Restaurant Review: Sky High and Loving It: Terrace Boulud Has Entered the Chat - and It's Not Leaving

DB x MO Dim Sum (1)

Right. Let me just say this upfront: I went to the media tasting at Terrace Boulud expecting, well, a media tasting. You know the drill. A few canapes, a bit of bubbly, someone hands you a press release thicker than a Tolstoy novel, you smile at the PRs, you smile at the chef, everyone smiles at everyone else, and you go home. Standard.

What I did NOT expect was to walk into what is essentially the most glamorous open-air living room in Hong Kong and find myself surrounded by what appeared to be the entire Central business district having the time of its life on a Tuesday. CEOs? Check. Heads of banks - plural - doing that thing where they pretend they're just casually having lunch but their Brioni suits suggest otherwise? Check. The fashion industry contingent, impeccably turned out, doing that impossible thing where they look both effortless and expensive? Also check. Suits, gloriously expensive suits, everywhere. It was a media tasting that looked more like the lunch scene from a very well-funded but poorly executed Netflix drama. The kind where everyone has cheekbones and nobody discusses their salary out loud but you just... know.

And this, right here, is the thing about Terrace Boulud. It hasn't even been open that long and it's already become the place to be seen. The one where Hong Kong's moneyed, connected, and frankly-rather-fabulous choose to be seen. And honestly? Standing on that rooftop above Landmark Prince's, with the glittering geometry of Kowloon's skyline across the harbour and the towers of TST shimmering in the distance, you understand immediately why. The view is, without a hint of exaggeration, one of the best in this city. And this is a city that takes its views seriously. The drama of Hong Kong Island's skyscrapers on one side, the sweep toward TST and beyond on the other - it's the kind of sight that makes you put your fork down mid-bite just to stare. Briefly. Because then the food arrives and priorities reset.

Because oh, the food. The food!

Daniel Boulud, the man behind some of the most celebrated restaurants in New York and beyond, has brought his whole French brasserie heart to this rooftop, and Executive Chef Aurelie Altemaire is running the kitchen with what can only be described as joyful precision. The menu is guided by what Boulud calls his four culinary muses: La Tradition, La Saison, Le Potager, Le Voyage. And then - and this is the bit that makes Terrace Boulud genuinely singular - Hong Kong gets to be the fifth muse. Not a footnote. A muse.

That fifth muse shows up in the DB x MO Dim Sum, a daily-changing selection created exclusively for this restaurant, existing nowhere else in the entire Boulud restaurant group. We had, among others, the Hong Kong shrimp har gow - and calling this a har gow almost feels reductive. Plump, delicate, steamed to a translucent silk, served with a house XO sauce that has enough umami depth to make you briefly reconsider everything you thought you knew about dipping sauce. Then the Lyon xiaolongbao - pig collar and truffle, the whole thing a nod to the legendary truffle soup of Paul Bocuse, reimagined as a soup dumpling. You bite in, the broth releases, and somewhere in Lyon a ghost is nodding approvingly. The Bangkok shu mai brings lemongrass and chilli and fresh herbs into a wrapper tinted faintly green, juicy and aromatic, the kind of thing that makes you reach for a second before you've finished the first. These dim sum are not fusion for fusion's sake. They are genuinely thoughtful, technically accomplished, and utterly delicious. Yummmm doesn't quite cover it but: Yummmm.

The set lunch  - Menu Déjeuner, available daily - is the kind of menu a proper brasserie should have. The Bisque Tomatée, a tomato and lobster soup crowned with a lobster-stuffed zucchini flower, is precise and deeply satisfying; it tastes expensive in the best possible way, the kind of dish you'd order twice if the rest of the menu weren't equally compelling. The Crispy Risotto with reblochon emulsion and green asparagus is, quietly, one of the most impressive things I've eaten this year - it shouldn't work as well as it does, the crisp giving way to the creamy with an elegance that feels almost architectural. King Salmon poached in champagne sauce with smoked salmon roe is the kind of dish that sounds almost simple until you eat it and realise nothing about this is simple.

