Since we were in South East Asia, I wanted to hit up some of Asia’s 50 best restaurants. At the time (December 2017), Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental was Number 3 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. It’s dropped a few places and currently ranked Number 7 in 2018. Also awarded 2 Michelin stars, Amber specialises in classic French cuisine with subtle Hong Kong influences. I reserved a table online after checking that online reservations open two months in advance. I booked a table for us at lunch during a weekday. It took us a while to find the entrance to Amber as we passed several high end designer stores. We still couldn’t find it after following the signage, so we found the concierge who directed us to some elevators to take us to the seventh floor. As we walked onto the floor, we were warmly greeted by our hostess who checked our names off the list and showed us to our table. The dining room has a warmth to it thanks to a gradient of its namesake colours while still remaining elegant. The dramatic 4,320 bronze rods suspended from the ceiling are an impressive sight.
As we sat down, our linen napkins were placed on our laps. We were given the choice of still or sparkling water, and provided with the wine list and food menu. There were several choices – the a la carte menu, a 3 or 4 course set lunch menu, a 4 or 6 course lunch degustation of signature dishes, or the 9 or 10 course degustation of signature dishes. We opted for the 4 course lunch degustation (HK $1,288 per person or approx AUD $212). Our (first world) dilemma was that we liked the 4 course lunch degustation but there was another dessert (the signature Hokkaido corn) that I wanted to try but wasn’t included. The solution? Order it as an additional dessert.
We noticed a small side dish with what I thought was butter on the table. Except it looked too white to be butter. On closer inspection, I could see a bit of fluff.
No prizes for me for guessing that it was actually a towelette. Our waitress poured a small amount of water and we watched it spring and grow.
We started off with an amuse bouche of sweet beetroot and crackers to kick off our taste buds.
Course 1 – the menu simply stated salt, sweet, bitter, sour snacks so I had no idea what to expect. Two wooden boxes arrived with our entrees waiting on top. As the boxes were placed on the table, the lids were removed revealing an additional two snacks inside. The salty snack were small round balls topped with finger lime (otherwise known as lime caviar) sitting on an oyster leaf. The salty taste was complemented by the earthy tone of the leaf. The sweet snack came from a tartlet of sweet peas. The bitter came from the spoons of Guinness beer mousse with onion rice bubbles. The sour came from the lemon meringues filled with lemon gel and sitting on a slice of lemon. This was an imaginative and fun way to present the first course and I loved it.
After this, came a surprise warm umami snack of chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard) with seaweed, tomato puree and nori cracker.
Course 1 – langoustine (a relative of the lobster) minced over airated aka uni (red sea urchin) with caviar, poached bamboo pit, and granny smith fricasse. This was an elegant, feminine and complex dish. The langoustine was so delicate and no element was made redundant. It was a blend of perfect harmony from the creamy sweetness of the langoustine to the tart granny smith and salty uni.
Freshly baked sourdough arrived next with salted and unsalted butter. The sourdough was superb. We were asked if we wanted more, and requested another half a little while later.
Course 2 – Cantabrian octopus grilled over charcoal with coulis of fermented bell pepper, pearl onions and octopus cooking juice emulsion. The octopus had been cooked perfectly – a nice chewy texture but not rubbery with a lovely charred exterior making it sweet yet smokey. The fermented bell paper provided a tangy contrast and mild spiciness.
Course 3 – Hakoo Farm Miyazaki Wagyu strip loin beef dusted with dried red onion skin and dulsey seaweed powder, peach, red pearl onions with damson plum in a shiraz reduction. As with the previous dishes, this was another great example of perfection. The beef had been cooked medium rare, was easy to slice through and so tender. The contrasting flavours of beetroot, peach and plum worked wonderfully to provide sweetness with some acidity from the onion while the radish puree provided a more earthy tone. This was one of our favourite dishes.
As mentioned above, I really wanted to try Amber’s famous Hokkaido Corn dessert and we ordered this on top of the degustation menu (HKD $438 or AUD $72). The name doesn’t sound like much or even like a dessert. The dish was basically all textures of corn with corn ice cream over corn cake, a warm custard, salted caramel popcorn and black truffle from France. I could smell the aroma of truffle (5 grams worth) as soon as it was placed on the table. It was beautiful to look at. I loved digging into the warm corn cake sponge and thick custard which reminded me of a warm pudding. The corn ice cream wasn’t too sweet and melted quickly. The caramelised sauce on top provided the contrasting sweet and salty flavours with the popcorn adding some crunch. The crispy feuilletine on the side was topped with corn and truffle sauce. I enjoyed this dish more than I thought. A well thought out dish combining several flavours and textures providing a pleasurable hit to the senses.
Course 4 – the degustation dessert arrived next. This was the signature caramelised milk chocolate ‘caramelatte’, a play of textures with cacao sorbet, praline dust, caramelised almonds, salted caramel and kalamansi. A fantastic balance of milk and dark chocolate which was light and not overly rich, tartness from the kalamansi gel and saltiness from the salted caramel. Every bite was sheer indulgence.
Mr FPJ swapped out his caramelatte for the Ethiopian coffee and hazelnut praline mousse with “ebene” chocolate ganache centre. The mousse was velvety smooth but not too sweet. The Ethiopian coffee ice cream provided a lovely contrast to the dark chocolate. Although it was a nice dessert, I didn’t think it compared to the complexity of the caramelatte.
After the last course, we were served some petit fours which looked grand as each item was placed on cold marble dishes at tiered heights (the marble plates must have been placed in the freezer before serving). As we had mentioned in our online reservation that it was our honeymoon, we were surprised with a chocolate mudcake with ‘Happy Honeymoon’ written on tempered chocolate. The petit fours consisted of yuzu sorbet, mango tarts, chocolate, ginger and marshmallow tarts, and classic French confection pâté de fruits in amanatsu (citrus) flavour. We were also served tea/coffee to enjoy with the petit fours.
We were both very full after 4 courses and an extra dessert. Service was excellent – friendly staff without any superior attitude. Our water was regularly topped up and there was a reasonable wait time between each course. The food is softly eloquent, well-balanced and it seemed each element and ingredient had a purpose. The view from the windows wasn’t exactly serene as it overlooks the central business district. However, the atmosphere was peaceful, (the majority of other diners being couples or business associates), and we got to enjoy ourselves without feeling rushed. It was a fantastic experience and I recommend it to anyone wanting to trying the best fine dining experience in Hong Kong.
Online reservations open two months in advance. Bookings are essential.
Amber
7th Floor, 15 Queens Road Central
Central, Hong Kong
Foodgasm 9/10
Value for money 8/10
Service 9/10
FPJ score 26/30
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