LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN @ It is Fresh Everyday!

  

Bread to Europeans is more than just a mere sustenance, it is a way of life! Emanates from Belgium and created by baker & chef Alain Coumont, LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN is his constant search for the perfect bread to be served in his restaurants which could not live up to his childhood memories. Hence, he decided to bake his own. By mylifestylenews.

Le Pain Quotidien literally translates as “the daily bread” and you will want loads of daily bread after sampling all that this new bakery brand has to offer with their first bakery-restaurant communal dining style in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN is now an international brand with more than 235 restaurants in over 18 countries around the globe. He opened his first bakery in 1990 and now has Coming from a restaurant background, he wanted to create an all round experience, rather than just bread alone. This concept embraces simple, traditional food that speaks to all people and allows you to escape your hectic urban lifestyle with an alfresco dining on street level which is quite uncommon in bustling Hong Kong.

To enter the bakery-restaurant, you are transported to a touch of Europe with some lovely wood paneling elements that remind you of a rustic bakery in a country town.

There is more to this European outpost than just bread, before we even get to the food, they have their own branded jams, teas, spreads, chocolates and more, and these are all organically produced in Belgium, excluding the teas which are sourced from different countries but provenance is all and this marks the strength of the brand.

You have a choice of dining inside or alfresco under cover and it seems the preference is outside to see and be seen. Having only been opened for just over a month, it is already attracting dedicated patrons with regular queues to get a seat especially on weekends.

One of the key elements is the communal table, Coumont sterling idea is to place at least one in every outlet as it is the European way to share a table and eat and chat to strangers if you so wish.

Food wise, they cannot seem to put a foot wrong with some classic offerings that are hearty, delicious, generous portions and simply presented. LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN serves simple, wholesome and sustainable food for all occasions. Made with organic ingredients whenever possible, the menu includes soups, salads, signature tartines, homemade pastries and artisanal bread with many vegan and vegetarian options. We tasted a good cross section and here is our take on all that we tried.

<Bakery>

Pain aux Raisins, Pain au Chocolat, Butter Croissant, Organic butter Brioche, Carrot Cake: couldn’t pick a stand out as all were absolutely scrumptious.

<Tartines>

Avocado Toast on organic sourdough bread with citrus cumin salt, organic chia seeds and extra virgin oil and fresh coriander: very tasty and generous dollops of mashed avocado, plus a nice spice kick. You may add shrimps as an extra topping. A must-try!

<Hot Dishes>

Cassoulet & Duck Confit – white bean cassoulet and duck leg confit: a very rich and hearty dish with an incredibly tasty pork sausage and delicious white bean cassoulet.

Chicken Waterzooi – An organic roast chicken in a white beer reduction sauce with carrots, leeks and celery: a great flavoursome dish with a sauce to die for.

LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN is an absolute must visit if you are looking for authentic European style bakery/deli/pastry offerings. They excel at keeping a consistency in all that they do and it seems that everything you try turns out to be a favourite. As their philosophy goes by keeping thing simple starting with fresh, wholesome ingredients and sourcing organic and locally whenever possible, LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN adds culinary innovation food culture the local dining scene with bliss.

Tried & Tested:

Location: 5/5

Design & Decor: 4.5/5

Food & Beverage: 4.5/5

Service: 4/5

Value For Money: 4/5

Experience: 4.5/5

Highlights:

Bakery

Avocado Toast

Chicken Waterxooi

Cassoulet & Duck Confit

LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN

G40-41, 200 Queen's ROad East

Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2520 1801

Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated. 

AZURE Restaurant Slash Bar A Contemporary Dining To See & Be Seen

Azure Restaurant Slash Bar - a dining destination that is so popular for many exclusive luxury brand party events had you forgotten that they are indeed a restaurant slash bar that serves innovative culinary and signature cocktails in the city that never sleep. With that in mind, this party venue had mylifestylenews to pay another visit to rediscover its charm in its gastronomy adventure……

The restaurant floor itself is simply elegant, with the lighting fixture design and the bar at one end as a key focal point while enjoying the 29^th floor aerie with fabulous views over Central Hong Kong.  The bar and the restaurant is divided into two separate floors with a elegant spiral marble stairway leading to the high ceiling main dining room upstairs. But little did we know and here is a word of caution, when you intend to have a classy romantic dinner, you may want to avoid when this restaurant slash bar simultaneously having any private events down at the bar area where huge amount of noises travels to the dining area that really mar the question of ambience at the restaurant.

As the whole dinner was a cacophony of party revelers, not to mention these guests traipsing up and down the staircase and through the restaurant floor to utilize the outdoor terrace for a cigarette! If it was a planned romantic evening night out, you would have packed up your bags and left before ordering a single course. Nevertheless, we persevered through the incessant party noise to try out the well crafted menu with a focus on meat and seafood dishes that tantalize our taste buds at the very mention of each item. Azure Restaurant Slash Bar is not a huge restaurant and the service team is equally not big, but they are quite focused on service and very polite into the bargain, which we appreciated after recent disappointments at many other nearby establishments.

Choosing what to eat proved difficult as there were too many dishes that we loved, so we settled on a good seafood lovers/carnivore lovers combination to get a handle on what the executive Chef Luke Lawrence Barry can do in his kitchen select only the best among his creations and dedicate in four categories: Land, Ocean, Earth and Flours.

 To get the taste buds up and running we started off with a Char-Grilled Quail served with beetroot discs, fresh orange segments and baby spinach and a bowl of Fresh Australian Mussels steamed in dry white wine with charred baguette, root vegetable textures and herb-infused cream sauce. This was a fabulous start to the evening as both dishes were a resounding hit. The whole quail was very meaty with a beautiful gamey flavor, we would prefer this delectable dish to have it without the sprinkle of the Maldon sea salt on the top of the quail as the meat underneath was beautifully laid with tasty sauce to go with it.

