Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic

營業中

休息中

Hearing the renowned chef Anne-Sophie Pic, the female chef who got the most Michelin stars, is opening a restaurant in Hong Kong, it was with high expectation we came to The Cristal Room, her new project located on Gloucester Tower in The Landmark, Central. The restaurant also is in partnership with Baccarat, the famous French luxury manufacturer of fine crystal.Stepping out of the elevator, the staff of Forty-Five took us to the restaurant, walking up the steps to the upper floor. With a spacious, elegant, and artistic setting, we were seated at a comfortable banquette looking at the bar, with the open kitchen on the left side, and large windows looking out to the harbour on the right. I was impressed by the art showing the chandelier engulfed in flames at the entrance.I have ordered the 8-course menu Voyage ($2,980), as well as the 8-glasses wine pairing ($1,588), while my wife had the same but with alcohol free 6-glasses pairing ($688) instead. Head chef Marc Mantovani came to introduce the Amuse Bouche of Sweet Corn Pate with nice balance of sweet and savoury, Squid sliced in the form of spaghetti, together with black garlic mayonnaise, and Tartlet, having dill and saffron to go with the diced cheese with rich flavours. Creative and tasty appetizers. Very good.The first wine pairing was an interesting still white wine from Champagne, Bonnet-Ponson Griblanc 2020. It is a special white wine using seven different grape varieties allowed in Champagne, with a bit of oxidation reminded me a bit of Jura. Good acidity with refreshing palate, a natural and clean wine to pair with the sea urchin in the coming course.The first course was Hokkaido Uni. Very beautifully presented, the sea urchin was flavoured with Nikka coffey whisky from Japan and some fermented black beans to add to the umami with a touch of smokiness and savoury. Underneath was Chanteclerc apple jelly, with a mild apple taste and nice sweetness, together with nasturtium coulis, having a hint of peppery note to increase further the complexity of the dish. Excellent.The second wine pairing was Philippe Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Demi-Sec 2018. The Chenin Blanc was slightly sweet but had high acidity to balance, with fruity characters and nice minerality, showing a bit of salinity too. Interestingly I had the same wine the week before and this was noticeably sweeter than the last one that did pair well with the pasta.The second course was Les Berlingots ASP. Combining two of Chef Anne-Sophie’s favourite food, ravioli and berlingot, a French hard candy, she made a pasta in the shape of the triangular berlingot and stuffed with 24 months aged Comte cheese. Served with a tasty Roscoff onions consommé, with some freshly shaved Tuber Melanosporum truffle on top, this was another complex and deeply flavourful dish. Excellent.The third wine pairing was Barbeito Boal Reserva 10 Years Old Madeira. Medium in sweetness but more towards off-dry, the wine had a good balance of acidity so it was not feeling heavy or dominating. With walnut and honey characters, it was an iconic pairing with the salsify.The third course was Salsify from Eric Roy. The vegetable came from the large organic farm of Eric Roy in Loire Valley. Cooked with honey, beer and lardo, the salsify was very good in taste, with some parsnip puree on the bottom to accompany, and dusted with cacao nibs on top. On the side was a yuzu and black sesame sabayon, a thick sauce with refreshing yuzu notes, and fragrant sesame aromas. Overall, a good match among the different elements, harmonious and delicious. Very good.The fourth wine pairing was Movia Sivi Grigio Ambra 2021. An orange wine from Slovenia, the wine had good texture, with lots of honey and peach, and delicate honeysuckle floral notes. The sommelier shared that it was also fully biodynamic, a zero-zero wine. Good match with the theme of summer Provence in the next course.The fourth course was Brittany Blue Lobster. The lobster was perfectly cooked over embers, sweet in taste and juicy. Served on a beautifully orangish coral beurre blanc sauce, with a rich buttery taste, plus some lime zest to freshen up. The sauce had also been infused with douglas fir, a type of evergreen juniper, and rosemary, to enhance the complexity. A slice of carrot voile completed the colourful and appetizing course, with great taste and texture. Very good.The fifth wine pairing was Remi Leroy Mer Sur Mont Blanc de Quatre Cepages 2014. Blending the three typical varieties of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, plus a bit of Pinot Blanc from the same terroir, the champagne has a nice ripe apple, pear, brioche and cream characters, which was impeccably matched with the sauce of the next course.  The fifth course was the father of Chef Anne-Sophie, Jacques Pic’s signature since 1971, Wild Seabass. On the foaming Champagne sauce in the plate was the wonderfully seared seabass fillet, moist and cooked perfectly, together with an abundance of Petrossian Daurenki caviar on top. The perfect balance of the acidity in the sauce, with the savoury and saltiness of the caviar, together with the fine and delicate taste of the seabass, created an amazing orchestra of wonderful flavours. Excellent.The sixth wine pairing was Vanguardist Mourvedre 2021, from McLaren Vale in South Australia. With lots of ripe blueberry and floral characters, the wine is lively and not heavy. On the palate it was full of dried herbs with some nice sweet spices, and smooth tannin of dusty in texture. The spicy and gamey characters was perfectly in tune with the pigeon in the coming course.The sixth course was Bresse Pigeon. The breast of the pigeon was marinated with osmanthus and lightly smoked tonka beans, cooked to perfect medium rare with the pinkish meat tender and juicy. On the side is a chestnut tartlet, with persimmon, confit legs and mustard seed, with the pigeon jus serving as the sauce. My personal favourite on the night, with every element of the dish so integrated, it tasted like the flavours weaving between the tartlet to the pigeon to the sauce. Excellent.To transition to the pre-dessert, we were provided a small glass of non-alcoholic cocktail. Using milky oolong tea, coming from a plantation in high altitude, the tea leaves had been steamed over milk to get its special flavours. Infused with some tonka beans to add to the complexity, it was an interesting pairing.The seventh course was St. Marcellin Cheese. Instead of a cheese platter, Chef Anne-Sophie made an iced cheese mochi with smoked Madagascar vanilla, as she wanted to showcase the Asian cuisine in her dishes. With a good palate including sweet and savoury, the mochi had a nice glutinous texture and the rich and flavourful cheese fillings. Very good.The seventh and last wine pairing was Saison Fallen Quinces Vermouth, from Australia. Another interesting match, this came from a small producer, handmade using pineapple quinces, infused with different aromatics. Another very interesting pairing to go with the baba.For the seventh course I had chosen Chestnut Baba. Instead of the traditional rum baba, the chef had soaked in Talisker whisky instead, before coating with vanilla Chantilly cream. On the side was mandarin confit, fresh mandarin sorbet, a leaf made from chip which totally fooled me before the staff told me it was perfectly edible. Amazing in both presentation and also wonderful in taste. Very good.My wife had Le Millefeuille Blanc, which was made to a beautiful white cube, with the millefeuille having many layers of jasmine jelly, surrounded with Tahitian vanilla cream. The voatsiperifery pepper cloud, made from the peppers grown in Madagascar, provided interesting floral and peppery notes. Very good.The Petits Fours included three small bites. The first was a green rice pudding which had a lot of rice pops that reminded me of those seen in Japan. The second was a lollipop, with the meringue holding some calamansi puree inside. The final was a chocolate tartlet, with some custard fillings. A very good finale to wrap up a wonderful meal. Service was very good, with the staff attentive, eager to help and share. The sommelier was also very knowledgeable, and I was completely satisfied with her picks in matching with each course. Together with the water free flow ($80 per person), the bill on the night was $9,236. Not cheap, but definitely worth visiting to experience the wonderful ambience and environs, amazing food, and the impeccable wine pairing. 繼續閱讀

