Celebrity Life

We talk to Australian chef Shane Osborn about the launch of his new restaurant group, the Arcane Collective, and the philosophy behind it.

Since arriving in Hong Kong in 2012, chef Shane Osborn has established himself as one of the most recognisable figures in the local hospitality industry, a status that was uplifted after his participation in Netflix’s global culinary competition, The Final Table, in 2018. Previously, while working in Pied-à-Terre in London, he’d become the first Australian chef ever to win one and then two Michelin stars.

Osborn's Central restaurant, Arcane, which opened in 2014, has won multiple awards and currently holds one Michelin star. His cuisine, which focuses on fresh and environmentally friendly modern European dishes, is also at the heart of Cornerstone, the casual trendy eatery he opened two years ago on Hollywood Road. Recently, Osborn announced the launch of The Arcane Collective, a family of talent-driven restaurants that carry the DNA of Arcane. He tells us about the group’s upcoming new restaurant, positivity and Australian food.

How did The Arcane Collective originate?

I started Arcane in 2014 with my business partner, Nick, with the long-term vision of growing organically and slowly, with the talent that came through Arcane. Not to build concept-driven restaurants, but talent-driven restaurants with the chef, the sommelier, the waiters and the waitresses.

Great restaurants take a long time to develop – it’s just having a long-term vision. That’s why we opened Arcane and then, six years later, Cornerstone. Now, we’re ready and stable enough to open the third restaurant.

During your career you’ve always championed sustainability. Have you thought of opening a vegan or vegetarian restaurant?

That all depends on the talent – if we got a chef coming through who cooks only vegan or vegetarian food, we’d consider opening that restaurant. The market’s changed a lot, especially over the last year, with Covid – people are really looking at their diets and the way we’re eating and how we’re affecting the planet, so I think that that market is only going to grow over time.

The new restaurant is going to be run by Mike Smith, who’s my chef de cuisine here, and that restaurant came around because he stopped eating meat about a year ago, so we started talking about a concept that’s built around that. It’s going be 70 to 80-percent plant-based, and 30 percent of the menu will be sustainably sourced seafood.

As group, we’re always looking to evolve and improve our offering, whether it’s the food or the drinks, not just in quality but also in the choices that we make in our sourcing. I think we’re all aware of what’s happening to the planet and that we all need to start taking a bit of responsibility. We’re not a 100-percent sustainable restaurant – we’re far from that – but we’re trying to make as many choices as we can to improve, day-by-day and week-by-week. It’s a hard process but it’s something we’re committed to.

How does it feel, expanding during a pandemic? Did you think it was going to be possible?

I’m a bit of an optimist. Life has to go on and the world’s been through far worse things. Covid – and the protests before that – have been very difficult for all of us, but I think that we’ll get through this – and that’s what we keep telling our team, that life will improve. We’re planning for the future. There are good opportunities as well at the moment – landlords are being a little bit more forgiving on the rent, so if you have the right idea and you’ve got the financial support it’s actually a good time to start looking to expand.

Tell us about Moxie, the new restaurant opening soon at Landmark.

It’s going to be an all-day venue, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and there’ll be light snacks in the afternoon. In the daytime, you can come in for a salads and there’s a great coffee offering – obviously with takeaway services as well.

The design is very contemporary, very clean lines, following the Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetic. We’re really excited for this restaurant and Mike is an outstanding chef. He’s worked with us for almost five years and we’ve been working quite heavily on the menu for the last couple of months. This is the style of food that I like: more casual, plant-based and healthy.

It’s hard to define the cuisine, because I’m Australian but I worked in London and Scandinavia, and my family and I live between here and France. We call it Modern European, because it makes sense – there’s a lot of French techniques and then we have a lot of local produce, particularly for the new restaurant. It’s all about the product.

You opened Arcane in 2014. How has your approach to food evolved since then?

As a chef, if you don’t evolve, your restaurant will have a short life – particularly in Hong Kong, where people always want to know what’s new. You need to constantly evolve, you need to be pushing forward, otherwise you become stale. And food has evolved massively over the past seven years.

You said the Arcane Collective will be Australian in spirit. What’s Australian cuisine to you?

