Hong Kong - Liberty Private Works

Cod and seafood dip

Snacks: Clam, Iberico 

Snacks: Quail Egg, Lamb

LPW Signature: Tuna, Sea Urchin, Espelette, Rice

Abalone, Butternut Squash, Risotto

Walu, Hearts of Palm, Celery, Apple

LPW Signature: Egg, Truffle, Parmesan, Caviar

Chicken, Foie Gras, Porcini, Crones, Black Truffle

Venison, Gingerbread, Cherry, Pumpkin

Banana, Chamomile, Fennel, Peach

Sea Salt, Caramel, Chocolate, Chili

Warm Madeleine

 Mochi, White Grape

Review: LPW is one of my favourite restaurants in Hong Kong. I think this actually might be my fifth visit! I still remember my first visit at its much smaller cash-only location on Wellington Street. The current Stanley Street location is dimly lit and boosts floor-length windows that show a great view of Central at night. The restaurant is one massive chef’s table that sits around 26 guests intimately. Throughout the 8-course meal you have a front row seat to watch Executive Chef Vicky Cheng and his team hard at work cooking and plating each dish. Vicky's creativity and passion shines through his visually stunning and equally delicious dishes. Congratulations on the engagement by the way! 

Yuls and V were my dinner dates for the night. We began our meal with a light cod fish dip and some finger snacks. We were then presented with a white tablet and a small test tube of rosewater. The white tablet was actually a compressed hand towel that reconstituted when I poured the rosewater over it. What a thoughtful way to begin our meal! We started with the signature spicy tuna, sea urchin and crispy rice.  I loved the contrasting texture of the tuna/sea urchin with the crispy popped rice. Definitely a decadent seafood party going on. Next up, the abalone was tender and sweet, almost earthy. The walu had a light crispy exterior and the apple-celery sauce brought a brightness to the dish. We also loved the signature egg and spinach raviolo nestled in parmesan cream and topped with caviar. This would have to be my favourite dish from LPW. Stuff of dreams! The egg oozed out perfectly when I cut into the raviolo and I mopped up all the egg/parmesan cream up with a freshly baked baguette. The caviar added a welcomed hint of umami. Did I mention that everything was perfectly seasoned? Next we had the foie gras wrapped in chicken with a generous shaving of black truffles. Our last savoury course was the venison, plated beautifully. Look at all the colours! At first I was a bit apprehensive of it but it was tender and slightly gamey in a good way. The cherry added a tartness to the meat and the gingerbread crumbs spiced it up. It was overall a well-executed dish because each bite brought something different to my taste buds. The desserts focused on contrasting textures and flavours. They weren't too sweet, which I appreciated. Don't leave LPW without trying a homemade mochi!  They're amaaaazing. We ended the meal with freshly baked madeleines straight out of the oven, and a mochi and a white grape test tube shot that looked identical to the rosewater napkin at the beginning of the meal. I love these fun little touches.

On a side note, Vicky's other restaurant Liberty Exchange (aka LEX, or happy hour invasion of that bit in between Exchange Square and IFC) serves up delicious and reasonably priced set lunches, small bites for dinner (think mini lobster rolls and salted caramel ice cream sandwiches) and brunch. I can’t wait to try the chicken and waffles!

Date of visit: January 10th 2015

Liberty Private Works
Address: 26/F, 11 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 5186-3282
Hours: Mon-Sat  7:30pm - 12:00am
Reservations open 4 weeks in advance

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