#pb食在中環 #pbfinedining系列🍽️ 中環置地廣場新開Fine Dining🍽️New Restaurant Alert 🚨✨今次介紹嘅呢間Fine Dining開業只有兩個月由獲得最多米芝蓮星嘅法國女主廚Anne-Sophie Pic同香港嘅餐飲集團合作而成 大有來頂🥰 佢位於中環置地廣場45樓 客人儲先到43樓接待處等職員帶去餐廳🤪 由於餐廳同法國皇家御用水晶品牌Baccarat合作 一去到就見到大型水晶燈 超靚😍 整體環境雖然唔大 但好寬敞 仲有好大嘅Open Kitchen 而且仲有一望無際嘅海景 打卡一流❤️.Lunch Menu有4-courses / 6-courses選擇 價錢分別每人$1080 / $2580 算幾合理😋Dinner Menu有6-courses / 8-courses選擇 價錢分別每人$2380 / $2880👍🏻 另外最特別係佢有Non-alcoholic Pairing 第一次係Fine Dining見到🥰✨Starter✨🔹Hokkaido King Crab🦀呢款前菜用左北海道蟹肉配黃金蕎麥茶+ 龍蒿葉製作而成嘅雪糕😋 佢嘅蟹肉本身唔太鮮甜 反而配埋雪糕、薄脆、旁邊嘅「小花園」食就可以帶神出佢嘅鮮味😍 食落微凍 但整體味道好夾👍🏻 如果蟹肉本身再鮮甜d就好🤪🔹Les Berlingots ASP ©🧀推介❤️ 好好食嘅前菜😍 用紫菜製成嘅三角雲吞皮嘅造型包住24個月嘅康提芝士 味道好濃郁 啖啖芝士味😋 再加埋忌廉、昆布整成嘅醬汁 食落好creamy👍🏻 我同男朋友食完一粒都大讚🥰.✨Main✨🔹Challans Duck🦆推介❤️ 鴨肉肉質好嫩滑 表皮微煎香過😋 配埋枸杞酸辣醬、用咖啡、牛油南瓜整成嘅撻食 感覺有少少中式元素 幾特別😍 整體味道好甜👍🏻 我地另加左$588落現刨白松露 味道更加濃味🥰 🔹Line Caught Mackerel🐟推介❤️ 呢款主菜比較日式🤪 燒過嘅日本鯖魚配用抹茶、西班牙雪莉醋製成嘅高湯😋 鯖魚表皮bbq過 非常香脆👍🏻 高湯有淡淡抹茶茶香 整體食落好輕盈 唔會油膩😍.✨Dessert✨🔹Seasonal Mango🥭全餐最失望嘅地方😐 我地唔明冬天嘅seasonal會係芒果 感覺呢款甜品放係夏天會比較適合🥲 佢將芒果整成唔同狀態 例如芒果碎粒、芒果醬、芒果雪芭 但整體味道偏酸 完全唔甜👎🏻 冬天食呢個甜品好似冇飽腹、暖胃嘅感覺 太空虛咁😞🔹Le Millefeuille Blanc🍮推介❤️ 要讚番呢款係特別嘅🤪 佢用左大溪地雲呢拿整成cream包住千層酥 旁邊泡泡用左茉莉花香打成😋 千層酥超酥脆 而且真係有超多層 配埋微甜嘅cream食 味道好香😍 食落好輕盈 唔會好漏👍🏻🔹Balade Non-alcoholic Pairing🍹Wine Pairing就見得多 Non-alcoholic Pairing真係第一次見❤️ 整個pairing嘅體驗到好好 例如有Sparkling Tea、Coffee等等👍🏻 每一杯飲品都好配合每道菜式 當中唔少飲品都抽左其中一兩款食材去整😍 一飲第一啖飲品就大概估到相應菜式嘅味道 幾特別🥰.整體✨ 呢間中環置地廣場新開嘅Fine Dining大有來頭 由獲得最多米芝蓮星嘅法國女主廚Pic同香港嘅餐飲集團合作而成🥰 店內外裝修都好豪華 周圍都有水晶吊燈 而且仲望到海景 真係無得輸👍🏻 食物質素唔錯 價錢亦算合理 雖然甜品有少少失望🤪 不過我都會想再去❤️Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic (中環)中環皇后大道中15號置地廣場告羅士打大廈Forty-Five 44樓 繼續閱讀

