The moment you step into Cepage, the friendly & warm service with the glass of complimentary Krug was mind blowing -- total 6 star service. Extremely high ceilings and comfy lounge along with Hong Kong's very unique wine cellar was a hotspot prior to dinner. The Wine Cellar contained any type of wine you want, not the largest wine cellar I have come across but for sure does the job well.
This was a very special evening and was part of our group's monthly gathering in various restaurants around town. No names mentioned on the organiser but kudos to him for introducing such wonderful restaurant.
Too be honest, I dont have much memories of this dinner because of all the wine & champagne consumed during the evening therefore I will try my best to write this review. It was a special set dinner menu with wine pairing & not your usual dishes that you will find on the menu. We consumed around 2 bottles of wine per course therefore I will leave you with the calcuation!
Amuse Bouche = Risotto Balls with Rock Salt -- DELICIOUS, that s all!
Bread = The pastry chef in Cepage must be a very talented individual, the bread is highly recommend along with its home-made salted butter.
Appetiser = Salmon Mousse with Salmon Roe & Caviar (Actually do not know the exact name of this course but somewhere along the lines) -- very odd taste I thought
Appetiser # 2 = Truffle (黑松露) Linguine -- Words cannot describe about this course as it has the word luxury all over it. The truffle shaving was 1/2 the size of my palm and the smell was so so pungent when the bowl arrived. Once you mash up the truffle with the linguine, every bite in your mouth is the beautiful shavings of truffle, OH MY LORD!!!!!!
Main Course # 1 = Grilled Stingray (魔鬼魚) with Spanish rip tomatoes, chorzio & flava beans -- I have never eaten Stingray aside from on holiday in Singapore or Thailand therefore it is literally the first time in Hong Kong. Your usual Stingray in SG & Thai are traditionally BBQ'ed with Sambal Sauce but this was very unique as it truly brings her the sweetness of the fish. The tomatoes & the Spanish chorizo was also a very good pairing with the fish. Highly recommended dish if you are not a meat-fan!!!
Main Course #2 = French Baby Pigeon stuffed with Foie Gras with Potato Mash on the side = Baby Pigeon was perfectly cooked, just perfectly rare, the way I like it. The generous stuffing of Foie Gras is also a calorie buster, every bite of the pigeon along with the french foie gras is just purely heaven. Also worth a note is the potato mash on the side, very creamy, fluffy and I personally would like to find out from the Chef how he cooked this. If it wasnt a fine dining venue, I would have ordered a side dish of the potato mash. Unfortunately, this dish is not on the menu therefore I cannot recommend you to try this but it was a delight!
Dessert #1 = Cheese Platter -- Big cheese lover I am for many yrs and after a gruesome dinner, I decided to do it GUNG-HO style and to go for the heaviest and most strongly flavoured cheese. The cheese were recommended by the expert but it was GOD"S GIFT!
Dessert # 2 = I didnt really pay attention to this course as I was so stuffed already but from memory, it had Poached Pears with Raspberry Gelato etc etc. Refer to photo below.
Petit Fours = This was the killer of the evening along with the Cheese Platter. We were soo full that we couldnt finish the petit fours and we even packed this for home together with the freshly baked madeline! The Raspberry jelly had far too much sugar on it, the cannele is definitely worth a try. Cannele is a traditional French cake snack, caramelised, tough and slightly burnt on the outer layer but very moist and soft on this inside. I will definitely return for the Cannele
As for the Wine pairing, see above photos and they were all the wine x 2 + champagne we consumed in dinner. Never been a wine expert myself I admit but highly recommend the bottle from Santorini, Greece. Very fruity and pairs extremely well with the fish but I can easily have the whole bottle myself.
Overall, the whole experience at Cepage was absolutely superb. The host of the dinner is very closely related with Cepage, could that be the reason? Cepage is definitely a fine dining venue, and if you wallets are spare with cash, this is the best place to burn your cash. I will definitely return to Cepage soon with my missus for a special occasion. Food, drinks, service & ambiance -- TOP NOTCH!!!!
Food Quality (5* the highest): ****
Price for lunch (5$ = very expensive): $$$$
Address: 23 Wing Fung Street (Star Street), Wan Chai 灣仔永豐街23號舖
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Geoff can I be a part of your group? I like your dining style ... the hawkers mixed with the sleek and sophisticated. If you need another member, just let me know. - Sab Hos
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