For the meat contingent: the Australian Angus Cube Roll with French fries and pepper sauce is a brasserie classic done with full conviction, and the Snake River Farm Pork Tenderloin with sauce diable has a sauce so well-judged you'll want to ask for bread just to chase it around the plate. The Truffle Mash, listed as a side, has apparently already become the kitchen's most-requested extra. Try it and you'll understand why. The truffle is present but not shouty; the mash itself is pillow-like and dangerously good.

Then there is the duck. The Canard | Orange - a riff on the eternal Canard à l'Orange - arrives from locally sourced duck dry-aged for up to fourteen days, roasted on the bone, finished with a honey and spice glaze that combines cinnamon, cumin, Sichuan pepper, black pepper, pink peppercorn and cardamom. The orange sauce is built from roasted duck jus and is every bit as deep and complex as it sounds. This dish is at once completely classic and entirely its own thing, which is arguably the highest compliment you can pay a dish.

Glace A L'talienne - Pistachio-forest berry

And for pudding - the soft serve. The Glace a L'Italienne, inspired by the sundae at Daniel Boulud's La Tête d'Or in New York, arrives in rotating combinations: pistachio with mixed berry sorbet (dairy-free, for those who notice these things), or chocolate and vanilla. Pure pistachio paste, real vanilla pods, rich dark chocolate. All made in-house. All needlessly good for what is, technically, ice cream. The pistachio one in particular stopped conversation at the table. That's a high bar to clear.

If there is a single, solitary complaint - and I am duty-bound to find one - it is this: the portions are too generous. There. I said it. Modern restaurants have spent the last decade perfecting the art of serving something the size of a dental floss packet and calling it a main course, Terrace Boulud turns up with actual, honest-to-goodness generous plates that leave you full. Scandalous. The outrage. By the third course you will be making noises that are incompatible with the elegant surroundings, loosening things, reconsidering life choices. You have been warned.

Throughout May, the French GourMay [gourmet geddit?!] menu adds Alpine warmth to proceedings: a Burger Savoyard with Australian Wagyu, darphin potato and melted raclette cheese; the Tartiflette, that magnificently rib-sticking Alpine gratin of charlotte potatoes, smoked pancetta and reblochon. Savoie wines poured by the glass - from magnum, naturally, because why wouldn't you - accompany it all. The Domaine Fabien Trosset Mondeuse is a particular find: juicy, spiced, absolutely made for a long afternoon on a terrace with good company and no afternoon meetings.

Terrace Boulud is, in the truest sense of the word, an experience. Not a meal with a view, but a whole vibe... the room, the rooftop, the skyline, the food, the energy of a room full of people who are absolutely exactly where they want to be. The cooking is technically accomplished, deeply pleasurable, and has a genuine soul to it; French at its bones, but the musculature is woven with Hong Kong-ness, Chinois-chic on a palatable plate.  

And I will be presumptuous enough to state; Michelin is going to come knocking. It's not a question of if. It's when. The food is already there. The room is already there. The consistency is already there, at a media tasting no less, which is where you learn the truth, because when the cameras are on and the journalists are taking notes, what you get is what they want you to see. And what I saw was a kitchen that already knows exactly what it is.

Watch this space. But book first. Because clearly, all of Central already has.

Terrace Boulud by Mandarin Oriental, Landmark Prince's, Central, Hong Kong.
Reservations: terraceboulud@mohg.com

Samsen: Hong Kong’s Unassailable Thai Restaurant doesn't have customers as much as it has Devotees

It isn't fine dining, but Samsen sure is great. Deputy Editor P.Ramakrishnan was only too happy to hit this popular eatery once again, having done his R&D for this feature for years.

Without exaggeration or hyperbola, over the past three and a half years, I've had a meal at Samsen, a whopping 546 times. And I have the receipts to prove it! Literally. It's on my app. 

It is the consistency; not of the broth that swims in the boat noodle soup, but the quality of food and service at Samsen that has me returning to its alter like the faithful devottee I am.  In a city that devours trends and quickly lets it fade (this year its Dubai pistachio, remember when it was salted caramel before that? Rainbow cupcakes prior? No? Well, proves my point),  Samsen is the only franchise I'm happy has three hotspots dotted on the island. Not because it chases acclaim or reinvents the wheel, but because it simply gets Thai street food right; uncomplicated, consistent, and perfect every single time. Whether at the original hole-in-the-wall on Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai, the Sheung Wan outpost on Jervois Street, or the newer Central branch, this is the eatery that reminds you why queues form and why Hong Kongers will brave subtropical steam for a bowl of noodles.

