Celebrity Life

Hong Kong's ever-changing dining scene is constantly evolving.

So much so, that it can get a little difficult to keep track of it all, let alone remember to book and try the new restaurants that have caught your eye. From brand new concepts to fresh venues and additional locations, here is our guide to seven of Hong Kong's most promising new restaurants to try right now.

Well, what are you waiting for...

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As the world attempts to navigate through these current challenging times, so does chef Maxime Gilbert of Hong Kong’s two-Michelin-star restaurant Écriture. Ahead, he tells us how he plans to innovate and evolve.

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It’s late afternoon on a weekday in April when I walk into Écriture, the two Michelin-star contemporary French restaurant headed by executive chef Maxime Gilbert. To my surprise, I’m asked to wait, because the restaurant is still full of lunchtime diners. I’m confused and even doubtful – many restaurants I’ve visited in the past few weeks have been as empty as a politician’s promises. Intrigued, I take a peek around the corner to see if this is indeed true and my eyes widen as they take in the busy room. Can Hong Kong, along with its restaurants, be on the road to recovery at last?

You may already have dined at Écriture and are familiar with its exceptionally creative cuisine, as well as the special kind of theatre that Gilbert presents. Not in the sense of dry ice and superfluous plating tricks, but in the stagecraft service and table-side carving, and the shows of smoking put on especially for you. Dining here is an experience – and it’s one worth revisiting as the change of seasons brings with it new produce and therefore new recipes and menus to savour.

Named after the French word for “writing”, the restaurant’s story began when it opened its doors in 2018. Its genre, or rather cuisine, is contemporary French but, as Gilbert explains, it’s also about “going back to basics”. Underpinned by traditional French cooking, his cuisine focuses on respecting produce as the basis of every plate of food he serves. It’s where nonessential components are removed, where real cooking takes place and where the true flavours of the produce can be found.

[caption id="attachment_206613" align="alignnone" width="1329"] The Écriture kitchen at work[/caption]

"If there are ever any small herbs or flowers on the plate it's because it brings something to the dish,” says Gilbert. “It’s not there to just make it beautiful. If the dish is beautiful, it’s because the produce is beautiful; the cooking is beautiful. Not because of the plate.”

We start at the beginning of Gilbert’s story. “Even at a young age, I’ve always loved cooking and eating. My family are all gourmands – we love to eat.” It was this love of food and eating that sparked his interest in becoming a chef. His introduction to fine dining, however, came from his father who worked in the cognac industry and would return home after travelling the world with stories about the top chefs he’d met. Thus inspired, Gilbert went on to study and train to become a world-class chef, dreaming of achieving a Michelin star at his own restaurant one day.

That dream became a reality when Écriture was awarded two Michelin stars within six months of opening and retained its stars this year too. “It’s not what we work for, but it means a lot to us,” he says. Asked whether he now dreams of three stars, he says “yes” without a second’s thought, adding “but it takes time”.

[caption id="attachment_206614" align="alignnone" width="1524"] Chef Maxime Gilbert prepares the Brittany Langoustine dish from his new Library of Flavours tasting menu[/caption]

His determination to achieve this is something he learned from the world-renowned and celebrated French chef Yannick Alléno. As the latter’s protégé, Gilbert cut his teeth at a number of high-end establishments including the Hotel Le Meurice in Paris, La Grande Table Française in Marrakech and Stay by Yannick Alleno at the Shangri-La in Beijing. Asked what it was like to work with Alléno, Gilbert says with a laugh, “It was hard, but it was good.”

“I was 21 when I arrived to work with him. He’d just taken over Le Meurice, and he said: it’s one star, but I come here for three stars, that’s the goal.” After three years, Alléno and his team, including Gilbert, achieved the highest accolade of three Michelin stars. “I still have a very good relationship with Alléno. I talk to him very often and he always has good advice.”

Thereafter, Gilbert became the head chef at Hong Kong’s Amber. It was there that he came to understand how a restaurant – and not just a kitchen – is run. “This experience taught me a lot. It wasn’t easy. We opened seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was non-stop,” he recalls. “It’s good to work in a place like this as it will quickly show you that you cannot be a little princess.”

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Gilbert’s next chapter has been realised today at Écriture. During my visit, he prepares several dishes from his new Library of Flavours tasting menu, which features four to seven courses made with produce from French farmers, producers and suppliers. The reason, as Gilbert explains plainly, is because “I’m French and I love French produce, so I support France”. Our chat meanders into the state of Hong Kong’s food and beverage industry, how restaurants all around the world have been hit extremely hard, and that this is his way of supporting his native country during this time.

