Six days later, I’m still thinking of La Vache!
Opened last October 2013 in Hong Kong’s Soho district, La Vache has been consistently named as one of city’s best steakhouses.
After reading about it on The Wanderlister, my steak-obsessed husband had been planning to fly to Hong Kong just to eat here, and finally we did last week.
Jeroen had reserved a table weeks in advance for his AFAM group of friends, while Darren McDermott, who lives in Hong Kong had to make a HK$1,000 deposit to secure the reservation.
Lucky for me, I only knew the “mayor” and “vice mayor” of Hong Kong to get a reservation the night before.
The “mayor” is Fed Tan, whom I’ve known since he was a teenager at Xavier School, and the “vice mayor” is James Acuña, one of Hong Kong’s top bloggers, a.k.a The Wanderlister.
The mayor and vice-mayor titles are really just a joke, because between the two of them, they know the whole of Hong Kong—from where to eat, where to shop, what’s cool, and who’s who.
James Acuña (L) and Fed Tan at La Vache!
The name, La Vache!, is the French expression for ‘Holy Cow!’ and the only thing on the menu are the steak and frites.
Walk-ins welcome but reservations are a must for parties of five or more.
Tables are covered with white paper. Once seated, tell the server how you want your steak to be cooked and they will scribble an initial on your placemat—like M for medium and R for rare.
Prepared by Chef de Cuisine Tony Ferreira, dinner starts with a house-baked baguette and French butter, followed by a mixed green salad with walnuts and a zesty mustard vinaigrette.
The meal is an incredible value for steak-lovers at just HK$258 per head.
The frites are something else. At first I thought they looked ordinary but after three bites they were seriously the best fries I’ve ever had (we heard they are cooked in beef fat). And did I mention that Hong Kong serves the best ice-cold bottled Coke? Perfect combination.
Our steaks were brought in large platters and placed on top of a candle-lit food warmer.
Don’t forget the special sauce.
Few steaks ever come close. The best steak I’ve ever had was at an ancient Japanese steak house in Tokyo that my dad took me to many years ago. It cost an arm and a leg.
The La Vache! steak experience is easily in my Top 5 of world’s best steaks (though Filipino in me secretly wished I had a plate of white rice to go with it. Then again you can’t have everything.)
With no more space to spare, James Acuña mentioned they had the best desserts in town.
Out came a dessert cart with traditional French pastries such as Oeufs à la Neige, meringues floating in crème anglaise, and Mille Feuille, layers of puff pastry and cream.
Three deserts were ordered and shared by our group of five, which included Kissa McDermott and Patrice Ramos Diaz. But seriously, I had no more space.
As for wines, they have a carefully curated list of approachable Old World wines, including a private La Vache! blend of Cinsault, Syrah, Mouvèdre and Cabernet-Sauvignon made specially to pair with steak.
The bar is stocked with cordials, spirits and aperitifs from which they create classic French cocktails with modern twists like Le Boulevardier with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Dolin Rouge Vermouth, Campari and orange bitters, and a Thé Martini made from vodka, black tea liqueur, lemon juice and bitters.
After the meal and the great company, I can honestly say this is one restaurant worth flying for—this coming from a seriously fearful flyer. Don’t miss it while in Hong Kong.
La Vache! is at 48 Peel Street, Soho, Central, Hong Kong
To reserve, call +852 2880 0248 or email info@lavache.com.hk.
You can also reserve online at http://www.lavache.com.hk/
To know more, like them on Facebook
