Finally gave this exotic French bistro a shot for Super Monday.
It’s always a pet peeve of mine to be made to wait any more than 10 minutes when a reservation has been made prior. But hey, it’s 2-for-1 entrees, I won’t nitpick.
Anyway, we finally get a table… not actually in Bouchon, but at their next-door neighbour, Soho Spice. It’s kind of a weird setting, where the two restaurants are actually connected at the back. I assume both restaurants are owned by the same group. That would have been fine, if we weren’t given the most wobbly table in the house (our wine glasses almost fell off the table), and it was right next to the washroom- which meant occasional wafts of sewage.
Also, not being seated in the actual restaurant itself, made it impossible to get service. Instead of being able to relax at dinner, we had to try to identify the servers from each establishment.
With ambience like this, the food better be amazing, right?
I’ll let you be the judge.
We had the Escargots de Bourgogne, and Soup a l’Oignon soup to start.
French onion soup is my absolute favourite, and Bouchon’s did not disappoint. The soup was aromatic, with a nice portion of cheese. I just wish there were a little more onions, and that the broth was a little thicker.
The Escargots, however, was not equally pleasing. They might have forgotten the salt, so the snails tasted a little too ‘earthy’ for my liking. But maybe I’m just not French enough to comprehend the dish.
For my entree, I had the Tartare de Filet de Bouef. First off, I wish they could have provided a more generous portion of toast, especially since I ordered the 230g portion.The Tartare itself was a little too acidic for me. A great Tartare should have a nice balance of flavour and acidity, and while Bouchon’s was palatable, it just missed the mark for me.
My partner had the Entercote, which was just slightly overcooked. But still, the meat was tender and juicy enough, with a nice sear. The sauces, at HKD $10 each, were not a good match for the steak. I am certain that these are store-bought sauces, and not home-made. The pepper sauce had a chemical aftertaste, and was too salty. The Bernaise was one of the worst I ever had. Made me miss La Vache’s Bernaise so bad.
To end our meal, one of the servers dropped a knife on my leg. Thank God it was not the steak knife…
All in all, the food at Bouchon was palatable, but the dining experience was unsavoury. Given that French cuisine is synonymous with class and sophistication, our experience was anything but.
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