Peter Verey

I last had @elzer.olivier ‘s food at his previous restaurant concept Seasons ( now with a branch in Taiwan ) in 2015 . Fair to say that @lenvolhk is a completely different style of dining and the execution is first class .

Razor clams and caviar kick off the meal , a very pleasant mouthful and I particularly enjoyed the pressed caviar cream that serves as the base of the dish and really lengthens the flavours on the palate .

The signature dish is Hokkaido Uni with Sicilian gamberoni and crispy fennel , it is a worthy signature, if I had to have a quibble it is simply the power of the chive garnish , the allium essence does interfere a little with the other delicate flavours.

A morel and veal tarte tatin is next paired with a limousin veal sweetbread and yellow wine sauce . This is exactly as delicious as it reads on the menu and anytime I see sweetbread as an option I am beyond excited .

Sea bass is coated with a tomato sauce blended with Tel Aviv spice mix , a burrata sauce , eggplant puree and confit garlic . Very familiar Mediterranean flavours delivered with aplomb .

A duo of Australian F9 Wagyu oyster blade is the last savoury course , one half is charcoal grilled with a vadouvan sauce , but I particularly enjoyed the braised section with potato purée .

The cheese course supplement is a must , I chose all the strongest funkiest cheeses , and the Munster finished with a plum vinegar rind is a must order .

Pre dessert was a unique hibiscus and grapefruit combination.

Before a classic Sicilian Pistachio soufflé with La Gauloise liqueur ice cream , faultless . Less

First time having a set menu at Jade Dragon rather than Dim Sum or ALC , and it was my favourite meal here so far .

Nuanced flavours that felt a little European at times and were somehow subtle but robust .

A trio of apps start the meal , suckling pig with caviar is probably a little over done these days but it’s a winning combo , but the deep fried Cristal blue prawn absolutely popped and the toasted sea cucumber and jelly fish with balsamic was a nice palate reset .

Braised imperial birds nest soup in brown sauce is a dish I would never order and I may have to rethink that . The texture was great and the soup/ sauce tasted like a rich roasted consommé, incredibly pleasurable to eat .

Steamed garoupa sat atop a Hokkaido milk custard , chicken oil and aged Hua Diao wine sauce , the chicken oil absolutely sung here and the flavours of the dish were profound .

Australian abalone was deliciously tender and served with a glossy liver sauce that shone on the plate , sea cucumber was deep fried and and stuffed with shrimp paste and a duo of mustard . Didn’t really think the mustard worked but the tempura pumpkin was textbook .

Live lobster poached to order and paired with udon noodles and a spicy yellow pepper broth, this one had surprising acid heat , but as the palate adjusted it became extremely enjoyable .

To end things ,the ubiquitous mango, coconut, sago pudding was reimagined into a modern plated dessert and no less delicious . Less

Back to Neighbourhood last night and ordered all the fav dishes .

The Salt baked chicken is a must pre order . Coming out of its salt crust , it is lightly tanned, perfectly juicy , and full of flavour . The rice is studded with morels plus all the chicken bits , gizzards , heart, liver etc.. are found after a bit of a forage . The rice also plays a starring role and you must grab your fair share of the rice crust at the bottom .

Mackerel was the smoked fish of the day , judiciously handled and the highlight just may be the horseradish cream which gives it the perfect balance .

Celtuce , anchovy , Parmesan is a terrific take on Caesar salad , utilising both the stem and Celtuce leaves . It’s delicious and I always ponder why I don’t try to emulate this at home .

Baby squid is served sizzling with a mix of garlic and espelette , mop it up with sourdough bread .

Seasonal veg casserole with bacon and black truffle is an excellent warm fricasee that also gives some salad vibes . Love the softness of the carrot and Sunchoke interacting with bursting sweet peas and then the savory hit of bacon and black truffle .

Thanks to @davidtlai for another great meal Less

Having tried every dish on the current tasting menu , the mission at Robuchon last night was to try the 3 dishes on the A La Carte menu that I had not as yet tried .

Started with a bang , white asparagus with Hokkaido sea urchin , black garlic and turmeric sauces . The fairly straight forward flavour profile of the Asparagus is a terrific canvas for the urchin , really loved this combination .

Next up were French morels , they were stuffed with more morels , and served atop a foie gras mousse and a chicken broth jelly . Thought the mousse/jelly combination was a little bland and the morels didn’t carry a lot flavour themselves , a few chefs have remarked that the Yunnan morels are better than the French and at least for those served in Macau I would agree .

Crisp scale Amadai was served with a melange of peas and bouillabaisse sauce . Crispy scale Amadai is certainly en vogue at the moment but not sure I really love the scales , they have to be shatteringly crisp for the dish to succeed and these weren’t .

