(Bloomberg) -- This is a review originally published on Aug. 29 as part of the Hong Kong Edition newsletter.
Louise, the French fine-dining institution revered for serving some of the best chicken in town, is putting more of its beautiful space to work.
Located inside the PMQ heritage building in Central, the restaurant transformed its downstairs lounge and outdoor terrace into La Terrace by Louise — a bistro with a cheaper menu catered toward cost-conscious and younger diners. And me.
No doubt the terrible economy and the departure of so many expats have played a part in this move. Back in the pandemic days, it could take several months to get a table at Louise. Now, booking is a breeze — as was the case when I made a reservation for two at La Terrace.
We went on a Sunday night, and the total bill came to HK$2,571 for three appetizers, three mains, two desserts, two cocktails and a carafe of wine.
Overall, it was a nice affordable way to revisit an old favorite — though bear in mind that bistro pricing also means bistro service. I certainly missed the attentive, all-details-covered service of the fine dining operation upstairs!
The vibe: The soft lighting and modern soul soundtrack create a relaxed dining experience. To Louise’s credit, the lush lounge area wasn’t redesigned to squeeze in more tables, so there are only five or so groups spread out across a large, comfortable space.
Who’s next to you: There were three other groups of diners who appeared to be in their 20s and 30s, all of whom seemed to be on dates. The Drawing Room, which serves the fine dining menu, could be seen from the lounge and the juxtaposition was stark: All the male diners I spotted there were silver haired or looked far older than in the terrace.
Can you conduct a meeting here? Yes. Though the music is turned up higher than upstairs, the space was large enough for us to enjoy our meal without being interrupted by other conversations. It’s also just a lovely venue that wasn’t previously available for a quick drink or snacks.
What we’d order again: We skipped the famous yellow chicken — offered here in an accessible half portion for HK$688 — because we’ve had it before upstairs, but don’t miss it if it’s your first time at Louise. Of the dishes we had this time, the spicy black pudding with shallots and red endives (HK$208) stood out the most. It was an elegant version of the hearty traditional French dish that was perfectly spicy and subtly tart.
It went well with la truffade (HK$148), which is basically super cheesy and garlicky sliced potatoes.
Among the appetizers, the hamachi crudo (HK$128) was fresh and light, while the leek terrine (HK$110) was, as younger diners would say, mid.
The passion fruit saffron, essentially a creme brulee in a passionfruit husk, deserves a shoutout for its pricing — it’s somewhat of a shock to see HK$26 printed anywhere on a menu at a place like Louise.
Need to know: La Terrace by Louise is on the ground floor of PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street. It opens at noon on Monday and Friday, 2:30 p.m. on weekends and 6:30 p.m. from Tuesday to Thursday. It closes at 11 p.m.
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