New dishes, as always, spotlight the produce. One highlight, Green Asparagus, uses the legendary spears from Pertuis, which are braised in seawater brought in from Brittany, before being topped with thin slices of beef ham-cured John Dory, which hails from a small family-run supplier in northwestern France. The Brittany Langoustine is fragrantly steamed in Vin Jaune, one of the rarest French wines, and is complemented by the fresh green peas of spring and a claw bouillon infused with liquorice. A Parisian butcher supplies its finest meat for the Roasted Blanc de Blanc Lamb, which is grounded with the earthy flavours of grilled maitake, sorrel and a silky uni miso cream.

“We’re very lucky in Hong Kong, as we’re one of not many cities that are still open,” says Gilbert. “But we need to adapt. To have a profitable business, to keep our team, to not lose jobs, we have to create revenue. So we need to be creative.”

[caption id="attachment_206618" align="alignnone" width="1451"] The tasting menu finishes with Lychee, served with aloe vera, lychee sorbet and caviar with mint bouillon[/caption]

To adapt, Écriture is in survival mode by temporarily switching to a tasting menu only, while Gilbert is also offering a weekend lunch to satisfy guests who are no longer travelling and must remain in Hong Kong. He’s also been drumming up creative ideas to keep going, such as a new delivery menu, and he’s taking part in online culinary classes and live chef talks. Among the latter will be a collaboration with chefs Anatoly Kazakov of Selfie and Vladimir Mukhin of White Rabbit, both of which are considered Moscow’s most progressive restaurants.

On the subject of recovery, Gilbert expresses his anxious uncertainty. "To be honest," he says, "everyone is suffering and I don't know how it will go.” It’s an emotion many of us have felt in recent times. Fortunately, it’s not long before I catch a glint of resilience in his eyes and a positivity in his voice that says he won’t go down easily. With that, I’m reminded of the important – and in my opinion necessary – role that fine dining restaurants play in this story. They're the table of luxury and the plate to escapism that we need, especially now, and I vow never to take them for granted again.

The post Chef Maxime Gilbert of Écriture on The Uncertain Future of F&B appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Known as the Godmother of Korean cuisine, you could say that chef Cho Hee-sook is something of an authority when it comes to Korean gastronomy.

And rightly so. In her endeavour to honour and preserve the culinary traditions, she has shared her depth of knowledge and research, while mentoring the new generations of Korean cooks to ensure that it will not be lost. In doing so, she has now been recognised as Asia's Best Female Chef in 2020. We sat down with the Korean chef to find out more about her Seoul-based restaurant Hansikgonggan and how she plans on preserving the traditions of her native cuisine with modernity.

Congratulations on becoming the winner of the Asia’s Best Female Chef Award 2020. What does this award mean to you?

For my entire career, I did what I did without watching the clock. This career could have just been lost in the midst of time. But I’m blessed with this award, it’s more than what I deserve. I wish my senior female chef counterparts who have worked constantly can be awarded with me.

Can you tell me a bit more about your restaurant Hansikgonggan?

Hansikgonggan is a restaurant that preserves the foundation of Korean culture by serving refined traditional Korean food. It’s also a space where I can reflect on various experiences working with Korean cuisine for the past 40 years. We are using as many traditional cooking techniques as possible while also researching ways people today can enjoy these foods together. A clear view of Changdeokgung Palace, which is next to the restaurant, is something that only Hansikgonggan guests can find. Our food, along with the scenery, is offered in a space where you can experience Korean tastes and charm together.

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Did you encounter any challenges when you opened the restaurant?

Running a restaurant is not only about cooking food. It’s also about managing the workforce and [things like] tax. When I was working for hotels, all I needed to do was cook. Compared to my long career as a chef, managing a business is new to me. And I’m learning new 
things every day.

What was it like to be a young chef rising through the ranks of Seoul’s hotel kitchens?

I was lucky enough to become a head chef only a few years after I started my career. About 5 years after I started working in a hotel kitchen, I was in charge of a newly opened Korean restaurant. As a leader, it was not easy to lead other male chefs who were older, had longer careers, and were going towards the same direction as me.

Fast forward to today, how are you hoping to preserve Korean culture and the culinary traditions that come with it?

