TIRPSE quietly opened its doors in 2020 within the colourful corridors of K11 Musea. It offers intricate French-Japanese cuisine with a contemporary luxe interior design and expansive views overlooking Victoria Harbour.
K11 Musea is often considered the Silicon Valley of Culture, a global cultural and retail destination in the heart of the art and cultural district at Victoria Dockside in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The founders of K11 Musea's have noted that it is "inspired by the muses in Greek mythology and aspires to enrich your daily life through the power of creativity, culture and innovation."
TIRPSE originally opened in Tokyo in 2015 and achieved a Michelin star within a few months of opening. Chef Shimizu Yuta and restauranteur Ohashi Naotaka decided to bring Tokyo's Michelin starred TIRPSE to Hong Kong. Although the food was well presented, the restaurant certainly lacked in service which was disappointing. We dined here on two occasions, once for the lunch tasting menu and another time for the Perfect Escape Afternoon Tea. Service was very slow and a bit sloppy at times. Our first visit was during the opening months, so we were a bit forgiving. However, our recent visit for afternoon tea proved to be rather disappointing as we would have thought that after many months service would have improved by then.
During our first visit for lunch, we were seated in the main dining room followed by tea and dessert on the outdoor terrace. A redeeming quality perhaps is the outdoor waterfront terrace which is a great spot for sunset cocktails or afternoon tea on sunny and warm day.
For the starter, we enjoyed a beautifully presented Stone Bream Sashimi in a smoky fermented tomato and green caviar. The saltiness of the green caviar and the smokiness of the fermented tomato complemented the stone bream very well.
One of the signature Autumn dishes was the Roast Pigeon with Alpine Garlic and Gingko topped with Black Truffle shavings, garlic and gingko beans. The pigeon was cooked to perfection with a dark pink hue and rich succulent texture. The elegant yet powerful 2017 Domaine Duroche Gevrey-Chambertin paired exceptionally well with the gaminess of the roast pigeon and the savouriness of the black truffle.
A mini-dessert of Walnut and rice cream drizzled with red miso caramel was paired with a glass of fortified wine, Vilmart & Cie Ratafia from France. Ratafia is amber in colour though it is made from 100% Pinot Noir. Ratafia is aged for 5 years in wooden barrels and develops pronounced ginger-candy and marmalade notes with age. The finish on the palette is often intense and aromatic with notes of almonds, figs and hazelnuts.
As it was a warm and sunny autumn day, we moved outside to the terrace which had a lovely view of Victoria Harbour.
On our second visit, although the savoury bites for afternoon tea were tasty and beautifully presented, the lacklustre service certainly did not delight. Given its high quality cuisine, luxe decor, harbourfront views and Michelin star reputation in Tokyo, it is a shame when the service does not align. Perhaps it could benefit with some additional hospitality and guest experience training to help elevate its service to the same Michelin star levels as it was in Tokyo.
LOCATION
TIRPSE
K11 Musea, 2nd Floor
Unit #219, 18 Salisbury Rd,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
HOURS
11:30am - 5pm Daily
Please call TIRPSE for the most up to date hours of operation.
RESERVATIONS
Recommended to book in advance online at or by phone at +852 2333 0031.
MOST RECENT VISIT
30 September 2020