One of last year's restaurant trends in Hong Kong was New York Italian restaurants, with several opening in a short period of time. So far this year, the French bistro is the current emerging trend. Entering the SoHo neighbourhood recently was Bouchon Bistro Francais, followed closely, both in terms of opening and location, by La Marmite, the latest offering from the Aqua Restaurant Group. 

Having visited and reviewed Bouchon before La Marmite it was hard not to make comparisons, the menus are similar in many ways, with the same dishes in some cases, and both claim to serve Parisian style bistro cuisine. La Marmite did not fair well in the comparison stakes. For me it did not do any better when reviewed in isolation. 

Avoiding a Culinary Bloodbath

When reviewing a restaurant I call it as I see it. If the food is great I will say so, if it was excellent I will likely get caught up in a glowing recollection of adjective laden copy. Similarly if the food is not great I will write that and one or two restaurants have not faired well because of my commitment to honesty and their subpar food. 

During our three course meal at La Marmite my dining companion and I left more food uneaten than we consumed - a first for us. So when it came time to write the review I thought that if I were to go into detail about all that we found lacking that the resulting review would be a culinary bloodbath that may get me into some hot water. Instead I write a review that focuses only on what we enjoyed.

Focus on the Positive

The bread (and butter) was excellent. We also enjoyed some French oysters (natural). 

Our appetiser of Foie Gras 'Creme Brulee' was as light and creamy as the name suggests and we found it to be highly appealing, although we did find it a little cloying towards the end as the sweet notes were more pronounced than the earthy liver...my friend did say he would order it again.  

The pie filling (see below) also scored compliments...a good balance of perfectly cooked rabbit, foie gras and herbs...the pie is more substantial than it appears.

The sorbet (see below) was creamy, tangy and a nice alternative to ice cream or cream.

We ordered: Foie Gras Crème Brulee, Sour Dough Toast ($138); Fish Soup and Garlic Crouton, Gruillere Cheese and ‘Rouille' ($98); Poached Silver Cod with Aioli ($198); Rabbit, Foie Gras and Port Pie, Glazed Carrot and Mesclun Salad ($198); Traditional Paris Brest ($78); and from the lunch menu Fruit Salad with Housemade Yoghurt Sorbet.

A Return Visit

On Tuesday I decided to go to La Marmite for lunch to give it a chance for redemption. From the set lunch ($98-118) I ordered Nicoise Salad with White Anchovies, Pan Fried Gnocchi with Asparagus and Apple Tart. Overall the food was better than that I had eaten at dinner and parts of the meal I really enjoyed (the gnocchi), and I did eat more of my food. However, after two days of mulling it over and several meals elsewhere I have come to the conclusion that for me the food at La Marmite is currently not at the standard of its many competitors.

Ultimately food is a subjective experience, perhaps you have had a different experience at La Marmite.