Celebrity Life

Whether it’s an extravagant fine dining restaurant or a humble street side hawker stall, we are perpetually on the quest for delectable foods — whatever the occasion. So, for the ultimate insider scoop, who better to personally recommend the best eats around the world than top chefs who’ve seen and tasted it all. We go right to the source as international culinary legends reveal where they eat and what they order when the aprons come off.

Having been in Hong Kong for 10 years now, Culinary Director Olivier Elzer of French restaurant L’Envol at The St. Regis Hong Kong is more than familiar with the culture and food preferences of the locals here. With a buzzing food scene and competitive options for fine dining in the city, chef Elzer gets creative when it comes to putting forth fresh ideas on a plate. When out of the kitchen and into the dining room, here’s where the French native likes to unwind and indulge in Hong Kong.

For an evening of fine dining…

[caption id="attachment_171324" align="alignnone" width="3317"] Haku[/caption]

I have three favourite fine dining restaurants I like to visit in Hong Kong:

Caprice at The Four Seasons is one of my favourite fine dining restaurants. The whole experience is very elegant and exactly what you can expect from a 3 Michelin-starred French fine dining experience. The chef is great at creating well-balanced dishes with amazing flavours and they also have a beautiful wine list that always excites me.

Haku, is another of my favourite. Chef Agustin Balbi is very talented – as a western chef, he’s very knowledgeable when it comes to Japanese cuisine. He’s also really innovative, which surprises me every time as I’m always trying new dishes when I’m there. My favourite dish that I always order is the abalone dish.

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L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is also definitely a favourite of mine. As you know, Joël Robuchon was my mentor and one of the most celebrated French chefs of his era. The Robuchon family is still very close to my heart – it’s always great to go to the restaurant and sample some new dishes and signature dishes by a Robuchon – every visit is like returning home.

Caprice, Four Seasons Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 3196 8888

HAKU, OT G04B, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 21115 9965

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Shop 401, Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central; +852 2166 9000

For a cheeky cheat meal…

Belon in SoHo is my go to for a cheat meal if I want to eat out. Every time I’m there, I order their foie gras, scallops, and ravioli with cepes mushroom.

But when it comes to my all-time favourite Chinese cheat meal, nothing beats a whole roast goose which I can usually finish entirely on my own.

Belon, 41 Elgin Street, Central; +852 2152 2872

For a romantic date night…

To eat in, I usually opt for something simple like Champagne and caviar.

[caption id="attachment_171311" align="alignnone" width="800"] Le Pan[/caption]

But for a special occasion, we like to eat at Le Pan. The restaurant is located in Kowloon Bay, and what makes it unique is the whole experience – the chef is very talented, the kitchen team does some very interesting and unique work and the whole set up is very beautiful. The team surprises us every time with the menu and it’s a great experience overall.

Le Pan, Goldin Financial Global Centre, 17 Kai Cheung Road, Kowloon Bay; +852 3188 2355

For getting friends and family together…

Locanda dell’ Angelo is a great restaurant for large family or friends gatherings. The atmosphere is great as they have an open kitchen, and they serve great Sicilian dishes. The chef is Angelo Aglianó who mentored under Joël Robuchon, too. I recommend trying their red prawn pasta, as it’s very fresh and flavoursome and something I always order.

Locanda dell’ Angelo, 10 – 12 Yuen Yuen Street, Happy Valley; +852 3709 2788

For a healthy detox…

To eat out, I like to go to Daigo by Mori Tomoaki located in Sheung Wan. It’s a Japanese restaurant serving some of the best sushi and sashimi. The one thing I love most about this place is that you get to sit at the bar and admire the knife skills and attention to detail in the plating – there’s something really exciting about seeing the food prepared right in front of you.

The chef decides on the whole menu for you, so you know it’s always fresh and seasonal. This place is usually very packed as it’s a small shop with limited seats, so be sure you make reservations if you’re planning a visit.

Daigo by Mori Tomoaki, 29 Bridges Street, Tai Ping Shan, Sheung Wan; +852 2979 5977

For happy hour tipples…

Avize in Causeway Bay. This place is actually a shop! They have an impressive list of wine and champagnes from their cellar. It’s always a great time when a large group of us go there. You can sample different kinds of wine and discover some new wineries. And of course, you can also buy your favourite ones to enjoy back at home as well.

Avize, 17 Moreton Terrace, Causeway Bay; +852 2567 0883

What’s happening at L’Envol?

[caption id="attachment_171313" align="alignnone" width="6720"] L'Envol[/caption]

In order to keep our customers on their toes, it’s really important to bring fresh ideas to the restaurant. That’s why we change our lunch menus weekly and update our Prestige, Signature and Decouverte menus seasonally. Recently, we launched our Prestige seasonal menu which is focused on caviar and each of the eight dishes is paired with distinct, hand-selected species to complement the ingredients on the plate. Not to mention our extensive wine and Champagne list (we have over 800 Champagne labels!) that will pair beautifully with our dishes. We invite our guests to return time and time again, but for a new experience each time.

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The post Where Chefs Eat: Olivier Elzer of L’Envol at The St. Regis Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

I consider myself a fairly balanced person: I’m quick to sidestep monotony and committed to a respectable work-life balance without obsessing over that other balance (the one in my bank account). Suffice to say that balance is a rather important element that I, along with many other professionals in the city, strive for. So when the weight of the work week was becoming a little heavy, it felt felicitous to visit the French fine-dining restaurant L’Envol.

