When I think of Amber, I think of the sexy and provocative uni with caviar, the playful and delicious foie gras lollipop, the only cooked salmon dish that I ever liked…... and the lousy chocolate soufflé dessert (poof!!!). In that exact order.
The rest of the dishes from the degustation were good but not mind-blowing. I had forgotten about most of them after day 2.
But I will always remember the beautiful interiors. Amber uses a lot of warm wood and yellow
flowers which give the 2-Michelin star restaurant a very cozy and intimate feel. I could stay
on for afternoon tea, early dinner, late dinner, and breakfast the next day. And those gold
rods hanging from the ceiling... Wow. There were 4,320 of them. Yes, I counted.
"Which bread would you like to try, Madam?" our server politely asked me.
"ALL. Thank yoooouuuu!" I replied ever so sweetly. :)
But I don't remember finishing all, which I am always able to do at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.
The whole basket even. The breads here at Amber were just decent.
This raspberry foie gras lollipop with gingerbread crisp and beetroot carpaccio
set the bar really high that the next course left me rather underwhelmed.
Langoustine in organic tomato and watermelon "nage"
with espelette chili and coriander. It looked very pretty. :P
Hokkaido sea urchin in a lobster jell-o with cauliflower, caviar.
It was the perfect balance of components with the rich and buttery uni, salty
caviar, and delicate, nutty cauliflower. It tasted like the sea, only creamy.
Amber's signature dish was exquisite!
The sea urchin was served with a side of crispy seaweed waffle
Tasmanian salmon, confit and smoked,
avocado, horseradish and granny smith apple
Duck foie gras steamed then charcoal grilled with virgin pistachio oil,
salt-roasted beetroots in cherry juice and hibiscus reduction
Kagoshima wagyu beef strip loin, oven roasted, puree of "forgotten" cevennes onion,
braised short ribs with seasonal green leaves
Just wanted you to drool over my handsomely marbled beef ;)
French farmer cheeses matured by Bernard Antony. My favorite was the stinky one on the spoon.
Ultra sexy cutlery!
The desserts - the most important part of a meal for me - unfortunately, were such a let down.
Apricot sorbet and caramelized with florentine
a semi freddo inspired from the "calissons de provence"
Abinao 85% chocolate soufflé with cacao sorbet.
I wanted to like it, really, as I do all the chocolates in the world, but try as I might
I could not taste the 85%. This was so unfulfilling I wanted to cry. Waaahhh!
Coffee
I was more amused with the lovely three-tiered tiffin than the
petit fours it was carrying
Amber: 7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2132 0066