People let me introduce you to my happy place. The name is Le Salon de Thé de Joel Robuchon and the location is at Elements Mall.
Robuchon is my favorite fine dining Michelin starred restaurants in Hong Kong. I super love the bread they serve before the meal. I wanted a more casual meal so I planned on going to Le Salon de Thé at The Landmark. It was a good thing I checked their website and I found out they opened new branch at the Elements mall which was just a short bus ride from where I lived.
The foie gras with mango sandwich is on my list for my next visit.
This restaurant is for the busy business executive or harried shopper who would like to just grab a sandwich and go. On the counter were conveniently packed bread, sweets and sandwiches.
The cold sandwiches used either baguette, croissant or focaccia. I bought a steak sandwich before going to the airport and ate it the next day in Manila. It was amazing! The beef slices were thick yet super tender and delicious.
After much deliberation this was the sandwich I chose for my lunch. There was another ham sandwich with camembert but I preferred Gruyére.
I would like to try the tuna sandwich too. I’m sure it’s not the canned variety.
A club sandwich made with ox tongue? This will be my next sandwich for sure. Hmm, how many sandwiches are on my list now?
A sign behind said the coffee was Blue Mountain and Kona.
The restaurant also had a dine in menu with light meals and this set lunch.
There are times when I just want a good sandwich instead of the usual rice or noodle meals. I would choose good bread over white rice anytime. Take note of the word white. Colored rice like paella, risotto and fried rice is another matter.
You can have your sandwich served straight from the counter cold or at room temperature. I had my sandwich warmed and it came back looking like this. I touched it and it wasn’t warm enough so I had it heated again.
It came back hot with all the cheese melted and gooey. You should have heard the crunch of the baguette followed by a deep moan and minutes of silence. I had to pause and take a deep breath for I had just eaten the best sandwich ever.
Thick slices of smokey ham, good French mustard and a generous amount of Gruyére held together by the crunchiest bread made me swoon with delight. I thought I was going to eat half only but it was so good I couldn’t stop eating everything. Another thing I liked was the absence of lettuce, tomato and whatever annoyances typical American sandwiches seem to have.
The small citron tarte had an intense lemon flavor without being too sour. It was a good and light dessert to end my meal. What truly made me happy was the Blue Mountain and Kona coffee that was super duper strong. I actually finished all the milk in the jug and asked for more.
Now you know why this is my new happy place. Good food, dessert and spectacular coffee.
I took home only two goodies. The Breton cake which is also known as kouign amann and an almond croissant.
The Breton cake was lighter, flakier and less sweet than the other kouign amanns I’ve tried in Manila. What really made me jump for joy, do imaginary backflips and cartwheels was the almond croissant. I can live without eating a plain or chocolate croissant but I have a deep love for almond croissant. Wherever I am in the world it is that pastry that I will buy first. There is no picture of the almond croissant I bought that day or on the day I left Hong Kong. I devoured it so quick the thought of taking a picture didn’t even occur to me. The words shoot first eat later totally failed me.
I declare Robuchon’s almond croissant to be the BEST yes, hands down, the BEST I’ve ever eaten. You can quote me on that. A reader once commented that I say everything is the best and that isn’t true. I am hesitant to declare a food item to be the best knowing there are many versions I have yet to try. So when I do say it’s the best you better believe me.
Robuchon’s almond croissant isn’t one of those ultra light and flaky numbers. Their version had body and bite yet it was flaky too. The almond paste filling was generous and had just the right amount of sweetness. I always want my croissant heated in the oven but both times the almond croissant never even got near an oven. It was perfect even at room temperature.
There are so many things I want to eat at Robuchon I must eat there everyday on my next trip to fulfill all my desires. But I really will set aside an afternoon to partake of their afternoon tea set.
Le Salon De Thé de Joël Robuchon
Shop 1020B, 1/F., Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀柯士甸道西1號圓方(Elements)1樓1020B號舖
telephoneL +853-2351-6678
Monday – Sunday: 8:00 am to 10:00 pm
website
Shoot First Eat Later 