Twinkle Twinkle Two Michelin Stars - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Joël Robuchon, the man with most stars of all.

Being a fan of Iron Chef for many years, I recall the name of Joël Robuchon has been mentioned extensively by Chairman Kaga. He is the man who holds the world's most Michelin-star decorated chef with 25 stars under his belt. We cannot find a reason not to dine at L'atelier de Joël Robuchon while visiting Hong Kong. The food was ... scrumptiously good.



Being in the midst of Central district, this place is much busier on working days. Hence, we booked a table for a quiet Sunday lunch. As we requested a table near the window, the friendly waitstaff led us to a table with more comfy cushions adjacent to the garden, otherwise known as Le Jardin. "Perfect!" said ms foodwink because she could then take photos of our food from ALL possible directions, angles and compositions.

Although we were seated at the Le Jardin section, the waitstaff explained that we could order food from both L'Atelier and Le Jardin menus.



After we decided our courses, we were served with a stunning selection of freshly made mini bread, e.g. brioche, onion & bacon crust, almond bread roll, croissant, etc. Nothing beats a piece of mini bread that is crusty on the outside, warm & soft on the inside and eats with a big splat of butter.

Amuse Bouche (Royale de foie gras with carrot purée coulis and mango cubes)

Our lunch started with a chef's complimentary amuse bouche. Top layer was carrot purée coulis with mango cubes, chives and gold leaf. Hidden underneath was the foie gras royale. The subtle sweetness and sourness from the mango cubes cut through the creamy foie gras royale, creating a smooth but not overly rich finishing.

Le King Crabe (Alaskan king crab meat on a delicate lobster jelly and sea urchins with potato cream)

My first bite on the chunky Alaskan king crab meat was rather salty. Strangely, its combination with sea urchins and potato cream highlighted the sweetness of the crab meat.

La Langoustine (Scampi raviolis with black truffle and foie gras sauce)

Generous amount of shaved truffles sat gracefully atop the raviolis. Ticked. Sweet fresh scampi. Ticked. Buttery sauce with unmistakeable foie gras taste. Ticked. The verdict ... scrumptiously good.

L'Amadai (Crispy Amadai fillet with an aromatic coriander nectar)

Amadai is a type of snapper in Japan. In case you're wondering, yes, those shiny curly scales were edible. The scales were as crispy as paper-thin rice cracker whereas the fillet was a tad flaky but very tender.

La Caille (Free range quail and foie gras, served with mashed potato)

The quail breast was caramelised perfectly. Stuffed inside the breast was a layer of foie gras terrine. The quail legs were very tender and well seasoned. Did I not mention the crazily smooth mashed potato and the again generous slices of truffle? Hmmm ... absolutely moreish.

Desserts cart

We set our eyes on the pear tart, hazelnut mille-feuille and chocolate mousse cake. The chocolate mousse cake stood out as the clear winner amongst the three. The chocolate was rich, smooth and most importantly its subtle sweetness and bitterness appealed to our palate. I hate chocolate to be real sweet. This one was just perfect.

Le Soufflé (Hot green Chartreuse soufflé with pistachio ice cream)

The soufflé was soft, airy and light. It had a hint of liquor flavour which complement really well with the crunchy bits chocolate sauce and the pistachio ice cream.

We truly enjoyed the dining experience and the food, especially the impeccable desserts which ended our lunch on a high note.

L'atelier de Joël Robuchon, which is headed by executive chef Sebastian Lebinoy, currently tops the Miele Guide as the best restaurant among the Asia's Top 20 and was picked at No.53 in the S.Pellegrino World's Top 100 Best Restaurants.

Shop 401, The Landmark,
16 Des Voeux Road Central,
Central District, Hong Kong
Tel +852 2166 9000
http://www.robuchon.hk/

P/S: Thanks for still reading til the last few lines of this post. I have fulfilled my promise to write two posts while ms foodwink is away. She'll be back real soon. TTFN, Mr Foodwink.