From sunset drinks on the terrace to what to order first, Daniel Boulud shares with Hong Kong Living how to experience his Hong Kong debut at its best
Just a fortnight in, Terrace Boulud is already one of the most talked-about restaurants in Hong Kong.
Set high above Central in the former Sevva space, the restaurant marks Chef Daniel Boulud’s long-awaited Hong Kong debut, created in partnership with Mandarin Oriental. It’s a city he first visited in the 1980s and, by his own account, never quite left behind.
“Hong Kong has always been one of the world’s great food cities,” he says. “The markets, the energy, the way food is part of everyday life. It made a very strong impression on me.”
A space shaped by the city
The setting is, of course, part of the draw. The terrace wraps around the building, offering a rare, almost complete view of Hong Kong.
Rather than compete with that, Boulud chose to work with it.
“The challenge was to respond to the environment, not compete with it,” he explains.
Working with Malherbe Paris, the interiors have been reimagined as a contemporary brasserie, but one that feels connected to Hong Kong. The space is laid out to make the most of the view, with tables, terraces and walkways all oriented towards the harbour, so wherever you’re seated, the city remains part of the experience.
What to order (and how to do it properly)
Terrace Boulud is designed to move through the day, but if you’re visiting for the first time, Boulud is clear on how to approach it.
Arrive early evening. Start outside.
“The terrace is a wonderful place to begin with a cocktail or a glass of Champagne at sunset,” he says.
From there, ease into dinner inside. A seafood platter to share, followed by the restaurant’s DB x MO dim sum — where French technique meets Cantonese tradition — is a good place to start. Think delicate shrimp har gow lifted with XO, or xiao long bao enriched with truffle in a nod to Lyon. The menu exudes elements of Hong Kong, New York and France.
And, as any good French chef would advise, don’t rush.
“For me, that progression from sunset drinks to dinner and a relaxed drink afterwards is exactly the spirit of a great brasserie.”
Hong Kong as the “fifth muse”
While the foundations are unmistakably French, this is not a transplant.
Boulud describes Hong Kong as the restaurant’s “fifth muse”, alongside tradition, seasonality, produce and travel.
You see it most clearly in the dim sum, but also in the ingredients, the cocktails, and the overall pace of the menu. The idea wasn’t to replicate a Parisian brasserie, but to let it settle naturally into Hong Kong, in both the food and the way the space is used.
On getting it right
For someone with more than four decades in the industry, the scale of the operation might suggest a certain ease. It doesn’t.
“I always feel a sense of nervous excitement on opening night,” he admits. “It’s important that every detail reflects the highest quality.”
That attention to detail extends to the team on the ground. The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Aurélie Altemaire, a French chef with a background in Michelin-starred kitchens in Paris and London, and several years working in Hong Kong.
Structure and standards remain consistent, but the restaurant itself is allowed to belong to the city it sits in.
A long relationship with Hong Kong
Boulud has been thinking about Hong Kong since the 1980s. The food, the energy, the way a city of this size still manages to feel personal around a table.
Terrace Boulud is, in many ways, the long answer to that first impression.
“It was not simply about opening another restaurant abroad,” he says. “It was about creating something meaningful in a city that has always inspired me.”
Terrace Boulud by Mandarin Oriental, 25/F, Landmark Prince’s, Central
