Caprice Hong Kong

I don’t know when Caprice turned.

Twenty years ago, it opened with great fanfare in a tall room with crystal chandeliers that draped like tents, framing wide views of the harbor. The team came from Le Cinq, and the chef Vincent Thierry maintained the polish of Philippe Legendre’s kitchen, whose cooking, as I remember from the year prior, in Paris, was colorless but precise. You’d notice the tight haircuts; the way servers move briskly, with confidence; and the longstanding captain plucked from Gaddi’s. The food was classical yet thoughtful.

Not much on the surface has changed over my half-dozen visits. The dining room still shimmers. So do the gastrotourists pocketing another three-star and those influencers patiently photographing themselves before the food. But my meals there began to fade, and at one point, lunch was tended by unkempt server ferrying visibly flawed dishes, like prematurely carved venison hemorrhaging its juices onto the plate.

Those episodes kept me away until others insisted that the latest chef had found his stride. There’s verve again, they said. Go! So I returned, searching for the Caprice that once moved me.

It never arrived, but there are flickers of craft. The first of it from a $400 (USD) menu appears after a ferry of wan crowd-pleasers — an unremarkable beef tartare and a clean, if blandly austere, slab of foie terrine, with a muted fruit marmalade hijacked by black pepper — and it’s a consommé with enthralling depth, warm with ginger, coriander and timut pepper, that may have overtaken the lean sweetness of the red mullet, but still felt alive. Sadly, the denouement begins with flawlessly-cooked lamb undone by nondescript, mushy celtuce and an over-reduced jus, followed by a promised millefeuille that ate like a dense, day-old napoleon.

Caprice doesn’t have a true analog in Hong Kong; the closest is Singapore’s Les Amis. And while the latter unfairly bludgeons diners with caviar, the soul of its simpler dishes isn’t lost, and a meal there on their best day doesn’t veer far from a well-established, old-school Parisian eatery.

If Paris is the promise, this one feels like the postcard. Beautiful, glossy, and stamped long ago. Less

Not sure there is another restaurant in the region where I get as excited to visit when I punch that book now button , thanks to typhoon Ragusa I had to cancel lunch earlier this week so had the pleasure of hitting Book now , not once but twice .

This year @capricehongkong celebrates its 20 year anniversary, with its iconic HK harbour views , the brilliant service and the classics and new creations of @guillaumegalliot it is destined for many more celebrations.

A choice of 4 tasting menus confronts the lunch time diner, and I opted for the “Carte Blanche “ menu which is a mystery although it usually delivers a mix of new and classic dishes .

My dish of the day was a new creation ,
John Dory , matsutake , piquillo pepper mousse , mango .

Classically butchered and perfectly cooked fish , matsutake with coffee crumb , a punchy piquillo mousse , mango , coriander and lemon sauce .

The diversity of flavours here was a real pleasure .

Japanese sea bream with Japanese tomato concasee , yuzu and fennel gel and prawn head reduction mousse started off the meal .

The texture of the bream is intriguing with a density akin to raw squid , the Japanese tomato shines with acidity and some light herbs send it in a Provençal direction , the yuzu and fennel gel expand on the texture of the fish and bring floral acidity , finally the prawn head reduction reinforces those Provençal bouillabaisse like flavours .

Brittany blue lobster nage , coco de paimpol beans, sumac , coriander and yuzu is a summer version of the usual menu staple . The beans bring a lovely legume earthiness .

Roasted lamb , saddle and shoulder studded with buckwheat , mint condiment and stunning lamb jus
is a worthy classic , the balanced richness of the lamb jus is a bedrock of the dish .

A standout cheese board is a non negotiable here , from brilliant Comte , epoisses , Roquefort to lesser known French cheeses , it’s a great experience , and requires constant top ups of the house made baguette .

Pistachio souffle with rasberry ice cream is a classic finale , using both Iranian and Italian pistachios , this doesn’t require any bells and whistles , just classic pastry work . Less

First visit to Caprice this year and first time choosing the signature menu since 2023 , over half the dishes are different and it was one of the “new” dishes that stole the show .

Brittany Blue Lobster Salad with Green Pea Purée, Seafood Jelly and Oscietra Caviar - the lobster is sliced into rings and filled with seafood gel and topped with caviar . This sweet and salty dance is all rounded out with a velvety vegetal green pea and mint puree which sits somewhere close to a veloute . Served at room temperature the whole dish is lively and balanced with zero notes out of tune .

But first was one of my favourite dishes in the @guillaumegalliot repertoire .

Land and Sea Tartare Australian Wagyu Beef, Gillardeau Oyster and Kristal Caviar.
Again terrific combination with the salinity of the oyster and caviar balanced by the chive and parsley garnish , the beef is the soundtrack of the dish and is in harmony .

Japanese red mullet is glued to a scallop and mussel farce and served with a lovely light consommé which is deeply aromatic with Indonesian pepper and lemongrass .

Roasted lamb is textbook , served with a yoghurt gel , a replay of pea and mint puree and a rich lamb jus . Served with a terrific Nebbiolo, this is a killer match .

The cheese board is probably the best in the region and as the signature menu has downsized from 7 to 6 courses , I had plenty of stomach space to go to town on it .

A classic nostalgic dessert ended the meal , banana millefeuille with cocoa sorbet . The sorbet was extremely rich and needed some dessert wine for balance .

Speaking of dessert wine , Caprice has long sent you home with a terrific vanilla flan to enjoy the next day , they have now added to this by also gifting you a small test tube of dessert wine to pair it with . Amazing hospitality.

There is something about Caprice which leaves you aching to return as soon as you depart . Less

There’s this narrative around Michelin ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ that once they reach the top , they stop taking risks and stagnate . That is certainly not true with @guillaumegalliot @capricehongkong . Offering 4 seperate degustation menus along with the newly introduced power lunch , there is a wide and diverse amount of dishes for his kitchen team to nail down, which is truly admirable .

