Terrace Boulud
A Much Anticipated Opening for Daniel Boulud in Hong Kong
Terrace Boulud takes over the old Sevva space in Central. Daniel Boulud supplies the name, the French brasserie template, and the four-muse menu structure. Executive chef Aurélie Altemaire runs the kitchen. Her background includes Epicure at Le Bristol in Paris, a decade with Joël Robuchon in London, and time in Hong Kong.
The room has had a full reset. Sevva’s dark interiors have given way to an ornate French Riviera look, with sweeping curves, a raw bar, but keeping the large terrace looking over the harbour and Central. Malherbe Paris has leaned into brasserie and luxury-train references. The view remains the main event.
I have been staying dry lately, so I started with sparkling tea from Tea Saicho.
Warm sourdough with walnuts and sunflower seeds arrived with salted French butter. A good start.
For starters, we ordered the Mediterranean octopus and cuttlefish with grilled artichokes, romesco and crisp ham. Both were cooked properly and the portion sizing was generous. The trio of crudos followed on a scallop shell: red shrimp with cherry tomatoes and miniature mozzarella, scallop with shiso and watermelon, and yellowtail with pickled cucumber. Fresh, clean and refreshing!
For mains, I had the Poulet Basquiaise, a slow-braised basque stew with chicken tomatoes onions and basil. For a local touch, they featured Hong Kong’s famous three yellow chicken. Chicken breast has a habit of drying out, but slowly braised, then managed to keep it moist and juicy.
My companion ordered the Saint-Jacques with saffron risotto. That was the best dish of the meal: very fresh scallops and a rich, well-seasoned risotto.
Charred Brussels sprouts with Parmesan was a great side. Worth ordering.
For dessert, the fraise rose paired a traditional blancmange with rose ice cream, strawberry sorbet and lychee granita.
Petit fours arrived after: jellies, chocolates and warm madeleines straight from the oven.
The meal was good. Nothing went wrong, nothing was amazing. It was just very “blah”. There wasn’t really a lot to say. Nothing made me want to return for another meal. Terrace Boulud has improved the food offering in the old Sevva space, but the formula has not changed much. Go for drinks on the terrace on a warm day and enjoy the view. The kitchen is a supporting act.
Total Damage: 1850 HKD / 2 people
