Mirror (Hong Kong) - ♕♕♕♕♕

  Mirror has received a lot of praise ever since the beginning and during it’s peak,  tables were being booked out for 3 months in advance!    It probably toned down a bit since that big bang of an arrival,   but things picked right back up again as Jeremy and his kitchen deservedly got its coveted Michelin Star in the HK 2012 guide barely after a year of opening.  Tables fill up very quickly so do book ahead.   And the food has also improved !   Dinner tasting menus start from $698 for 4 courses up to $1,198 for 6 Courses Seasonal Menu,  it’s priced slightly lower than some fine dining restaurants in town,  perhaps for a reason..

 

In Wanchai,
Found upstairs in a private kitchen like setting..

 

Nice Setting -  Enough privacy between the tables.
Loved the seats,  very my style!

 

 

Warm Bread arrives -
Bacon Epi was pretty good actually better than a few other places offering the same, including Singapore’s Guy Savoy.  Whole Wheat bread and mini Baguettes were also decent. 







French Artisanal Butter, by Philip Olivier
The unsalted one surprisingly tasted better than the same cube we had at Gaddi’s,
not sure why this was much more creamier and almost yoghurt like.

 

 

A Half Bottle of White 2010 Albert Bichot Chablis -  HKD $240
We wanted a bit of both white and red wine for the night,
there are not many choices here,  but it’s adequately chosen.

 

Amuse Bouche -  Beetroot Juice and Panna Cotta,
Blue Cheese Sauce and a Baguette crisp.  Liked this.   ~  9/10

 

 

 

Tiger Shrimps Jelly and Meat,  Roe Sauce with Vinegar, 
Golden Oscietra Caviar,  Apple Flowers & Green Apple -
A beautifully presented dish!!  This was quite richer than expected with a lot of prawn meat beneath the jelly layer.   Very enjoyable starter.  A little cold however.   ~  9/10

 

Slow Cooked Egg,  Frog Legs,  Garlic Cream and Watercress Sauce -
Watercress sauce works well with the frog meat,  the latter is tender and becomes even smoother when breaking up the egg yolk.  I liked this dish.  ~  8/10

 

 

Lightly Roasted Salmon,  Roasted Cauliflower & puree,  Grenobloise Sauce -
The salmon was cooked evenly uniform in colour,  something which other shops can’t lay claims to.  This worked well together in terms of flavours,  albeit not much surprises.   ~  7/10


 

 

Thin Tomatoes Soup,  Seared Tomatoes with Balsamic and Pesto -
A refreshing summery soup.

 

 

 

Pea Veloute,  Crispy Bread,  Lemon Ginger Olive Oil and Roasted Peas -
Spring and Summer are associated with young beans, 
and this was refreshing with a smooth creamy peas taste.  ~  7/10 

 

 

 

Morels Royale,  White Asparagus with chopped Green Asparagus, 
Cheezy Maine Lobster with morels -
This was a very lovely dish!!  Very rich in compacted lobster flavours.  One of my favourite dishes on the night,  the lobster sweetness was balanced with the rich lobster sauce,  and the centre piece of lobster meat was perfectly cooked.  ~  9/10

 

 

 

2004 Chateau La Cardonne, Medoc,  Bordeaux (Half Bottle) -  $260
Again not many wine choices here,  but this was decently picked and worked well enough with the below richer dishes.   The 1st bottle was corked and they were happy to open a replacement bottle which turned out tremendously better.  Great Michelin Starred service!

 

 

Roasted Pigeon,  Port and Red Wine Sauce, Fondant Potatoes,  Brussel Sprouts and Herbs -
The pigeon was ordered (medium) as opposed to rare by the customers,  us,  for private reasons.   This came out done as ordered.   The breasts were surprisingly still quite blood-iron gamey,  the legs were even better.  A strong dish but good.  ~  8/10

 

Veal 2 Ways:   Roasted Veal with Brunoised Carrots,  Puree,
Veal Sweetbreads with Carrots, Pearl Onions and Black Summer Truffle with veal sauce…  
The veal was a bit over cooked and the staff asking for my feedback happily accepted it with a smile,  it makes you feel comfortable dining here!   I didn’t think the brunoised carrots’ hard texture worked so well with the tender veal loin,  but the sauce was great.   Sweetbreads were cooked  well and this dish really worked as a whole package and artistically presented  !!    ~  8/10

  

 

Fromages -
Cheese selections here are limited to only a few French ones.
I think this is normally adequate,  but for a true Michelin 2 Stars or above experience,  at least 7-8 should be on offer at any time.  It’s quantity,  not quality that counts in this snobbish city unfortunately!

 

Saint Nectare,  Camembert du Cotentin,  Fourme d'Ambert -
Came with toasted half-baguettes.   I know some people prefer ripened and rarer to find cheeses,  but I guess that isn’t what Mirror is aiming at..  it is a more laid back dining experience but also more private and comfortable and I appreciate it.

 

Mango served 3 Ways with Ice Cream -
A very seasonal dessert with a good presentation,  there is more mango inside the cake.  This looked simpler than some other hotel fine dining desserts in town,  but taste matters more to me and this was actually very lovely and memorable     ~  8/10 

 

 

Mint & Chocolate Cake -
Came with some mint jelly and sugar croustillant crisp.   Not sure if Hong Kong customers will understand having a “after dinner mint” dessert.  This was actually quite good with good alternating layers of rich and smooth chocolate and mint flavours.  Kind of a bold concept.

 

 

Cappuccino -

 

Petits Fours:  Orange and Lemon Macarons -
I can envisage that some people will really buy the concept here,  yet others might never get the idea during their life.    In the words of Chef Jeremy himself,  this is a small and humble kitchen trying to churn out some good food,  and it was never meant to be the best fine dining experience in town and which can easily costs you double.   It straddles the line between being approachable yet at the same time has set half a foot into fine dining,  it never pretended to be something it isn’t.  Such a market exists in many places around the globe and by no means is it even niche, just rarer to find in HK.  The staff here are friendly and you feel the warmth and personal touches during your dining experience.    The strongest point remains their savoury dishes,  which are up to the best in town.   The peripheral items from cheeses to desserts are more down to earth.  It’s set a good balance and is a restaurant you want to visit every week as a regular.

 

 

 

Price:   HKD $800 to $1350 per person inclusive
Ease of Access:   2/5  (Take a Cab)
Food:   ♕♕♕♕ 1/2  ~  ♕♕♕♕♕ 1/2

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sat -   18:30pm - 22:30pm

Address: 灣仔灣仔道199號天輝中心6樓2/F
6/F, Tiffan Tower, 199 Wanchai Road, Wan Chai
Ph: 2573 7288