Amber

Amber

Central, Hong Kong

Chef Richard Ekkebus

Amber currently holds number 37 position on San Pellegrino World's Best Restaurant

 A recipient of two Michelin Stars and Wine Spectator best award of Excellence

Amber is the signature restaurant of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, lead by Holland born Chef Ekkebus, who was trained under Guy Savoy, Alain Passard and Pierre Gagnaire.  Under his direction, Amber is a modern French haute cuisine with inventive combination of ingredients, precise techniques and intricate presentations.  

The grand entrance to the restaurant on 7/F of the hotel. 

Coat check chip

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Holiday season decoration as the centerpiece

 

Suspended in the middle of the dining area is a centerpiece created by interior designer Adam Tihany.  This chandelier consists of 4,320 bronze rods dangled from air.  It looks like lightning from hanging organ pipes. 

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Our gastronomic journey began with a glass of brut rosé as we select our dishes from the Boxing Day wine pairing lunch menu.   It is a prix fixe menu, consist of 6 courses accompanied by wines selected by the sommelier.   A full non-refundable payment was required upon reservation for this meal. 

NV Luca Abrate Brut Rosé  

Nebbiolo ◦ Piemonte ◦ Italy   

 Wide variety of fresh bread

After we were served with bread, there was a delay in butter service, at a point where we had to request for it.

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AMUSE BOUCHES

Croquette with liquid ham and cheese 

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Foie Gras "Chupa Chop" Lolly

Amazing!

Once you pop, you can't stop.  The foie gras is trapped inside this lolly with a buttery texture that just literally melts in your mouth.  You end this sensational pop with a touch of raspberry coating from the outer shell.  Phenomenal! 

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Light Parmesan Cheese mousse and sago pearls topped with arugula and balsamic oil.

Wonderfully presented in a cute glass bowl, this amuse bouche was light and flavorful.  I love the balanced of ingredients from the mousse, to arugula and the sago.   From the seemingly harmonious medley of flavors, to the unique texture, each bite was breathtaking.

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2006 Jean-Charton Chardonnay ◦ 

Haut-côtes-de-beaune Blanc ◦ 

Bourgogne ◦ France

A clear crisp glass of Chardonnay to pair with our first course

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Goose foie gras   

 ‘au torchon’ with jeruzalem artichoke, wild mushrooms 

madeira jell-O & toasted brioche 

The foie gras was made into this buttery rich torchon wrapped in black truffle! When eaten with the wild mushroom jello, an equilibrium of taste and texture was created. Simply Amazing! 
My friend T was not even aware that she was gobbling on truffles until her last bite. (Haha!)  The rest of us on the other hand had learned to savor the truffle's crunchy nuttiness slowly by inhaling deeply as we chew.  Once in our mouths, the truffle's flavor  blossomed and activated the rest of our senses.   

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Heirloom Beetroots 

with seasonal berries, ‘hung’ greek yoghurt

in a spiced red wine reduction vinaigrette 

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Tasmanian Salmon 

confit & smoked, avocado

horseradish & granny smith apple

Excellent presentation. The salmon was smoked and con-fitted to perfection: pink in the inside and moist throughout.  The texture of the salmon was just right - not too raw and not too overcooked.   Although, I'm uncertain about about pairing it with the apple and avocado (it didn't seem to bring out any other flavor), but it was overall still a well executed dish.  

 

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Kabocha Pumpkin Velouté 

with black winter truffle, grated chestnut

& white onion bread roll 

The velouté was creamy and rich.  When compared to the foie gras torchon dish, the shaved black truffle's flavor was not as distinctive and was scarcely displayed on top of the soup. 

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2007 Michel Gros Pinot Noir  

Hautes-Côtes-de-Nuits Rouge  

Bourgogne ◦ France ◦

Main Courses

Nebraska Prime Beef 

Sirloin low poached then roasted, purée of caramelized shallots

ravioli of 36-hrs braised oxtail & stuffed morels 

Special cutlery was given for this dish

This appeared to be a simple dish, but the the complexity of the flavors of the oxtail and morels in the ravioli was a definite winner.  Topped with figs, it transformed the oxtail to a twist of sweet and meaty heaven.

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Line Caught John Dory 

Seared with black winter truffle coulis, kabocha pumpkin gnocchi

belotta ham ‘tartines’ & hazelnut sabayon 

The Fish was infused with hazelnuts giving it a more nuttier taste and texture. 

I love the intricacy of ham - noticed how the layers of meat and fat are defined. 

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Bresse Chicken

breast, steamed, its leg minced, barolo vinegar glazed root vegetables

jus & albufera emulsion

Our friend F ordered this dish and it was beyond our expectation.   The chicken was full of flavor, and yet it was tender and fresh. The texture was super soft and smooth. 

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N/V Niepoort ‘10 yr old’ Tawny Port ◦ Portugal ◦ ◦ ◦

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Pink Grape Fruit & Campari Sorbet over

Hibiscus Jell-O

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‘Victoria’ Pineapple poached in fragrant spiced syrup with corinthian raisins

banana sorbet with grated lime peel ◦ ◦

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Manjari 64% chocolate bar glazed with bitter chocolate

& passion fruit sorbet

Being a chocolate lover, I would say this dish blew my mind.  Beautifully presented with such intricate detail, it even displayed a layer of chocolate within the sorbet.  The composition between the soft succulent chocolate bar and the passion fruit sorbet was incredible. 

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Their Fine China by Bernardaud was used throughout our meal. 

We requested a copy of the menu for momento, and it was delivered to all six of us in this envelope.

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Mignardises

Toffee candy

After 4 hours of much laughter and banter, we ended our boxing day meal with a blissful tummy.  It was overall an impeccable experience and a perfectly orchestrated service  (other than the bread service) in a non-uptight environment.  Each dish was elegantly presented and the luscious wine complimented really well.  However, for a restaurant of this caliber (being the world's top 50 restaurant), I was expecting a little more.  I wished our waiter would've educated us on the preparation of each course,  and perhaps the sommelier could have explained to us how each wine was selected to compliment the food. 

Nonetheless, we all had a great time and we still believe Amber was worthy of all the awards it received. 

Food: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★☆

Ambiance: ★★★★☆

Presentation: ★★★★★