We’re Australian in attitude. In Australia, there are no rules when it comes to food – you know you can do a beef dish with an Italian pasta. When I went to England at the age of 20, everything was very regimented – you can’t mix this with that. In France it’s sacrilege to alter some things and the same in Italy – they’re very traditional about how they do everything. In Australia, we don’t have that long history of food culture, so we can come up with our own interpretation. It’s also such a multicultural country with so many different cuisines that we borrow and steal from. It won’t have its true identity for maybe another decade – or even 20, 30 or maybe 50 years. That’s Australian-style cuisine.

Have you noticed an evolution in the Hong Kong dining scene since you’ve been here?

Over the last eight or nine years there’s been more local talent coming out, with independent smaller restaurant groups, which is great. Before, when I arrived in 2012, hotels had a monopoly of all the good restaurants. Now you’re seeing a lot of cool new restaurants opening up and there needs to be more of that.

How did you become a chef? Did you ever think of doing anything else?

My mum was a caterer and a cook in Australia, so at the age of 13 I used to help her during the weekends to wash dishes, and peel onions and carrots. That’s how I got into it. I just knew straight away I wanted to be chef de cuisine. There were no celebrity chefs back in those days and many people discouraged me from choosing this career.

You gained a lot of fame after competing on Netflix’s The Final Table and many call you a celebrity chef. How do you feel about it?

I don’t see myself as a celebrity chef. Before doing the Netflix show, I actually turned down so many television things in the UK. I think the celebrity-chef culture has changed the industry quite a lot. We now get a lot of young people wanting to come in, which is a good thing, but also people think it’s really easy. So they come into the industry and their dreams get shattered because they don’t realise how hard it is to become a chef. At first, you work for lot of hours and it’s poor pay and a long journey – you have to have perseverance and patience to make it.

(Hero Image: Arcane’s Hokkaido scallops with coconut and coriander cream, courgette, capsicum and pomelo)

The post Aussie Spirit: Shane Osborn on the Launch of His Restaurant Group, the Arcane Collective appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Culled from Hong Kong’s always-hot dining scene, here are some of the most exciting menus to try this month. Be prepared for chef takeovers, collaborations melding divergent cuisines and seasonal specials – these one-off opportunities are not to be missed.

Arcane’s Veganary Menu

When: 1 to 31 January
Price: HK$888 + 10%

The newly appointed President of Food Made Good Hong Kong (a local campaign driven by the provenance and purpose of food, aiming to influence sustainability in the food service sector), Shane Osborn is bringing the organisation’s initiatives into his Michelin-starred restaurant, Arcane. For the whole of January, Chef Osborn has created a vegan menu which is designed to reduce its carbon footprint, limit food waste and as its name suggests, reduce meat consumption. The five-course menu honours seasonal fruits and vegetables while still utilising the chef’s high calibre cooking techniques and fine dining values. Natural and organic wines are also on offer to pair with the menu.
Arcane, 3/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central; +852 2728 0178

Rech by Alain Ducasse’s Kaviari Caviar Menu

When: 2 January to 29 February
Price: Five-course menu with Baeri Caviar HK$1,388; Five-course menu with Osetra Caviar Prestige HK$1,488; Five-course menu with Kristal Caviar HK$1,688 + optional HK$688 for vodka, Champagne and wine pairing +10%

Renowned for some of the freshest French seafood creations in town, Rech by Alain Ducasse starts the year off with a decadent five-course caviar menu. Partnering with Kaviari Caviar for its supreme quality eco-responsible roe. Guests will be presented with three of Kaviari’s finest to choose from – Baeri caviar from Siberia, Osetra Caviar Prestige from Europe and Kristal Caviar from Thousand Lake in China – to go with Chef Guillaume Katola’s dishes.
Rech by Alain Ducasse, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 2313 2323

HAKU x Victor’s Fine Dining

When: 6 to 8 January
Price: HK$2,580 +10%  
HAKU is welcoming the new year with Chef Agustin Balbi’s culinary friend and peer, Christian Bau of three Michelin star Victor’s Fine Dining for a special three-night collaboration. Both chefs shares a love for Japanese culinary traditions and progressive cuisine, making this four-hands meal a unique harmony of European flavours with Asian innovation. Expect to be wowed by Chef Bau’s Kanpachi with oysters and sea herbs and A4 Kumamoto Kuro-gyu with eggplant; and Chef Balbi’s Steamed king crab legs, Hokkaido scallops and signature Abalone rice with chorizo.
HAKU, Shop OT G04B, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 2115 9965

