Lunch at 1-starred L’Envol (“flight”) was a soaring rendition of modern French gastronomy at its finest 😉 Before I go into the food though, the restaurant was #designgoals. High ceilings, pristine open kitchen, crystal glassware, lots of space between tables, and plenty of natural sunlight are some of my favourite restaurant features, and L’Envol ticked all those boxes!
We went for the Allure Menu, simply because this menu gives you a lot more freedom to pick and choose your starters, mains, and desserts. For example, we opted for 4 courses and I picked 2 starters, 1 main and a dessert, whereas Jon picked 3 starters and 1 main. Allure Menu starts at HK$388 for 3-courses, HK$798 for 4-courses, HK$898 for 5-courses (+10% service charge).
The other lunch option, the 5-course Decouverte Menu is a chef's seasonal menu, with all items selected at the price of HK$1,388 and additional HK$1,088 for a 5-glasses wine pairing.
A highly refreshing appetizer of 5-spice grilled tuna, one of Chef Olivier Elzer's signature dishes. The tangy spice-rubbed tuna sits on creamy crushed avocado, and is topped with textural crispy shallot.
Another of Elzer's famous signature dishes here, the Brittany Razor Clams are cooked with white wine and lemon juice, served with luscious Kaviari Oscietre caviar grains on a bed of pressed caviar cream. The cream softens the highly concentrated flavours of pressed caviar, which is a unique delicacy created from a process where every 1kg of pressed caviar is produced from 6kg of caviar.
A close-up of the stunning razor clam & caviar dish. This appetizer will incur a supplemental charge of HK$280.
I'm a huge sucker for creamy soups, and if I see one on the menu, I have to order it. Especially if it's made with my favorite winter produce, chestnut! The Chestnut Veloute was simply brimming with herbs and flavours, with a nice touch of crispy potatoes for texture.
These aren't your typical Roasted Frog Legs. This particular rendition by Chef Olivier is served with pastis custard, a sauce originating from south of France with strong aromas & flavours of anise and fennel, elevated with the chef’s genius tomato butter sauce. Look how pretty!
This was Jon's crab appetizer, which I didn't get to have a bite of because he ate it up so fast!
For our main course, we went for the famous L'Envol Roasted Whole Yellow Chicken. This also comes at a supplemental charge of HK$380, and requires two people to enjoy. The chicken is local and has never been frozen, and the meat was intensely flavorful and delicious. I'd say one of top 2 best roast (western style) chickens I've had in Hong Kong so far.
Good thing Jon's a leg guy and I'm a breast gal - we never have issues sharing whole chickens. One of the a thousand reasons I love him as an eating buddy, too.
Can't forget the baked perfection of this Sourdough. Soft and aromatic with a golden crust, and sooo satisfying with the French butter.
I chose the seasonal La Clementine dessert, which serves French clementine in different textures with winter honey ice cream and pretty honey tuille. I'm used to eating Japanese mikan this time of year and actually have never had French clementine before this. Turns out it's just as sweet and delicious!
At the end of the meal, you can pick and choose your petit fours from the super-decadent Mignardises Trolley, stacked high with homemade chocolates, cakes and confectionaries.
My thoughts of the A++ meal summed up in a cheesy pic! Let's see if L'Envol receives that much deserved second star at the unveiling of the MICHELIN guide Hong Kong Macau 2021 later this month...
L'ENVOL HONG KONG
Cuisine: French, Vegetarian-Friendly
Tel: +852 2138 6818
Email: srhk.lenvol@stregis.com
Address: 3/F St Regis Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Online reservation: Click Here
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