The Principal, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

I took my parents to The Principal for my Dad's birthday in mid-January. I was running late after suffering an endless Hong Kong taxi line, and then a cranky driver, before becoming slightly perturbed trying to find the place, but from the time I approached the door, Principal was a fantastic experience. The doorman greeted us, and I was glad to find that Mum and Dad had already been happily employed with 2 cocktails.

The Principal is dressed with white walls, white tablecloths, cream brick accents around the doorways, oil paintings, and copper light fittings. As an Australian, I felt very at home with this palate, although the restaurant is sited as "African / Spanish". There are a variety of seating settings, including a large private dining room, booths clad in brown gingham/plaid, and smaller round and square tables for 2's and 4's. There's a long serving bench in the center of the main dining room, giving the feel of a clean, relaxed working kitchen in a friends home. It all came together well - the only detail I wasn't sure about was the gingham, and I noticed one couple request to be moved from their booth as the lighting was a bit intense for them, but from my centre-stage round table, the atmosphere was perfect.
 
Upon sitting down, I was presented with a complimentary glass of champagne, gold-leaf nuts, home fermented olives, and a gold embossed menu that felt firm in the hand. I'm pleased to say that the menu was the right size for the table, and I wasn't maneuvering my glasswear, or learning back in my chair with head tilted away just to open it, as I need to do with fashionably oversized menus (I've knocked myself in the nose trying to open a few lately!).

I hadn't called ahead to book veggie, and was pleased to see that there were multiple entree's and one vegetarian main on the regular menu by default. I ordered a squash soup with pumpkin seeds and prunes, a rice dish for main, and a 'Violet' for desert. We were then presented with complimentary hors d'oeuvres which included cheese puffs, foie gras, and a beautiful round bite topped with cheese and anchovies.  Although these came after we had ordered, the wait staff hadn't picked up on the fact that we'd chosen vegetarian options, so I believe the tasters came out as planned - we didn't mind as Mum and Dad were more than happy to take care of the foie gras and anchovies - when it comes to complimentary additions, I don't think it's polite to be too picky, however an astute waiter might pick up on this? The cheese puffs were delicious.

We were served numerous rounds of bread (3 options) to our hearts content, and had 2 olive oils on offer - one unfiltered from Spain, and one filtered from France (or it might have been the other way around?). Both oils were flavoursome and grassy, and the tasting variety became a talking point for our table.

My soup arrived, and was poured to the bowl in front of me, creating a nice theatrical touch. The prunes and seeds were a taste surprise, adding texture and variation of flavour to the soup. I noticed my soup spoon was a little small in proportion to the shape and depth of the bowl, making it hard to maneuver, but I more than managed!

The main rice dish was not a stand-out for me. It was very pleasant, and I was satisfied, but didn't get a warm tingle from a once-in-a-lifetime experience (how often can you get that I suppose?). The desert however was a huge hit - 'Violet' includes violet coloured ripped sponge cake, small squares of violet crumble-like honeycomb, some additional small squares of vibrant jelly, and a beautiful yoghurt gelato. The ensemble was presented in an arc shape, off to the top left hand corner of the round plate - the colours and pattern were visually appealing, and likewise the flavours followed suit. Some of you might question eating jelly, so I will leave this up to you, however I found the desert to be the crowning jewel of the night.

We were again presented with complimentary desert bights, and kindly instructed about the order to eat them in - our hosts couldn't do enough to please us.

We had a beautiful bottle of Chianti throughout the meal, and found the Sommelier to be very friendly. Likewise the General Manager was out on the floor, beautifully presented, keeping conversation, making sure everyone was enjoying themselves, and adding to the relaxed and smooth operation of the environment. At the end of the meal my Dad was so happy that he kissed her - I bet she's never had that happen before in Hong Kong?

The Principal has only just opened in the past 2 months, and I assume people are already lining up for reservations based on the quality of the experience we had. We recognised at least one other notable chef doing reconnaissance work while we were there . . . it seems all eyes are looking towards The Principal.

Address:
The Principal, 9 Star St., Wan Chai Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
Phone: +852 2563-3444
Website: http://pressroomgroup.com/