Michelin one-star chef Claude Taffarello is in Hong Kong for Le French May, and is cooking his specialities at La Brasserie in the Marco Polo Gateway in Tsim Sha Tsui and at the Verandah in the Repulse Bay. His restaurant, Auberge du Poids Public, is in Saint Felix in France.
Taffarello will be at La Brasserie until Sunday, but his a la carte dishes will remain on the menu until May 29. The dishes include rabbit with mixed leaf salad and coulis of prunes, noisettes of roast pig's trotters with gratin potatoes, duck liver and spiced polenta with turnips and zucchini, cassoulet of lobster with fava beans, and chocolate fritters with mascarpone cream. For reservations, phone 2113 7925.
At the Verandah in the Repulse Bay, Taffarello is cooking for one night only, for a dinner pairing his food with a selection of wines from Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The five-course dinner on May 15 includes duck liver with spices and mango chutney, served with the Baron Philippe de Rothschild Collection 2001, and spider crab soup served in its shell with white bean and saffron puree, paired with the Chardonnay Reserva 2001 from Chile. The main course of lamb shank braised with oranges is served with the Baron'arques 2000, while the cheese course of roasted goat's cheese and mesclun salad with grilled pine nuts is served with two wines, the Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1994 and Chateau Clerc-Milon 1995. The dinner is $988 plus 10 per cent. Phone 2812 2722.
The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Central is featuring the wines of Antinori at a dinner on May 13. The six-course meal in Toscana includes asparagus risotto and sauteed sweetbreads, paired with the winery's Cervaro della Sala 2001, while the renowned Antinori Solaia 2000 and Tignanello 2000 will be served with the main course of lamb medallions in olive oil with foie gras sauce and pumpkin puree. The dinner costs $888 plus 10 per cent. For bookings, call 2532 2062.
The Hotel Nikko Hongkong is serving spicy Sichuan dishes until the end of May at its Chinese restaurant, Toh Lee. The dishes include shredded pig's ear with chilli sauce, sliced pork with minced garlic and soy sauce, chicken with homemade chilli sauce, and sauteed shredded eel with bamboo shoots and chilli. Reservations on 2313 4225.
