It bothered me quite a bit when L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Hong Kong was crowned with a three star rating. My first visit to the restaurant was in 2010. The food was great but I wasn’t astonished by its lunch menu.
Upon my second visit, I was seated at the Le Jardin de Joel Robuchon instead of the open kitchen bar table. The menu at the Le Jardin is basically the same as L’Atelier. Yet, the Le Jardin offered a sense of privacy. I am most happy with the roof top garden where you could chill with your friends after the dinner.
I had the 8-course signature menu: MENU DÉCOUVERTE, HKD$1880 per head. I particularly enjoyed the lamb cutlets. It was properly cooked in small portions. One of the highlights in the restaurant is the smashed potatoes. They are amazingly smooth and creamy. There’s no secret to tasty smashed potatoes. They inevitably come with a good dose of cream and butter. So even they were remarkably delicious, I surrendered half way through.
Dishes are nicely portioned and the meal ended perfectly with something citrus – Strawberry mousse with “madame” cream and strawberry sorbet. I always like to end a heavy meal with something light and refreshing.
One has to bear in mind that Hong Kong has a rather relaxed Michelin standards when compared to the ratings in Europe, especially in France. So does L’Atelier deserves its three stars in Hong Kong? Yes, maybe. But definitely a no, when it is compared to other three stars restaurants in Europe or even Robuchon’s Chateau Restaurant in Tokyo which is just four hours away. Service is one big element that Hong Kong restaurants need to put more effort in.
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Address: Shop 315 & 401, The Landmark, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2166 9000
Website: http://www.robuchon.hk/
K's Luxe Dining Table 
You should give it another try. The food has gotten a lot better. Still not fond of the l’atelier concept though. The food is rather rich but I have bold and strong flavor when it comes to French cuisines. 🙂
Would you recommend Bombana? I’ve been meaning to try it for ages but always been drawn back to Robuchon again and again. I mean the creamy potatoes alone is enough to get my attention. Haha
The food is great actually. It has made quite some progress over the past 3 years (since my first visit). For me, when I compared it with my experience in the Robuchon in Macau and in Tokyo, the one in Hong Kong is not as good. But in HK-wise, it’s a great place for French cuisines. And you are sooo right about the creamy potatoes.
I have been to Bombana twice, for both lunch and dinner. Their lunch is a great deal actually. The truffle risotto (a la carte) is good and they are very generous with the truffles. I mean it’s a great place for Italian food and truffles of course, but I don’t get that kind of excitement that I got from Robuchon. If you are looking for traditional Italian food, Grissini is also a good choice.
I’ve been to both Robuchon de Dome in Macau and Joel Robuchon in Landmark Hong Kong. Both of their food were amazing. I’m just wondering if they are they same restaurant/ company?
They are both under Robuchon. Robuchon has many restaurants/cafes all over the world now.