Odette

May 21, 2026

Odette

There are meals you enjoy, and there are meals you remember years later. Odette has always belonged to the second category for us.

It had been quite some time since our last visit to Odette. Not the sort of restaurant we casually walk into on a random evening. This dinner was different. The Cloues hosted us for an intimate evening at the newly renovated restaurant to celebrate Shirley's birthday. No big crowd, no loud celebration. Just good friends, beautiful food and elegant wines.

The experience started even before the official menu began. Endless grignotages kept arriving one after another. Tiny bites, but each executed with ridiculous precision. By the time the actual 7 course menu started, we were already smiling at each other wondering how much more was still coming.

The Hokkaido Botan Ebi with bafun uni and caviar was pure indulgence. The scallop crudo felt almost weightless, delicate and clean with cucumber and calamansi.

Service at this level is often what separates a great restaurant from a truly world class one. Sommelier Lesley gave us a relaxed little tour through their champagnes straight from the ice buckets, letting each of us pick what we felt like drinking instead of pushing labels or prestige. It felt warm, personal and completely unpretentious.

We then moved to something unexpected. Project 933 Chardonnay, a limited production Japanese white wine crafted by Hong Kong sommelier Reeze Choi together with Hiroshima’s Vinoble Vineyard. Elegant, gentle and quietly confident. Very much like Odette itself.

Dinner continued with beautiful plates arriving almost like artwork. The langoustine “comme un dumpling” with vin jaune sauce was deeply comforting despite its refinement. The crispy scale amadai was technically stunning, but still soulful. Then came the signature Kampot pepper crusted pigeon.

At that point, we had the bottle of 2012 Château Lafite Rothschild that the host brought. One of those bottles that quietly changes the atmosphere of the table. Nobody rushed. Conversations slowed down. Glasses were lifted more carefully.

And somehow, even after dessert, Odette still was not done feeding us. The douceurs arrived with canelés, chocolates, fruits and little sweets, almost like the restaurant gently refusing to let the evening end.

Three Michelin stars are sometimes associated with formality and intimidation. But Odette reminds you that true luxury is often about warmth, grace and making people feel cared for.

A beautiful birthday dinner. Just four friends around a table, sharing great food, great wine and a slow evening none of us wanted to end.