Restaurant review: Cafe Epure in Tsim Sha Tsui does French classics very well, and the service is friendly

The little tea room outside the fine-dining one-Michelin-star restaurant Epure used to be called La Brasserie by Epure, but changed recently to Cafe Epure. It’s a charming space with a whimsical mural, and service that is friendly, thoughtful and proactive.

The menu lists French classics: escargots, foie gras and beef tartare, all done very well. You can order à la carte (and I’ve given prices for the dishes), but it’s better to order the set meals of three courses for HK$398 plus 10 per cent, or HK$488 for four courses.

Both Cafe Epure and Epure are part of Dalloyau, best known for its pastries, macarons and chocolates, so it makes sense that all the pastries and breads we tasted were excellent, including a light, buttery brioche that was part of the bread basket.

The same brioche dough was made into a “coffin” for the sautéed escargots with garlic, onion, bacon and cream (HK$118). It was a lovely dish, with tender snails and a sauce that was just rich enough without being heavy. Seared foie gras (HK$198, with a HK$48 supplement on the set meal) was soft and perfectly cooked, and the accompanying onion and apple compote provided a sweet contrast to the rich liver.

Polmard beef tartare (HK$198) was fantastic – the meat wasn’t chopped too finely, so it still had texture, and the seasonings were balanced.

A main course of button mushroom puntalette pasta with black truffle cream sauce (HK$188) was lighter than expected because of the pasta, which looks like rice, so it tricks the mind into thinking it’s going to be heavy instead of delicate and slippery-smooth.

Slow-cooked beef cheek (HK$228) had wonderfully soft meat with a delicious, well-reduced sauce. We ordered a bowl of potato purée (HK$48) to accompany this dish, but the hot, crisp fries that came with the meat were addictive, and we ate them instead. Duck leg confit (HK$228) had crisp skin, but the meat was slightly too salty; this was the only dish we didn’t finish.