Hong Kong - Neighborhood

Wagyu Tartare

Buttered Tagliolini

Food photos are a must!

Bone Marrow Risotto

Potato Gnocchi with Iberico Ham and Parmesan

Cheese Selection

Chocolate Palette

Vanilla Ice Cream

Complimentary canelés to end the night

Review: For our first taste of Alba white truffles this year, Big and Small picked Neighborhood, a newly opened joint by Chef David Lai from Bistronomique and On Lot 10. The quaint and modern restaurant is situated next to a little park and quite hard to find at first. Once we were seated, we were presented with a bowl of "white diamonds" nestled on uncooked rice. We were like little kids at the candy store, so excited to pick our own truffle! Their truffles were HKD 26 a gram and weighed on a digital scale at the table. Our truffle was more than enough to go between the three of us. We were given a truffle shaver set to the thinnest setting and we shaved the truffle on everything except the cheese and chocolate dessert! I was recently told that white truffles are in fact very 熱氣 - you can actually get nose bleeds after consuming heavy white truffle meals! But I guess once a year won't do too much damage.

We liked the al-dente Buttered Tagliolini for its subtle flavours that let the white truffle shine. The Wagyu Tartare didn’t have an overly acidic dressing and the raw yolk brought a great texture to the dish. The Homemade Gnocchi with Iberico and Parmesan was light and fluffy but could’ve had more potato taste. The Bone Marrow Risotto had large chunks of delicious fatty marrow throughout and the herbs cut through the fattiness, but the rich flavours sadly overpowered the truffles. For desserts, we liked the intense and creamy dark Chocolate Pallete and we used the last bits of our truffle on Vanilla Ice Cream, so decadent! They also served a great Fourme d'Ambert.

Overall I think the addition of white truffles elevated the food, but without the icing on the cake these dishes would still be delicious. The portions are small but reasonably priced, great for trying many dishes at once. The vibe is perfect for dates and there’s also a full bar. Their menu changes every week, so I'm looking forward to see what they have in store after the truffle season ends.

I recommend: Buttered Tagliolini, Bone Marrow Risotto, Chocolate Palette

Neighborhood
Address: 61-63 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2617-0891
Hours: Mon-Sat 6pm-1030pm

Hong Kong - Amuse Bouche

Black and white themed decor throughout the restaurant

 Maguro Tuna and Sea Urchin Mille Feuille with Oscietra Caviar and Wasabi: I loved this dish. Layers of tuna and creamy uni complemented by a fiery wasabi sauce. The slight bitterness from the shisho flowers cut through the richness of the dish. And hey, who can say no to caviar?

Close up of the cross section (sorry it's out-of-focus!)

 Sautéed Sea Whelk, Scallops and Abalone with Black Truffle, Lily Bulbs, Jabugo Ham Reduction: This was a warm "salad" appetizer but the portion was good for a main course. All the seafood was cooked just right and tossed in a light savoury sauce. The mushrooms provided a beautiful umami element to the dish, while the lily bulbs were sweet and slightly crunchy. The combination of all the ingredients worked well together.

 Light Boston Lobster Bisque with Morel Mushrooms: This was bursting with umami, both from the lobster essence and the mushrooms. The morels also added a slight note of earthiness. You can't see in the picture but there was a lot of perfectly cooked lobster meat hiding in the bisque. Usually restaurants give you a couple of thumb size pieces (if you're lucky), but this time I had a whole claw and half a tail. The only downside to this dish was that it was a bit too salty for my taste.

Tuscan Artisanal Pasta with Black Truffle: This was my favourite dish. What separated this from other truffle pasta dishes was the consistency of the earthy and fragrant truffle sauce. The ratio of truffle to al-dente pasta was just right. The sauce blended perfectly into the pasta. It wasn't too creamy or watery, and coated the pasta evenly. The shaved truffle on top was icing on the cake!

 Roasted Cap of Rib Eye from US Brandt Beef Family Reserve with Asparagus, Parmesan, and Baked Bone Marrow on Toast: Ribeye cap is one of the most flavourful and tender cuts of beef you can get. This steak was exactly that - robust and juicy with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. I loved the charred bits too. The marrow was rich and buttery.

Sea salt and Black Lava salt: The black salt paired really well with steak. It added a nice hint of smokiness and brought out the beefy taste even more.

Crispy Granny Smith Apple Tart: Amuse Bouche's signature dessert - sweet caramelised apple on a crispy thin pastry, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Yum!

Verdict: We came here on a Wednesday and it was quiet. It was just our table of four and another table of six. I remember thinking to myself that I should probably lower my expectations, but the food turned out to be great! They really did a good job highlighting fresh ingredients. Every dish was delicious, save for the saltiness in the lobster bisque. Service was attentive. I would definitely come again!

I recommend: Tuscan Artisanal Pasta with Black Truffle, Roasted Cap of Rib Eye, Maguro Tuna and Sea Urchin Mille Feuille

Amuse Bouche
Address: 22/F, The Hennessy, 256 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Phone: 2891-3666
Website: www.amusebouche.com.hk