Walk past the rattan blinds and distressed wood into a space that feels lifted from a Bangkok shophouse: bare concrete, vintage graphics, open kitchens humming with mostly Asian cooks braving the steam (their enviable pores!) and spices. No tablecloths, no pretense. Just wooden chairs that creak under the weight of anticipation and tables turned over with efficient urgency. The menu celebrates Bangkok-style noodles and street classics with bold, layered flavors of sweet, sour, salty, spicy executed with the precision of someone who clearly respects the source material. Chef Adam Cliff’s pedigree (ex-Chachawan, trained under Thai-cuisine masters) shows, yet the soul belongs to the streets.

Order the signature boat noodles and understand the obsession. Dark, rich broth simmered for hours, packed with herbs, spices, and that elusive depth you chase across border towns. Slurpable rice noodles, tender beef or pork, a hit of chili, pickled mustard greens, and those crispy bits for texture. It arrives piping hot, fragrant, restorative. Pair it with som tum-green papaya salad pounded to order, bright with lime and fish sauce- or the personal favourite, chick flat noodle, with green vegetables, baby corn, where sweetness meets crunch and heat in perfect equilibrium. Curries, stir-fries, grilled skewers (including Wagyu options at the expanded spots), fresh roti: everything lands with the same straightforward excellence. Portions satisfy without excess. Prices remain reasonable - dishes hover in the HK$100–200 range - making it accessible rather than aspirational. Which is perhaps why the glossy publications do not feature this fine eatery with the frequency or urgency it deserves. But fun fact, its not only surviving without the media hand job, it's thriving in spite of it. 

What elevates Samsen beyond mere competence is its reliability. In a dining scene prone to inconsistency, every single one of my 546 visits has delivered. The food is served fast because the kitchen moves with purpose: satisfy the maximum number of hungry souls in the shortest time. This isn’t arrogance; it’s respect for the customer and the serpentine queue snaking outside. You wait - often 30 to 45 minutes in Hong Kong’s notorious heat and humidity - perched on the pavement or shifting impatiently. The dear ladies at front desk potter by with silver tumblers with coconut water (again, on brand!), but really, guests aren't here for polite impasse, but hardwood seat. You squeeze onto those hard chairs, sweat still beading, and the first spoonful makes every inconvenience evaporate. 

Locals and expats alike endure it because the payoff is genuine. No PR firm floods inboxes with seasonal plugs. No influencer carousel required. The proof is empirical: those lines that tumble across the street, day after day, night after night. 

Michelin grants it a Bib Gourmand - an honorable mention for value and quality - which it has held for years. Fair enough for what it is. But the broader guide’s framework reveals its limits. Street-food excellence, the beating heart of Asian cuisines, rarely fits neatly into star-chasing rituals built on Eurocentric tasting menus, hushed dining rooms, and sommelier choreography. A panel steeped in those normative standards cannot fully arbitrate the chaotic genius of a Bangkok noodle stall translated to Hong Kong’s alleys. We don’t need their full blessing. Samsen earns its stripes on the street, where it matters: repeat customers, word-of-mouth, and that impatient line of believers.

This is dining democracy at its finest. No reservations for most tables, no stuffiness, just honest Thai cooking that transports without passport stamps and visa tribunals (I have an Indian passport - traveling is never easy). 

Central’s branch offers cocktails and a bit more space than it original Wan Chai iteration (as I call it, the mothership), yet retains the core energy. Sheung Wan feels generous and vibrant. Wan Chai remains the scrappy original, closest to the source. All deliver the same promise: come hungry, leave happy, plan to return soon. 

Samsen’s refusal to complicate itself is its superpower. It doesn’t chase trends; it perfects a tradition. That is why it is, quite simply, the best eatery in town. No asterisk, no caveat. Just exceptional Thai food, served hot, every time. Go. Wait. Eat. Repeat. You’ll understand. Or as they say back home, You get my meaning?

