine wines from Bodegas Corral, the signature dishes from La Mer were also on the menu.Started with the beef tartare paired with Don Jacobo Crianza 2014.
By far this was my favourite beef tartare because it was made with tenderloin so the beef is lean and flavourful.
It contains capers and gherkins which make the tartare moreish.

Next was the French Onion soup, again flawless as it was loaded with onions which were soft and sweet, topped with a lovely piece of baguette with melted gruyere cheese.
The pairing of Don Jacobo Reserva complimented it nicely.

The main course was Wet aged US Prime hanger steak served medium rare to go nicely with the red wine.

The wine pairing was good because Carlos Rubio, CEO & Winemaker of Don Jacobo led us through the wines so for wine rookies like me, I ended up understanding more of the wine pairing journey and how different characteristics of the wine come by. The last act was my favourite!

Cheese.........

On the platter was smoked cheddar, goats cheese, Stilton and Parmesan.

Goats cheese and Smoked Cheddar were my favourites and went well with the wine.

Overall, it was a great event so I will look out for other events organized by Foodwise in future. All the wines we tried that night can be bought at FOODWISE.

 

La Mer Restaurant & Lounge:

https://www.facebook.com/Lamerrestauranthk/

FoodWise:

https://foodwise.hk

[DALLOYAU Cafe] More than just sweet treats at this Cafe

DALLOYAU which used to offer just Macarons and cakes now serve a good range of comfort dishes at the new Pacific Place branch on the third floor.

The cake selection is as good as always and it is impressive that they have a gluten free cake as a choice.

As it was a cold day, we started with soups:
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Parisian vegetable soup:

To most people, it looks like finely diced vegetables but I really liked it because it was light and tasty consomme.
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Onion soup with cheese toast:

The onion soup was also good because it was sweet with a concentrated onion taste that wasn't too salty.
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Lobster soup:

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Lobster salad Religieuse:

This was a savory version of the Religieuse dessert, the top choux is stuffed with avocado while the bottom choux is filled with lobster.
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Baked scallop:

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duck confit opera:

This is a close up to show the beautiful layers.
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Norwegian salmon roll:

The salmon roll is so much more stunning than the photo because it is wrapped in a delicious clear savory jelly.
In the middle there is a poached egg with a runny yolk which makes it evilicious and gives it a surprise to someone who is having it for the first time.
The gem lettuce on the side has been drizzled with lemon juice so it is really appetizing.
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Duck leg confit:

Next was the signature duck leg confit, the meat was soft and supple that it came off the bones easily.
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Croque Monsieur:

I had to get the Croque Monsieur because I just love cheese and ham.
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scones:

Finished with a scones because scones and cream are irresistible.
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Also had other cakes and drinks.
The Earl Grey and chocolate was a wonderful hot drink to end dinner.
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chocolate truffle opera:

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Mille feuille chataignes et clementines:

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Christmas Log Chocolat Orangette:

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[DALLOYAU Cafe]
Shop 325B, L3, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong

Comforting food at de België

Previously tried Belgica in K Town so I knew the mussels were going to be good here because it is part of the same group.
de België is on the corner of Elgin Street looking small on the outside but spacious once you venture in.

That night, we had a bit of everything because they have other dishes as well as my beloved mussels.

Started with the Tomato aux crevettes and the pulpo a la gallega.
The Tomato aux crevettes were tender translucent shrimps in a delicious dressing encased in a tomato.

The pulpo a la gallega was tasty slices of octopus tentacle on top of new potato slices sprinkled with chili and paprika on a bed of creamy aioli.

It was a great start followed by the mussels.
Again, it was hard to choose because you could choose from mussels cooked in wine, beer etc.
I went for the beer as I was after strong flavours.
It was a huge pot of mussels served with their homemade fries that are fried twice to get that lovely texture.
The mussels were sweet infused with beer and they were free from grit and beard.
While I was eating them I thought I was lucky that the mussels were beard free but later the Chef told me they had removed the beard before cooking you can just enjoy them.

