Upscale lunching at Hong Kong's Terrace Boulud - review

Terrace Boulud by Mandarin Oriental is billed as one of Hong Kong’s most exciting new dining launches this year. Lifestyle editor Ifat Kafry Hindes finds out if lunch lives up to the hype

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Upscale lunching at Terrace Boulud Hong Kong (review) - the stylish French brasserie-style indoor dining room

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The chatter started two years ago when Sevva, one of Hong Kong’s most popular cocktail and dining spots, permanently closed its doors after a successful 16-year run. To the bemusement of Sevva regulars - not to mention its glamorous socialite boss - time was called when the rental lease expired in May 2024.

The location is one of the city’s finest. Prominently situated on the 25th Floor of Landmark Prince’s building, the generous dining space opens onto a huge terrace with a sweeping panorama of the city and Victoria Harbour. For drinks with a view, it’s hard to beat.

The question on everyone’s lips - what on earth was going to happen to it? - was answered late last year when Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong announced it would be opening a French brasserie-style restaurant helmed by none other than Michelin-starred French celebrity chef and restaurateur, Daniel Boulud.

Boulud has opened restaurants all over the world and is best known for his eponymous one-Michelin-star restaurant, Daniel (since relaunched as Café Boulud), that launched in New York in the 1990s. 

Terrace Boulud has been created in partnership with Mandarin Oriental and is the first time the luxury property has opened a restaurant outside of the hotel building. Boulud frames his menus around the four pillars of ‘La Tradition’, ‘La Saison’, ‘Le Potager’ and ‘Le Voyage’, reflecting French culinary heritage, seasonality, appreciation of produce and global influences. This new Hong Kong venture carries a fifth pillar, a DB x MO dim sum collaboration.

The look

The interior of the new space is suitably impressive. The centre of the restaurant is dominated by a main bar, behind which smartly dressed bartenders whip up signature cocktails and pour bubbles by the glass. The wine list features more than 300 French labels.

Stepping into the chic restaurant, the crazy chaos of Central melts away. The space is designed to resemble a luxury vintage train and it indeed feels like you’ve embarked on a super-stylish escape. I loved the stunning mosaic floors, the green-onyx bar, the beautiful rattan art pieces, it all creates a show-stopping first impression.

How to lunch at Terrace Boulud Hong Kong - lifestyle editor Ifat Kafry Hindes was impressed with dessert

The lunch menu

I was tasting the recently launched lunch menu and I have to say, the hype is justified. I started with the ‘poireaux estragon’, a poached-leek salad with bacon, hazelnut crumble and a tarragon vinaigrette. This was the biggest surprise on the menu, I wasn’t expecting such a stand-out dish to start.

Next up was the dim sum course, a trio of melt-in-the-mouth flavours served traditionally in a bamboo steamer. So many places serve dim sum with a thick, overly-chewy skin, but not Terrace Boulud. With a delicate skin strong enough to contain the filling, the dim sum are beautifully bite-sized and a soulful marriage of classic Hong Kong heritage and modern crossover. Pieces included a Hong Kong-influenced shrimp har gow, a Lyonnais xiaolongbao with pig collar and truffle soup, and a Bangkok pocket of spiced pork, dried shrimp and Thai herbs, an interpretation of the classic shu mai inspired by the street flavours of Southeast Asia. The game changer, however, is the house XO dip, definitely not to be missed.

How to lunch at Terrace Boulud Hong Kong - loup de mer with a leek sauce and spring vegetables

Our light main was a delicious ‘loup de mer poireaux’, crispy sea bass with leek, red wine sauce and spring vegetables. The fish was flawlessly prepared with a thin potato layer that added a delicate crunch, elevating the texture of the whole dish. The light and elegant leek paired well with the fish, letting the main player shine.

I finished with a serve of melon musqué calamansi, a delectable combination of meringue, calamansi anglaise and osmanthus. The bright, citrus zip of the calamansi anglaise and the crunchy meringue met the floral whisper of osmanthos to create a dish I literally could not stop eating. It was an elegant way to wrap up what is a rather luxurious lunch experience in the heart of Hong Kong.

Terrace Boulud by Mandarin Oriental, 25/F Landmark Prince’s, 10 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2522 0111.

This features was first published in the Summer 2026 issue of Asia Family Traveller magazine. Read the digital copy here.