First Look: Terrace Boulud in Central, Hong Kong: The Sevva Replacement is here. And it's Fab.

Au revoir Sevva, Salut Boulud!

Sevva has gone with the wind after so many glorious fare-thee-well parties back in the spring of 2024, when the shutters finally came down on April 17.

692 days later, Terrace Boulud is finally here and, in a word, it's fab. In a longer sentence: the drinks are great, the food is great, the service is particularly great, the vibe is great, and the view is spectacular. As ever.

But I'm sure you want more.First, the preamble.
Let's get the numbers and dates out of the way. Prince's Building has been around since the 1960s (a mixed-use building with shops, offices, cafes, designer brands, and designer duds all mashed together), and the penthouse—i.e., the 25th-floor space—was renovated and transformed specifically for Sevva's launch under Bonnie Gokson's vision (she became Bonnae in 2013, thanks to a bout with Kabbalah by way of Madonna).
If you're trying to think about what was there before that—i.e., before 2008—there was nothing for public consumption. Architects Tsao & McKown were involved in the dramatic redesign of the space that forged Sevva into being. It wasn't a direct replacement for another well-known public dining spot; Sevva quite frankly pioneered the glamorous rooftop concept in that space that year.
And what a year it was. For context, 16 years ago (2008), it was the year of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies," the debut of Lady Gaga, The Dark Knight premiered, Iron Man hit cinemas, and Barack Obama was running his campaign on "Yes, We Can." Meanwhile in Hong Kong, Carina Lau and Tony Leung had just gotten married, and vampires were taking over the box office with the first installment of the wildly stupid but popular Twilight series.
Among all this noise, Sevva opened and was quite frankly an immediate success and hit among the local and particularly the international crowd. The overpriced drinks were for the banker-wankers and their expense accounts—as blinding signatures were collected without a second look at the price tag for a "Yakultini" or the infamous Chocolate Martinis.
Sevva became iconic for its views, eclectic East-meets-West menu, afternoon teas, art-filled interiors, and society, star, and celebrity clientele over its incredible 16-year run. Statistically, most bars and restaurants fade in Hong Kong quickly—the lasting power dovetails neatly into the whims of omnipotent landlords who mostly govern the island and top the Forbes list in Asia. Sevva was a good-looking space, a great first stop for all visitors to Hong Kong, and a reminder to the flock who fled the island that the best views are here. Service was brilliant when you were with someone important, and the food was... fine. Most Indians were constantly tickled pink that there was a cheese dosa for HK$750 (Rs 8,815), when the average dosa is about HK$8.50 (Rs 100) in Tamil Nadu.
Then La Gokson and Hong Kong Land ceased being enamoured with each other. There's a tell-all interview with Bon Bon and a magazine dying to be told, but so far, she's remained tight-lipped and been traveling around the world in her signature shades and coat of red lipstick. The woman may be without a venture (for now), but by George, she'll hopscotch the world in irrepressible style. Follow her Insta.

Which brings me to Boulud. Kicking off with a perfunctory intro: "In the heart of Hong Kong's Central district, where gleaming towers pierce the subtropical sky and the relentless pulse of commerce meets the harbor's distant shimmer, a new chapter in the city's storied dining scene unfolded on March 13, 2026..."

Well, it is finally here. The venture that bravely took over Sevva, gutted it, seared it, and put something shiny and new in its place. Terrace Boulud, the latest venture from the renowned French chef Daniel Boulud, opened its doors atop Prince's Building in Landmark, marking the celebrated chef's long-awaited debut in Asia and his first restaurant in Hong Kong.

Perched on the 25th floor and linked to the iconic Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong via an enclosed walkway, the contemporary French brasserie represents an extension of the hotel's legacy beyond its own formidable walls. For the Mandarin Oriental, this marks its inaugural dining concept outside the auspices of its hotel property—a strategic move to weave its renowned hospitality deeper into the fabric of Central's social and business life.

"Terrace Boulud is designed as a place where Hong Kong comes together," said Paul Jackson, General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and Area Vice President, Operations. "It reflects the city’s social rhythm, where business, culture, and celebration often meet at the same table."

