It was the third and final service of a collaboration between logy and Le Côté LM. With two teams integrated into one kitchen, it was no wonder that there was a distinct energy, which oozed out from the open cooking area into where I was seated.

[London] The Ledbury

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The Ledbury

Add: 127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2AQ
Tel: 020 7792 9090
Hours: [Mon] 6:30~10:15pm [Tue-Sat] 12~2pm, 6:30~10:15pm [Sun] 12~2:30pm, 7~10pm
Website: www.theledbury.com
Price: [lunch] £45/5 courses, £85/8 Courses [dinner] £90/8 Courses
Visited on: Jan 2013

Let’s start with the accolades. 2 Michelin stars, #14 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2012, London Restaurant of the Year 2012 by Food and Travel Magazine, and UK’s best restaurant for the third year in a row by National Restaurant Awards. I was lucky enough to snatch one of its highly coveted tables due to a last-minute cancellation on January 1, so this was where my first meal of 2013 took place. Elegant decor, refined service, and most importantly, dishes with delicate and layered flavors that are imaginative but not overly radical.

What a meal to start the new year.

Amuse bouche: Poppy Seed Tartlet with Gruyere Cream. Crispy, creamy, with a hint of cumin.

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[Sydney] Quay

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Quay

Add: Upper Level, Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, Sydney 2000
Tel: (61 2) 9251 5600
Hours: [lunch] Tue-Fri 12~2:30pm [dinner] Mon-Sun 6~10pm
Website: www.quay.com.au
Price: [lunch] 125~220 AUD/set [dinner] 165~220 AUD/set
Visited on: 2012-04

I was so mesmerized by the dishes at Quay that at the end of our three-hour lunch, all I wanted was to have the whole thing start over again. Peter Gilmore has the enviable ability to coax the elegance and beauty out of the best ingredients, then orchestrate them on the plate to form a harmonious balance – so ethereal that everything seem held together by not much more than a wish!

The restaurant is set so close to Sydney Opera House that I could almost grab it with my hand. Unfortunately the weather was not shining for us that day, and we could only enjoy the view through heavy curtains of rain. On a sunny day, the pearlescent white of the Opera House against the blue of the sky and ocean would be a most stunning backdrop.

We started with a glass of 2010 Krinklewood Chardonnay from Hunter Valley (17 AUD) and a 2011 Thistle Hill Riesling from Mudgee (18 AUD).

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[Shanghai] Issimo Re-Opening Party

Issimo

Add: 2/F, 931 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Taixing Lu / 南京西路931号2楼, 近泰兴路
Tel: 3302-4997
Hours: [breakfast] 7~10:30am [lunch] 12:00~2:30pm [dinner] 6:30~10:30pm
Websitewww.jiashanghai.com/web/RoomsAndRestaurants/detail/Restaurant/eng/
Price: [lunch] 118~148 RMB/set [dinner] 300~400 RMB/person [brunch] 288 RMB/person
Visited:  Feb 2012

Just came back from Issimo‘s re-opening party, an absolutely raucous event filled with people having a very good time. The 12-meter-long olive-wood counter was covered in a sumptuous spread of focaccia, grissini, mozzarella, parmigiano-reggiano, sun-dried tomatoes, pickled olives, ham and salami of all sorts, not to mention the cohort of waiters waltzing around with plates after plates of hors d’oeuvres…

2014 update: venue closed.

“More mozzarella? Some olive oil and pepper? Tomatoes! How about some olives? Bread, ah yes more bread!” The friendly chefs behind the counter served with such passion, I couldn’t resist anything they put on my plate. Not complaining.

Champagne, refilled a little too promptly for my own good.

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[Taipei] L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

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L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Address: 5/F Bella Vita, 28 Song Ren Rd, Hsin Yi District, Taipei / 台北市信義區松仁路28號Bella Vita 5樓
Tel: (02) 8729 2628
Hours: 11:30am~2:30pm, 6:00pm~10:00pm
Website: www.joel-robuchon.net
Price: [lunch] 1,280~2,880 NTD/set, [dinner] 3,000~6,000 NTD/person
Visited on: 2012-01-26

The dramatic black and red decor, with a sleek dining bar surrounding a central open kitchen. Yes, you are at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Like the rest of the workshops around the world, L’Atelier in Taipei fosters an interactive atmosphere between diners and the kitchen, separated merely by a counter. A vibrant and convivial vibe permeates the air as chefs experiment and create while diners witness the preparation of dishes right before them. Everyone is part of the action.

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon 

Bar seats

Open kitchen 

Table setting

If you have groups of 3 or more you can also choose regular tables for easier conversations, but that’s not nearly as fun as sitting at the bar.

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[Hong Kong] 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA

8 ½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA

Add: Shop 202, 2/F, Alexandra House, Central, Hong Kong / 中環德輔道中5-17號歷山大廈2樓202號舖
Tel: (852) 2537 8859
Hours: 12-2:30pm, 6:30-10:30pm
Website: www.ottoemezzobombana.com
Price: [lunch] 330 HKD/set (a la carte also available), [dinner] 800 HKD+
Visited: Dec 2011

I won’t be able to describe my dinner at 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA in much detail. It was one of those charming experiences filled with constant oohs and ahhs that in retrospect, everything is a blur – the copious amount of wine consumed that evening certainly contributed to the buzz. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

We were lucky to get one of the C-shaped booths in the corners, which provided a great vantage point from which to survey the entire dining room: a comfortable interior in a warm palette of bronze and cream, made festive by Christmas decorations here and there. The faceted mirror ceiling is a nice touch.

Corkage fee at Otto e Mezzo is charged not by the bottle, but by the number of people at the table (100 HKD per person), and in total we only paid 400 HKD of corkage fee for all three bottles we brought that evening (instead of 500 HKD/bottle charged by other high-end restaurants). It all started with a bottle of bubbly Egly Ouriet Brut Tradition Grand Cru (thank you J & C :)

The amuse bouche may look like a chocolate truffle, but it’s actually a cube of chocolate foie gras.


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[Shanghai] Fu 1015 福 1015

Fu 1015 福 1015

Add: 1015 Yuyuan Lu 愚园路1015号
Tel: 5237 9778
Hours: 11:30am-3pm, 5:30-10pm
Price: minimum spend 800 RMB/person
Visited: Oct 2011

If you’ve read my previous entry on Fu 1039, you know that the Fu restaurants have established a solid reputation for serving refined Shanghainese dishes in nostalgic old villas. The newest and priciest addition to the series, Fu 1015, promises to be more extravagant in all aspects. So is it really that different from its siblings? Let’s find out.

To fulfill the minimum spend of 800 RMB/person, Fu 1015 pre-arranges menus for all guests. Ours started with an Old Shanghai Smoked Fish 老上海熏魚 (58 RMB). Served hot, crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside, flavors all there. Well done.

Shredded Vegetables with Plum Sauce 梅醬十九上素 (58 RMB) was a tower of fried taro sticks and an assortment of shredded vegetables – turnips, red bell pepper, mango, cucumber, and the likes. A refreshing plate especially when drizzled with the accompanying plum sauce.

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