Cepage
A sister to Singapore's Les Amis, the favourite haunt of many foodies and one of well-known British magazine Restaurant's top 100 venues, finally opened in Hong Kong in February after legal wrangling over its name. Deemed too similar to Mes Amis, a late-night Wan Chai institution, the Les Amis Group chose Cepage, French for 'grape varietal' - and a name that reflects the importance of wine to the dining concept.
The restaurant has more than 2,100 labels in its collection, and more than 8,000 bottles, starting at HK$430 and going up to HK$360,400.
Executive chef Thomas Mayr, who joined Les Amis in 2007 and now runs the Cepage kitchen, will even cook up a carte blanche menu - just let him know the wines you plan to open and he will create a menu to match. The fare is light French-Mediterranean, with signature dishes such as chilled Alaskan crab with green apple and avocado (HK$500, with Aquitaine caviar an extra charge of HK$180), and Japanese egg confit with truffled oxtail gelee, lomo iberico, and croutons (HK$210), a Les Amis classic.
But Mayr puts his own personal touch on the Cepage a la carte menus and degustation menu (HK$1,320 for seven courses).
The restaurant also offers set lunches of Mayr's favourite dishes (HK$290 for two courses; HK$360 for three; HK$460 for four).
On the tasting menu, Mayr swapped the oxtail gelee in the egg confit dish for white asparagus and Parma ham, which was a wonderful balance of flavours, while the pan-seared Bar de ligne in poivrade artichoke-fennel-tomato stew (HK$450 on the ?la carte menu) had buttery soft flesh and a wholesome sauce that highlighted the fresh flavours of the vegetables. The dessert - beautifully presented - was a rich dark chocolate Marquise cake with raspberry granite, Jivara chocolate ice cream and Tahiti vanilla (HK$190 on the ?la carte menu).
The restaurant has a simple and classic style, with a wine bar downstairs, private rooms and the main dining room upstairs, and a roof garden that is yet to be completed. Book well in advance.
23 Wing Fung Street, Wan Chai, 28613130