見到有好多網上介紹呢間新星餐廳, 前幾日還邀請了閨蜜陪我去. 可以說是一次極度失望的用餐體驗. 食物味道十分奇怪, 令我和閨蜜一邊食一邊摸不著頭腦, $1280的set lunch, main course竟然是超市買到價值$10的mackerel魚, 而且難食. 從來未試過食完fine dining之後個胃同心靈都咁空虛. 沒有order酒, 最後埋單要$1600 per head. 為咗唔好令大家有更多人中伏, 我特登register openrice寫食評同大家分享呢個經驗. 繼續閱讀

Throwback lunch at Cristal in late March.This is a restaurant that I was hesitant to visit after the underwhelming experience at P late last year - so much so that I didn’t even bother to write about it (and P is just 2 blocks away from Cristal and was said to be the most anticipated opening in 2023 🤔). Perhaps because of this mindset, the complete lack of expectation plus the company of J and E, the meal at Cristal was enjoyable. Decor was top notch. Loved the open kitchen that patrons get to see the Chef in action and the Baccarat crystal glassware. In terms of the meal, perfect execution from start to finish. Standouts for me include the Chinese peas from Yunnan, geranium rosat leaves and Gyokuro with Kaviari Oscietra caviar. Aesthetically pleasing and a harmonious symphony of spring flavours. Their interpretation of St Marcellin cheese in an iced mochi with smoked Madagascar vanilla was intriguingly delicious - especially for a mochi lover like me, it was heaven sent. The usual heaviness of cheese was removed yet its tantalising flavours were retained. I do not have a sweet tooth but their signature Le Millefeuille blanc (Tahitian vanilla, jasmine jelly with Voatsiperifery pepper cloud) was sublime. Not overpoweringly sweet and it was, as Cristal aptly described it, light and fluffy like a bite of cloud. It would be better had its flavour profile been more diverse, perhaps a smidge of yuzu might had it altogether elevated. Currently the flavour profile is rather singular and monotonousThat said, it was an overall delightful meal and an opulent affair. A well deserved Michelin ⭐️earner! 繼續閱讀

💎Découverte 3 courses💲888🍽️Appetizer 👉🏻Nishimera troutmarinated with liquorice and yuzulactic vinaigrette with kombucha and smoked pine oil🍽️Main👉🏻Challans duckmarinated with eucalyptus and coffee butternut squash and goji berries chutney👉🏻Line caught mackerelbarbecued and glazeddashi infused with matcha and Jerez vinegar🍽️Dessert👉🏻Herbaceous Tulakalum chocolateflavoured with pandan, vanilla panna-cotta Thai basil and Mexican tarragon ice cream👉🏻Le Millefeuille blancTahitian vanilla and jasmine jellyVoatsiperifery pepper cloud-未食之前侍應比咗支消毒噴霧比我哋 佢話嗰隻味會貫徹成日menu嘅每一道菜 但我自己就麻麻哋隻草青味 然後成餐飯都係呢隻味就zzz不過餐廳裝修真係好靚 吊燈擺設餐具都係Baccarat嘅design💎🫶🏻同埋好少可fine dine可以係open kitchen😗rating: 6/10〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic (Central)📍Gloucester Tower, Landmark, Forty-Five, Central🔗#7eating中環#7eating法國菜 繼續閱讀