La Rambla x Gallery de Chele

When: 7 & 8 January
Price: HK$1,780 + 10%

Chef Chele Gonzalez’s food can be described as Spanish cuisine with a Filipino twist. Pair that with Chef Ferran Tadeo’s modern Catalan flavours and you’ve got one of the most unique combinations of culture packed in one meal. Drawing on the two chefs’ common Spanish heritage and international exposure, the collaboration fuses both chef’s regional experience with their native roots. The 12-course degustation menu sees the finest ingredients sourced both locally and internationally from land and sea to bring guests a taste of Spain and Southeast Asia in perfect harmony.
La Rambla, 3071-73, L3, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central; +852 2661 1161

Gems & Pearl at Tosca di Angelo with Antonia Klugman

When: 14 & 15 January
Price: HK$1,998 + 10%

Episode two of five in the Ritz-Carlton’s Gems & Pearl Italian Culinary Journey vignette continues with legendary chef Antonia Klugman of one Michelin-star L’Argine a Vencò in Dolegna del Collio, Italy. This one-off menu melds the talents and styles of both chefs, led by ingredients-forward approach to cooking with a strong emphasis on sustainability and seasonality.
Tosca di Angelo, Level 102, The Ritz-Carlton, West Kowloon; +852 2263 2270

TATE Dining Room x Hisa Franko

When: 16 & 17 January
Price: HK$2,180 + optional drinks pairing start at HK$580 + 10%

It’s not the first time that Chef Vicky Lau of TATE Dining Room promotes fellow female chefs in unique collaborations. We’ve seen incredible success with her previous partnerships with Natsuko Shoji of Été, Bee Satongun of Paste, and Margarita Fores of Grace Park. Continuing her celebration of powerful female chefs, TATE takes it cross-continent in 2020 with a lineup of world-renowned guest chefs. To start, Chef Ana Ros (who some may recognise from Netflix series Chef’s Table and World’s Best Female Chef of 2017) joins Chef Lau from her restaurant Hisa Franko in Slovenia. The 10-course tasting menu will see both chefs’ innovative creations, and one highly anticipated collaborated course.
TATE Dining Room, 210 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan; +852 2555 2172

WHISK x Restau K Yamauchi

When: 16 & 17 January
Price: HK$1,388 + optional HK$380 for wine pairing + 10%

For quite some time now, WHISK has been inviting some of the world’s most acclaimed chefs to its kitchen for dining collaborations. The first of 2020, The Mira will welcome guest chef Kenichiro Yamamuchi of Restau K Yamamuchi from Nagoya to lend his flavours for a culinary partnership with chef Olivier Li. The eight-course dinner takes on some of the freshest seafood including Kaviari Caviar, Aogani crab, Kurumba shrimp, razor clams, squid. To go with the meal, an optional wine and cocktail pairing is also highly recommended.
WHISK, 5/F, The Mira Hong Kong, Mira Place, 118 – 130 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 2315 5999

Mono

When: 22 January

Price: HK$2,880 + optional HK$880 + 10% (+ 3% carbon tax)

Newcomer Mono of JIA Group has had quite the buzz since its opening in December. After just one month, Executive chef Ricardo Chaneton welcomes friends and culinary talents Agustin Balbi of HAKU, Virgilio Martinez of Central Restaurante, and Pia Leon of Kjolle for one night to explore and share gastronomic approaches. The South American roots of the four chefs will be presented in a 12-course menu with optional wine pairing to complement the meal.

Mono, 5/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central

The post The Top Special Menus You Can’t Miss This January appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Hi there, notice anything different about us? For months now, we've been working tirelessly behind the scenes -- and behind our screens! -- to give Prestige Online a head-to-toe makeover. Now that we've unveiled our new look -- featuring a refreshed layout and more dynamic visuals -- we'd like to celebrate by giving you, our valued readers, a full week of exclusive, luxurious giveaways.

From 6–12 March, we'll be giving away seven amazing prizes that are collectively valued at more than HK$80,000. One lucky winner will be selected each day and will be announced 24 hours after each giveaway prize is posted. We'll reveal one prize per day -- so check back daily to see what you could win!

