Amber () Hong Kong

Four course lunch at Amber (August 9).

Started the meal with a trio of amuse bouches including the restaurant’s signature foie gras lollipop with a raspberry gel coating (picture 1). This felt a tad gimmicky and was not particularly tasty. Cute concept though! The soy milk panna cotta topped with a red pepper and tomato mousse was far better and very refreshing (picture 2). Not pictured was a tomato water-infused jalapeno kombucha. I was very pleasantly surprised by this one.

For the first course I opted for the aji with ginger, sudachi and daikon (picture 3). This was by no means bad, but still nothing special. My friend chose the soy milk burrata with tomato and strawberries (picture 4). Not a particularly inspired combination, but hats off to the chef for such artful plating.

For the second course I had the octopus served with tomato sabayon (picture 5). The sabayon was lovely, with a wonderful, concentrated flavour. Unfortunately, the octopus was extremely tough and chewy—definitely the major disappointment of the meal. My friend upgraded to the lobster risotto (made with coconut milk and cashew nut butter I believe) (picture 6). She definitely made the right call here. The risotto had the perfect amount of creaminess and the texture on the lobster was just right. The balance of flavours was also well calibrated—I thought the umami-ness of the lobster and the slight sweetness from the summer squash worked very well together.

For the third course I opted for the scallop and toothfish wrapped in a layer of kombu and daikon and served with scallop foam (picture 7). This was good, but not particularly memorable. My friend chose the chicken (a local breed from Ping Yuen in the New Territories) and foie gras with girolle mushroom (picture 8). Once again she out-ordered me as this was the far superior dish. The foie gras was creamy without being too rich and overpowering.

For dessert we both had the pineapple (a Taiwanese variety) with sake leese sorbet and matcha mousse (picture 9). The pineapple was super sweet and nicely balanced by the ever so slightly bitter matcha mousse.

Finally, the mignardises (picture 10). We had French melon, Japanese grapes, cherries from the US, poppy seed madeleines, and peach tartlettes. We were also served a non-alcoholic digestif (a cold brew “Monkey Picked” oolong tea from Fujian province mixed with raspberry puree) which was excellent and not too sweet.

Overall, my meal did feel a bit one-dimensional, but that is partly my own fault for going seafood-only lol. The service was great and on par with other two stars. Amber always excels in plating and the dishes today were all gorgeously presented, as expected.

A lovely experience and worth a revisit imo!