Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco Hong Kong

Mauro Colagreco’s talent is boundless, and so, it seems, are his ambitions beyond the French Riviera. Though I never made it to Mirazur, once crowned the #1 restaurant in the world, I didn’t expect the ingenuity — as in salt-baked beetroot with caviar; or oysters with shallot cream and pear — to travel 6,000 miles intact. I also didn’t expect how soft the landing would be in Hong Kong.

At Plaisance, which Colagreco opened two years ago, the tells of a neglected child are there before the food arrives: a menu frayed at the spine; random stools cluttering the entrance; loud marine motifs throughout the restaurant; and a wide bank of windows staring at a sterile light installation. On better days, the restaurant’s decor may recall a rec lounge at a Royal Caribbean; on others, a Delta club designed by someone who’s spent too much time near, or under, the ocean. If your mind wanders, the studied menu reels it back with prized names, like Racan Pigeon, making few concessions to the local palate.

You’ll also find a menu that fixates on fruit in nearly every dish. Sweet Botan ebi is flanked by little curls of sweet carrot in a pool of even sweeter vinaigrette; an otherwise pristine Hokkaido scallop blighted by nondescript tropical fruit; beautiful persimmons brûléed until their sugars steamroll everything in its wake — pigeon, in this case.

To Plaisance’s credit, the execution is rarely at fault: except for gritty shortcrust pastry, beetroot ‘caviar’ that promises brightness that never comes, and underseasoned jus, that silky pigeon was a ruddy pink shielded by well-browned, well-rendered skin. And while their Spanish mackerel makes an unfortunate case that the safer overtures land better (i.e. fatty fish over a sauce rammed with butter and roe), the cooking is precise, and I swooned over dessert, which was (gently) sweet Jerusalem artichoke under a bloom of vanilla espuma.

The dessert convinces me that there are bright spots beyond the hospitality, which is kind and earnest and refreshingly devoid of airs. I’ll return when there are fewer plates sitting between the ideas. Less

I don’t tend to visit restaurants in their opening 12 months . Like fine wine , restaurants need time to find their peak.
So despite the all star team that @maurocolagreco assembled for his first HK restaurant, it had taken a little while for things to gel , but now that they have , @plaisancehk is certainly in it’s “drinking window “.

The ocean themed dinner menu has one particular nod to Mirazur . Salt baked beetroot with cream and caviar is a subtle and well executed signature dish . The texture of the beetroot is the star , with terrific depth of subtly salty abs earthy flavour . This was a faithful representation of the dish served in Menton.

Elevated crab “dip” kicks off the menu , Brittany brown crab and celeriac play well off one another and pops of finger lime bring the acidity .

A radish rose is layered with chutoro . The radish is fresh and subtle , tuna brings the umami and the dish is tied together with a beautiful tomato dashi that makes everything sing .

Blue lobster ravioli is paired with a duo of lobster jus , one light and one heavily reduced , very much enjoyed the wine match of the reduced bisque and radikon .

Tachiuo from Shizuoka is delicately handled on the char grill with a sudaichi beurre Blanc , honestly white fish and beurre Blanc is pretty much can’t miss for me these days .

A terrific Wagyu dish ended the savoury portion . A generous cut of Sendai Wagyu which has a little less marble than some of the famous Wagyu purveyors, however this was still remarkably tender and had a great mouthfeel . Alongside was a beef jus fortified with konbu and oysters , a light watercress espuma and a stir fry of maitake and taro . A very well thought out dish .

Dessert was a citrus based textural dish that is certainly a crowd pleaser.

A lovely night punctuated with great service from the @laisundining team . Less

Welcome to Hong Kong @maurocolagreco! Right after seeing him in Bangkok, I saw Chef Mauro again at the opening of his new restaurant @plaisancehk. With inspirations from the ocean, the gorgeous restaurant spans across 3 floors with a private club, lounge and fine dining concept all in one spot. At the helm of the restaurant is @helofischbach who had worked at @restaurantmirazur and most recently @ecriturehk. Usually new restaurants take a while to find its footing, but the quality of the dishes here was already very strong - definitely one of the most exciting openings of the year in HK!

Our menu:

- Kinmedai
- Beetroot Caviar with Huso Dauricus Caviar
- Abalone with White Truffle
- Celeriac Millefeuille
- Pyrenees Lamb
- Sake Lee
- Rosemary
•
Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco
Central, Hong Kong
#supermelHK #supermelCentral Less

Part 2/2

Missed the media tasting at lunch yesterday but was lucky to score a seat for dinner at the freshly opened Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco. The dishes were fab especially the kinmedai and the Pyrenees lamb. But most impressive were the smooth operation and attentive service—and for a first day. Yumz!
#hkeats #hkrestaurant #hkfood #hkfoodies #hkfoodstagram #hkfoodlover #hkfoodpic #restaurant #chef #eat #food #foodporn #foodstagram #foodies #foodlover #foodgasm #foodforfoodies #foodlovers Less

Part 1/2

Missed the media tasting at lunch yesterday but was lucky to score a seat for dinner at the freshly opened Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco. The dishes were fab especially the kinmedai and the Pyrenees lamb. But most impressive were the smooth operation and attentive service—and for a first day. Yumz!
#hkeats #hkrestaurant #hkfood #hkfoodies #hkfoodstagram #hkfoodlover #hkfoodpic #restaurant #chef #eat #food #foodporn #foodstagram #foodies #foodlover #foodgasm #foodforfoodies #foodlovers Less