Fancy Lunch at L'atelier de Joël Robuchon

Price: $$$$

Cravingness: ★★★☆☆

My last visit to Joël Robuchon for lunch was about two years ago. I made the reservation at L'atelier as I have dined only at L'jardine previously. For those of you who have not been back for lunch for a while, here is my review on the latest lunch menu.

I have always wanted to dine at L'atelier since the dining hall looks more hip and vibrant. The red lighted atelier consists of a few tables but mainly bar seatings circling the open kitchen. Sitting at the bar, I can easily peek what the chefs are doing at the kitchen, but to my surprise, I could not smell any aroma from the kitchen. Their fanning system must be good.

The tables are all setup with nice plates and napkins, waiting for lunch hours to commence.

Along the bar table displays a mini garden with strawberries and flowers. The young green colour of the garden complements the cherry red wooden table.

The menu works the same throughout the years, just the selection of dishes changed. I found however the soup selections were pretty similar to what I had two years ago. We both opt for the 3 courses menu. The 4 courses are good, but my tummy is too small to fit that in.

The complimentary bread basket is actually the highlight when dining at Joel Robuchon. A bread basket with a wide selection of breads all available at your finger tips! Honestly I can be full just by eating the delicious breads.

Two of my all time favs are the bacon baguette and the savoury cheese brioche. Which are your favs?

Amuse Bouche

Our lunch started with a petite plate of amuse bouche holding a glass of tomato jelly and a foie gras canapé. The tomato jelly was sweet and very vinegary with a spicy finish. The flavour was a bit too strong for the first dish and not particularly appetite whetting.

The foie gras canapé looks similar to the signature foie gras lollipop from Amber, but not as good. The overall flavour was nice, especially the contrasting flavour from the sweet foie gras and  the savoury ham biscuit. The pick could not really pick up the foie gras, so I ended up using my hand. Not grand, but I don't care.

LES ASPERGES DU VAUCLUSE

Vaucluse green and white asparaguses with sea urchin and curcuma oil

I chose the asparagus with sea urchin and curcuma oil for my appetiser. The texture of the asparagus was significantly different from each other, with the white being tender and stemy, and the green being more crisp. The asparagus were prepared icy and the sauce was quite citrus in falvour. The sweet urchin swirled on your palate with a sour finish. The rockets leaves top some bitterness to the dish. Quite a lot were going on in this little plate.

LE SAUMON

Scottish salmon tartare with homemade crispy waffles

The Scottish salmon tartare is Henry's dish. The three salmon tartare were generously portioned. The homemade waffles were very crisp in texture. It can be easily cut, so you don't need to stuff the whole thing in your mouth. The salmon was flavourful but the spicy seasoning on the waffles was a tad too strong and overpowered the salmon tartare. Probably one waffle on the salmon tartare is enough, 3 waffles were definitely too much.

LE CANARD DE CHALLANS

Slow cooked Challans duck breast and foie gras with blue berries

The duck breast was very succulent and flavourful, the slow cook was totally justified. The carrot purée and baby carrot were sweet and balanced out the strong flavour of the duck. The sweet Blueberry jam was a good pair too.

Mashed Potato

The mashed potato, that was crowned the best mashed potato in town, was to be loved. It was utterly silky, creamy and buttery. It was a delight on the palate.

LES SAINT JACQUES

Pan seared Hokkaido scallops with ginger, fregula pasta and Chateau Chalon sauce

The Hokkaido scallops was a strong flavoured dish served on a rich, creamy lobster bisque. The scallop was smoky and meaty, but it was not as smooth as I thought it would be. The fregula pasta was fat but very soft in texture. I have never had this pasta before but I will make sure I won't have it again in the future.

LA FRUITS ROUGE

delicate red fruit jelly with raspberry cream and strawberry sorbet

We were pretty full by this point, but there is always room for dessert! This red fruits dessert was delightful. The raspberry sorbet was smooth and delicate. The jelly added a cute texture to the dish. The yogurt was rich, creamy and sweet with a honey note.

LA PINA COLADA

pineapple compete with malibu sabayon and coconut sorbet

I was quite let down by the pina colada. The dessert taste pretty boring and the sorbet had no flavour.

Petite four

We almost forgot the petite four. Today we had a bite size of Rose Macaron and Madeleine. The rose macaron tasted not bad with honey filling, but the shell was too thin. The shell was hollow in the middle and resulted in a flakey texture and lack of chewiness. The Madeleine on the other hand was scrumptious, it was warm, moist and spongy.

My last lunch at Le Jardin was nicer, plus the desserts can be picked from the dessert cart.

Rating
Food - ★★★☆☆
Service - ★★★★☆
Ambience - ★★★★★
Overall - ★★★☆☆


L'atelier de Joël Robuchon

Address (E) Shop 401, 4/F, The Landmark, 16 Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
Address (C) 香港中環德輔道中12-16號置地廣場4樓401號舖
☏ 2166 9000
Opening Hours: Mon - Sun: 12pm - 3pm, 6.30pm - 11pm
Reservation Available? Yes
Walk In Possible? Not usually possible but try your luck
Website: http://www.robuchon.hk/


Date of Dining: 1 May 2014
Bill Per Person (Dinner exc Beverages) - HKD523

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