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2016-02-14
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Located in The Landmark, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Amber has been one of the top restaurants in HK, winning numerous awards including two Michelin stars, sixth in Asia's Best 50 Restaurants and Best Restaurant in HK by S. Pellegrino. It is Culinary Director Richard Ekkebus' contemporary interpretation of French cuisine.With warm ambient lighting, a bronze chandelier is the centerpiece of the restaurant. We were seated at an oval table, with nice, comfortable cushions and armrest, offering a reall
With warm ambient lighting, a bronze chandelier is the centerpiece of the restaurant. We were seated at an oval table, with nice, comfortable cushions and armrest, offering a really cozy and relaxing environment for the meal. On this front Amber is certainly setting the stage for an enjoyable evening, and strengthening my expectation for a wonderful dinner.
In order to try more of the signature dishes, we had ordered the 9-course degustation menu and I also had the wine pairing. And like many such restaurants there were some snacks offered for starter, which were delicately prepared and tasty.The first course was a Ebisu winter oyster with seaweed, potato and raw shallot slaw in tomato water cloud with chipolata crumble. The oyster was cooked in low heat to maintain its flavor and freshness, with a nice complement on the crumble and vegetable, served in a beautiful ceramic 'shell'. The wine paired is 2012 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling from Wachau Austria. A bit rustic in taste for Ivy but I am good for its flavors.
Next was Hokkaido sea urchin in a lobster jell-o with cauliflower caviar and crispy seaweed waffles. This is one of Amber's most famous dishes and after tasting I can understand why. The intensity of the flavors from the sea urchin, lobster and cauliflower caviar matches so well with the seaweed waffles, and the jelly and sea urchin texture also contrasting the crispy waffles, bringing the best of both. In addition, the wine paired was also perfect - a Junmai Daiginjyo from Tanigawadake.
The third course was parsley root cooked in ash and salt with shaved black winter truffle, pairing with 2010 Schiopetto from Friuli Italy. The parsley root was nice and flavorful, but it was the truffle which really stolen the show. The fragrance was simply phenomenal, directly hitting your nose even at a distance. Again the wine paired was a perfect match for this dish.
The fourth course was cuttlefish a la carbonara with quail egg yolk, pearl onions patals and smoked alsatian bacon. My other favorite on the night, the cuttlefish was prepared in a way to look like fettuccine, but without any rubbery texture. So delicious that I finished in no time, and the wine paired was 2010 Champ Divin from Cotes du Jura, which reminded me a bit on a Montrachet I had before.
Fifth was duck foie gras steamed with fondant daikon, radish and seaweed broth. A much more refined and delicate style than the traditional pan-fried version, with the acidity of the daikon balancing the fattiness, I would say this dish did not bring out the flavors of the foie gras for my liking. On the wine, the off-dry 2011 Schlumberger Pinot Gris Grand Cru Spiegel had a good aroma of Indian mango.
Coming to the main course Ivy had Miyazaki wagyu beef roasted with dulse seaweed and red cabbage slaw oxalis, horseradish and pepper berry emulsion, while I had line caught turbot with salsify tagliatelli, Jerusalem artichoke puree and brown butter sabayon. The turbot was really good and fresh, with the thickness so impressive that I could not imagine how large this fish should be. Interestingly as well, it did pair quite well with the 2011 Pares Balta Indigena Garnacha from Penedes Spain.
Approaching the end of the meal I had some unpasteurized cheese, matured by Bernard Antony. Not a strong cheese person I had picked Camembert and Morbier, Both were very good and also paired very well with 2011 Chateau des Fines Roches Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
For the two desserts the first was Amaou strawberries with hibiscus jell-o and yuzu granita, which had nice acidity and sweetness and highly regarded by both of us. And it was even more amazing when the 2008 Bella Ridge Estate Kyoho, with the signature Japanese grape variety matching well with the yuzu and strawberry flavors.
The other dessert was Kacinkoa 85% chocolate with ganache, fisherman's friend dust, peppermint and white chocolate sorbet. The rich chocolate flavors wrapped up a nice dinner for all of us, with the 2011 Le Plan Vermeersch Grand Territoire Doux from Cotes du Rhone accompanying. By this time I was already a bit drunk and almost forgot the coffee and sweets which I had later on...
On the service Amber is very good, I am particularly impressive that they checked with us whether we prefer something than cheese during the meal, as in our culture it is not something everybody liked. Ivy got a poached pear which was tasty, and this got Amber a much more satisfied customer than I would imagine if Ivy was asked to just take whatever cheese they offered. And during booking they also asked me whether there is any celebration on the day. In the end the restaurant provided Ivy a small box of macaron to celebrate her coming birthday.This wonderful meal costs $6,404 and certainly is not something affordable for most people on regular basis. But I would not rate it as overly expensive if considering the quality of the food and all the fine details in preparation and serving. By flipping through the wine list it was also quite reasonably priced for such a high-end restaurant. If there is a special event then Amber would be one of my choices, to both impress and provide a nice memory for all present.
My overall rating for the restaurant is 75/100.
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