as a treat beofre we all departed from Hong Kong, we were invited for one last dinner at petrus restaurant at the island shangri-la. we were not expecting to dine here but were happily and PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. the food and service were absolutely top notch.
as many of us were exhausted from the new years party from the night before we thought that to order the four course menu was the easiest and most convenient option.
it started off with a few amuse bouches, the first one was a foie gras creme brûlée. a great idea that I might have to copy, you get the creaminess and richness from the foie gras with the sweetness and crunchiness on top from the CARAMELIzED sugar. a good dish to start of the meal.
the next one was a small salad of beetroot tartare, caviar and sago crisp. it was also a tasty dish, it sort of looked like a beef tartare however the taste and texture was much different as the beetroot still had a bit of a bite. the sago crisp was a nice asian twist to the normal bread accompaniment. the caviar was of course a nice added bonus.
the first course was a Heirloom radish salad, sherry cloud, and finger lime vinaigrette. it was nice salad and BEAUTIFULLY presented but was nothing truly special. the vinaigrette could have been a bit more interesting or they could have added at least one more ingredient to the salad.
the next dish however was more interesting, poached foie gras with duck bouillon and pickled round yellow turnip. i never had poached foie gras before so the texture was quite unique, as it was so soft and almost milky and the duck bouillon just enhanced the flavor of the foie gras. the turnips added a slight crunch to the dish.
the main course was RED SNAPPER CELERIAC, BLACK GARLIC AND BERGAMOT CONDIMENT. This was a very interesting dish, the plate itself looked so intriguing. the black color from the black garlic looked so interesting as you don't ever see something that dark and black on a plate. the taste also is very unique, it has some sweetness but also a slight smokiness to the taste. i don't think i have ever tasted bergamont, i feel like i have only smelt it in fragrances or candles. But it adds an interesting citric flavor that is different from a lemon or lime. it was quite a tasty dish with some unique flavor combinations.
for the final course, which was dessert, the dish was peanut mousse, Jerusalem artichoke, and white truffle. this sounded the most intriguing dish on the menu because of the ingredients and the combination of flavors, because when you think of jerusalem artichoke and white truffle you wouldn't associate it with dessert. maybe it was a bit too much for my brain and my taste buds to digest the opposing flavors, and many at the table also agreed it to be a bit strange. however i do like when chefs take risk, when they try to change or challenge the diners perception on what food could be or could taste like. i was for sure challenged and very intrigued however i was not completely convinced that these flavors worked and worked together as a dessert.
and finally the petit fours, all tasty. and yes we tried to scan the barcode on the chocolate but unfortunately it didn't work. all in all it was a delicious meal with many interesting dishes and flavor combinations. it was a great ending to our last night in hong kong, maybe it will be a well deserved place to come back to on our one year anniversary!