Here’s how to win:

1. Follow Prestige Hong Kong on Facebook.
2. Subscribe to Prestige Online's weekly newsletters in the form below.

St. Regis Hong Kong

The prize: Two night weekend stay with afternoon tea, welcome drinks, and butler service (valued at HK$20,000)

[caption id="attachment_133249" align="alignnone" width="3000"] Suite, St. Regis[/caption]

Set to open in April 2019, The St. Regis Hong Kong is one of the city’s most anticipated hotel openings of the year. So you’ll be one of the first guests in the world with this prize — the Rituals Suite Experience. Stay at the luxurious hotel for 2 nights and enjoy a whole host of activities including afternoon tea, welcome drinks and champagne. Not to mention their signature butler service so you can be looked after at any time of the day during your stay.

The Murray

The prize: One night stay at the Signature Suite and continental breakfast for two (valued at HK$8,800)

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Located in the iconic architectural Murray Building, The Murray reopened last year as a luxury landmark hotel in the heart of the city. And now you can win the chance to stay there in their Signature Suite, a contemporary and chic room furnished with a large bed, marble-floored bathroom and seamless technology. Followed by an intimate breakfast for just the two of you.

Arcane 

The prize: Dinner and wine pairing for two (valued at $4,000)

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If you haven’t been living under a rock and watched popular Netflix show ‘The Final Table’ then you’ll already be well acquainted with Michelin-starred restaurant Arcane and multi-award-winning Chef Shane Osborn. Serving modern European cuisine, the restaurant offers exceptional dishes led by the seasons. The lucky winner and a guest will dine on a special tasting menu, paired with some great wines.

Mandarin Oriental 

The prize: Two night weekend stay at the Harbour View Roomwith breakfast for two, and dinner for two at Mandarin Grill + Bar (valued at HK$21,000)

[caption id="attachment_132639" align="alignnone" width="1100"] Harbour View Room, Mandarin Oriental[/caption]

As big fans of this luxurious hotel, we thought what better way to celebrate the Prestige Online relaunch than with a stay at the flagship. The winner can indulge in the five-star room and enjoy world-class facilities and amenities. But what’s more is the prize includes not only breakfast for two but also dinner for two at Michelin-starred restaurant Mandarin Grill + Bar — where only the finest ingredients have been used for classic grill dishes with a contemporary touch.

Arbor 

The prize: A Seasonal Tasting Dinner with wine pairing for two (valued at HK$4,550)

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If you enjoy innovative French cuisine, then you’ll want to win this special tasting meal at Michelin-starred restaurant Arbor. Created and crafted by Chef de Cuisine Eric Räty, the 6-course tasting menu will reflect the changing seasons and best produce that comes with it. Bringing together French techniques and premium ingredients from Japan, this dinner will be an evening to remember.

Grand Hyatt

The prize: A spa experience and afternoon tea for two (valued at HK$2,200)

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Treat yourself and a friend to spa and afternoon tea at the Grand Hyatt and you’ll get brownie points for sure. Start with a 60-minute massageat the award-winning spa Plateau along with a 30-minute radiance facial treatment, and finish the day with an indulgent afternoon tea set at Tiffin. The winner will also receive a spa day-pass to the enjoy the pool, fitness studio and sauna.

The Upper House

The prize: A one-night weekend stay in an Upper Suite and breakfast for two at Café Gray Deluxe (valued at HK$20,000).

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For our first prize, we want you to rise high above Hong Kong and enjoy the view from a spacious, 1,230-square-foot Upper Suite at The Upper House. Relax in luxury with a drink in hand (compliments of the mini bar) and admire the stunning harbour views from your living room, bed or limestone bathtub before waking up to a blissful breakfast for two at the hotel’s European contemporary restaurant, Café Gray Deluxe.