After the mussels, I had the herb roasted chicken.
The chicken was really comforting because it tasted how a roast chicken should taste, ie fully flavoured by the herbs as they were rubbed evenly and it was roasted just right.
The vegetables that came with it were fantastic because they were cooked thoroughly and flavoured in honey, something difficult in HK because the potatoes are normally too hard as the Chefs just grill them to save time.

Had a sweet ending which is hard in Hong Kong because it is really hard to get proper Western desserts.
The Waffle was done just right because it was not too sweet as the sweetness of the cream complemented it nicely and the Chantilly cream was fluffy and airy.

If you drink, I seriously recommend the coconut beer which I tried at the Belgica [other branch]!

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de België:
21 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong.
https://www.facebook.com/deBelgiehk/

L'Eclair de Genie Mid-Autumn collection 2017

Since the opening L'Eclair de Genie at Pacific Place and Prince’s Building in autumn 2015, there are now branches in Kwun Tong, Olympic and Tai Koo.
For Mid Autumn festival, they have launched two festive eclairs and limited edition Mid-Autumn festival mooncakes.

The man himself Christophe Adam was in Hong Kong to showcase the new collection.

No 286 Chestnut Umeboshi is filled with vanilla mascarpone cream and chestnuts from France, following a layer of umeboshi confit which gives it a salty kick to complement the chestnut.
It is garnished with a white chocolate golden rabbit, golden leaves and chestnut cream to give it that Autumn festive character.

No 287 Red bean sesame is very buttery and a popular pick because it is infused with smooth red bean cream and sesame crisp garnished with a rabbit and lotus pattern on pink.

La Lune Mooncake gift box are 4 colourful milk or dark chocolate shells filled with goodies.

Two contain fruit jellies (lemon yuzu lemongrass, coconut pandan) and the other two are caramelized nuts (caramelized hazelnuts, almonds).

The jellies which appear to be wrapped in plastic are 100% edible because the wrapping is just rice paper.

Fruit jellies (pate de fruit) are a traditional French sweet treats that are made with natural fruit juice.

http://leclairdegenie.com.hk/81-mid-autumn-collection-2017

[Epure] Thematic lobster dinner

Born and raised in a UK seaside town, I am used to fresh seafood and not so far from home is Brittany another seaside town where they have quality seafood as well.

At EPURE,  Executive Chef Nicolas Boutin brings you the best experience with blue lobsters from Brittany until the end of this month with the THEMATIC dinner.

I was really impressed with this dinner because every course was uniformly sumptuous and the blue lobster was delicately sweet and springy.

Began with the chilled soup and amuse bouche. The petit pois tarts were divine because they just pop in your mouth with sweetness and it is so difficult to get fresh peas in HK.
Peas are a must in French food!

The chilled soup was amazing because the tiny mussels at the bottom were sweet and fresh while the mussel foam on top smoothed it out contrasted by the refreshing vegetable jelly.

The first of the lobster course was the Blue Lobster with Heirloom Carrot, Baby Artichoke and Elderberry Vinaigrette. The fruity, sweet elderberry vinaigrette made a perfect pairing with lobster.

Next was the Blue Lobster with Shellfish Consommé, Petit Pois and Celery. The consomme was rich and strong owing to the lobster tomalley mousse contrasted by the sweet green peas and crisp celery.

The third course was a bit like surf and turf wtih Blue Lobster, Blonde d’Aquitaine Beef, Spring Onion, ‘Grenaille’ Potato Tarragon and Red Wine Sauce. As well as the lobster, the potatoes were also fluffy and tasty.

For desserts, the choice was hard because there was the Seasonal & Essential Artisan Cheese Selection or the Mille-Feuille because both are good! The Caramelised Mille-Feuille is prepared by your table with fresh strawberries, lime zest and Chantilly cream.

The cheese platter is wonderful but the Caramelised Mille-Feuille is definitely recommended because it is visually stunning with all those layers and it is such an experience when you eat it.

[EPURE]
Address: Shop 403, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui
Phone:3185 8338