[caption id="attachment_148934" align="alignnone" width="1654"] Chef Olivier Elzer is now the Culinary Director at French restaurant L'Envol.[/caption]

The new restaurant is headed by lauded French chef Olivier Elzer, who cut his teeth working for culinary greats Joël Robuchon and Pierre Gagnaire, before his own restaurant, Seasons, earned a Michelin star in 2015. Having left that restaurant in 2017 to pursue other projects, I was delighted to hear that Elzer was back in the kitchen knocking out his unique and inventive approach to French cuisine once more. L’Envol, meaning "the flight" in French, is located in The St. Regis Hong Kong -- one of Hong Kong’s newest luxury hotels that has since become the haunt of choice for the city’s social elite and incoming travellers looking to indulge.

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I take the lift up to the third-floor restaurant and upon entering, notice the large open kitchen that spans the length of the main dining area like a large window display. It’s a spacious work area where chefs can be seen whizzing around prepping the meal ahead. The dining room is tastefully designed as acclaimed designer André Fu’s interpretation of a contemporary French salon. Eschewing elaborate ornaments and gaudy finishings, the space is instead sumptuous and stylish. A palette of stone grey, pewter and soft creams wrap the room with hand-painted silks that flow along the furnishings and walls, while the marble floor, chandeliers and gold accents fortify a classic elegance throughout.

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Then, I discover the cheese and wine cave: Holding 25 different varieties of cheese from France, its pungent aroma fills the air and I vow to get a cheese plate for dessert. Feeling sufficiently spoilt in the posh surroundings, I promptly take my seat to sample some canapés, including a cube of foie gras with ginger that sparks both my excitement and appetite. Others are less notable, except for crackers dipped in a lush cream and chive sauce from Alsace, where Elzer was raised. A warm assortment of bread also arrives; I opt for black rye which pairs fantastically with luscious Champagne butter. I am, however, quick to withdraw from the carb-loaded attack as the menu indicates that this is just the precursor to the five-course dinner “journey”.

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Meals come with informative wine recommendations from Chief Sommelier Tristan Pommier and for me, a crisp Chablis takes us through to the first course: a tasting of the black pearls of caviar from La Maison Nordique. I dive into the two dishes and begin with the delicate-tasting Ossetra harvested from Russian sturgeon. It’s layered with beef consommé jelly and horseradish topped with the sweet, nutty pops of caviar. Next, a textural play of sweet razor clam tartare is flourished with horseradish cream and the larger, briny beads of Shadi which come from schrenkii fish in China. It’s a really strong start and pulls me into submission for the courses to come.

Along with Elzer’s comeback is the return of his signature five-spiced tuna, which fans may fondly remember from Seasons. Lightly seared slices of tuna flirt with the zing of citrus and crispy shallots, mellowed by creamy, crushed avocado. Although not exactly the inspired new dish that I’d hoped for, it remains a favourite and a good balance of flavours that I gladly welcome onto L’Envol’s menu.

[caption id="attachment_148939" align="alignnone" width="1890"] Roasted John Dory is served with an aubergine confit and red wine sauce.[/caption]

Next there are more wholesome dishes: Roasted John Dory from Brittany reels us in while dismissing the antiquated wine adage of “white with fish and red with meat”. Cooked in white wine, the fish is more firm than flaky, but it makes for the ideal canvas painted with rich red wine sauce and meaty Fukuokan aubergine confit. A change of wine pace moves us onto a supple Syrah from Maxime Graillot Domaine des Lises, which is fruity and spicy on the nose but delightfully savoury on the palate. It’s paired with the next dish of the night, a flawlessly seared beef fillet from Kagoshima, glazed in glossy overcoat of French morels, escorted by crunchy potato tubes and the pointy tips of spring: Jérôme Galis green asparagus.

[caption id="attachment_148937" align="alignnone" width="2244"] Poached rhubarb, lemon Chantilly cream and white peach sorbet.[/caption]

Contrary to expectations, dessert is light, bright and fresh. Rhubarb poached in a verbena syrup sits atop lemon Chantilly cream and a soft square sponge. But it’s the quenelle of white peach sorbet that injects a taste of summer and the sharp creaminess that the dish craves. The cheese trolley warrants a special commendation as it visits the tables like a French Santa Claus bearing decadent gifts. Our selection includes the mountain cheese Reblochon, soft and creamy Saint-Marcellin, Cathare goat cheese and the buttery classic Sainte Maures -- all of which are intensified in flavour with freshly cut honeycomb and slathered on warm ginger bread, which deserves credit all on its own, too.

Before I slip into a cheese-induced coma, I pry myself away from the trolley and into a taxi home, where I brood over the meal and how all the elements seemed to key into one another. As anticipated, Elzer’s skills illustrate impeccable control and execution, but it’s the blend of harmonised flavours and melodic sequence of menu items that are truly exemplary. Some old and some new, some sensational and some definitely tamer, but always perfectly balanced. So when I need the scales to be tipped upwards again, you know where you’ll find me.

Perfect for: celebrating special occasions and indulgent dining with loved ones

Hours: Daily for lunch from 12:00 noon to 2:30pm, and dinner from 6:30pm to 10:30pm

The post Review: L’Envol Takes Off with Fine French Cuisine and Lands Perfectly Balanced on Our Plates appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s finest restaurants will come together to take part in the inaugural Elite Dining Week which runs from 3 to 13 November 2016 in Hong Kong. One of the participants – Seasons by Olivier E. – hosted us to preview their special 6-courses tasting menu. The Elite Dining Week is a culinary event organized by DiningCity – an online dining…

The post Inaugurating the Elite Dining Week in Hong Kong appeared first on The Luxe Insider.