I was really lucky because not only did I get a chance to try Chef Akrame Benallal's summer degustation menu but I also got to meet him at the restaurant before his flight back to Paris.
He was in Hong Kong from 22-24 April to personally unveil his creative summer degustation menu and set up his upcoming restaurant Atelier Vivanda which is due to open in June!
The summer degustation menu was available for preview in April as posted on their FB which will be available for the whole month of June under Chef Jon Irwin's execution as 3, 4, and 6 courses for lunch; and 4, 6, and 8 courses for dinner.
On the back of the printed menu, I loved the way it was pictorially presented with how it is cooked and served.
I had six courses, which I thought was not going to be filling at the beginning but it turned out to be quite filling and the food was mind blowing.
Each course was exciting with an explosion of flavours and textures that is guaranteed to surprise you.
Started off with the amuse bouche, which was served by charming Akrame.
On the left was this light cheesy cracker made with squid ink, parmesian and smoked eel. The next piece in the middle had a stronger flavour of tart yoghurt and a burst of saltiness from the olive.
The final piece was celtuce which had a lovely crunch and a touch of sweetness from the raspberry.
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Haddock:
The first course was Creamy Polenta with Smoked Haddock and Warm Coffee Mayonnaise which really took me by surprise because when coffee is used as a savoury ingredient it combines with the smoky taste of haddock really well and the silky polenta beneath it acted like a delicious mash.
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Pearl:
The Gillardeau Oyster was topped with Seaweed Tartare, Citron and Granny Smith apples.
It was a nice burst of light and fruity flavours but the sharpness of the lemon flesh stood out the most and it was the reason I loved it because lemon juice and oysters go really well together.
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Surprise:
As a tea lover I was impressed because they bring out a glass teapot, place the raw lobster inside and put a tea strainer on top that contains Lapsang Souchong (which is a black tea from China) and pour French tarragon hot consomme into the teapot and poach it.
When it is poached, they placed the lobster on top of the red lentils and it is ready to eat.
The texture of the lobster was delicate and springy infused with a tarragon fragrance
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SAILOR
This was the last seafood course which was seabass with Carrots Arlequin and Charcoal Butter.
I loved the way the seafood was covered in charcoal butter served with a side of carrots Arlequin that was topped with dreamy foam.
The seabass was silky and delicate which went perfectly well with the fine carrot puree that had a really velvety texture.
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Between the main course, there was a sorbet to refresh made with mandarin topped with campari jelly!
I thought the cylinder was edible but it was made of ice but still the idea is pretty cool and keeps the sorbet cold!
The mandarin sorbet was cooling with a slight bitterness.
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MEAT
When this course came, the waiter was holding a pot which contained a piece of pigeon buried in crushed cocoa beans which he carefully took out with food tweezers!!
I love cocoa beans because the scent is addictive and I wish they put some extra crushed cocoa beans on my plate too.Anyway, since this menu is available in June, I will probably come back for it and I was really glad the waitor recommended this to me because when pigeon is done the right way, it tastes so amazing.
The texture of the pigeon was soft and it tastes like duck and velvety liver with the odd crunch from the cocao beans.
There was watercress mint coulis which had this interesting bitter taste that brought out the sweetness of the pigeon.
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The dessert was a wonderful surprise because I got four items including the petit fours.
This is the moment you will feel the meal was totally worth it because they were not too sweet and it was a great dinner because from start to dessert it was all perfect!!
Cream Cheese and Red Berries topped with Beetroot Granite.
I had this first and it was light and summery with tart berries and cream cheese that tasted like yoghurt.
It was nice how they dusted it with beetroot granite and not something sweet.
Cylindrical Chocolate Mousse and Green Cardamom Gelée
The roll was really delicate with light dreamy chocolate mousse in the middle that was not too sweet and the cardamom jelly just gave it some sparkle in the taste.
Surprise Ice Cream (cream puff flavour)
By the time I got to the icecream I was feeling happy and guilty but the happiness continued because the icecream was good as well.
The cream puff icecream was interesting, it was delicate and not too sweet and you could taste blended cream puffs in the icecream!
Petit fours: Bar of chocolate:
The presentation itself is so classy because it is wrapped in foil with their logo and the chocolate can be taken home too.
It was chocolate with seasalt that was bold and I loved the salty taste that lingered.
I didn't finish it but it was nice that I could take a piece of that wonderful evening back home to savor and remember the wonderful meal when I eat the chocolate!
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Price info:
From 1 to 30 June 2015, restaurant Akrame's seasonal menu is priced at:
Lunch:
- 3-courses : HK$280;
4-courses : HK$380;
6-courses : HK$580
Dinner:
- 4-courses : HK$888;
6-courses : HK$1,098;
and 8-courses : HK$1,398