Today I opted for the Carte Blanche , a 5 course surprise menu purely at the discretion of the kitchen .

I was very pleased that the menu began with one of the signature dishes , Australian Wagyu tartare , gillardeau oysters, kaviari Kristal caviar , garnished with parsley dots , the finest snow pea julienne and a bold amount of gold leaf .

This is one of my fav dishes at the restaurant , the balance of acidity and salinity is spot on .

Norwegian langoustine with a forest of mushrooms followed (Paris , cepes, white truffle ) , alongside a Jura wine sauce , this was textbook .

A nod to Cantonese steamed fish followed , a fillet of Rouget ( I think ) was glued upon a prawn and mussel mousse beside a moat of ginger consommé. This dish is a role model for healthy and clean fine dining .

Lamb and mint sauce is a classic old school combination , the lamb saddle and shoulder along with a punchy mint condiment and a terrific glossy jus were a terrific savoury finale .

A very generous selection from the cheese board followed, I asked for the strongest cheeses and this was well paired with a funky swiss orange wine that dealt with every flavour note .

To finish , a terrific almond soufflé rocking with marzipan notes , a creamy vanilla ice cream and a 1991 Chateau d’Yquem. Less

Caprice is one of Hong Kong’s best international restaurants and well deserves all its accolades , but no matter how well regarded a restaurant is from time to time a menu just doesn’t mesh with your individual palate . Sadly for me this was the case this week, the dishes were visually appealing and there was just one dish I disliked but the overall menu composition was too sweet , With the last few savoury courses and dessert all leaning heavily on sugar .
Nonetheless I plan to return next month and as Caprice has a quartet of differing tasting menus , I’m 💯 sure that the next one will blow me away .

First dish is a great start , Alaskan king crab with crustacean jelly , oysters and Kaviari caviar - this dish really leans into the fresh flavour of the crab and its balance with the caviar . With Robuchon and Ducasse also having iconic starters which use basically the same ingredients, this one certainly meets their level .

A haddock panna cotta with cold potato , daikon and pike petrossian caviar followed , this dish did not hit for me . The panna cotta carried little flavour , the cold potato texture was not appealing and the pike caviar overpowered everything including the matching wine .

Beautiful Norwegian langoustine and a chanterelles tart were delicious , the lemongrass sauce seemed out of place to me , a classic beurre Blanc would have been more successful.

A knuckle of Brittany lobster was paired with roast beet glazed in chocolate , a quenelle of lobster coral and a ruby sauce made of lobster shells , beetroot and raspberry . This dish amplified the sweet notes and I was crying out for some savoury moments .

Roast duck was thinly sliced and beautifully presented alongside carrots , citrus fruits and Sauternes& honey sauce . Also paired with Chateau d’ Yquem which was incredibly generous , but by this stage this was too much of a sweet thing .

Cheese platter followed which was very well curated but I would have preferred to see the available options rather than have a selection brought to me.

Roasted peach from Corsica with a honey oat crumble and white peach sorbet was a refreshing and yes very sweet finale . Less

Celebrated my birthday 🎂 this year at @capricehongkong! Thank you @guillaumegalliot @suvegk @victorpetiot and team for the wonderful night and hospitality. The Brittany Blue Lobster with the delicious ruby sauce was my absolute favorite, the black truffle that Chef Guillaume just brought back from France was super aromatic, and the Alaskan King Crab Crustacean Jelly with the biggest caviar quenelle ever was certainly the most memorable! 😆
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3*, Caprice
Hong Kong
#supermelHK #supermelCentral Less

Lamb from Aubrac of outstanding quality, celtuce, chickpeas, lamb jus. At three-Michelin-starred "Caprice" at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong.
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#lamb #guillaumegalliot #fourseasons #threemichelinstars #troisetoiles_hongkong
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#mystorywithmichelin #michelinplate #michelinfood #delicious #eeeeeats #food #foodie #foodgasm #foodpics #foodporn #foodstagram #igdaily #instafood #instagood #instapic #julienwalther #picoftheday #travel #troisetoiles #willtravelforfood #yummy Less

Nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch), seafood consommé with Timut pepper. Amazing products. At three-Michelin-starred "Caprice" at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong.
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#nodoguro #guillaumegalliot #fourseasons #threemichelinstars #troisetoiles_hongkong
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#mystorywithmichelin #michelinplate #michelinfood #delicious #eeeeeats #food #foodie #foodgasm #foodpics #foodporn #foodstagram #igdaily #instafood #instagood #instapic #julienwalther #picoftheday #travel #troisetoiles #willtravelforfood #yummy Less

King Crab from Alaska, crustacean jelly, Gillardeau oysters, oscietra caviar. Sublime as always. At three-Michelin-starred "Caprice" at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong.
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#kingcrab #guillaumegalliot #fourseasons #threemichelinstars #troisetoiles_hongkong
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#mystorywithmichelin #michelinplate #michelinfood #delicious #eeeeeats #food #foodie #foodgasm #foodpics #foodporn #foodstagram #igdaily #instafood #instagood #instapic #julienwalther #picoftheday #travel #troisetoiles #willtravelforfood #yummy Less

Chef Guillaume Galliot has been in Asia for over 15 years but he has not lost his classical French education and techniques.
His cuisine is straight forward French with ingredients sourced from anywhere in the world. He is pushing himself to constantly refine the dishes until he feels satisfied with them. For example the pea soup, a new seasonal dish on the men was only complete until the added the almond foam to the bottom of it.
The dining room is big (55-60 covers for lunch and dinner) but the service and the kitchen can cope with this number sovereignly. Less