Azure - Classic Meets Modern

Price: $$$$
Cravingness: ★★★☆☆



Located on the top floor of LKF Hotel, Azure Restaurant Slash Bar provides their guests a convenient location with a spectacular night view of central. The extensive a La Carte and drink menu offer many great choices. What's more, the monthly themed set menu ensure Azure's guests can be excited every month.


I was invited to Azure Restaurant Slash Bar to try out their August Menu. In August, the set menu's theme is "Classic Meets Modern", where chefs apply their out of the box imagination and culinary skills to make some twists on several traditional dishes to challenge their guests' taste bud! Before I go deep with the courses, lets check their bread baskets and amuse bouche out.

Taco Crisps with Sour Cream and Guacamole

First complimentary snack of the night was this taco crisps with sour cream and guacamole dip. The guacamole was not flavourful enough, there was not any cilantro taste in it. The sour cream on the other hand was quite nice.


Bread Basket with Trio Butter

A kind of Azure & AVA Restaurant Slash Bar's signature was the trio butter (P.S. make up name). This trio butter consists of layers of original butter, carrot and pesto flavoured butter. Each layer was very distinctive in taste but compliment each other as well. The house bread and grissini were served warm but as mentioned in my previous review, they were not spectacular.


More amuse bouche coming up were a refreshing tuna biscuit with cucumber and baby corn. Having them whet my appetite, I was totally ready for my first course!



August Menu - "Classic Meets Modern"
"Polar" Capresse Salad

The most interesting dish I found tonight was this Polar Capresse Salad. It is named "Polar" because Azure used mozzarella Ice-cream instead of fresh mozzarella cheese. This ice cream was quite icy and sweet with a subtle taste of mozzarella. Both of the red and yellow tomatoes are fresh but not sweet enough, I don't feel like they were confit at all. The crispy crisps at the side were very interesting, but was bland in taste. It was later explained by Chef that it was made with Sago with Basil purée. It was quite a refreshing and modernised appetiser!


"Col-i-FloWer" Soup and Chorizo

I have always love restaurants that present your soup by pouring it into your plate in front of you, everything looks more mysterious and exciting that way. On the plate was some chorizo bits and a chorizo "ravioli" as the chef put it. The chorizo ravioli is a molecular creation by Chef Eric (and/or Chef Roger), the chorizo was liquified and made into a jello like substance. The jello had a texture like caramelised onion but tasted like chorizo. While preparing the "ravioli", the chorizo essence got melted in the middle, so the instance you broke the ravioli, you will see a flow of yellowish chorizo oil bursting out.

The soup actually tasted a bit overly intense to me, the chorizo kind of overpowered the cauliflower taste. I guess I was expecting something a light and creamy texture from cauliflower soup.



"Naked" Salmon Coulibiac

A beautifully presented and generous portion main of the night, was a break down of the classic Salmon Coulibiac. Instead of having the salmon and spinach wrapped within the puff pasty, the whole dish was broken down, and plated separately. The salmon was sous vide, so the texture was very smooth and juicy, which is a texture the classic Salmon Coulibiac could not achieve. The streamed egg was mixed with corn purée (and milk probably). It tasted very nice with a smooth and baby food like texture. Again, a very interesting twist and a fun experience.



Tiramisu "The Beginning"

The de-constructed tiramisu was probably my most anticipated dish of the night. The mascarpone cheese was made icy, kind of ice-cream like. There was explosive candies scattered all over the dessert. The brown cream had a strong taste of coffee and a weak taste of alcohol in it (could not tell what alcohol it used). The brown spot at the top corner was hazel nut sauce. I have never seen tiramisu made in this way, but it tasted good, so whatever its named :)


Marks Myers & Apple Lemon Tart - HKD120 each

Apart from the August Menu, I also tried some cocktails tonight. Award winning cocktail Marks Myers (picture on the left) was a quite a strong mix with Myers dark rum, Midori, Crème de Fraise & Skyy vodka muddles with fresh ginger and strawberries, shaken with ice. The Apple Lemon Tart (picture on the right) was an equally strong but sweeter cocktail, a mix with Skyy vodka with apfel specht apple liqueur, fresh lemon and apple juice.


Azure Restaurant Slash Bar's August set menu "Classic Meets Modern" definitely wow me with their way of presenting the classic dishes. It is quite difficult to decide if I like the classic or thie modern way of presentation, they each have their special characteristics. Yet I would say if you are looking for something special, come to Azure to try out this menu before its too late!


Azure Restaurant and Slash Bar
29 & 30/F Hotel LKF by Rhombus, 33 Wyndham Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central
香港中環蘭桂坊雲咸街33號隆堡蘭桂坊酒店29-30樓
☏ 3518-9330
Opening Hour for Dining: 7am - 11pm
Opening Hour for Bar: 6.30pm - 1am for weekdays, 3am for weekends
Website: http://www.azure.hk/


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