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Interior of Terroir Parisien in Central.

Newly opened Terroir Parisien in Central – Yannick Alléno’s French bistro has finally arrived

Early indications show it has been worth the wait for the three Michelin star chef, whose first Hong Kong restaurant opened in the Landmark Prince’s shopping mall last month

It has been at least two years since it was announced that the three Michelin star French chef Yannick Alléno would be opening a restaurant in Hong Kong. Rumours were rife about where it would be. Several months ago, a hoarding in the Landmark Prince’s shopping mall announced that Terroir Parisien, a French bistro, would be opening in May. It finally opened last month – Alléno had arrived.

We visited the restaurant a week after it opened and were surprised to find it very quiet, with only a handful of tables occupied. There wasn’t much of an atmosphere in the chestnut-coloured interior, which features pictures of Paris and the French countryside on the walls. There is an open kitchen at the back, which can get quite noisy when chefs are whisking Béarnaise sauce over the stove.

Why one of world’s top chefs opened a bistro in Hong Kong – it’s a social laboratory, says France’s Yannick Alléno

The straightforward bistro menu offers a number of tempting dishes. We started with snails baked in Paris mushroom caps (HK$138), but could hardly taste the snails as they were overwhelmed by the mushrooms and generous amounts of garlic butter and parsley. My dining companion enjoyed mopping up the garlic butter with some crusty bread.

Charolais rib-eye with Béarnaise sauce and French fries.

Our main course of Charolais rib-eye with Béarnaise sauce and French fries (HK$558) was highly recommended by the waiting staff. We were told it was 12 ounces (340g), which turned out to be sufficient for two, after we trimmed off the excess fat. The meat was perfectly grilled to medium rare and was so moist it didn’t need the Béarnaise; instead, we used the sauce for our fries.

Interior of Terroir Parisien.

We were impressed by the seasonal sauté vegetables (HK$88), a small pot filled with green beans, carrots, parsnips, onions and spring onions in a light buttery sauce.

Christian Parra’s black pudding and soft potato purée.

We also shared Christian Parra’s black pudding and soft potato purée. The black pudding here isn’t for everyone – it is very soft and includes some meat and fat to bind the blood together. It went well with the potato purée, but the addition of something crunchy would have been nice to provide textural contrast.

Gateau Saint Honoré.

For dessert we had the Gateau Saint Honoré (HK$88), a slice of flaky pastry with kirsch custard. It came topped with Chantilly cream and mini caramelised choux puffs that were crunchy, soft and not too sweet.

Terroir Parisien Shop M20-24, M/F, Landmark Prince’s, 10 Chater Road, Central, tel: 2522 9990.

Other nearby places we’ve tried recently:

Restaurant review: Moi Moi by Luke Nguyen in Central lives up to expectations with bright, intensely flavoured dishes

Restaurant review: TokyoLima in Central – Peruvian Japanese fusion

Restaurant review: Mugung Hanwoo Beef Specialist, Central – good for beef lovers, but other dishes are disappointing

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