Terms & Conditions:

1. By entering this Prestige Online giveaway, you will be bound by these terms and conditions and acknowledge that you satisfy all eligibility requirements.
2. This contest is open to Hong Kong residents only, and entrants must be over the age of 18 [eighteen].
3. Entrants must subscribe to Prestige Online and follow our Facebook page for their entry to be valid. They must therefore maintain a public profile setting at all relevant times.
4. Every email entry will be entered in for the daily prize for the entire giveaway period.
5. Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash, credit and are non-transferrable to third parties.
6. Prestige Online reserves the right to cancel, re-draw or otherwise modify this giveaway at any time with immediate effect and without giving prior notice.
7. Entrants are limited to one giveaway prize per person each calendar year.
8. Winners will be contacted for prize redemption. Winners must respond within 24 hours of announcement, otherwise prize will be forfeited.
9. Photos are for reference only.

The post Celebrate the New Prestige Online with 7 Days of Luxurious Giveaways appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

In Prestige Online’s “Getting to Know” series, we ask our favourite personalities what they’re like outside of work -- and get a little more personal. 

On Netflix’s The Final Table, we saw a calm and collected side of multi-award winning Australian chef Shane Osborn, which made us wonder what  the man behind Michelin-starred Arcane is really like when he’s not in front of the camera. Below, he reveals how he spends his weekends, what’s on his kickass playlist and his love for raves.

[caption id="attachment_115486" align="alignnone" width="1626"] Photo credit: Annie Yuen[/caption]

What’s a normal weekend like for you?
A weekend is usually about work. I'll be here working on Saturday but we’re closed for lunch then, so I usually go to the gym in the morning if I if I have enough energy. Then I work in the evening. The restaurant’s closed on Sundays but I always come in anyway. I mean, the nature of the job is you're always thinking and planning ahead, trying to think about new dishes, about what we're going to do next in the restaurant, so I usually come in here and spend a couple of hours doing office work and then thinking about dishes and menus going forward.

If the weather's nice in the summer, I usually to go to the beach because I love swimming. I grew up in Australia --  you always have one foot in the water if you’re from Australia. I'll go down to Deep Water Bay, Big Wave Bay or Shek O for a nice swim and have a beer on the beach and just kind of destress little bit. My favourite beach in Hong Kong is Big Wave Bay.

[caption id="attachment_114586" align="alignnone" width="1730"] Mark Best and Shane Osborn on The Final Table.[/caption]

What’s on your playlist?
The music at Arcane is my playlist! I have three different playlists for different moods. So during the day time we play The Police, Sting, The Cure -- a lot of good '80s and '90s music. I’ve got a little bit of Radiohead, Pink Floyd,  Suzanne Vega. And then in the night time we have Depeche Mode, Jamiroquai, something a little more uplifting. Music is very important to me.

What are you most likely to order at a bar?
I’ll usually have a classic cocktail -- something like an Old Fashioned or a really good Martini -- something that you can really sip on.

What’s a guilty pleasure of yours?
Going for a really great foot massage! If I have enough time on the weekend, to have someone rub your feet and your legs for an hour and a half and just fall asleep or put some music on (something by Pink Floyd) and just totally zone out is just a great way to wind down. I probably go around once a month, but I’d like to go more often. Finding the time is just really hard.

[caption id="attachment_114587" align="alignnone" width="1706"] With The Final Table teammate Mark Best and fellow contestants Darren MacLean and Timothy Hollingsworth.[/caption]

Tell us something that not a lot of people know about you?
I was allergic to fish and shellfish for a large part of my life… wait, I’ve already disclosed that on The Final Table.

Hmm… Oh! I used to DJ a lot of hard house music. My big love was always house! In the '90s and 2000s when I was in London, I used to go raving every single weekend. I'd be up there, shirt off, dancing on the speakers. I had a record collection of about 3,000 vinyls and I had my DJ studio in the house. I still have about a thousand records which I keep in France.

Who was the last person you called?
My wife and kids. They’re 7 hours behind us. I just spoke to them and they were on their way to school, so I called to say good morning.

What’s the last meal you had?
I had staff food. We ate at 11 this morning. Our pastry chef made a pasta dish with a simple cheese sauce for breakfast/lunch. We eat everyday at 11am and then again at 5pm. Today we’re having roast chicken with a simple salad with avocado, cherry tomatoes and rocket. We work long hours, so we have to lead a lifestyle that’s as healthy as possible.

The post Getting to Know Chef Shane Osborn of Arcane appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The head chef at Arcane talks favourite ingredients, the ultimate dining playlist and his latest secret project.

The post Michelin-Starred Chef Shane Osborn Gives His Top Dinner Party Tips appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.