Tucked away in the corner of Star Street, it took a little wandering back and forth in front of Pacific Place 3 before I discovered that the Principal was at the end of the road, beyond the entrances to the residential complex. The service was excellent- perhaps in response to complaints I’ve seen in some recent comments- but the food was less so. Not what I’d expect of a two-star Michelin except for the dessert. Perhaps I’d have better luck if I was eating their full tasting menu instead?
VENUE AND EXPERIENCE
Being a Michelin star restaurant, the venue, setting and mood are all important elements to the experience. I didn’t have any fault with the decoration- everything followed a theme of soft, pale gold- slightly bleached so it doesn’t being too overwhelming. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the dishes’ colours matched the restaurant setting quite well. Being in quite a quiet neighbourhood, I thought it was quite a pleasant if unexciting experience overall.
I was sat in a room with three other tables, which took away a bit of the experience, but I spotted a number of alcoves which offered a much bigger sense of privacy and exclusivity- definitely worth requesting for one of those seats if you ever fancy a visit.
THE MENU
Bread and butter
Nothing special. Served warm, the bread was very floury and too chewy. Honestly couldn’t tell if this was intentional or not. Butter was lightly salted.
EGG – Parmentier, Ceps, Peas
Poached egg in potato foam, with a smattering of mushroom, sweet peas (dehusked) and porcini, which is meant to be mashed together being getting eaten. The mushroom added savoury twangs, while the sweet peas burst with sugary sweetness as you bit into them amidst the creaminess of the egg-potato mulch. Nonetheless, the dish was a bland if warming dish, and I discovered the reason when I was reading the “the Principal” menu (HKD 780) menu- the original menu included iberico ham as well. Notably, this was absent from the Restaurant Week version, and suffered from it.
SUCKLING PIG – Lemon, Endive, Pomegranate
Imagine my surprise when I was told (subsequently) that this was one of the signature dishes of The Principal. The suckling pig itself was average: only a third of the cut I received had a good ratio of meat and fat. The remaining two thirds had a huge piece of fat sandwiched in between the meat, which didn’t make for very good texture. This was compounded by the fact that the skin, which should be crackling crispy, was chewy instead. On the brighter side, I could taste the hint of lemon rind used to flavour the meat- that balance of taste was quite well managed.
The lemon mash at the side was too sweet and lemony for my taste- even a tiny bit overwhelmed the pork and made it sickeningly sweet. The sauce (I’m guessing that’s where the pomegranate came in) went better with the pork. As for the endive, they added a splash of balsamic vinegar- which didn’t go with the vegetable, bringing out a hint of bitterness. Without the balsamic vinegar, however, the endive would have been virtually tasteless.
ORANGE TEXTURES – Blood Orange, sorbet, Meringue, Carrot
This was the highlight of the dinner and restored some faith that I was actually dining at a two-star Michelin. This had the interplay of taste and textures, as well as the presentation I’d come to expect of any Michelin star restaurant. The candied grapefruit had a beautiful fragrance and bitterness that contrasted nicely with the meringue (and marshmallow?), while the milk powder melded into the sorbet to take the edge off the bite of citrus. I’ve had milk powder in desserts a few times but this is by far the best use I’ve seen.
VERDICT
Honestly speaking, this was quite a disappointing experience. The appetiser and main simply didn’t match my expectations of a 2-star Michelin restaurant- there was no punch, no impact, no headline to speak of. The dessert, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise and was the highlight of the meal- very unusual in my experience. Finally, the portions are on the small side, so some of you may come out feeling fairly peckish and only half full.
When paying HKD 418 for 3 courses, I’d rather pay the full HKD 1,180 for the Degustation menu- you get better ingredients and 9 courses (and that’s excluding the petit fours). Granted, this is cheaper than the HKD 780 The Principal menu, but there’s a notable difference in what is being served. I suppose Restaurant Week is a good experience for those who would prefer to pay a lower price for an experience at a 2-star Michelin.
The Principal
G/F, 9 Star Street, Wan Chai
(852) 2563 3444
http://www.theprincipal.com.hk/
Date of visit: February 2015
carpechopsticks 