Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon

In a city filled with afternoon tea, Michelin stars and amazing food, Le Salon de The de Joel Rubuchon is pretty good and a nice way to check out Joel Rubuchon’s foods in a casual, more affordable setting.
I’m a huge fan of tea so this was perfect. Standouts in the tea service go to the salmon tartare burger, the cherry tomato with the tuna mousse and caviar and scones. The exclusive Delicate Darjeeling tea was also very nice.
At $ 260HKD for a tea set for one, this set is pretty reasonably priced and they were ok with my friends just ordering tea.
This place isn’t as fancy as other teas in hotels around HK but it’s a delicious choice and will definitely satisfy your afternoon tea craving!

High tea anyone?
Remember the Minions in Despicable Me (the first movie) where one of them gets shrunk down to size and they have a small tea party where they clink cups?
Well, this place is for Minions. By that I mean that they serve miniature food that looks all cutesy and Hello Kitty like.
I think it’s for little girls, or Father/​Daughter days. That kind of high tea.
Not the high tea that one would find in England.
But, fun nonetheless.
The flavors are all there, and they have everything you would except from cucumber sandwiches to salmon.
Yes, you’ll have to pay triple the price than say your average coffee shop on the street, but this isn’t a Chinese coffee shop. This is a French inspired one.
And for those of you who don’t like High Tea, or have missed it, don’t worry.
I missed it several times and found out that they serve desserts all the time, pastries, and sandwiches. So you’ll be covered either way.
Excellent food that reminds me of home each and every time I come here. (I’ve been here 3 times by the way…)

Tea time! This place is amazing for high tea. They have a set menu for two people for 470 HKD. Comes with coffee or tea. A cute three tier tower of goodies was served along with two pots of tea and crème fraîche and strawberry jam for the scones. It got a little crowded since the table was so small. The tower of goodies really appeals to the eyes. I thought they should have more savory items than sweet ones, hence the 4 stars. Many bites of deliciousness later I was stuffed. I wish they would give two of everything. Some items you had to cut it if you wanted to try everything.
The tables were quite close together so it was hard to talk to my husband. The lady next to us was so loud. I felt like she dominated our conversation. That killed the atmosphere for me.

The high tea here can’t compare to anything I’ve had in LA! Like holy cow! Tea starts at three so come early (around 2:45) to queue up in line. I ordered the set for two as it includes many more options in sandwiches and dessert. It also comes with two options of tea or coffee. Pay at the counter first, then the servers will seat you.
My earl grey citrus tea and coffee came out first really quickly, and when the tea platter came out, I was extremely impressed. Presentation was BEAUTIFUL and it tasted just as good as it looked! My favorite was the cherry tomato stuffed with tuna mousse and topped with caviar, the salmon tartare burger, and the foie gras with mango jelly and ginger. The combinations were fantastic! They also came out with warm scones– one regular flavor and one green tea. Yum.
As for dessert, my favorite pastries included the mango and passion fruit white chocolate ball and the chocolate crisp with nuts. Can’t get enough of their food here! Everything was amazing!
The reason why I am giving this place a 4 instead of 5 stars is because of service– we had to ask four servers and wait about 10 minutes before we were able to get a glass of ice water. Any request that you ask will take a really long time. Other than that, the food and presentation definitely deserves a 5 stars. Total was $ 63 U.S. Dollars (around 450 hk) which is really cheap considering what you get and how much you get. So glad I got to come here after two failed tries!

Wished Joel Robuchon would open up a restaurant in the LA area as we’ve dined at both of his restaurants a few times in Vegas.
Was wandering around the IFC mall and just so happened to bump into this café and take out. Since we just finished lunch upstairs, we decided to purchase a few desserts and head back to our hotel for afternoon tea. Both the blackberry tea cake and the l’opera were tasty and paired perfectly with a cup of tea. The perfect way to end a full day of shopping in HK.
Will definitely be back to try some of their sandwiches which definitely looked tasty. Seating allows one to people watch while dining which may not be for everyone.
Will have to come back next time to try their lunch sets which look like items from the l’atelier menu.

