Ta Vie

I haven't reviewed a restaurant in a long time. The first and only time before this was almost 6 years ago. I found the process of writing (and later reading) so boring that I had to take a break. The break however did not extend to my quest for trying the best fine dining restaurants in the world.

Since l'Atelier, I have tried a few more on the World's best and Asia's best lists. From the lists for 2017, this includes Amber (Asia's Best #3, World's Best #24), 8 1/2 Otto et Mezzo Bombana (#4, #60), Nahm - Bangkok (#5, #28), The Chairman (#47, NA) and Caprice (NA, NA). These were all good.

8 1/2 and Nahm were probably the more memorable of the lot. Caprice was so forgettable that until a couple of days ago, I had forgotten I had even eaten there! Maybe that's why it's not on either list anymore. The others were standard fine dining fare. I don't think any of these would make it to my personal favourites of top restaurants. Very few fine dining restaurants would if any. But that's probably for another post.

That brings me to Ta Vie (#33, NA). It resides at the Pottinger Hotel on Queen's Road Central. Being relatively new restaurant with limited reviews, I was bit apprehensive to select this place to celebrate a special occasion. However, if ever a fine dining restaurant was to make it to my personal list, Ta Vie would be it. I liked it so much that it felt like a moral obligation to put an end to my sabbatical from reviewing and share my appreciation of this place.

Chef Hideaki Sato's creativity with his theme of "pure, simple, seasonal" was a joy to experience. The combination of Asian flavours, French technique and a chef's passion was well reflected in the palate's desire for more. There can't be any other parameter for good food than that.

The only option for dinner is the 8 course tasting menu. This changes with seasons. Spring would be proud of Chef Sato's gastronomical representation of it.

The first course was a Squid Caesar salad. The squid itself was probably one of the best cooked I've had. It was soft and not chewy at all. It tasted extremely fresh. But I was not wowed by this dish. In my books, there is only so good a caesar salad can be and this met those expectations. At this point I was thinking, "right, here we go". This dinner experience is going to be like all my other fine dining experiences - standard fare with a twist; squid instead of chicken. While being nice as a one off, it's not something I am going to remember or long for after the dinner.

My thoughts changed very quickly with the second course. It was described as a "clam chowder" with whelk. Being someone who likes robust dishes, I was looking forward to this. I thought I'd get something hearty for a change that would leave me satisfied instead of a tiny little dish tasting menus normally have. But what came out was tiny. A bowl with the solids of the chowder was laid on the table. This was followed by a table side service of the liquid part of the chowder being poured into the bowl from a conch. Unnecessary drama I thought. The chowder had a relatively thin consistency so I was ready to be disappointed on another count by this dish. And disappointed I was. I wanted more! The chowder tasted wonderful. It was light, full of flavors and refreshing. The notes of each ingredient, particularly the peas and the whelk were clearly evident and delightful. It was a chowder and at the same time, it wasn't. Now I was tentatively excited about this dinner. Would the rest of the dishes stand up?

The next dish definitely did. It was a mix of chopped strawberries, beets and tomatoes on a bed of burrata cheese. This was drizzled with olive oil and garnished with basil. This dish probably respected the core ingredients more than any of the others. It was more an assembly of flavors and textures rather than cooking. While the strawberries were more subtle than I'm used to, everything worked really well together. The cheese were creamy and light, the fruits and vegetables were fresh and the basil was strong. A mouthful of all together was both satisfying and cleansing on the palate. The mind says to stop now while this meal is still memorable. The heart says, go on.

Speaking of conflicts, the next dish created one for the senses. It was a braised abalone with onions, mushrooms and some sauce served in what appeared to be it's shell. However, the mind was blown away a bit when we were told that the shell is edible. It was actually made with puff pastry. Digging in and getting a bit of all the components together created a nice blend of textures and flavours. The crispy shell, the soft abalone with exactly the right amount of chewiness, the earthiness of the mushrooms and the savoury sauce all created a well balanced dish.

After the mind tricks with the abalone, the next dish was a pleasant surprise for the glutton in me. A pasta dish which was not on the menu was presented. Extra dish!? Score!! I didn't care how this one would have tasted. Extra food is always good. Having said that it was good fettuccine in a herb sauce stopped with sea urchin. From my previous review, you'd know I don't like sea urchin. But this one I liked. So well done Chef!

Coming back on track, the official fifth course presented was a lobster in a Chinese yellow wine sauce. I was expecting to taste some alcohol much like the Chinese drunken chicken. However this was completely different. The lobster's texture was perfect. It absorbed the space perfectly and together created a very nice dish. But the sauce by itself was to die for. I could have drunk a bowl full of it! It had the nice familiarity of a seafood broth and yet had a uniqueness I cant describe to it. Yet again, I was disappointed that there wasn't more of it.

After the lobster came the last savoury course of the night, the Pigeon. This was described as the "main" of the dinner. I've had hits and misses with Pigeon. Sometimes good, sometimes too gamey. This one was the best I've had by far. The pigeon itself was cooked to perfection. Soft, juicy and seasoned perfectly. It was specifically made for us as we opted not to have the beef when the booking was made. However we learned that this dish was created for a special menu as part of a collaboration event with a restaurant called Nerua in Spain. If the pigeon was a sample of that menu, I'd starve a whole day to try all if (and if you know me, I don't take starving lightly)

Having enjoyed 7 amazing courses so far, I was truly satisfied and looking forward to the two dessert courses. Being a chocolate person, I was bit disappointed that neither of them featured any when described on the menu. But based on the experience so far, I was a bit more open minded.

The first of the two was a visual treat. It was almond ice-cream with meringue and fresh strawberries encased covered in a transparent candy glass. While the presentation was inventive and beautiful, I didn't find the flavour to be extraordinary. Everything was good and worked well with each other, but I missed my chocolate

Any longing quickly disappeared with the last dish of the night. As described in the menu, it is not something I would ever order. It was a crepe with bananas with a passion fruit and truffle sauce along with vanilla ice cream. I'm glad I didn't have a choice. The bananas were perfectly caramelised. The sauce was neither too sweet nor tart and yet the flavours of passion fruit and truffles came through distinctly. The ice-cream provided the sweetness of a dessert, did not mask any of the flavours and yet stood out on it's own. The crepes served as a good carrier to hold all the flavours together without intruding. Together the dessert worked delightfully. It was a perfect end to a joyful lineup of delectable food.


If it hasn't come across already, I really like Ta Vie. The service is what you would expect from any fine dining restaurant of repute. But the food really stood out. I generally think such restaurants are worth trying once. However with Ta Vie, I'd look forward to going back. Considering the menu changes every season, it's hard to say if the next time would be just as good or not. But considering that I enjoyed 6 out of 8 courses, there is a high chance it will. I look forward to tracking Chef Sato's career. I wish him and the staff all the best and highly recommend Ta Vie for a special evening.