When I was invited for a Tasting at newly opened Atlantis Blue, my initial reaction was - seriously, another new Western Seafood restaurant opened up and by people behind Chinese Group 霸王山莊? Where do they think they really excel at to stand out from the competition? The mean foodie in me really wanted to say blahh but don’t judge too early. However after seeing other foodies posting photos and interesting recipes of here and pretty fresh looking seafood, the curious in me brought along my Seafood expert friend and food writer to suss it out in order not to be too prematurely skeptical. I was reading an article lately about what International Chefs or Foodies think are the latest hottest Culinary cities or dishes in the world. Surprisingly, Hong Kong does not receive any mention. In reality at least in my opinion, Hong Kong has some of the most amazing and creative dishes Internationally, and I keep telling people Hong Kong & Macau actually has some of the best unique Italian or French Concept Restaurants if you eat around enough to compare with the real thing… (The execution is where they often under-perform here however, where overseas kitchens often have better overall teams for support.)
The space is designed to remind one of the sunken Atlantis city, and customers will feel submerged under the sea.. Probably a little clichéd but at least they bothered to carry forward this schematic design to the end.
Daily Seafood and Oysters -
Not too cheap but visually pleasing.
Actually the Dishes were overall really cheap for Central context,
but the Seafood to me were a little marked up. Got to order carefully here indeed.
Oyster Shooters in Virgin Mary, and Bonito Dashi with Bird eye chili - Market Price
The Virgin Mary version was excellent. Me and my friend thought the Bonito dashi was too strong and probably made the oyster more fishier, although I didn’t mind it myself. ~ 7/10
Breads and Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar -
Personally I think they can be cut more evenly, but it was good in taste actually.
Seafood Platter for 2 – $788
Fresh Arc Shell with meat and fins, Yellowtail sashimi, Hokkaido Scallops,
Sea Whelks, 4 French Oysters, 2 Sicilian Red Prawns. This was really impressive but personally I think $788 is slightly on the higher side..
Close-up of Arc Shell -
Bled right and so fresh crunchy.. Love it.
The Red Prawns are transported as ice-bathed and not previously frozen,
therefore you can eat them raw at prime state. The flavour was very intense and in fact they tasted more like the Spanish Carabineros prawns than real Sicilian native, which usually have smaller heads.
2 White Foam and 2 Sea Princess - France
Lightly cured Hamachi Ceviche with Myoga, Yuzu Kosho & Chili – $140
Peruvian inspired but more Japanese in execution.
These yellowtail were only marinated for 8 minutes, making them more raw in feel than the Peruvian cousins. The addition of yuzu-kosho and myoga gave it a slight citrus then peppery kick. Actually this polarized the table as it was UNIQUE, being barely semi-cured. ~ 7.5/10
Beef Tartare with Crispy White ‘Cows’ & Arugula – $155
You gotta smile at this, come on! It looked so cute and is thoughtful.
Actually this was slightly spicy, and although I prefer it to be more chunkier, it had a good amount of beef taste. Subtly herbed. I enjoyed this as a concept more than taste but for $155, you can make your date smile ; ) ~ 7/10
Octopus Crudo with Black Truffle Vinaigrette and Green Apple – $125
Sliced thinly and fresh. Presented well. The taste didn’t really impress although guess you appreciate it for it’s lowish price, presentation and ultimate freshness. Except for the Seafood Platter above, most dishes were so reasonably priced.. ~ 7/10
Deep Fried French Duck Foie Gras, in Polenta Crust,
with Balsamic Reduction, Figs and Arugula – $185
This surprised me a lot. The polenta crust on a fried Foie Gras never occurred to me as a real combo, but it seriously worked, and hence why I often think Hong Kong is blessed when it comes to ingenuity and why polenta crust, why not tapioca or arrowroot crust. I liked this concept but the duck gras taste was a bit weak tonight unfortunately. I am always divided between Concept vs Taste, here at least it satisfied my curiosity. 
Grilled King Prawn with Yuzu Kosho sauce – $135
This came with grilled vegetables and zucchini, etc. Actually this surprised me in the way that it was less Yuzu-Kosho than I expected. It isn’t overly strong but just right, it’s almost like they refined the recipe somewhat to suit the prawn overall. I think they tuned this pretty spot-on and it was unique definitely.. Friend said this was frozen prawn and I have to agree, but at the end of the day, this was balanced tasty ~ 7.5/10
French Quail with Plum Wine, Hawthorn Sauce and a Ratatouille – $180
The rehydrated Hawthorn based sauce is so Chinese, and I guess correctly accordingly to the Chef, this is based on the Umeboshi concept but tuned to be more representative of Hong Kong. The Plum wine poured on top was fun. Actually I really think this dish was unique and can only be found in Hong Kong. Playful concept but it worked in taste. Hawthorn sauce was addictive.. ~ 7.5/10
Braised & Grilled Daikon, Tomato Dashi, Wakame – $55
Interesting my friend wanted to order this. It was slightly unexpected with the grill marks but not too apparent tomato dashi. Yet this was done pretty good and also unique and playful as is the theme tonight. ~ 8/10
Chocolate Devil Cake with Chili – $88
This looked so smooth. The chili inside emanated from inside ever so slowly.
I thought this was slightly dense but I came away thinking this was pretty right and thought provoking. Interesting when it is coming from a Brand New Seafood restaurant in LKF. I have got to say I was rather convinced tonight, especially considering the price. Fish & Meat just a few steps from here is better in taste, but here you have to give them credit for being thoughtfully unique and so well priced.. ~ 7/10
Price: Tasting Event
Ease of Access: 4/5 (Inside Lan Kwai Fong area)
Rating: ♕♕♕♕ to ♕♕♕♕ 1/2
Address: 中環威靈頓廣場M88 7樓
7th Floor, M88 Building, Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Ph: 2521 6699
im a sucker for grilled prawns! the crispy white cows look too cute to eat tho!
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