Those who frequent the Central and Sheung Wan area must have heard of the establishment Bonheur which serves upscale French cuisine at relatively reasonable price or perhaps you like to call it fine dinging at affordable prices or whatever you like to call it. Many friends of mine and many from the foodie community recommended me to come pay a visit and so I did with my friend M in celebration of my birthday. However, either we have overly high expectation or simply it did not live up to what we have been told.
We were the first to arrive and were greeted by ... 5 wait staff. The place was still filled with bleach or chlorine smell from their cleaning I guess. The environment was clean and minimalist, creating a rather comfortable setting. The set menu offered quite a number of selections in terms of appetizers as well as main courses. The staff was kind enough to introduce / describe voluntarily every single item on the menu slowly in minute details to a point that I really want to ask him to stop! There wasn't much point to read out what was written on the menu to be honest ... anyhow, we sat through the description announcement and continued to study the menu by ourselves.
I ordered the Seared Scallop with Fennel. What happened to my scallop? The precious scallops have been cut thinly in half, one in each corner of the plate hiding underneath the melting orange paste they call Uni. The scallops were sliced rather thin to get the really texture out of it. The greens / salad was rather plain, lacking of dressings. Disappointing.
My friend ordered the Pan-seared Foie Gras, Lychee Liquor Sauce and I got to try some as well. It was very well prepared in my humble opinion, rich in flavors and mushy but tender-y texture of the right thickness. I was happy without the sauce.
Mushroom soup was fair, pretty creamy and smooth to the texture but the diced mushroom seemed to be from canned mushroom for some reasons. I can be wrong so please go ahead and try it yourself.
The shrimp bisque (yeah shrimp and not lobster if I recall correctly) my friend ordered seemed very rich and strong. I did not try any because I am no fan of bisque, I say pass!
As for the main course, Char grilled US Prime Black Angus Beef Steak with Bearnaise Sauce. The marks looked very nice but it was overcooked (med well instead of med rare) and only hints of beef flavor! A bit dry and tough as well.
On the other hand, the Char grilled US Kuro Buta Pork Rack with Sauce Forestiere my friend ordered was way better than expected. Tender and somewhat juicy as well. If I return, I would order the pork rack for sure! Thumbs up on this one!
I have to say that this Mile Feuille of Mango dessert was wonderful indeed, the best surprise for the night. The individual layers of pastry seemed to be very thin, flaky and very crisp on every bite. (still not as flaky as the Almond Croissant from LE SALON DE THÉ de Joël Robuchon unfortunately) Together with the mangoes (and plenty of them indeed), it was a delightful and refreshing dessert. (plus I need my daily intake of fruits haha)
It was rather difficult to top the Mile Feuille of Mango, but the Earl Grey Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis was by no means bad in my opinion. A stronger earl grey flavor would be nice. The presentation alright but I personally dislike the use of those semi-transparent plate for some reasons. Then again, I am just being too picky. :)
Likes:- Pan-seared Foie Gras, Lychee Liquor Sauce - rich in flavors and mushy in texture
- Mile Feuille of Mango - plenty of sweet mangoes and very crisp and flaky pastry layers
- No corkage charge for wines and Champagne
- Seared Scallop with Fennel - flimsy scallops and too thinly sliced to sort our the texture of it.
- overcooked steak and lack of beef taste (very nice marks though)
Bonheur
6/F, The Pemberton
22-26 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan
Tel: +852 2544 6333
http://www.bonheur-restaurant.com/
View Larger Map
7 comments:
haha.. again..next time i think you should try their apple crumble.. i think they are as good as the Mile Feuille!
Oh Jason, where's the must-advance-order crab I told you about?? That's the only dish worth going to Bonheur for!
@Jin: I guess now I have another reason to return? haha
@CoRRect: oh yes Apple Crumbles ... I am thinking of trying to make it myself, what do you think? haha
i like Bonheur because they have free corkage and prices is very reasonable ..but haven't go there for awhile so not sure if their standard still the same..have u try Twyst, Fusion? those are almost the same kinds of "upstair restaurant" and no corkage as well.
I haven't tried what Jin has suggested - huh? What kind of crab? :P Please reveal for me!
But the only dish I liked the most here was the Kurobuta Pork - it was grilled very well, despite no using any special cooking methods like a Charcoal grilling of sorts! I like thick Bisque too as well as the more watery type Bouillabaise platter/soup, so to me this is the only other 2nd attraction.
The steak I had was terrible, as you mentioned.
I guess the only reason I would be back is the BYO policy and the pork as well. They give you pretty good wine glasses. As for the food quality in general - its very Hong Kong-nised and I reckon Jason probably can cook a better meal... : )
@Greentea00: Twyst? not yet but the name sounds interesting enough that I wanted to give it a try soon! I might try this place again but perhaps wait til they change their menu and introduce some new items.
@BABEDOLPHIN: I like the Kurobuta Pork as well way better than the steak! I am trying to find out what Jin was talking about regarding the crab as well, perhaps I will order that in advance when I return someday.
Thanks for your kind words but I have much to learn from YOU! :)
The crab!!! It's not on the menu so I don't know what the dish is called. Hehe sorry! We just saw it being served to the next table and it looked really good so we asked for it, too. The waiter said you have to order it in advance but they have one extra crab that evening, fortunately! Let me work on my Bonheur review so you can see the photo. :)
Post a Comment