Boulud, raised near Lyon—the gastronomic capital of France, or so I've been told—has spent more than four decades crafting one of the world's most influential restaurant empires. His portfolio includes multiple Michelin-starred establishments, particularly in New York, alongside a string of James Beard Awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Yet for all his accolades, Boulud has long described his work as a "dialogue between cultures."
In Hong Kong, bilingual traditions are the norm, and innovation coexists not in opposition but in constant conversation. East-meets-West isn't unique; it's by historical design. No wonder he found fertile ground between heaven and hearth, on top of this skyscraper, ensconced between the glass barriers that give us the best views of Hong Kong... and vertigo. The dizzying heights of great press and success the previous occupants had mean Boulud has big shoes to fill. Opening night saw every scribe in town checking out every nook and corner, with a video crew in tow for dastardly social media.
"Hong Kong is one of the rare cities where tradition and modernity exist side by side, not as contrast, but as conversation," Boulud said. "Terrace Boulud is our way of bringing French brasserie culture into that dialogue."
The restaurant's menu is organized around four culinary muses that have long defined Boulud's philosophy: La Tradition, honoring classic French techniques; La Saison, emphasizing peak ingredients; Le Potager, celebrating vegetables and produce; and Le Voyage, drawing from global influences accumulated over years of travel.
A fifth muse emerges organically: Hong Kong itself, most vividly expressed through the DB x MO Dim Sum collaboration. Here, French culinary precision meets Cantonese tradition in inventive creations. Hong Kong-style shrimp dumplings arrive with a ginger and scallion XO dip, while a Lyonnais-inspired pig trotter and truffle soup dumpling nods to Boulud's roots. A New York pastrami, cabbage, and sweet mustard bao bridges his adopted American home with the city's adopted flavours. Anchoring the offerings are familiar brasserie staples executed with seasonal precision: pâté en croûte, vol-au-vent, roasted poulet, and an array of seafood from the raw bar and grill.
The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Aurélie Altemaire, whose résumé includes stints at Michelin-starred Epicure at Le Bristol in Paris and a decade alongside Joël Robuchon in London. Working in close collaboration with Boulud, she translates his vision with the exacting technique that has defined his career.
The beverage program matches the food in ambition and colour. Rooted in French wine culture, the list boasts more than 300 references, with a strong emphasis on Champagne and France's classic regions.
Wines by the glass are poured from magnums to elevate any occasion, while cocktails reimagine classics with Asian inflections, seasonal ingredients, and modern techniques, reinforcing the bar as a central social hub.

Designed by Malherbe Paris, the space evokes the golden age of travel, drawing inspiration from Boulud's own journeys across continents. Guests move from arrival through a sculptural green onyx bar—framed by shifting digital landscapes reminiscent of views from moving train windows—to the dining room and out onto the expansive rooftop terrace.
Banquettes line the interiors in soft, inviting tones, while the terrace itself orients tables toward panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and the city's glittering skyline. The design balances elegance with approachability, creating an environment that shifts seamlessly from leisurely lunches (set to launch in April) and afternoon gatherings to aperitifs, dinner, and late-night revelry with DJs and live performers.
In many ways, Terrace Boulud embodies the evolving nature of Hong Kong's dining culture. The city has long prized rooftop venues for their escape from the dense urban grid below, offering a bird's-eye view and perch where the harbor's breezes and the skyline's lights create a sense of occasion.
The restaurant joins a wave of new openings as part of Hongkong Land's ambitious redevelopment of the Landmark complex, injecting fresh energy into Central's culinary landscape.
In bringing his signature brasserie hospitality—polished yet effortless, rooted in respect for ingredients and the joy of the table—together with Mandarin Oriental's legendary service, Terrace Boulud positions itself as more than a restaurant and rooftop bar for tourists. It is a destination attuned to Hong Kong's rhythms: a place for long business lunches that stretch into evening aperitifs, for celebrations under the stars, and for quiet moments when the city skyline comes alive.
As the doors fully open on March 13, beginning with dinner service (with breakfast to follow in May), Terrace Boulud is ambitious, brave, bold, beautiful... it simply ticks all the boxes.
Michelin possible? Mais oui. 
Watch this space, and I'll let you know in 13 months just how many.
Just my opinion,
Rama

PS: This is why I need a sub-editor. cKOL