I preserve traditional Korean flavours through seasoning and cooking techniques, while also incorporating new ingredients. I also show Korean style and nuances through plating and presentation, converging all these details and coming up with new dishes. That’s how I built my own style. That’s why at Hansikgonggan, we serve traditional recipes in a modern setting, while using modern presentation and plating to evoke a modern day feel to the food.

[caption id="attachment_198510" align="alignnone" width="1009"] Asia’s Best Female Chef 2020 Cho Hee-sook of Hansikgonggan in Seoul[/caption]

You've researched Korean cuisine and local ingredients extensively, can you give me an example of something you use in your cooking?

It would be great if we can always eat the freshest seasonal local ingredients at any time. But in Korea, because of our brutal winters, we use a lot of preservation techniques in our cooking. We harvest the best ingredients when it’s in season and store them. One example would be Bugak, our signature menu from Hansikgongga. Bugak is made by thinly slicing vegetables or seaweed coated in a glutinous rice paste. It has to be dried for 1 to 3 days and then deep-fried before serving. I use the phrase “food encasing seasons”, because just like traditional Korean jang (sauces), kimchi and jang-a-chi (pickled food), it preserves seasonal ingredients for a long time. These are techniques that were passed down by our wise ancestors.

Much like Chinese cuisine, Korean food is still not considered as high end enough. Why do you think this is the case with Asian cuisines, especially when compared to western counterparts like Italian or French?

In my opinion, there is a myriad of stereotypes that surround Asian cuisine and the global knowledge and awareness of these cuisines are still very little. For example, people tend to think that Korean food is mostly spicy and salty. Only very few dishes, like Korean barbecue, kimchi [fermented cabbage] and bibimbap [rice topped with sautéed vegetables and meat] are known globally. Many foreign guests are surprised by my food. They ask me if it’s really Korean food. This is because the culture is not well known and the global knowledge about the culture is fragmentary -- people do not know the background.

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What do you think of fine dining today?

The fine dining scene in Korea has been changed according to the guests’ lifestyles. Every time I try to come up with new dishes to surprise my guests, I ask myself what’s the end goal? What makes it the best and does it even exist? My Asia’s Best Female Chef win doesn’t make me the best female chef who cooks the absolute best in Asia. I’m worried about society exhausting themselves and competing for endless supremacy. My opinion of fine dining has changed as I've gotten older. These days, I think real fine dining is what makes my guests feel relaxed and comforted.

Where do you see Korean cuisine going in the future?

At the beginning of my career, it was very difficult to try new things – breaking away from tradition was discouraged. But as time went on, Korean food started to fuse with Western ingredients, and modern Korean cuisine started to rapidly spread, led by the globalisation of Korean gastronomy. Now we see various food cultures combining with Korean, and the refining of traditional Korean flavours with modern touches taking place -- this can be considered modern Korean cuisine. This movement will keep changing according to the diners’ demands. To all chefs, cooking can no longer be defined and categorised by cuisine. It’s about cooking in their own style and the value of the food will be only determined by the market.

What’s next for you?

Personally, I would like to put all my experiences and knowledge together. So, it will be helpful to someone who needs it. But my top priority right now is Hansikgonggan to become the best Korean restaurant.

The post Asia’s Best Female Chef Cho Hee-sook Preserves Traditional Korean Food with Modernity appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Considered the Godfather of French haute cuisine, legendary chef Alain Ducasse has been busy in Asia. He recently opened his first restaurant Blue in Bangkok; opened new restaurant Esterre in Tokyo (with another coming up in Kyoto soon); and he snapped up two Michelin stars for Alain Ducasse at Morpheus in Macau and one Michelin star for Rech in Hong Kong this year, too. Not one to slow down, we caught a moment with the famed chef for a quick chat about his new stars, Cantonese cuisine, sustainability and more.

[caption id="attachment_185935" align="alignnone" width="1191"] French chef Alain Ducasse[/caption]

Firstly, congratulations on your stars! Was it what you expected?

I always want more and Pierre wants three [he signals towards his head chef Pierre Marty of Alain Ducasse at Morpheus, who has been with Ducasse since 2008]. It varies a lot. Sometimes I have one more, sometimes I have one less. It comes and goes, but I’m used to it. So I’m never stressed out about it.

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What are your thoughts on the fine dining world?

I would say that this is just the beginning of this culinary movement, or evolution, in the fine dining world. Everywhere you go, you have people who are actually willing to sit down at the table to taste and share these meals.

