Dear Readers, it does not get much better than Pierre's at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong when Chef Pierre is in town. We are completely mesmerised. Bottom line: the fella is a gastronomic genius!!!
First and foremost, the bread. Ooooweeebaby, the bread! Only Robuchon is better...by a sliver. I truly believe some sort of addictive additive, i.e. cocaine - I have no experience, is mixed in with the various bits 'n pieces that make up these heavenly nibbles. I dare say I nibbled on one or two too many. No bread for a while...
The red beetroot gnocchi, white beetroot/herbs pure with green asparagus/tapioca and honey baby carrots was divine. It was only last year during our culinary tour of the UK that I removed beetroot from my "do not eat list". When prepared properly, beetroot is trés yummy. Pierre, simply stated, knows how to make beetroot fun. I thought the white beetroot/herbs purée was outstanding with its slightly spicy aftertaste.
The next dish was blue lobster aiguillettes coated with coral, tarragona flavoured with apple purée. Wow! Although I think lobster is over-rated and mine was slightly overcooked, the apple purée made the dish spectacular.
My grilled and poached - seriously - line caught thick sea bass steak with nettle purée redefined the usual skinny version of this often used, rarely perfect, fish. It was literally as thick as a steak! It was exceptional from presentation to smell to texture to taste. A winner!..... read more