The fresh mussels came with large pieces of meat in each shell and of a great substance to eat with the most unctuous and divine creamy sauce. The dill garnish gave a fresh touch in the mouth while sipping the thick cream broth. A great value on both dishes and utterly delicious.

  

We thought something refreshing was in order before mains, so we shared the Pineapple Carpaccio with buffalo mozzarella cheese, extra virgin olive oil, poached cherry tomatoes and basil leaves. This was a beautiful concept and presentation, but a mismatched dish for our liking, we found the thinly sliced pineapple did not marry with the tomatoes and mozzarella. It would have been more interesting with other ingredients to compliment the pineapple.

  

The restaurant was getting very busy with walk-ins and the table next to us was complaining about the wait, we were wondering about our mains but straight away the table next to us was relieved to see their food and ours followed soon after. A Beef Rib-Eye on the Bone with garlic crisps, asparagus, baby carrots and parsnip puree was just the tonic to sate a carnivore’s craving. The sizeable portion of rib-eye had a great flavor, but was not quite hot enough and the carrots were under-cooked.

The Hot Seafood Platter for one was a sight to behold for the seafood lover, with a half-shelled fresh lobster, 2 garlic butter king prawns, fresh Australian creamy mussels, salt & pepper fried squid and pan-roasted 120g cod fish fillet. The seafood platter was not all hot too, so we guessed the kitchen was waiting for some items to get done in order for both dishes could be served together, but not successful in this regard. The seafood was in much abundance and great value with some delightful flavours, with the mussels a standout again, along with the cod, prawns and lobster. Despite both dished were not entirely successful, but almost and you knew that on another occasion, it all had the potential to be perfect.

Desserts were a bit hit and miss. We tried the Glutinous Rice with seasonal sorbet, sesame sponge and vanilla custard and the House-Made Sorbets with settling on a Mandarin and Lychee and Passion Fruit. The glutinous rice was too soggy and sugary to our liking, yet the sorbets were very tangy and piquant in flavours.

Excluding the event noise, the restaurant is a lovely airy space to have a great dinner and be looked after by the dedicated team. Most importantly, the food has a lot to say in terms of quality ingredients and presentations that surely worth to explore.

Tried & Tested:

Location: 4.5/5

Design & Decor: 4/5

Food & Beverage: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Value For Money: 4/5

Experience: 4/5

Highlights:

Australian Mussels

Char-Grilled Quail 

AZURE Restaurant Slash Bar

33 Wyndham Street

Central, Hong Kong

Tel: +852 3518 9330

Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated. 

Hermès SS2016 Men’s Ready-To-Wear Collection

Hermès SS2016 Men’s Ready-To-Wear Collection is about graphic and poetic vitality. A combination of supple and sophisticated silhouettes as well as luminous colours.

Colours:

Aqua, tomato, brick, sport blue, mint green. White, chalk, pewter, pepper, navy, black.

 Lines:

Straight blousons, blousons with ribbing, sweatshirts with hoods, straight or double-breasted raincoats. Two-button suits, unlined jackets with topstitched sleeve details, jackets with tapered waists, reversible jackets.

Tee-shirts, high neck pullovers with short sleeves. Shirt with folded stripes, polo shirts, tee-shirts with ribbing, zipped shirts, collarless shirts. Narrow or wide trousers with elastic waist, one-pleat trousers with contrasted cuffs, very narrow trousers with irregular pintuck detailing, Bermuda shorts.

Fabrics:

Striped Toilaverse, technical cotton weave, cotton with Surprise à la connétable silkscreen print, cotton and abaca serge.

Natural calfskin with rose silkscreen print inside, metis goatskin with rose silkscreen print, metis goatskin and silk twill with En désordre print, reversible rubberised lambskin, water snake.

Cotton and linen flamed canvas, wool and mohair canvas, cotton jacquard with flowers, cotton jacquard with flowers and stripes, wool and silk seersucker, crisp cotton poplin, cotton and linen diagonal, crepe technical canvas.

Cashmere and cotton with H ribbing, open work zigzag cashmere and cotton, sporty cotton with ottoman ribbing, crepe cotton jersey.

Plain cotton poplin or with Rameaux print, cotton voile with Modernisme tropical or Surprise à la connétable prints.

Cotton weave, crepe cotton serge, cotton and silk with stripes, wool and linen canvas, cotton poplin, metis goatskin.

CARTIER à l’infini Watch @ From The Minuscule To The Infinite

Despite an initial impression of great simplicity, the lines are taut and the design is radical even in its curves. This watch links black to white, with diamond settings and black lacquer motifs. Judging by the delicacy of the details, it is apparent that the design and creation of this watch are the result of a process of rare complexity. The expertise is focused and enhanced. The overall effect is one of balance and great sobriety. The dial contains a sapphire crystal slightly bevelled on the sides, and is incorporated into the bracelet with a precision to the nearest millimetre. At the centre of the case, the calibre 101 once again proves its efficiency and carries on its success as the smallest manually-wound mechanical movement in the world. Small but with a strong presence, symmetrical yet twisted, the Cartier à l’infini watch produces a rhythmic and seductive energy through a distinctive aesthetic and watchmaking characteristics, beating with a powerful pulse at the heart of an infinitely small watchmaking mechanism. Cartier à l’infini watch white gold, diamond, black lacquer. Mechanical movement with manual winding, calibre 101.