Food review: Bistronomique @ Staunton in Central

I’M A BIG FAN of David Lai’s two restaurants, On Lot 10 and Bistronomique. But the chef had opened those establishments in areas that were, at the time, up and coming — on Gough Street, in the case of On Lot 10, and in Kennedy Town with Bistronomique.

So I was surprised that he opened Bistronomique @ Staunton in SoHo, which is an area that’s had a thriving and competitive restaurant scene for at least 10 years.

The space is reassuring — long and narrow, and with minimalist decor. It looks very much like the Bistronomique in Kennedy Town (although the new branch also has a downstairs dining area, which we didn’t see). The menu is exactly the same. And the food is just as good. Out of the five dishes that the three of us shared, we found fault with only one — the artichoke heart salad (HK$85) needed just a little more salt.

The thick slab of pâté maison (HK$88) was dense, meaty and delicious, especially when spread on the warm, crusty bread (which, presumably, comes from the Boulangerie Bistronomique in Kennedy Town). The portion of salt cod brandade (HK$98), served with thin pieces of delicate, crisp toast, was generous and had a creamy, almost fluffy texture from the potatoes which was interspersed with small pieces of the cod.

For our mains, we ordered the lobster penne (HK$298) and the beef entrecôte for two (HK$620).

The lobster, served in the shell (except for the claw meat) wasn’t the biggest, but it was firm and sweet. The artichokes and girolle mushrooms — which are unusual ingredients to pair with lobster — worked together surprisingly well.