You’ve been in the industry for many years. How do you keep yourself curious?

My passion is to discover what I do not know. And this is not just in the culinary world, it’s everywhere and in everything. This is my quest. It feeds my thoughts. It doesn’t influence me, but it does allow me to have an array of tastes that become greater and greater.

[caption id="attachment_185937" align="alignnone" width="1298"] Mediterranean Gamberoni, delicate gelée and gold caviar available at Alain Ducasse at Morpheus[/caption]

What do you think about Cantonese cuisine?

It is the most beautiful cuisine in Asia. In terms of French taste, I think it is the closest thing to what we like and are used to. A taste that the French can appreciate. After Cantonese cuisine, it would be Thai cuisine.

Have you been inspired by anything here (in Asia or Hong Kong)?

In a sense, no. I need to preserve my DNA. What I do is I experience something and then it goes into my own database of tastes and ideas. Bit by bit I will have absorbed it. After that, it may translate into an element that I integrate into my cooking. So I wouldn’t say that I am directly inspired or influenced. Instead it’s a process: it enriches my memory and is diluted and integrated into the dish. It goes into the blend. But I need to preserve my personality in my cooking.

Can you explain what sustainability means to you?

Five years ago I created a restaurant that served only vegetables, cereals and grains, and sustainable fish. I can even go back to [the exact date of] 27th May 1987 when I did a menu with vegetables only. And that was over thirty years ago. To me, we are not following a trend, we had the concept — what I call Naturalness — and now we have a restaurant [Plaza Athénée] with three stars which still follows this philosophy.

[caption id="attachment_186576" align="alignnone" width="1074"] Line-caught sea bass, tender celery in hay and cooking jus at Alain Ducasse at Morpheus[/caption]

How can we adopt sustainable practices in the kitchen?

I would say to use what grows above and what grows under. We do not discard anything, we use everything. It’s a decision you make. What are you going to do, what are you going to use? This is sustainability in the kitchen.

And lastly, any predictions for the future of the culinary world?

Whatever you eat has to be good for your health. This is what is most important. And then it’s less fat, less salt, less sugar, less animal protein. These are the five things I would emphasise. A lot less of that. Furthermore, you need to have a fine balance with the ingredients you are using. Locality is important and it has to be according to the season.
Another thing is how you are going to use [ingredients] and care for you planet [at the same time]. The planet has to be able to feed every individual there is and is going to come. You need to be able to feed everyone. So resources have to be used in a way that is sustainable. It’s not just about elaborating and thinking. You have to translate it into action and reality. And that is very important too.

[caption id="attachment_186577" align="alignnone" width="1241"] Rum baba to finish a meal at Alain Ducasse at Morpheus.[/caption]

The post Legendary French Chef Alain Ducasse on Cantonese Cuisine, Stars and Sustainability appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Gontran Cherrier is a French baker who wears many hats: pastry chef, TV show host, cookbook author and businessman.

But of course he's not wearing any hats in reality, because it'd be a shame to mess up that perfectly tousled brown hair of his. Fondly nicknamed the 'Brad Pitt of the baking world', he's the sort of baker that has fans who sigh longingly while watching him roll croissants for hours. And I'm not just talking about staring at his boyish good looks, I'm talking about that croissant -- with its crispy, golden shell revealing creamy, butter-scented layers of pillowy soft pastry -- that people willingly queue for.

[caption id="attachment_167285" align="alignnone" width="1500"] Gontran Cherrier is a French baker, pastry chef, TV show host, cookbook author and businessman.[/caption]

A fourth-generation baker with experience alongside French chef Alain Passard of three-Michelin-starred L'Arpège and the late Alain Senderens' Lucas Carton, Cherrier has taken his artisan boulangerie empire across the world, with outposts in France, Australia, America, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand and now, Hong Kong. It's his 57th bakery to open, and it's located on the B2 basement floor of the cultural-retail emporium that is K11 Musea. It's a big project, too, with an all-day restaurant, café, retail bake shop and bakery production section in the new mall.

So how does Cherrier do it all? We met him at his new bakery to find out and yes, came away with a few many croissants. Bon appétit!

In your own words, how would you describe your baking?

