La Table Brasserie is a hotel restaurant with a fairly good reputation for its location and pricing: warm hospitality, consistent food, fabulous view, fond memories of special-day meals, etc. In fact, many customers remember the place and return. The restaurant is also warmly received by visiting foreigners. Despite the endless disappointments trying out restaurants specialized in various western cuisines on the other side of the island, I felt I needed to check this place out. The verdict? Well, for a $1688 two-person dinner set (and a 20% discount for payments via HSBC credit cards), I would say the restaurant fell just a little short of my high expectations given the general consensus. That said, the greatest part was the ample privacy that almost every table had access to, and tables by the window come with a sofa and separate wall. And everything else was solid: food presentation was deliberate, the full floor-to-ceiling windows were a treat, staff were earnest and amicable, the timing of each course was excellent and the dishes were generally delectable. The only trouble was a lack of a wow factor and any kind of indication that we were having French cuisine. The flavor profile of each dish was made to be so general that it reminded me of Landmark Café, a restaurant specializing in offering a generic menu that is a blend of East and West. But it all comes down to expectations. If you are looking for ample privacy, a splendid location for a business meeting or to spend a quiet evening with a loved one(s), and you are a fan of western food in general, this might just be the place.
Food Rundown
Continental bread with butter
Scallop Ceviche with cucumber, capers and sea urchin
The scallop slices were fresh, but the sea urchin made the amuse-bouche terribly unFrench. A fine try, but not one to remember.
Lobster Bisque with tarragon
This is a richly seasoned broth with heavy taste of shellfish and well, salt and cream. The lobster bits in there were pretty generously served, which I appreciated.
Chilean Seabass with grean pea, pancetta and orange mustard sauce
This is probably the most inventive dish of the day–pancetta wrapped seabass with salmon roe, pea purée (we tasted pistachio) in a bath of a sweet zesty sauce. The fish flakes easily and are delectable with a smokey pancetta and a sweet kick from the pea purée. The orange mustard sauce was a little too sweet, however, and I would have liked the dish without it.
Australian Beef Ribeye with sweet corn, confit vegetables and morel jus
The morel glaze was a delight, but the steak itself was a pretty lean cut that lacked both char and the flavors of a premium cut of rib-eye. The bed of sweet corn purée was a nice try.
Classic French Lemon Tart, Peppermint Tea
Very zesty and lemony, and the serving size was considerate. Peppermint tea helped to end the meal well.
*I should mention that as La Table is under construction, we were relocated to the 15th floor, which is a temporary arrangement.
La Table French Brasserie
📍1/F, New World Millennium Hong Kong Hotel, 72 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀麼地道72號千禧新世界香港酒店1樓$$$, French
Tel: 23134222
Mon-Sat: 12:00 – 15:00, 18:30 – 22:30; Closed on Sundays and public holidays
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