Bâtard is one of the hardest restaurant to book in Hong Kong. They normally open their reservations two months in advance, at the beginning of each month. If you have a specific date you want to book for August (for example), you would need to call the restaurant at the end of May, and check with them the exact date in June that they will accept reservations for the whole of August. All vacancies for the entire month would usually be full within one day! Alternatively, you could try your luck on the waiting list.
If you can book it, consider their 5-course lunch set, which is only available from Thursday to Sunday. Priced at $500 per person (with a supplements available), it is good value.
Beef Tartare Cannelloni
Loved the cigar-like presentation. The cannelloni was very crispy on the outside, and was stuffed with beef tartare. The slight hint of mustard and finely chopped chives gave the dish an extra punch.
Morel Farci, Buckwheat, Madiera Sauce (supplement $130)
I have always wanted the try morels, given it’s such a fine ingredient in French cooking. The morel farci contained chicken liver and buckwheat. Together with the earthy flavours from the morels, and the sweet and complex fragrance from the Madiera (a fortified wine), the dish was a umami bomb.
Slow Poached Organic Egg with Smoked Haddock
I had little expectations from this dish given that slow poaching eggs aren’t that difficult to master with a slow cooker. However, I was impressed with the smoked haddock foam. Haddock is a good selection of fish with its mildly sweet taste, so that the dish would not be overpoweringly fishy.
Raviolo, Squid, Crustacean Sauce
The squid paste stuffed raviolo itself was so-so, the skin could be more al dente. However, the crustacean sauce was such a wow-factor! It was amazingly rich and luscious.
Bâtard Signature Roast Chicken
Bâtard is widely acclaimed to be one of the ‘Top 3’ restaurants along with Louise and Belon for roast chicken. This dish did not disappoint. They use locally farmed three yellow chicken from Yuen Long. Chefs Julien (Odette), Laloum (Louise) and Vicky Cheng (VEA) once did a blind experiment comparing different chicken breeds from local and French farms, and it was a lopsided victory for the local three yellow chicken. Bâtard chicken is brined with malt sugar, salted water and many herbs, before first steaming then roasting to retain maximum moistness and juice.
Warm Pilaf Rice
The rice was a heaven for carb lovers like me. It was cooked to al dente with chicken oil and lemongrass — very, very flavourful.
Freshly Baked Madeleines
The lemon-flavoured Madeleines were served warm. They were crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. The slight tanginess of lemon rounded up the meal perfectly.
With low to mid range price tag among other similar counterparts, the meal at Bâtard was delightful.
Shop E, Viking Court, 165-166 Connaught Rd W, Sai Ying Pun, 2318 1802
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