Family style. I'm a fourth-generation baker and in the beginning, I learnt how to bake from my father. When I grew up, I spent a lot of time in my grandparents' bakery. So I get a lot of inspiration from those memories with them. I also really like to use traditional items, a French pastry or bread, and then mix it up with flavours from overseas, like matcha, or even miso [which he uses in his specialty miso rye bread]. I will identify a popular flavour in that country and try to combine them -- make a bridge between the two countries and the two flavours.

Sometimes, I will also make special items: a traditional national pastry and then add a little French touch. For example in Japan, I made melon pan [a sweet Japanese melon-like bun] and added my [French] touch. So that's the other way around. But I really need to spend a lot of time in the country to understand. And then step by step, I can extend my range like this.

So other than your family, who else has inspired you in your baking?

I would say Pierre Hermé. We've known each other for some time and when I opened my shops, he came to visit. He is a really great master for me, so I get a lot of inspiration from him, too. Even when I was young, he inspired me. When I was maybe 16 years old, I discovered his work through Ladurée [who are known for their macarons] so it was quite a few years back.

What is your favourite bread or pastry?

My favourite bread is a traditional French baguette. I also really like sourdough. As for pastry, my favourite is a plain croissant. For me, that's the best because I love eating it with a coffee. That's the best pairing in my opinion.

[caption id="attachment_167283" align="alignnone" width="1843"] The raspberry cloud croissant is exclusive to Hong Kong.[/caption]

How do you make a good croissant?

Get good ingredients. The raw materials are important. You need to select a good butter to get a good fermentation and a good bake. A good croissant has crispiness -- a very crunchy outside and soft inside. To get that, you need quality flour, too. On top of that is the perfect baking time and temperature -- it's not about the oven, though. In fact the most important thing is skill. I have many shops around the world and in some of them, I have different ovens, so we need to adapt to whichever oven we're using.

I know exactly what I want in terms of consistency, texture and appearance, so my team and I adapt to achieve that. Sometimes, it's difficult and takes a long time. The hardest place to do that was Australia actually. I don't know why! But it took us a long time to adapt.

Why do you love baking so much?

It's my life. I like touching flour, touching the dough. I also really like to eat bread and croissants. It's as simple as that.

Why did it take you this long to come to Hong Kong?

I wanted a good partnership with someone in Hong Kong, and it was very difficult to find. With K11, we had a really good opportunity and the project is amazing. To have something like this, with the four different sections, is amazing.

[caption id="attachment_167281" align="alignnone" width="1500"] Cherrier at his masterclass in his new Hong Kong bakery at K11 Musea.[/caption]

Have you come across any challenges yet?

Finding the right orientation of the different sections is difficult [right now]. And the explanation needs work. We need to explain to our customers so they understand where to go for what. You need to go there [to the retail bake shop] to get your breads, or there [the café] for your coffee and pastries, or there [the restaurant] for your lunch and dinner. We need to spend more days, more weeks, more months to get this right.

Have you tried any Hong Kong pastries? Anything that took your fancy?

I've only been here a week, so I haven't tried too much, but I like traditional lotus paste mooncakes. I have also tried and really like egg tarts -- the flavour and the texture, it's really good.

Will you be adapting any breads or pastries for Hong Kong tastes? 

Of course! One of them will be the 'Victoria Peak'. It will be a croissant dough, made like a peak and I will fill it with a lot of space so I can pipe jasmine or chrysanthemum tea syrup and lotus paste.

[caption id="attachment_167287" align="alignnone" width="1426"] The different pastries available at Gontran Cherrier.[/caption]

What have you got planned for your next step in worldwide domination?

Next month we will open in Saudi Arabia, after that Argentina. And then at the beginning of 2020, it'll be the USA -- in the San Francisco area. So there's a lot going on.

Are there any differences between bakeries in France and the bakeries in Asia? 

Day after day, the difference is reducing. Because these days you have a lot of Asian bakeries that look like French bakeries, so it's the combination of everything that makes an international bakery now. As for customers, each country is different. In some countries, they might prefer softer, or sweeter.

It depends which country you're in, but in general, I would say that most Asians don't like it too sweet. So, I try to reduce the amount of sweetness. Even for me, I prefer less sweet. Another thing I have noticed is that more and more Asians like European breads, like sourdough, too. Their palates have developed a liking for this taste as well.

What are your top three best-selling products in Hong Kong?

1. Croissant, the plain traditional type.
2. Almond croissant, filled with frangipane and topped with almond flakes.
3. Kouign-amann, pronounced queen-ah-mahn, a round multi-layered cake originating from Brittany.