Tried another Robuchon in Landmark, not very impressive food but service was good.
Quickly ordered a set lunch after sitting down. $ 328 set lunch compared with at least $ 170 a la carte dish. The set included a salad, an entrée and dessert. Coffee or tea with additional $ 28.
I ordered roasted asparagus, baby pork chop and mandarin sorbet. The whole set lunch is just average, nothing impressive. There’s still other choices in IFC. And I definitely go to afternoon tea if i have to visit the restaurant again.

we stopped by for tea at robuchon in the mandarin oriental, with its counter of pastries and extravagant petit fours. we settled for a pistachio and raspberry one: pale-​green, light mousse outside holding a pink interior. very pretty, very ephemeral — but it was more okay than fantastic.
the space is made up of a couple tables along the shopping corridor, which is both good and bad — there are loads of passers-​by and loiterers staring hard at you so you vacate the table, but you also get to avoid any overt formality you might otherwise associate with the robuchon name.
pretty expensive, but doable for a slightly more involved teatime.

Given that Joel Robuchon is one of my favorite chefs, I really hate to give Le Salon at IFC a 3-​star rating. However, with my experience here today, I really can’t will myself to give anything more than that. I have been to a Le Salon in Taipei and I believe it was much better than the one here in IFC in terms of quality of food, environment, and service.
First of all, I’m not a fan of the open floor seating area next to the escalator. Sure it’s IFC, sure it’s central, but I sure don’t want to eat in the middle of a hall way. It just makes it so much more not-​robuchon-​like. Forgive me for being a snob perhaps.
After sitting down, we promptly ordered the Lunch Set of the day that includes a salad/​soup, an entrée, and a dessert for $ 328 person. It’s got good value given that any a la carte orders are at least $ 170. I went with a mixed snow crab salad, a grilled pork chop, and a banana caramel cake.
The snow crab salad was blend to say the least. Other than the crab meat itself, I didn’t really taste anything on the veggie. It was a big disappointment since all of the Robuchon’s food have amazing presentation. The grilled pork chop was the highlight of meal and it was delicious. The pork was seasoned perfectly with a bean paste as base. My biggest disappointment was actually the desert. Given that it’s Le Salon, which is Robuchon’s bakery, I had high hopes for its desserts. But the banana caramel cake was really just so-​so. I did really taste the caramel anywhere.
Service wasn’t good, or bad. It was just there. Took my order, brought me food, didn’t explain the food to me like other Robuchon restaurants, asked me to paid, and that’s about it.
My thoughts overall: NOT IMPRESSED.
However, I will try the other locations like Landmark or Element. I’m still a fan, just not this IFC location I guess…

What do you do when you are tired from walking around Central the whole day and want to go to a place for some light snacks and coffee? Well, when in Rome. Or better yet, when in HK… Have afternoon tea! Afternoon tea is part of the culture of HK – it is a tradition passed on by the British.
I couldn’t choose between what sandwiches or pastries to get, so I decided to get everything, like literally! We got the afternoon tea set for 2 that comes with a variety of pastries and sandwiches.
My favorites were the macarons and chocolate, mango cake, and smoked salmon and cheese sandwich. The coffee was really aromatic and earthy. What I disliked was the set up of the restaurant because everyone that walks by while they are shopping can see us eating, which made it not as laid back and relaxed as I wanted my experience to be.
I recommend trying this place if you are ever at the ifc shopping center!