The ship was certainly righted with a stellar cheese board which led to all sorts of happiness on my part .

While the food didn’t quite hit the mark this time, I will happily return soon to dig back into the signature dishes , the fact that the 17,000 strong wine list continually has plenty of amazing bottles available at below market price also makes returning here a no brainer . Less

My 10th visit to @ottoemezzobombana_macau , why ?

The food in the hands of @riccardolaperna is extremely thoughtful.
At times classical , at times ingenious , but primarily very clean and unpretentious. It’s the type of confident cooking that you can have again and again .

The service is second to none and oscillates between relaxed banter and professionalism. At some restaurants there are 1 or 2 such quality service professionals but at Bombana , you are having a good time no matter who you are interacting with . The whole team is terrific . On this occasion thanks to @urnotchloechen for being our primary host and sharing Shanghai coffee gems, and general food, wine and coffee wisdom .

Dish of the night was an unexpected special from the kitchen . A vibrant and comforting asparagus risotto , the rice was spot on al dente , paired with creamy asparagus that was neither too creamy or starchy but somehow velvety. The smoked ham gave a perfect emphasis .

A quality starter was Wagyu shoulder tataki , paired with batons of white asparagus , carrot and zucchini brunoise , Parmesan crisp , black truffle , beef jus . The jus had great depth of flavour but remained very light .

At some point Chef Riccardo tapped me on the shoulder and suggested a small bowl of Tagliatelle Bolognese , it is a suggestion that is not likely to be met with a refusal . Whilst bolognese is not on the menu , it is apparently usually available as an unofficial kids menu option , but there is nothing childish about it. A terrific ragu is jam packed with umami flavour and served atop excellent egg tagliatelle.

Blue lobster was served with vegetable brunoise , a fistful of black truffle , and a water free lobster consommé. Confident assured dish .

After the world’s best pre dessert ( IYKYK), a pistachio millefeuille balanced with preserved lemon was a lovely end to a terrific meal .

Can’t wait to return for many more visits …. Less

My 4th visit to @ta_vie_hk and the first one that didn’t occur in winter , loved the entree into spring flavours and I think this is my favourite menu here so far .

Dish of the night was a 20/20 stunner . Steamed abalone , Guinea fowl and Yunnan morel mushroom were combined with a consommé from the 3 ingredients. This was incredibly clean and flavourful, the broth had a delicious roasted quality but was certainly more broth than jus yet still packed a punch . The morel stuffed with Guinea fowl farce was terrific .

Prior to this the meal kicked off with a very Mediterranean preparation of Hotaru squid and padrón pepper with tabouli salad chorizo, fresh lemon zest. Nice bright start !

Japanese cockle and white asparagus, were served whole and in sauce form , nicely amplifying the flavours .

A signature dish of House-made pasta
with deep-fried Sakura shrimp from Shizuoka and Spring cabbage. Sweet and soulful .

Poached Oyster from nagasaki with soft shell made from celeriac and a Oscietra caviar butter sauce. There is no doubt this dish is prepared to highlight the RSRV Blanc de Blanc and it’s a flawless pairing .

Charcoal grilled pigeon from Bresse, France (medium rare) with leek, black truffle, horseradish, sesame oil, lemon confit, had this dish 6 weeks ago and it didn’t blow me away , but somehow this is now a highlight . The cuisson of the pigeon is terrific , the charcoal flavours well balanced by the condiments and garnishes .

Japanese white strawberry with pistachio cream pistachio sable, white meringue is a nice palate freshener and once again a great pairing with Ruinart rose .

Chocolate crêpe soufflé, with black cherry jam,
Tonka beans flavored ice cream is always a great way to finish the meal here , rich but portion size keeps you feeling comfortable. Less

Business lunch is a good introduction to Lai Ching Heen , flagship Michelin ⭐️ ⭐️ at the Regent .
I haven’t been inside this hotel since I stayed here in 2003 and it has had a very impressive makeover . Lai Ching Heen is located on the ground floor with a great view across the harbour .
High standard of Cantonese cuisine and service is a notch or two above what you usually encounter in Cantonese restaurants in HK.

Chilled South African Fresh Abalone and Jelly Fish

Tender abalone with jelly fish and a cider vinegar jelly . Good start ..

Steamed Crabmeat Dumpling with Assorted Vegetables
Steamed Lobster and Sea Urchin Dumpling with Sarcodon Aspratus Mushroom
Steamed Scallop Dumpling with Homemade XO Chili Sauce

Excellent trio of dumplings , loved the scallop with XO the most .

Double-boiled Sea Cucumber with Russula Mushroom and Conpoy in Supreme Soup- prefer sea cucumber to be soft and giving rather than crunchy but some quality conpoy really stole the show here .

