I had to get my fix of at least one Michelin
starred meal and off to Joel it is! Uninformed me thought it is cheaper
than Joel locally but then again, the experience would be different. At
HKD 420 versus SGD 68, the price differences are
marginal. The menus at Le Atelier and Le Jardin are actually similar
but I suppose the ambience makes up for the heftier price tag at the
latter. Reservations are highly recommended as it was packed when we
went – counter seats for a full view of the open
concept kitchen (read: no glass panels!) is highly sought after.
I gleefully made my way to The Landmark, 4th
floor and bypassing the casual dining concept of Joel, Le Salon en
route up. Enticing much! The escalator leads directly into the dark
themed restaurant – splashes of black and red,
never looked more luxurious. The place was filled for lunch and
reasonably so given it is considerably cheap as compared to the other
Michelin starred meals around – HKD 518 at Amber or HKD 468 at Pierre by
Pierre Gagnaire.
Walking the red carpet into the restaurant.
Service is expectedly top notch and this all started at the beginning of the visit.
Open concept kitchen.
Open concept kitchen.
Their breadbasket is W-O-W. Totally puts the
restaurants that put that one loaf on the table completely to shame –
here’s Joel with a basket full of goodies and six types of bread to pick
from and refills are made without a single reminder.
Walnut raisin, baguette, sliced baguette, sour
dough, cheese, bacon and brioche attempt to tease palettes. Truly, at
Joel…I do not think twice about refills – who cares if I am stuffed to
the brim even before the meal begins?
Personal favourite goes to the cheese bread – tiny and greasy as it can be, the fragrance is unmistaken, the taste is an addiction and it lingers on so awesomely!
The other stars in the basket.
Personal favourite goes to the cheese bread – tiny and greasy as it can be, the fragrance is unmistaken, the taste is an addiction and it lingers on so awesomely!
The other stars in the basket.
Mini croissants so buttery and fragrant.
Baguette for that french touch!
Walnut bread.
Sliced baguette.
Bacon bread, yummy!
Thrice of these and I am completely satisfied.
The salted butter that came with it was hardly a second fiddle – if bread was a mister, the butter had to be his missus.
The salted butter that came with it was hardly a second fiddle – if bread was a mister, the butter had to be his missus.
Amuse bouche courtesy of the chef – mushroom walnut
cappuccino and foie gras jelly. Beats me how the ingenious team thought
of pairing both but I am way sold, so early into the meal. I am hardly a
fan of thin soups but this was light yet
complex without compromising on flavour. Loved the crunch of the nuts.
Foie gras jelly perhaps is nothing new but it was done so perfectly –
rich in flavour and buttery smooth.
Les Tomatoes
Assorted tomatoes flavored with sumac spice and basil oil
The French manager nodded his head in approval when
I ordered this, which speaks volumes I suppose! The only time I was
blown away by a tomato appetizer was at Iggy’s and Bo Innovation, and
ever since it has been quite a task finding it
on a menu much less being impressed. Four types of tomatoes in various
colours made this a colourful visual display. The simple sumac spice and
basil oil flavouring brought much flavour to this – loved it!
La Cerise
Cherry gazpacho with ricotta cheese sherbet and roasted pistachios
This fiery looking gazpacho was quite unlike one in
presentation, portions resembled that of a soup. Cherries hardly tasted
like cherries, infact a savoury version of cherry soup. The ricotta
cheese sherbet gave this an added surge in flavours
– not all of salty but creamy too.
La Cerise
Smooth zucchini “velouté” and Parmesan foam
Theatrics involved pouring of two soups into one –
one stellar one here. Zucchini in a soup, sounds ordinary but the
flavours were insanely delicate! The parmesan foam was like a biscuit
with the soup – two thumbs up!
Le Beouf
Pan-seared beef tenderloin, black pepper sauce and fresh sucrine salad
Four slices of heaven. Thick enough to showcase the
precision of grilling required – I’ve never quite had crispy beef with
such a melt in my mouth consistency, tenderloin but they made a wagyu
out of it. Fingers and toes awesome!
Truffled mash that sent me straight to heaven.
La Peche
French white peach compote, verbena jelly and vanilla ice-cream on smooth Tonka cream
No ordinary French peach, these gave a fizzy tinkle
on the tongue towards the end. Verbena jelly was wobbly smooth and
tonka cream was pretty much like crème brulee. L-O-V-E- is what this is,
nothing less.
Le Parfum Des Iles
Smooth passion fruit cream with vintage amber rum granite and coconut mousse
Presented in a glass sphere, this was hardly a
shooter-dessert but one with so much going on – every spoon sprung a
surprise. The grainite peaked with a spurt of flavour and melted into
nothingness. Passionfruit cream is hardly a universally
agreeable flavour but the team made this delectable.
La Boule Surprise (HKD 160)
Surprise chocolate ball with crunchy pecan, Tahiti vanilla ice-cream
The guys next to us were all praises for this and
swore that it is the “best chocolate dessert” ever. Trust the guys to be
such dessert fanatics so despite being stuffed, we made an order for
it! Thin crisp chocolate disc with a silver
homemade m and m on top a chocolate ball dusted with chocolate crumbs.
Bittersweet chocolate icecream and crunchy pecans make this amazing! No
fuss about a melting chocolate sphere but a highly interactive
spoon-cracking version. Worth the pimples and possibly
the best chocolate dessert ever.
To go with the beverages.
Coffee and tea were no ordinary caffeine fixes. The
coffee was interesting – the bitterness immediately evaporated the
moment it was swallowed, hardly lingering like most coffees do. Smooth
as can be and honestly, one of the best coffees
in set meals served.
Petit fours ain’t no dessert trolley but we were
already spoilt rotten by the dazzling display shown at Joel’s by now.
Crunchy praline pearls, macarons and fruit jellies to end the meal on a
sweet note. Loved them all and raring for a
return!
3 course HKD 420
4 course HKD 530
The meal was well paced without awkward pauses –
for that, it made it lovely. Service completely faultless and
comfortable, no signs of snooty service despite the stars that have been
accorded to Chef Joel Robochon. Floored by the display,
impressed hugely infact. Best lunch of 2012 and in a top spot for best
meal of 2012, indeed. This joins the kyoto restaurant for a repeat in a
heartbeat-kind of awesome.
Le Atelier Joel Robuchon
The Landmark, 4th Floor
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