I remember knocking two birds with one stone, as we wanted to have a delectable treat here, and also catch some dim sum right after, and later on catch a ferry to the islands, well it worked out. and we were able to practically have seating and service all by ourselves this very morning. Speaking to a friend who lives in HK, and also looking at many web posts… this was the place to come for croissants, and as the ‘nomnomnivore’ always can’t say NO to the crème de la crème of pastries (they have to be good. or no go in mouth!). We were seated in the open area of IFC where it had the signature Robuchon look… black lacquer and heavy red leather finish chairs, some interesting black lamps, red carpeted area, even though you’re not inside a confined place. this open area has all the touches of a JR place.
As we were looking for a light (very light) breakfast before our early dim sum, I had a cup of black coffee, and she had an order of their housemade almond croissant, lightly heated. As we sat in the dining area, even in a shopping mall they make this area feel grand. Bright white plating for the croissant, deep black coffee mug for my coffee, served by our well outfitted waiter, and this is how the start was for our morning. They serve Blue Mountain & Kona coffee… and my plain Jane coffee was of excellent taste, the acidity level just right, that deep dark scent, just what I needed from just waking up. Her croissant, that was another story entirely.
One thing you always have to remember, especially at these places is that everything looks prestine. from the place, to the plates. to the things that you will put down your throat, and from the coffee, right up to the croissant… this thing looked amazing. but how does it taste? From the frosted sugar lightly covered on top… to the perfectly cut almond pieces that layered the top, this thing was a danger of buttery goodness. One bite, and if you had freeze photography it would be a shot… crumbs would be flying in a 360 degree spin from one bite, and when you looked inside. what makes a great croissant is the layering. This thing was layered perfectly, the taste, with the semi-​sweet paste, even if you were not a sweet fan, would make you come back for more. This thing is not cheap, but the old saying of, «you get what you pay for» definitely reigns supreme here.
If money were no object, and I actually lived in Hong Kong… I would probably sit here for coffee every week, and take the ‘nomnomnivore’ here to get her fix every so often, but if you are not for coffee and croissants, don’t worry, take a look what they have to offer from the overplayed, overhyped macaron servings, daily breakfasts, tea time to raise your pinky in the air, cold plates like foie gras… caviar… or iberico ham… or if you just want a Coke. they have it!

I travelled to Hong Kong during May this year. One of the days that I was here, I went shopping in Central and also planned to try Le Salon de The de Joel Robuchon for afternoon tea.
Central is a great spot for tourists because most of the employees at restaurants and clothing stores can speak english. Similarly at Le Salon de The, there was no communication barrier, although I do speak fluent Cantonese.
Le Salon de The is actually a concession stand with tables set out on the 3^rd floor of the mall. I expected it to be inside a restaurant, so the experience was very novel to me. There were many shoppers walking by my table while I was enjoying my afternoon tea.
I came with my sister and we ordered the afternoon tea set for two. It comes with sandwiches, scones, and pastries with a choice of either coffee or tea. The coffee was amazing. It was very bold and fragrant. It was definitely woke me up, which I needed after shopping the whole afternoon. Everything was dainty and delicious. The strawberry jam was heavenly, it had a hint of rose flavor and it was too sweet. It went perfectly with the scones. My favorite were the pastries.
The afternoon tea set was a little pricey, but it was a great experience.

Part of the Robuchon group, Le Salon de The by Joel Robuchon is a «small concession stand» restaurant in IFC mall by the Four Seasons Hotel. And what I mean by this is; it is a sort of outdoor café piazza feel, but in the middle of an enclosed mall. Semantics aside, it is a great place for lunch or a mid shopping snackette. Where better to go for a small, and perhaps overpriced sandwich, when you have been melting your credit card in the fancy boutiques of IFC mall?
It is essentially a French tea salon (self quoted as «the best in town») selling teas, coffees, baked goods, sandwiches, etc., so think really fancy Starbucks with waiters and decent chairs. There are a few locations, but my favourite is the IFC Mall.
The food at Robuchon is great. I can always rely on the ham and cheese crispy pocket, which is a hot toasted Breville sarnie made with sort of pancake sheets rather than bread, and the divine french fries, which must be double cooked to give them that extra crispy crunch. Make sure you get lashings of mayonnaise for the chips, so good!
Other food choices include dishes like tuna nicoise sandwich, finger sandwich selections, and burgers, through to variety of proper hot plates like steaks, chicken, pastas.
The bill may make you cry a bit, with a burger setting you back HKD210, but you could just buy one less designer bag to make up for a decent feed.