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Food and Drinks
LifestyleFood & Drink

French chef in Hong Kong takes what he learned from Joël Robuchon to open ‘Yakifrenchy’ restaurant

  • Olivier Elzer took inspiration from master chef Joël Robuchon for new restaurant Clarence at H Code in Central, and will serve a lighter version of French food
  • His ‘Yakifrenchy’ concept will focus on French ingredients cooked Japanese style, finished with simple sauces and presented on skewers

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Executive chef Simon So (left) and Olivier Elzer at Clarence restaurant, in Central. Elzer created Clarence to present a lighter version of French food. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Bernice Chan

French chef Olivier Elzer has so much to say about his new Hong Kong restaurant Clarence, at H Code in the Central business district, that he shows his first visitors every nook and cranny of the space that seats under 100 diners.

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On the 25th floor of the building in Pottinger Street, Clarence overlooks the Tai Kwun heritage and arts centre to the south, while if you look north you can see Kowloon in the distance.

Everything about Clarence entails a lot of explanations. First, the name.

The restaurant is wine focused and the second he has opened after L’Envol, and is named after Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, the second winery of Chateau Haut-Brion, a wine producer in the Bordeaux region of France known for its dry white wines.
The isemi-private dining room at Clarence in Central, designed to resemble a French wine cellar. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
The isemi-private dining room at Clarence in Central, designed to resemble a French wine cellar. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

There is a semi-private dining room that looks similar to a cosy wine cave, with its curved ceiling made of brick and wine bottles displayed on shelves. VIP customers can keep their stash of alcohol in private lockers there.

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