Vietnamese restaurant Le Soleil is award-winning chef Dennis Wong’s second restaurant of the same name. The San Francisco original has been voted the city’s best Vietnamese restaurant in addition to receiving numerous awards and much praise.

When I learnt that Dennis Wong was actually cooking at the Hong Kong restaurant and not merely lending his name I was keen to try the food.

Chef’s Recommendations

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Dennis Wong is a sweet, personable chef, who likes to interact with his guests and was quick to recommend some starters before rushing back to the kitchen to prepare them. When we ordered we selected all of his recommendations plus a few choices of our own.

First off we had Bo La Lot , a simple dish of beef that is traditionally cooked in betel leaves and was served with a sauce consisting of apple juice, lemon grass and chilli. It was similar to steamed Chinese beef and although not to our palate I feel sure that it is a hit with many Hongkongers.

We also tried the Crispy Royal Vietnamese Imperial Rolls. These deep-fried pork and shrimp rice-paper rolls were tasty, with authentic texture and flavours and a perfect amount of mint to lift the savoury notes. It was served with lettuce and Vietnamese condiments to wrap around the roll.

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Next we devoured the delicious vegetarian King Mushroom rolled with Rice Paper. Consisting of mushroom, carrot, vermicelli, cabbage, mint and spice, the rolls distinct fresh flavours and top notes of mint really appealed to our tastes.

Lobster Heaven
Also from the appetisers, the Royal Lobster & Mango Salad was majestic, from the presentation to the texture and flavours this was a standout dish and one of our favourites on the night. A whole, large lobster that was succulent and perfectly cooked was presented so that it resembled a live lobster sitting atop a sea of green mango, carrot, chilli and Asian basil.

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All the flavours were complementary and the julienned green mango an inspired touch, giving a nice bite to the dish as well as crunch and harmonising of textures. It was dressed with fish sauce, vinegar and sugar, and the claw meat and roe added richness. From the plating to the eating this was a “wow” dish.

One of our mains also kept us in lobster heaven, Baked Lobster in Le Soleil Style served with garlic bread, another chef’s recommendation. A delicious dish, although the sauce is hard to describe…it had a similar taste to the best flavours from an Indian, Japanese and Malaysian curry yet with a distinctly Vietnamese essence and spice, with an extra egg-like creaminess and flavour coming from the lobster roe. Textural crunch came from the slivers of different colour peppers, carrot and celery, plus, hints of lemongrass and chilli, and lots of lobster meat. Again the lobster was perfection in taste and texture and the presentation notable.

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Subtle Flavours
The Classic Vietnamese Five Herbs Roasted Chicken was next, another of the chef’s recommendations. The French chicken was not as impressive as other dishes, and would recommend to allow the dish to cool a little before eating as the flavours become more pronounced.

As duck lovers we also ordered the Lemon Grass Duck Curry. The duck was suitably rich, in a coconut and peanut curry sauce…with the right amount of lemongrass so that it did not dominate the taste.

Double Sweetness
Although feeling full we managed to squeeze in two desserts, Pineapple Soup with Lemon Grass Jelly, and the very retro Deep-fried Vanilla Ice Cream.

The sweet pineapple soup contained small cubes of lemongrass jelly and mango and tasted like a pineapple and apple puree, with hints of mint on the tip of the tongue. A more complex and creative dish than it first appears. It was a wonderful diversion for the palate and the mind after our savoury feast. The deep-fried ice cream a fun dessert that took me back to my childhood when it was a favourite dining out treat.

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The food at Le Soleil does not try to be pretentious or cutting-edge, instead it is what it is…honest, authentic, tasty Vietnamese cuisine executed well and big on flavour. Chef Wong has been cooking his Vietnamese cuisine for almost 30 years and it shows…and I mean that as a compliment.

Ambiance, Service, Drinks
Situated in the atrium space of the Royal Garden Hotel, with clear views of the lit bubble lifts and guest rooms, and with the slightly strange metal detailing of the restaurant itself, I felt at first as if I was in a birdcage in an eccentric collector’s parlor. However it did not take long until I felt that I was eating dinner in Saigon in an elegant French-colonial hotel and began to thoroughly enjoy the unusual decor and location because of its ability to transport me to another place.

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The service is efficient and the staff can make recommendations.

Little touches, such as Pandan leaf tea on the table when seated, and bread served in a lotus shaped napkin, enhance the Vietnamese vibe. There is also original artwork on the walls done by Vietnamese artists.

There is a good selection of Vietnamese beers, which work well with the food, as well as a range of country inspired cocktails, such as 1975 (cointreau, preserved plum, fresh lemon juice) and Sapa Cooler (gin, dry vermouth and ginger ale).

by Vicki Williams
July 2008
 
Le Soleil
3/F Royal Garden Hotel
69 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui East
Kowloon
2733 2033