The post Worldwide Pastry Domination: Gontran Cherrier Opens His French Bakery in Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Macau has long had a reputation for being slightly over the top, and that's certainly the case when it comes to fabulous food and wine. (Among its restaurants, 30 Michelin stars can be found in Macau.)

Of these, only three restaurants possess the covered three-star accolade; one of them, Jade Dragon, has solidified its position as a destination for traditional Chinese food executed at the highest level.

Helmed by one of the greatest (and youngest chefs) in Asia with such recognition is 39-year-old chef Kelvin Au Yeung, who had some big shoes to fill after his predecessor, chef Tam Kowk Fung, led the restaurant to earn two Michelin stars. Last year, under the culinary direction of  chef Au Yeung, Jade Dragon pulled in its third star.

Borrowing techniques and influences from other cuisines to amplify the flavours while maintaining the authenticity and character of traditional Cantonese fare, Jade Dragon continues its heavy emphasis on making seasonal and premium ingredients the star of the show. This is how the genius chef sets Jade Dragon apart from its competitors in both Macau and Hong Kong.

After a hearty meal in the elaborate private dining room, we caught a moment with chef Au Yeung to discuss his inspirations, his go-to restaurants and what’s next for Jade Dragon.

[caption id="attachment_160544" align="alignnone" width="682"] Chef Kelvin Au Yeung of three-Michelin-starred restaurant Jade Dragon.[/caption]

Every dish we had was so unique, yet so familiar. What on the menu excites you the most?

My favourite is the fish maw soup. The use of different ingredients really brings out the flavours. To complement something as delicate as fish maw, I used spring onions, fish, and also caviar. Caviar is needed because it really gives it a punch and pairs perfectly without being excessive. I also really like the crab shell made with local mud crabs from Zhuhai.

[caption id="attachment_160536" align="alignnone" width="8688"] Baked crab shell with black truffles[/caption]

What's the most underrated dish on your menu?

I personally really love the sea cucumber and pomelo dish. It might not be very apparent to the diners, but a lot of love and dedication goes into this dish. In order to get the texture of the sea cucumber just right [with a crisp exterior and a bouncy and juicy interior], we need to master the preparation perfectly. There are a lot of steps to this dish and sometimes it takes us a whole week to prepare and cook it. If any one of these steps is slightly off, the dish can’t be served.

[caption id="attachment_160546" align="alignnone" width="8683"] Crispy Japanese sea cucumber filled with shrimp paste[/caption]

The Chinese fine-dining landscape has changed a lot in the recent years. What do you think has made the biggest impact in the increasing interest?

The palate of our guests is evolving and customers are becoming more discerning when it comes to taste and appetite. Dining has really become more of an outlet for relaxation and experience instead of just getting fed. Chefs are also getting more involved in the menu creation, bringing forth new and seasonal ideas. For example, when I’m on holiday, I’m still very much “working” as I’m constantly on the lookout for inspiration. Nowadays, Chinese chefs are getting more creative and using new ingredients while still keeping the heritage and history of Chinese cuisine intact.

Aside from the seasonality of ingredients, what is the main inspiration behind your dishes?

I have two -- the use of the most premium and everyday ingredients. I like using ingredients such as fresh seafood and dried seafood like lobster and sea whelk. I also like to challenge myself and the team to come up with something that will showcase our skills and techniques. Things like catfish, pomelo skin and bitter gourd aren’t popular, but we have a way of making these items delicious and luxurious.

Macau being such a fine-dining paradise, how does Jade Dragon come out on top given all the competition it faces?

I credit our success to our teamwork. We’re very much aligned in our goal, which is to maintain our reputation and credentials. Our products and services are really top of the line. We are attentive to each and every guest, we personalise everything in order to provide an unforgettable experience for them. After years of working together, we’re very compatible. I am also extremely lucky to be able to source some of the most amazing ingredients and create dishes that are incredibly special and iconic to Jade Dragon. Macau is a food mecca, and it’s our honour to be a part of that.

Where does a three star Michelin chef like yourself go to for a meal in Macau?

I don’t really eat Chinese food outside of our restaurant. I like trying different cuisines because it gives me inspiration. I am a fan of local Portuguese food and Sichuanese food. I like to go to A Lorcha as it’s really good and simple food with a lot of heritage. The former gentleman’s club Clube Militar de Macau also serves great Portuguese food.

