Two months after Julien Royer, the chef of Asia's best restaurant, announced he was opening a new venue in Hong Kong, we finally have some details to share about said venue.
Set to open on June 18, Louise occupies two levels in PMQ and promises both casual and upscale French dining executed to the chef's lofty standards. Royer evidently went back to his roots to find inspiration for the menu here. That means lots of heritage recipes, like red wine-braised beef cheek and a yoghurt cake that pays homage to his mother's version of the dessert. Of course, there will be wine. Expect a pretty healthy selection of New and Old World wines, as well as some bottles from boutique wineries.
As we previously reported, the award-winning Andre Fu was responsible for the design. It turns out he transformed the space by giving it the look and feel of a colonial home. Inside, the 'tropical greenhouse lounge' offers all-day dining and drinks while the 'ivory boudoir' dining room on the second level serves lunch and dinner à la carte.
Louise is the second venture in Asia for Royer. The other one, Odette, has two Michelin stars and currently holds the top spot on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list. He might not aspire to stand in such rarefied air with Louise, but the chef's talents alone make this restaurant worth your time and attention.
Louise will start taking reservations via email as well as its website on June 1. We suspect it will be booked for quite some time, too.