I always envy those who live in
Hollywood Road as not only can they enjoy some fascinating antique shops nearby
but also most of my favourite restaurants. Pressroom is just one of them. I was
told that a new chef, who had served in Hong Kong Club, has become the head
chef of Pressroom. Now that is something!
At the beginning, I was lavishly
treated with three salad dishes: Seared scallop salad, Nicoise salad, and
Salade de Roquette au Chèvre, which was actually arugula and goat cheese salad. Many people may
think that no special skills are required in preparing salads. This is cannot
be more wrong. The quality of the chemmendable. What impressed me most were the homemade dressings. The
Beurre blanc (buttered white wine vinaigrette) of the seared scallop salad, the
artichoke and green vinaigrette of tese
was so high and the sear of scallop and tuna so beautiful that they were
certainly cohe Salade de Roquette au Chèvre, and the pommery mustard
vinaigrette of the Nicoise were all nothing but spectacular. Not many chefs
take the extra mile to make a good salad dressing, and the one in Pressroom has
nailed it. After trying these salads, I had full confidence in the coming
dishes.
 |
| Seared scallop salad |
 |
| Seared scallop salad |
 |
| Salade de Roquette au Chèvre |
We also had Black mussel meunière and truffle asparagus when the
salads were being served. The perfectly cooked mussels were elevated by a cream
sauce that was really a gem. There was yet another example to show the chef's
attention to detail and his expert handling of sauce. The aromatic and crunchy
truffle asparagus was really brought to a new level by the herb sauce that went
with it. You do not want to miss it, I assure you.
How could I miss confit duck in May,
Le French GourMay? The Pressroom’s version came with sliced duck breast. Covered by the
crispy duck skin, the duck meat was lean and quite tender, but it was slightly
overcooked and
under-seasoned to my taste.
The catch of the day was sea bream.
It was covered with sea salt and baked, and then with olive oil drizzled on
top. It is a common cooking method that keeps the moisture and taste of a good
catch, but it is not widely used in Hong Kong. I once had it at 10 Greek Street
in London and was happy to see this again here. I liked the use of lemon juice
and fennel salad that kept the dish light and inviting. It seems that the chef
understood that simple ingredients such as sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice,
if competently handled, would be suffice. Only if the fish was tenderer, the
dish would be wonderful.
I was lucky enough to have several awesome
veal dishes (including at Pressroom) before turning to green diet (just for
several weeks, though). The veal tenderloin was tender and juicy. A little sea
salt would make it a good main course, but the chef offered an even better
option - a rich mushroom and pommery sauce.
With much expectation, I was excited
to see the orange red lobster risotto. The presentation, with a lobster lying
in a bed of risotto, made me mouth-watering. The lobster and sauce were so
delicious that you would like to have a bowl of lobster bisque as well. Like
many other restaurants in HK, the chef deliberately cooked the risotto for a
longer time to suit the taste of HK people. I wish he had given me a chewier
one, though. If you prefer chewier risotto, remember to make a request upon ordering.
Among the five main dishes we had,
the Dover Sole Grenobloise was my favourite. The fish was common in Britain,
but the chef sautéed it with meunière sauce, a classic cooking method in French Bistros. I find that making
fun with the old Anglo-French rivalry is superfluous here as the method worked
so well... I loved the great balance of butter and lemon juice and enjoyed the
firm and flavourful flesh of the fish. I alone ate one-third of it.
While keeping the already-popular dishes,
the new head chef also introduced some new ones. The pistachio crème brulee and Tarte Tartin were both
renowned desserts in Pressroom; there was nothing to complain about their taste
and flavour, but both of them could be softer in texture, especially the pear.
As for the new creations, the chocolate trio was a near miss. The white
chocolate mousse was too watery; the hot chocolate latte was okay but blend;
the salted dark chocolate truffle was overwhelmingly sweet. I missed the rich
and smooth Chocolate Marquise very much,
though.
However, the chef still convinced me
that he could make good desserts. Another new creation, with the long-winded
title of Verrine Mascarpone au Sorbet de fruit de la Passion, was successful.
It was somehow similar to an Eton Mess, but richer in taste. A banana cake and
walnut topped with mascarpone, homemade berries compote, and a scoop of ice-cream was definitely a good combination for
summer. I put my spoon from the ice-cream deep down to the bottom, so that I
could have all the layers in a bite. As expected, all the ingredients worked
like a well-organized and expertly-led orchestra. I could not help but
finishing it spoon after spoon.
Pressroom has been offering decent
food with a consistent quality and a reasonable price. It is even better with
the new head chef, who has introduced several impressive dishes. Overall, I
particularly liked his handling of sauces. I certainly look forward to seeing
more stunning dishes designed by him.
The Press Room
108 Hollywood Road,
Sheung Wan
Food: wwwwwww
Service:wwwwwww
Environment: wwwwwww1/2w
