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L’Envol French Restaurant

The recent highly anticipated opening of St. Regis Hong Kong adds another glittering name to the already star-studded list of ultra-luxury hotels in the city. As expected, distinctive dining experiences, forms an integral part of its services, including L’Envol, which offers sophisticated French haute cuisine to discerning guests, and our destination.

Envol means “to take flight” in French, and that seems to be the aspirational theme for its décor which is designed by Andre Fu, one of the city’s top designer. The spacious restaurant oozes opulence and luxury, with touches of feminine artistry throughout in its colours and decorative objects. The main dining room is bright and airy; a private dining salon next to it offers intimacy and exclusivity.

At the helm of L’Envol is the highly acclaimed Olivier Elzer, who can boast of garnering 18 Michelin stars and who has worked in some of the world’s finest restaurants. At L’Envol, Elzer brings his refined mastery of French cooking techniques to create innovative, seasonal dishes, using premium quality and fresh ingredients from France and Asia.

L’Envol also stock an exclusive selection of over 800 wines curated by Sommelier Tristan Pommier, including rare vintages or limited-edition bottles from small, boutique wineries.

The restaurant offers several tasting menus for both lunch and dinner. They include the 8-course Prestige menu($2,688 per person), the 8-course Signature menu($1,888 per person) and the 5-course Decouverte menu($1,288 per person). It also offers an Allure set lunchfor $588. The tasting menus come with pairing wines, as expected.

We chose the 5-course Decouverte for our lunch. A 5-glass Wine Discoverypairing is offered for $880. After an appetising amuse bouche, our meal began in earnest with Le Salmon Balik, kumquat marinated salmon with its smoked roe and Melba toast. The kumquat adds a pleasant tangy flavour to the salmon. Next served was La Barbue Petit Bateau, baked line-caught brill, saffron ratte potato & taggiasche olives. The fish is ultra-tender and its subtle seasoning offers a nice lingering taste.

For the main course, the menu offers a choice of La Caille de Montrevel-en-bresse, which is deboned quail marinated in red wine, roasted black figs and foie gras or, for an additional $200, Le Boeuf Kagoshima A3, seared A3 Kagoshima beef tenderloin, crispy potatoes & truffle sauce. We chose both and they are both excellent. The quality of the ingredients, in this care the quail and the beef, complement well the seasonings and garnishing, proving the old adage that excellent food starts with excellent ingredients. Still, kudos to the chef for bringing them together so well.

The meal ends with a creative cheese concoction, Le Saint-Marcellin De La Ferme De Plantimay, which is Saint-Marcellin cheese prepared in two ways, shaped like a honeycomb and with hydromel. That was followed by Le Chocolat Mekonga, a Mekonga 70% Vietnamese pure origin chocolate & sea salt caramel chocolate ice cream. That was certainly a special treat and a fine finishing touch.

We did have a few excellent wines to accompany the meal which is a must. And we highly recommend that you consult with the sommelier for just the right selection.

L’Envol is destined to make its own mark in the rarefied list of distinguished French fine-dining outlets. It is certainly worth visiting and enjoying a truly special meal that can meet the loftiest of expectations.

L’Envol: St. Regis Hong Kong, One Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

T: +852 2138 6818