French restaurant review: Artisan de la Truffe in Harbour City, Hong Kong
Truffles 24/7 in Harbour City
As if Harbour City couldn’t get any larger, they’ve recently opened the new OTE complex. Paper Moon, Hexa and Gordon Ramsay’s Maze Grill are all here, as is the Hong Kong outpost of the Parisian restaurant Artisan de la Truffe.
The name says it all. This is your place for all things truffle.
The restaurant looks fairly unassuming on the outside, but is very sleek on the inside. We visited on a weekday evening, and the restaurant was very full despite having only been open for a few weeks. A nice atmosphere (and with a view!) with reasonable pricing is always a good thing in Hong Kong.
We started with the Planche de L’Artisan ($258), a lovely meat and cheese sharing platter with taramasalata. The Gouda, Tete de Moine, and Brie were all very fresh and truffle infused. It’s quite a hearty portion and I thought it was well worth the price considering the amazing bread basket is complementary and perfect for eating with the cheeses.
The Salade de Homard ($188) came next. Who knew sweet lobster fresh would go so well with a bit of truffle oil? I’d go for this over the Tartare de Boeuf ($168) which was a bit bland.
Or beef lovers may want to opt for the Steak de Boeuf Wagyu (8oz, $308) which was full of flavour and cooked (or barely cooked) to perfection. Excellent quality and delicious with the accompanying black garlic, buttery mash, and fresh truffle shavings.
The Magret de Canard ($268) was served quite rare, and a more darker, more complex tasting dish with the addition of Grand Marnier in the sauce. This was also quite good.
While the Ravioli ($188) was small, almost like a starter, the seafood filling and sauteed peppers were well seasoned and a nice mix of creamy and tangy.
But the tagliatelle ($178) was the piece de resistance. There’s something so indulgent about eating an entire bowl of creamy, chewy pasta. This was very addictive and the restaurant was generous with the shaved truffle.
For dessert, the Pavlova ($88) and Creme Brulee ($88) were both good, simple and classic. But I particularly liked the vanilla ice cream with truffle that accompanied both; a little sweet and savoury bite to end the meal.
Verdict
A restaurant where everything has truffle might sound OTT but I think Artisan de la Truffe has done it in a tasteful way. The truffle merely complements food that is high quality and delicious on its own. Go and enjoy some hearty French cooking for lunch or dinner. And for those wondering what will happen to the restaurant when it’s not truffle season, fret not. The restaurant will source truffles from various places since, they assured us, it’s always truffle season somewhere.
Shop OTE303 Level 3 Ocean Terminal Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2885 2030
*By invitation for Foodie
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