I thought that Melbourne was the best place for food but I must admit that Hong Kong is fast changing that thinking. I was invited by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to experience their one Michelin Star rated Mandarin Grill + Bar Restaurant. As many of you know, I am not a food blogger, however once in a while I will accept restaurant invitations to see what they have to offer (as well as providing the opportunity to get off the computer for a bit!). With the amazing experience that we had at the Mandarin Grill + Bar Restaurant, I can now see why food bloggers love what they do and why most have round bellies!
We were hosted by Geoffrey Wu who is the social media manager at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel here in Hong Kong and I believe it further enriched the night hearing him share the history of the hotel and describing each of the exotic dishes that were presented on our table.
Of course being guests in the hotel, the service was impeccable, but as we dined I also noticed that the other diners were treated as rockstars. The executive chef, Uwe Opocensky, even popped by for a hello despite a super busy kitchen that night. He presented our main course personally and ensured we were enjoying the meal. Nice touch.
In summary, the Mandarin Grill + Bar Restaurant is a superb fine dining choice if you’re in Hong Kong and looking to celebrate a special occasion. Despite not having the panoramic views of the two Michelin Star rated Pierre Restaurant (which is also in the Mandarin Oriental), I appreciated the artistic style manifested in each dish and I liked the food better. Then again I’m a simple guy who loves all things ‘grill’ and would choose that over french cuisine most days.
Many thanks again to the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong Hotel for treating my wife and I to a wonderful night. Not to mention the Mandarin Rose Jam that is made at the hotel itself. We’re still enjoying it for breakfast!
If you’re in Hong Kong, please visit the Mandarin Grill + Bar yourself – you’ll be pleasantly surprised and satisfied! You can view their menu here: Mandarin Grill + Bar Restaurant Menu.
Follow the Mandarin Oriental on Twitter and Facebook.
Below are some photos I took of our dinner.
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong against the spring evening sky.
The ceiling looks like it has seashells embedded within.
There were three main Chef Tasting Choices – I chose number #3 because I was hungry and wanted to taste their Suckling Pork.
Here’s Marco the restaurant manager presenting us with the five different types of olive oils that were available…yes FIVE.
In the end we chose three to try out. I was intrigued by how all differed so much in flavour.
The entree looked like a little forest. See Executive Chef Uwe’s creativity at work?
FIELD: french, white asparagus, chives, rocket, chervil, sourdough, culatello ham
RAW: organic salmon, alaskan king crab, botan shrimp, sake, cucumber
LANGOUSTINE: scottish, seaweed, gnocchi, crustacean
PORK: welsh, rhug estate, organic, suckling, barbecue, potato, mustard
Never judge a book by its cover…
RIB EYE: u.s., snake river farm, potato mille feuille, brussel sprouts, bordelaise
SPRING: apple, green tea, almond, milk, flowers
SOUFFLÉ: grand marnier / grand marnier
CHAMPAGNE: peach, sorbet, cork, sparkling
Full disclosure: thank you to Mandarin Grill + Bar Restaurant for providing this meal to us for free.