I am also a huge fan of midnight supper. After service, I will take the team out for a late bite. Sometimes those meals don’t end until 3 or 4am! We like to recap what we’ve gone through that day, hang out and share a good meal.

The post In Conversation with Chef Au Yeung of 3-Michelin-Starred Jade Dragon in Macau appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

There's something about seeing the sheer drive and passion in someone’s eyes that can really bring you into submission. This is exactly what happened when I met plant-based pioneer Peggy Chan, the chef-founder of Grassroots Pantry which recently transformed into Nectar. Meeting her didn’t quite convert me into a vegetarian, but it certainly compelled me to reconsider my meaty lunch options. So read on to find out more about her mission, if meat really is that bad for your health, and what her new restaurant is all about.

Tell us about Nectar, your new restaurant.

Some people may call it fine dining, but we want to call it ‘elevated experiential dining’. It’s an extension of Grassroots [Pantry] and a reflection of how much we have grown in our craft of cooking plant-based and nutrient-dense foods.

We want to use this opportunity to connect with our diners too. Slow down and deliver a real experience, as well as educate. So that’s why we’re switching to a tasting menu with interactive elements and eye-opening ingredients. It’s linking the health benefits of ingredients that don’t get used that much, or ones that are more biodiverse, and showcasing them through our menu.

[gallery size="full" ids="157366,157368"]

Why do you think a plant-based diet is important?

The number one reason is for environmental purposes. The meat industry, together with dairy, contributes to almost 15% of carbon emissions in the world -- that’s more than any other transportation combined. So we need to be mindful and accountable for our decisions. Secondly for health reasons, it’s already well-known that any form of highly processed foods are the number one causes for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or what we call ‘first-world illnesses’. Hence we really have to, or should at least consider, consuming less meat.

Also, we aren’t just a plant-based restaurant, we’re using techniques from raw food methods such as soaking, sprouting, activating. We’re using TCM [traditional Chinese medicine] to make tonic broths with healing properties such as our Bak Kut Teh, served with a wonton and summer truffles. We will also incorporate Ayurvedic cuisine elements to heal different body types.

So eating meat is bad for health?

We’re not saying meat is bad. How meat is produced now, has made it unhealthy. The growth hormones and antibiotics, how animals suffer before they’re slaughtered, how meat is stored in unhygienic situations, this is all public information. It’s not about a piecemeal solution to eat less meat, it’s more about why we should eliminate the consumption of processed foods, additives, preservatives and chemicals. And if we do eat meat, then we want the most sustainable and without all that crap in it.

[caption id="attachment_157370" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Chef-founder Peggy Chan has transformed Grassroots Pantry into Nectar[/caption]

What else will be on your produce-driven and locally-sourced menu?

We’re using local eggplants in a dish called Shimeji mushroom bisque, with eggplant en papillote [or baked in a paper pouch or parcel]. The eggplants came from Zen Organic [a certified organic farm in Fanling in the New Territories]. Another is a cheese course. Over the years we’ve learnt more about culturing and fermentation, so we created a line of homemade ‘cheeses’ made with nuts, seeds, beans or tofu. There’s a ricotta-style, slightly firmer goat's cheese texture, a hard cheese that we age for 7 days and then dehydrate for 2–3 weeks to get the texture and saltiness. It’s not just about the origins of the cheese, it’s about the alternative ingredients that are dairy free and propose a way to consume cheese without losing that ‘cheesy’ experience.

Do you have any favourite ingredients to use in your cooking?

I love using mushrooms. We source directly from Yunnan [where there are over 800 types of edible mushrooms] . Everything from chanterelles, to matsutakes, to trumpet and termite mushrooms. I love using termite mushrooms! There’s so much variety and each one has different volumes of water content which dictate the cooking process and therefore flavours. It’s as if you're cooking meat.

Any other superfoods or trends that we should take note of?

I’m always on the search for new ingredients that are rarely used or known. I mean, over 90% of what the world consumes is derived from four main crops: palm oil, corn, wheat and soy, with the fifth being rice. But there are over 30,000 species of plants in the world. Still, the world continues to capitalise on those crops to the detriment of biodiversity, the ecosystem and our planet.

That’s why we try to source lesser-known or rarely used ingredients as much as possible. For example, we use teff [a fine grain]. We were one of the first people in Hong Kong to bring it over and use it in multiple ways -- in our pizza bases, brownies, breads, porridge and replaced whole wheat or wheat.

