This autumn, The Lobby Lounge at Regent Hong Kong has teamed up with chef Nicolas Cloiseau from La Maison du Chocolat, one of France’s premier chocolatiers and a recipient of the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France award. Together, they are launching a chocolate-centric afternoon tea and an indulgent chocolate cake that will delight cocoa lovers. This collaboration not only marks chef Cloiseau’s first return to Hong Kong in over a decade but also represents La Maison du Chocolat’s first venture into afternoon tea, making this a truly exclusive experience not to be missed.
Working together with The Lobby Lounge’s head chef Rajiv Chowdhoory and executive pastry chef Andy Yeung, chef Cloiseau has crafted an afternoon tea menu that features a harmonious blend of sweet and savoury, highlighting high-quality chocolate alongside complementary ingredients. The experience begins with chef Chowdhoory’s innovative savoury tiramisu, made with cauliflower and wild mushrooms, serving as a creative chocolate-inspired amuse-bouche. “Our collaborative afternoon tea with chef Nicolas focuses on chocolate, so I used tiramisu, which is also made with chocolate, as inspiration to create a starter,” he shares.
Additionally, guests can enjoy four kinds of finger sandwiches – brie with walnut and black truffle; scallop with apple and Perseus Caviar N5; Wagyu beef pastrami with capers and Pommery mustard; and Scottish smoked salmon with avocado. Rather than using seasonal produce to fill the finger sandwiches, chef Chowdhoory mentions that he selected ingredients that would best complement chef Cloiseau and Yeung’s desserts. “I didn’t want to overpower the flavours of the chocolate desserts, so I chose ingredients with milder flavours. That way, guests can swap between savoury and sweet dishes and enjoy their afternoon tea experience.”
As for the afternoon tea’s sweet treats, diners can savour three signature chocolate creations: a choux chocolat featuring various chocolate textures, a roulé citron noisette biscuit with lemon and hazelnut, and a marron cassis tartlet filled with blackcurrant coulis. Aside from highlighting different flavours in each chocolate dessert, chef Cloiseau and chef Yeung wanted to pay homage to La Maison du Chocolat in their creations. “We chose the complementary ingredients [of the desserts] based on well-loved flavours at La Maison du Chocolat, so I was able to nod to the iconic chocolate brand while including a personal touch into the afternoon tea,” shares chef Cloiseau. They also experimented extensively with ingredient ratios to achieve optimal flavour balance. “During our development stage, we played around with the acidity and texture of our desserts to make sure all the components were well-balanced. We also talked to our teams to see if there were any parts of the desserts that could be improved,” chef Yeung states.
Guests can choose from various tea and coffee options to pair with the afternoon tea, as well as sensational beverages like The Lobby Lounge’s signature chocolate drink or a velvety chocolate martini made with Acan chocolate liqueur and Luxardo espresso liqueur. Additionally, this collaboration introduces an enticing walnut-vanilla entremet cake, available for purchase at The Lobby Lounge. This delightful creation consists of a soft walnut biscuit, layers of Bahibé milk chocolate, vanilla praliné, 68% dark chocolate mousse, and a creamy walnut filling.
All in all, Regent Hong Kong and La Maison du Chocolat’s collaboration showcases a wide variety of chocolate in different forms and textures. “Chocolate is such a versatile ingredient. Aside from being able to create different textures, chocolate allows me to showcase various flavours and aromas from [using specific] cacao beans, [which] gives me a lot of freedom to experiment,” chef Cloiseau concludes.
Visit Regent Hong Kong from now until November 30 to enjoy the collaborative afternoon tea, or purchase the walnut-vanilla entremet on the hotel’s e-shop.