Newly anointed one-Michelin-star restaurant ÉPURE aims for new heights

Driven by a pure passion for bringing true contemporary French cuisine to Hong Kong, ÉPURE‘s executive chef Nicolas Boutin and his team have worked tirelessly since the restaurant first opened in June 2014 to position ÉPURE as the pinnacle of French fine dining in Hong Kong. This year, their efforts were recognised as Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau awarded the esteemed restaurant an elusive Michelin star.

“We are extremely honoured and humbled to receive this recognition from Michelin,” said chef Boutin. “This is the testament to my entire team’s dedication to consistently carrying out memorable dining experiences for each guest, and continuing to raise the bar in the Hong Kong dining scene.”

With such a medal of distinction under their belts, the ÉPURE team is ready to position the restaurant as the ultimate celebration destination along the TST harbourfront and tackle the next milestones: obtaining a Grand Award from Wine Spectator‘s Restaurant Awards, and, in due time, obtaining the coveted second and third Michelin stars.

While the polished service is undoubtedly a strength of the fine dining institution, achieving excellence begins and ends with what’s presented on the plate, and ÉPURE’s level of dedication and focus for fine French gastronomy is unparalleled in Hong Kong. With the aim to fuse the best of traditions from the past and the present, the kitchen shows a remarkable commitment to seasonality, using only the highest quality in-season French ingredients to execute precise, sophisticated dishes.

In the autumn/winter menu, the rustic, earthy ingredients of the season are celebrated in dishes such as white button mushroom soup with  baby spinach gnocchi and black truffle brioche; seared duck foie gras with a sweet caramel jus; and wild guinea fowl with sunchoke mousse and crunchy chestnuts. In a gorgeous main, seared A3 wagyu beef is complemented by an elegant, concentrically-layered pommes anna; while the dessert is a testament to the highly skilled pastry team — hand-picked Alsace plums with a crisp coating of buttered crumbs and house-made lime zest sorbet.

Every true French gourmand knows that fine French food needs to be paired with appropriate grapes, and to that end ÉPURE strives to curate a versatile, wide-ranging and thoughtful wine list, showcasing a rare collection of vintage wines from affordable to premium selections. Hand-picking bottles from the best wine producing regions in France, ÉPURE’s wine pairings — consulted on by Master of Wine Jeannie Cho Lee — perfectly complement the mood and aromas of the changing seasonal menus, capturing the essence of French Haute dining.

With the weather cooling, ÉPURE’s alfresco garden terrace is an inviting and tranquil space to revisit this fine dining institution — an intimate yet relaxed space to experience some of the best French food in the city. Along with the autumn/winter degustation, a bespoke celebration menu is now available to highlight the restaurant’s Michelin star accomplishment; featuring both signature dishes and unique seasonal creations, it’s a beautiful showcase of an institution that’s continuing to rise in Hong Kong’s fine dining ranks.

Lunch celebration menu is HK$498 for three courses, HK$598 for four courses, including tea or coffee. Dinner celebration menu is HK$1,688 for eight courses. Extra charge for wine pairings.

ÉPURE, Shop 403, 4/F, Ocean Centre, 17 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 3185 8338, epure.hk

This article is sponsored by ÉPURE.