Translating to “to dream” in French, Rêveri is truly the dream of a lifetime for the husband-and-wife founders, John Law and Jessica Kesumo, who spent the past 11 years building their own individual careers as they continued to set their hearts on opening a one-of-a-kind fine-dining experience together. Now, at Rêveri, Law is the head chef, while Kesumo graciously manages the front of house.
Rêveri is housed in a cosy, chic space with counter seating around an open kitchen and just a handful of tables, and the restaurant’s dim lighting and warm beige and gold tones add to the sense of intimacy. The restaurant offers lunch and dinner tasting menus that have a more laid-back approach compared to other fine-dining spots around town, which is a welcome change. Though mainly Western cooking techniques are utilised at Rêveri, there’s a distinct Japanese slant to the menus in terms of the ingredients used.
We visited Rêveri to sample the five-course lunch tasting menu (HK$390/person), which we feel is very fairly priced in relation to both the quality and quantity of the dishes showcased.
Charred maitake mushrooms: a light, clean opener to the menu, we wish that the mushrooms had been a bit more charred, but we enjoyed the smokiness of the oolang tea broth as well as the intense pop of sweetness from the compressed tomato and creamy corn custard resting at the bottom of the bowl.
Truffle brioche: available as part of the dinner menus (HK$1,280/person for Short Course; HK$1,580/person for Full Course), this one-bite wonder really steals the show, reminding us of Roganic’s famous truffle pudding. This dish plays on sweet versus savoury, featuring sweet brioche French toast accented with truffle, aged Cheddar and scallion oil. Thinly sliced seared Japanese scallop is also added for a further touch of luxury, though we felt its flavour was overpowered by the other ingredients.
Seasonal sashimi: the seasonal sashimi in question here are tuna and snapper – a refreshing intermediate course.
Wagyu ox tongue: the tender ox tongue – generous in portion – was perfectly grilled and seasoned. We wished there had been more of the rich, smooth and buttery potato purée.
Sansho Kumamoto pork donabe: this Japanese-style claypot rice main course is packed with a range of flavours and textures – tender, savoury Kumamoto pork cubes, chunky green chilli slices, briny, oily ikura and fiery, fragrant yuzu kosho. The Japanese rice kernels had just the right amount of bite. Addictive!
Miso sea bass (+HK$150): our favourite dish on the menu, we wanted to the lick the divine ponzu cream sauce off the plate. The sauce, accented with edamame and baby squid, is a luscious complement to the silky sea bass marinated in miso.
Chestnut caviar tiramisu: a festive ending to the meal, this tiramisu again exhibits an interplay between sweet and salty. There’s a strong coffee flavour to the chestnut-sponge-mascarpone tart, which is uniquely garnished with ultra-thin shavings of caviar.
Verdict
After dining at Rêveri, we kept asking ourselves when we’d be able to return – right now, it still feels like a hidden gem, but one we’ll gladly recommend to others for its warm ambience and well-executed, East-meets-West fine-dining cuisine.
Where: 20–24 Mercer Street, Sheung Wan
For reservations: phone/WhatsApp 6778 7278 or book online
This write-up is based on a complimentary media tasting provided in exchange for an honest review and no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed here represent the author’s.
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