With a slew of Australian, Peruvian, Korean and Mexican restaurants popping up in Hong Kong, some people have suggested that French food —“so heavy!” “so old fashioned!”— needs rescuing. However, just one mouthful of Fabrice Vulin’s creations for our Caprice media dinner ensured that la cuisine francaise remained firmly on its pedestal.

Despite his illustrious position at one of the most renowned restaurants in the world, Vulin is far from being a snooty Parisian purist. He trained in the grand kitchens of the French capital, but moved to Morocco for his early career and hints of North African spiciness are apparent in each one of his scintillating courses. “It’s impossible to not be influenced by the places you live in,” says Vulin, after our indulgent press meal. “I arrived in Marrakesh and I was immediately inspired by the flavours there, and by all the sweet dry fruits that were used in each dish. I then worked in the south of France for a few years and loved the freshness of the fish and the ripe vegetables that are used in the Mediterranean provinces. I’m still waiting to find out what influences I get from Hong Kong!”

Although lacking in soy sauce and fish balls (at this stage!), Vulin’s menu is designed to delight and surprise diners with its fresh flavours and light sauces, despite using the most indulgent ingredients the world has to offer. From asparagus in a subtle black truffle sauce to Atlantic scallop terrine with truffle and sparkling butter, each of the eight courses at our dinner was more innovative than the last.  The second course of chilled risotto with farmed sturgeon caviar, crab and Mediterranean sea bass carpaccio was thought provoking and each one of the powerful ingredients fused together impeccably and melted on the mouth.

For the fish main course, we had a Mediterranean sea bass with Medjoul dates that was powerfully reminiscent of Vulin’s days in Morocco, as was the meaty main – a richly textured Bresse pigeon breast with spices from Marrakech and a thin Raz el Hanour bouillon, accompanied by a vegetable side dish.

From the delights of North Africa to the most treasured Gallic ingredient, our next course was a Brillat Savarin cheese with black truffle and sucrine salad. This creamy French fromage was sublime and the delicate truffle shaving buried inside its thick folds only heightened the taste explosion.

To finish, we enjoyed pomegranate Vacherin with wild strawberries, topped with mint cream and rosé champagne sorbet – a delicate palate cleanser that left us revived for the enchanting final course: rich Alapco chocolate and lemon bergamot with hot sauce and a row of mini macarons. A taste explosion if there ever was one.

After eight courses filled with rich ingredients and buttery sauces, we should all have been staggering to our taxis. However, part of Vulin’s genius is to make each dish light and delicate enough to allow his diners to indulge in the sublime meal without the usual accompanying guilt – or post dinner food hangover. Standing in front of the impressive view over Kowloon, Vulin smiles broadly and says “Asia is now my home. I’m excited to see what we do here.” Fabrice Vulin, so are we.