SOMM at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental is a French neo-bistro with eclectic tastes

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental’s new French neo-bistro, SOMM, is flanked between Amber and Sushi Shikon on the 7th floor of hotel. Designed by Adam D. Tihany, who was behind the new and previous Amber, the sculpted walnut-wood restaurant is shaped like a wine barrel, with wine-hued banquettes and tables and bright lighting across the bar that lures you in. The casual ambience is friendly and inviting.

The wine selection includes more than 1,600 champagnes, wines and sakes, and with the caviar menu, it is a perfect spot to enjoy champagne and caviar, wine and cheese or wine or sake pairing with your meal.

We start with crispy white asparagus with tarragon sabayon (HK$158) and foie gras kombu jime, kabu pickles and lemon (HK$198) that came with warm home-made bread which was soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. The kadafi fried taiyouran egg with sour cream and smoked pike roe (HK$118) had a perfect runny yolk with firm egg white, which we enjoyed dipping into the warm bread.

For mains, the sake steamed then charred saba mackerel with lime, daikon and dashi (HK$358) was soft and succulent with a bitter aftertaste from the char; the potato gnocchi with Parmesan creamed morels and fava beans (HK$248) was perfect for sharing.

The light, creamy dish was deliciously moreish and we soon made light work of it. Our favourite dish was the grilled Japanese pork belly with Hakata cabbage salad (HK$278), which featured a good balance of meat to fat that was greatly enhance by the rich marinade. The salad was a refreshing balance to the dish.