Caprice, Glasshouse, The Butchers Club and Grand Hyatt Steakhouse

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Published: 4:00pm, 20 Feb 2014Updated: 4:03pm, 19 Oct 2016

Reach for the Stars

Caprice (6/F, Four Seasons Hotel, 8 Finance St., Central, 3196-8888) will be working extra hard this year to make up for its lost Michelin star, due to chef Vincent Thierry’s departure. Filling in Thierry’s legendary shoes is chef Fabrice Vulin, with quite the resume himself—the Frenchman has been head chef at various star-spangled establishments across the globe, including La Chevre d’Or in southeastern France. Vulin was appointed last September, but he’s only now debuting his own à la carte menu. Enter dishes with a Mediterranean flair, plenty of fresh seafood (especially fish: from seabass to turbot to John Dory), and a touch of the exotic (medjool dates and Moroccan spices make an appearance, thanks to Vulin’s entrepreneurial days in Marrakesh). To put a smile on customers suffering from the winter blues, Vulin has also incorporated black truffles into some of his dishes.

Breaking News

Gaia group has a new restaurant at IFC: Glasshouse (Shop 4009, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St., Central, 2383-4008), a casual fine-dine—yes, in 2014 this is no longer an oxymoron—that serves lighthearted dishes in a rustic, country-house type of environment. The dishes are generally western but with a dash of Asian influence, so you’ll be seeing oysters paired with ponzu, or foie gras served with tamarind. Being a big fan of Isola (also part of the Gaia group, also at the IFC), I’ve got high expectations for Glasshouse.

Bath to the Future

The Butchers Club (13C Sun Ying Industrial Centre, 9 Tin Wan Close, Tin Wan, Aberdeen, 2552-8281) has launched a series of sous-vide cooking classes for those who want to learn a fancy way of prepping dishes. Offered the last Monday night of each month, $1,500 per head buys a four-hour hands-on session where you learn how to marinade meat and seafood, vacuum-pack the goods, and “cook” everything in water baths of different temperatures. You’ll get to bring your creations home at the end of the night, and you’ll also be provided with a meal of sous-vide short ribs, as well as free-flow drinks during the session. Bookings of 10 or more at a time will get each student a $200 discount—so that’s $1,300 per head. If you’re looking for more sous-vide action after the class, you can pick up your own PolyScience sous-vide home kit at a discounted price of $10,500.

Lobstars

Indulge in more than steaks this season at Grand Hyatt Steakhouse (Mezzanine, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Rd., Wan Chai, 2584-7722), thanks to chef Patrick Shimada’s limited-time New England lobster menu, with seafood straight from the East Coast. Bring some friends along for a two-pound broiled Boston lobster ($1,080) served with lemon, butter, garlic and herbs (just typing that made my stomach growl). But of course you’re presumably here for the steak in the first place, in which case the Surf and Turf special ($1,280)—a serving of striploin or tenderloin and a 1.5-pound lobster—is the logical choice. This special menu is available throughout the month of March.

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