Private kitchen Les Saveurs offers value for money, but is probably better kept for special occasions
Winnie Chung
LES SAVEURS
10/F, Universal House, 229-230 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, 2116 8883
One of the hassles of dining at private kitchens is that they normally cater to minimum headcounts. Only the more established are flexible as they have regular clientele.
Les Saveurs is one of these. Started by two Cordon-Bleu-trained chefs, Eric Wong and Jeff Chan, the French-Asian fusion Les Saveurs functions like a normal restaurant - albeit with set menus and an unusual layout.
Seating is divided into three rooms that offer great harbour views, each accommodating six to 12 people.
The dinner menu comprises seven courses (plus coffee/tea) for HK$788+ with an option of an additional cheese platter for an extra HK$88.
Our night started promisingly with sayori fish sashimi that was beautifully presented with a white asparagus panna cotta, pickled pearl onions and beluga caviar on the side. All the ingredients bonded well.
The house speciality was the fresh smoked salmon, which finishes cooking inside the smoky glass container at your table. The salmon, topped with a generous helping of smoked caviar, retained its smoky flavours but was deliciously moist inside.
We weren't big fans of the chicken and mushroom consommé, but we were delighted by the sous vide umeshu marinated foie gras. The foie gras was light, with none of the heavy oiliness normally associated with it.
The mains came with choices of a red wine and tomato braised Iberico lamb neck, charcoal smoked and slow-roasted prime USDA rib-eye and grilled snapper. We opted for the latter two: the rib-eye was acceptable. The grilled snapper was wonderful. We appreciated the juicy meat juxtaposed with the ultracrunchiness of the skin.
The orange chocolate mousse dome was a good end to the evening but the green tea millefeuille was too heavy.
With two bottles of water, our bill came to slightly more than HK$2,000 for two. It is value for money, but better reserved for special occasions.