Food with a view

At Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental, celebrated Chef Pierre Gagnaire’s pied a terre restaurant rustles up magic

July 06, 2014 07:39 pm | Updated 07:39 pm IST

A soothing and sophistitcated ambience inside the restaurant

A soothing and sophistitcated ambience inside the restaurant

It’s not every day that Pierre Gagnaire carefully picks out your dinner menu, and admittedly, the whole thing can be a bit surreal; sitting at a table and perusing a selection especially prepared for you by one of the most decorated and revered chefs in the world. The stunning view of Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental also helps to turn up the volume of the experience.

Situated on the hotel’s 25th floor Pierre is Chef Gagnaire’s pied a terre in Hong Kong, a two-Michelin starred restaurant that serves up some of the most modern and original French cuisine. The chef leading the culinary team at Pierre is Gagnaire’s protégé, Jean-Denis La Bras, who joined Pierre in April 2012, having previously worked with Gagnaire for many years at his three-Michelin-starred Le Balzac in Paris. The ambience is designed in perfect synergy with the food, and enhances the experience, marking Pierre as an excellent venue for a peaceful and soul nourishing experience.

Surrounded by soft, luxurious tones of charcoal, cherry and black, a tiny sliver of silver and crystal weaved in, and our table lit by the central chandelier, I was prepared to indulge my taste buds. A cursory look at the menu surprised me though, since it turned out that Chef Gagnaire had selected an all vegetarian fare for our dinner, titled the Summer Vegetable Menu, 2014. Interesting, but also a move that is unusual, and can put doubts in the heads of diehard fans of meat and poultry.

And then the first course arrived, and washed away all my doubts. A plate of red bell pepper bavarois, piquillos , was a work of art. The serving, consisting of nyons black olives jelly, French bean and green bell pepper velvety soup, played with both texture and taste, and the smooth and clean taste worked wonders for the appetite.

Next on the list was a vegetable tart with wild mushrooms, slow-simmered spinach and summer broth. The wafer thin tart piled with beautiful, fresh mushrooms was in itself a great combination, and when generously doused with the dense, flavourful helping of the broth and that green, crispy spinach, it was a clear winner. Honestly, I could have had an entire meal of just these.

As the evening grew darker and the harbour lit up, the plates kept appearing, disappearing and reappearing in front of me, each time with food that kept surprising. The parsley flavoured gnocchi with crunchy onions, summer truffle and bouillon “Zezette”, was once again a riot of textures, each complementing the other perfectly. The green asparagus tipped risotto with watercress puree and mozarella ice cream was expertly cooked, and the freshness of the vegetables seemed to have been enhanced on the plate, steering clear of being too heavy or too overwhelming.

The real triumph though, simply titled Pierre Gagnaire’s Grand Dessert, came in four separate and differently shaped bowls, to be eaten in a specific order and designed with the idea of keeping things light and delicious. Chef Gagnair had avoided the cakes and pastries, opting to bring to the table a selection of wonderful desserts, each playing with a host of fruity and unusual flavours like cherry, green tea and white chocolate. The bowl of fresh raspberries and thick, rich vanilla cream was decadent, and deserved a special mention.

Rounded off with flutes of Ruinart champagne, the evening was one of those magical ones that always seem to include the best views and delicious food. Of course, needless to add, a trip to Hong Kong calls for a pit stop at Pierre, where all the magic seems to happens.

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