Braised Fish Maw and Tofu Sachets with Seafood in Oyster Jus- this was outstanding , great texture on the fish maw , thick but balanced sauce and tofu stuffed with seafood farce , resembling a softened wonton . Delicious and memorable !

Wok-fried Kagoshima Wagyu and Assorted Mushrooms with Homemade XO Chili Sauce- have had many versions of this dish and here the larger sized cubes of Wagyu really played a significant role . This allowed more beef fat to release on the palate and the interplay of the fat with the XO really made it sing . A new standard for this dish .

Fried Rice with Diced Roasted Duck, Chicken, Crabmeat, Conpoy, Mushroom and Bamboo Shoot
Wrapped in Lotus Leaf- protein ingredients weren’t really all that discernible but not grumbling about fried rice !
Double-boiled Sweetened Dried Lungan Soup with Japanese Ginkgo Nuts and Peach Gum- still have t found a redeeming feature for ginkgo nuts ..

Baked Egg Tartlette with Gum Tragacanth Less

Back at @restaurant_petrus for another dose of @uweo ‘s clean modern classical cuisine . Complimented by one of the best by the glass wine lists in town , it’s a great venue to revisit again and again ….

Mackerel from Fukuoka was lightly cured and paired with a herbaceous cucumber jelly , zucchini stuffed with mascarpone and a light Parmesan foam .

Foie gras was melded into the shape of Dekapon and the sphere was stuffed with a perfect amount of Dekapon jam. Heston Blumenthal made this presentation famous , but for me this version was superior , the “fruit” both appeared more life like and the flavour was lighter and cleaner .

Lobster medallions and lobster ravioli were matched with a Vin Jaune sauce and a duo of caviar / fish roe , the lobster was terrific , the sauce and caviar perhaps a little high in salt . The young green peas that floated in the sauce added some sweetness.

Pork Belly from Spain was crisp and yielding , with the classical pairing of apple , mashed potato and also Celtuce . Great comfort food dish very well executed .

A strawberry sponge dessert was certainly not simple . The sponge was bruleed , crusted with pistachios and stuffed with both strawberry cream and jam . On top a quenelle of terrific strawberry ice cream , love the texture of fine dining ice cream so much softer than even the best ice cream shops . Less

After a week in Japan still had bandwidth for more Japanese kappo cuisine upon returning home . An enjoyable meal if somewhat flawed. Perhaps it just suffered in comparison to the Tokyo dining junket , but on the whole the ingredients didn’t quite sing to the same extent .

Cauliflower, Ancient Cheese, Firefly Squid, Black Truffle- cauliflower and rice were combined into a congee and paired with truffle , the squid which was mashed and had a certain funk seasoned the dish .

Bonito sashimi with garlic scape sauce - one of my favourite fish but this was not outstanding.

Red Sea Bream, Hairy Crab, Green Princess Onion- my favourite dish of the night , the bream collar was used for the flesh and nested atop a loose ball of picked crab meat , the broth from the sea bream bones completed a terrific dish .

Maguro and Uni hand roll - nothing wrong with a crowd pleaser .

Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, Japanese Baby Leaf, Spring New Potato, Grain Mustard - very European , the potato was paired with young leek into what was basically a Colcannon . The Wagyu tenderloin was slow grilled for over an hour but was just okay .

Mozuku Sea Moss, Ark shell clam , Fresh Urchin,
Baby Cucumber, Micro Tomato in Tomato water - fun presentation but ingredients didn’t really mesh for me .

Belt Fish, stuffed with Carrot, Yam, Shiso Leaf, Salted Plum sauce - very interesting Tempura, almost a Tempura Wellington but didn’t love the textures here .

SAKURA Trout, Usui beans, SAKURA Flower
Pickles, Miso Soup- lovely rice dish

Sancho pepper ice cream - great flavour but ice cream was icy .

Uguisu Mochi Less

With a slew of Beijing and Sichuan style dishes to choose from , I somehow accidentally on purpose tend to order the same dishes every time I visit Golden Flower.

The must order is the golden bronze Chicken wing , sprinkled with Sichuan pepper and stuffed with birds nest . It is unctuous to eat .

The yellow croaker and fish maw soup provides a collagen hit , lightened with white pepper and spring onion .

Kung pao prawn is one handsome prawn in a deep flavoured sweet and sour sauce that has no resemblance to the fluorescent sauce from the food courts of our youth .

A stellar fried rice with minced sea cucumber , abalone and prawn ticks the box .

Always finish with the homemade yoghurt with Beijing glutinous rice pastries . As good yoghurt is not imported into Macau , this is a simple pleasure . Less