Contemporary French with an Asian twist

Upcoming French chef William Girard from Hong Kong’s modern European restaurant Whisk at the Mira Hong Kong was recently in Bangkok presenting a menu of his contemporary cuisine at D’Sens. He’s not a Michelin-starred chef just yet, but he has trained at some of Paris’ finest Michelin-starred establishments like the single-starred Auberge du Cheval Blanc in Bayonne, the two-starred Le Drouant under Louis Grondard, the two-starred L’Elyse at the Hotel Vernet, and the three-starred La Taillevent in Paris. His three years at the single-starred Les Muses restaurant at the Hotel Scribe in Paris sealed a stellar career in Paris.
Born in the Basque Country in the French Pyrenees, Girard cultivated his cooking roots with the region’s finest produce: Espelette pepper, Bayonne ham cured in salt from the River Adour, and the finest natural ingredients. He brings along the Espelette pepper, his number one ingredient – with him wherever he goes.
Girard calls his cooking contemporary French featuring classical roots with an Asian twist. He prefers no more than three flavours in each of his dishes.
I went to D’Sens to try his four-course set lunch menu at the invitation of the hotel’s PR together with other members of the news media.
For the first course, I bypassed wagyu beef Carpaccio and escargot ragout in favour of the pasta: Maine lobster cannelloni. It came with daikon (aka mooli), green apple and honey, no doubt reflecting his Asian twist, which must go down well with his patrons in Hong Kong. We liked the crunchiness in the mouth from the Maine lobster, green apple and daikon. The flavours were simultaneously sweet, sour and salty,
For the soup, I opted for green asparagus veloute featuring smoked salmon maki, quail egg and pistachio pesto. Most Asians would prefer a clear soup to go with maki, yet the creamy sauce made the salmon rolls an interesting, even exciting experience.
The key word for the next course -- snow fish with zucchini, aioli, Bouillabaisse sauce – was tenderness hidden in a crispy skin. I liked the whirly aromas of the puddle of the garlic sauce mixed with the warm seafood soup. It was a colourful dish both to look at and to savour.
We wrapped up the night with lychee delight with violet fragrance, a sort of East-Meets-West creation that allowed local ingredients to shine.
True to Girard’s recipes, the dinner showcased the multiple flavours and a mix of French and local ingredients. Hong Kong diners are lucky to be able tuck into some of Asian delights presented in a contemporary French tradition.