Hong Kong

Hi ho, hi ho, a Soho we will go ... to check out Entourage Restaurant and Bar on Lower Elgin Street. It recently introduced a new menu by executive chef Frank Lebiez from France. We were to look forward to "distinctive yet classic twists on everything French".

"I want to offer our guests an all-encompassing dining experience, offering another dimension of flavor and authenticity. The new menu reflects who we are, fresh, delicious, and truly French," declares the chef.

As we were a fairly large group, we pretty much ate our way through the menu. There was a lot of food and a great variety of dishes. It was a pleasant surprise to be able to try as many dishes as we were able to.

Some of the new dishes we were able to sample were starters: snail and spinach ravioli with garlic cream, crispy Parmesan tuile with confit Provencal vegetables and vanilla olive oil, crab martini with pink grapefruit and avocado mousse, homemade foie gras terrine with fruits chutney and brioche bread with figs.

The mains included a lamb shank braised for seven hours, vegetable lasagne with pine nuts veloute, and roasted monkfish in pancetta with creamy polenta and chorizo oil. All the dishes were presented beautifully and seasoned perfectly.

The crispy Parmesan tuile, crab martini, and the foie gras were favorites.

Each one provides different taste and texture sensations. As for the mains, the lamb shank was tender and rich, and I'm a big mashed-potato fan, so I would order this dish again.

Another dish worth mentioning is the salt-baked sea bass, which was presented at the table and then taken away to be de-boned and served. The fish was moist and flavorful.

Entourage is a stylish yet comfortable restaurant. The decor incorporates shiny light-colored tiles, dark wood floors, chrome touches on the chairs, and large windows for lots of natural light.

Overall, the food was of a high standard and tasty as well.

However, if you're dining here, you must save room for one (or more) of the delightful desserts.

A few of my fellow diners are chocolate lovers, so they were ecstatic. To give you an idea, all of these desserts contain chocolate: hot chocolate fondant served with hazelnut ice cream, chocolate mousse cake with crispy feuilletine, chocolate and coffee cake with creme Anglaise, pancake served with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce, and choux pastry stuffed with vanilla ice cream topped with hot chocolate sauce.

My personal favorite of the chocolate desserts was the choux pastry with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce. Having said that, I'm a sucker for a good creme brulee and the one at Entourage is creamy and totally decadent.

Expect to spend HK$500-800 ($65-100) per person (plus 10 percent service charge) for dinner.

You may contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.