Diner’s Diary | New chef at Lily & Bloom gives American comfort food a gourmet twist

Lily & Bloom in Central has got a menu makeover, thanks to new executive chef Chris Grare.

If his name sounds familiar, he was previously at Café Gray Deluxe in Pacific Place and The American Club. At Lily & Bloom on Wyndham Street, he’s taking American comfort food up a few notches on the gourmet scale.

Grare’s dishes are very pretty – reminiscent of those to be had at Café Gray Deluxe – and, based on our recent sampling of some of them, pretty tasty too.

The new menu features dishes in small, medium and large portions, catering to different appetites. For starters, the cured salmon (HK$125) is a gorgeous bright maroon colour and comes topped with caviar and garnished with pickled beets and horseradish. The scallop sashimi (HK$135), presented in a large shell with avocado mousse, candied orange and tobiko (flying fish roe), looks delicate, but the taste is quite spicy – and there’s no warning on the menu.

Another starter is the lentil-crusted lobster (HK$155), which features a lobster claw and a kind of sandwich with lobster meat and lentils dressed in a celery root puree with curry sauce, topped with a chunk of pomelo. Pairing seafood with earthy legumes was interesting – but it works.

The foie gras terrine (HK$210) has a silky smooth texture, its richness cut by the accompanying wholegrain mustard crème and celery root slaw. Some crackers or crusty bread would have made a good addition to what’s a decadent dish.