Hong Kong - Chez Patrick

After being given a tour of the area by E, I thought I would go back and explore the Star Street area restaurants having started with Cinecitta last week.  This time, I decided to try Chez Patrick, located off the beaten track in the "quietest" corner on Sun Street. 

It's a great little set up, very quaint and reminiscent of an eatery in France.  And Patrick does his thing with the meet-and-greets.  He comes across as kinda shy and so not a whole lot of conversation unless you really engage him.  The food was fine but not overly impressive for some of the hype I've seen.  Maybe Patrick has his good and bad days.  I went on a neutral day, I think.  Competent but not a whole lot of soul.

The fish terrine amuse bouche was well, fish.  Nothing else to be said.  But the freshly baked rolls were good.  They might have used better butter but I was happy enough. 

Patrick's signature appetiser of the foie gras trio was interesting for the presence of a foie gras ice cream profiterole but it was my least favourite.  I had trouble enjoying cold liver.  But I did like the baked foie gras profiterole, which make it less greasy yet retaining the full bodied richness of the liver.  The terrinne was decent also but not unexpected.  The dark chocolate/balsamic vinegar sauce is a nice touch. 

The mains special of the evening was veal steak with a cheese crust served with a rich wine sauce, accompanied by each of a beetroot and potato mash.  The quality of the meat was not as good as I would have liked.  Not to say that it was bad but it was just a tad tough.  The cheese crust was tasty but overall, not a dish I might order again.

C's fillet mignon in a similarly rich wine sauce, on the other hand, was more impressive.  A better piece of meat, and had excellent companions - escargots, what tasted like cheese polenta and a baked cheese stick.  The common presence of beetroot really didn't do much for either of us.  But the steak was certainly enjoyable. 

The best parts of the evening were the desserts.  Far superior to the savouries, these were perfectly executed. 

The star was the apple and almond tart, served with a vanilla and calvados ice cream.  Of course, served warm, the tart was almondic in fragrance, lightly crisp, with a slight chewiness, the combination was delightful and not overly sweet. 

The chestnut cake with chocolate sauce and a maple like ice cream was also very good.  Looking every bit like a chocolate cake but so different in taste - much more delicate and brought home by the good quality chocolate sauce. 

Chez Patrick would be worth another shot if you like the neighbourhood enough but there seem to be many other choices.  But otherwise, it is a quaint place to have a traditionally French home-style dinner at and there aren't that many choices if that's the criteria.  And hailing from Burgundy, the wine list was certainly quite illustrious.  Hopefully, I go from neutral to good next time. 

G/F, 8-9 Sun Street
Wan Chai
Hong Kong
Tel: +852-2527 1408