Hong Kong Report : The Krug Room

The long awaited blog entry about the exclusive The Krug Room at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. My apologies for the delay as I was busy fostering Tinkerbelle, a rescued sheltie from a wretched puppymill.

For serious foodies, The Krug Room is a must-visit if you are planning to be in Hong Kong. It just celebrated its 5th anniversary in Hong Kong and is still always fully booked (well, September reservations are all taken up). My advice is to book a month in advance, if not earlier.


The most "secretive" chef's table. The Krug Room in Hong Kong is located next to the kitchen of Mandarin Oriental's main kitchen, with access only through a secret passage. Formerly opened for only private dining, it sits up to 12 pax. However, now it's open to public and you might share the table with others if you are a party of 2-4 pax.


Executive Chef, Uwe Opocensky was trained under culinary greats like Alain Ducasse and Ferran Adrià. He describes his cuisine as “progressive gastronomy". Most great chefs now move away from the term "molecular".


The dinner is only degustation menu, but they are able to make some changes according to your dietary preferences. The menu was written on the wall for us to discover in a crossword puzzle style.


Here's what we ate when we there on 29th July.

Amuse bouche - Wagyu
Beef pastry puff inspired by dim sum

1st - Mini Flower Pot

Salad with herbs and edible soil


2nd - Benedict
Truffle and egg based on recipe 1311


3rd - Papillote (meaning wrap)

Gravlax with herbs and flower (can you see the thin pieces of transparent wrap?)

4th - Quail In A Jar
Quail meat and jelly


5th - A La Francaise

Peas cooked in 3 ways with ham bits on the side. Before we were served this dish, we were given a pillow filled with scent of peas.

6th - Coq Au Vin

I love the unique presentation of the coq au vin in a half sliced bottle. This is the bottle that holds the type of red wine used to cook the dish.

6th - Cod (I opted for a non-chicken dish)

Black cod with seaweed, fennel, dashi and mussel. I love the presentation inspired by a Japanese zen garden.

7th - Duck A La Presse
Duck with pastry. The cherry is actually a foie gras in disguise.

8th - Arrived in the form of a big black book

8th - Steak + Chips

When I opened the big black book, a nice piece of "fat cap" steak was waiting with bits of bone marrow drops and potato souffle.

9th - Cheese

This is not a real Babybel cheese, but a deconstructed cheese cake. The cream cheese is packaged to resemble a block of Babybel served on a digestive biscuit. The raisins were also impressive. I have never seen raisins served on a branch. This is true luxury! Making raisins from grapes still in branches.

10th - Champagne

A cake in a shape of Krug bottle, with a cork and champagne jelly.

Preparing for our last dessert... rolling out a mat...


11th - Krug On The Moon

An edible art installation by the chefs. A masterpiece of chocolate and candied treats painted in front our very eyes...


I got really excited by the sight of so much sweet treats in front of me. It was a "Charlie & the chocolate factory" moment for me.

The meal cost HK$1,988++ per pax, but the amazing gastronomy experience is priceless!


For more information, please visit www.mandarinoriental.com