The trend now is alternative meats. We don’t use it ourselves, as it’s a different stream of food. Kudos to them as their goal is to disrupt the meat industry. But vegans have to understand that eating more alternative meats doesn’t necessary mean you are eating healthier. And it also doesn’t make the planet healthier either -- because of packaging and logistics etc. So we need to look at everything in a much bigger picture.

[gallery size="full" ids="157364,157365"]

What sparked this plant-based mission of yours?

I stopped eating red meat in 2000, before I turned 16. I was on a school trip to Foshan and when we were on the school bus driving past these farms, I remember looking at the cows, and they looked right back at me. Then it dawned on me. Why do we eat animals? I decided overnight that I would cut out red meat. After a couple more years, I cut out poultry, and then I cut out fish and seafood. But I didn’t do it cold turkey, I did it within a 6–7 year period.

What keeps you going?

I feel like it’s my duty. What drives me is this duty to create change. I get emotional about it [her eyes water]. I want to show people the positive side to all of this. I prefer to be a solutionist. We face negative things everyday, but over and above all of that, I want to move us towards the solutions.

I hear that you’ve converted people into vegetarians -- is that true?

I didn’t do it on purpose! My stepfather and my mom were the first people but I didn’t tell them to eat less meat. It just happened naturally. I was just eating it at home and they were curious. They would ask “what is this quinoa?” and soon they realised that their own solution was to not eat meat. One of our chefs has become vegetarian too. I guess like attracts like. We’re not preachers, we’re not like “do this!” That would just backlash. Cutting out meat helped her with her eczema and it was the answer for her. No one can tell you, you have to experience it yourself.

[caption id="attachment_157369" align="alignnone" width="1238"] Peggy Chan leads Hong Kong's green-eating and plant-based movement[/caption]

Have you felt the benefits yourself?

I haven’t been to a doctor -- touch wood! -- for check ups or any form of illness for 16 years. If it’s a minor flu, I can quickly fix it with some turmeric and lemon; if it’s a cough, I can fix it with some honey and ginger, or blanched almonds to help stop the cough. There are certain things I can fix using food to heal.

The spotlight is also on the staggering amount of plastic waste the world produces. How will Nectar be tackling this?

Even when it comes to sourcing, our suppliers sometimes use plastics or styrofoam. So that’s where we begin to tackle it. We tell them we don’t need the plastic, so that’s the first step -- refuse. The next is to reduce what we use. Then we go into recycling -- we partner with Hong Kong Recycles who is extremely helpful and transparent with where they bring the recyclables, as well as how much we recycle each month. The goal is to reduce that every month.

What about your other initiatives Pollen Lab and The Collective’s Table? Can you tell us more?

Pollen Lab will be our hub for everything about holistic nutrition, environmental sustainability, plant-based and raw foods. It will help accelerate the changes that we know can happen through education. We will bring people together to do this, so they can take it away and as a result, create change.

The Collective Table table is an initiative we started about three years ago. The idea is to engage chefs to start thinking about ways to reduce meat and dairy in the kitchen and create tasting menus together that are completely plant-based. One of the first challenges we did was with Chef Richard Ekkebus [from Amber], as well as Chef Margarita Forés [voted Asia’s 50 Best Female Chef in 2016]. It’s really exciting to collaborate as not only are we igniting the conversation, we are exchanging skills and possibilities.

The post Chef Peggy Chan, Hong Kong’s Plant-Based Pioneer, on Her New Restaurant Nectar and Healthy Eating appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

It's not every day that you get to enjoy desserts created by Asia's Best Pastry Chef. So when esteemed pastry chef Fabrizio Fiorani flew in for a special masterclass that would see him serving up his signature pastries, we jumped at the opportunity to have a taste of his sweet creations.

Held at Hong Kong's own Italian trattoria CIAK – In the Kitchen, the masterclass was sponsored by Acqua Panna and Valrhona. During the class, Fiorani demonstrated not only his unique creativity in patisserie, but also the Italians' signature warm nature. Visually striking and spectacular to taste, his desserts came first before we sat down to find out what he's been up to since winning the prestigious title and leaving Il Ristorante Luca Fantin at Bulgari Hotel in Japan.

What have you been up to since leaving Japan?

I’m back in Rome. I’m sleeping [and I’m based] there for a few days a week as I’m always travelling and consulting, doing masterclasses and special collaborations. Even in the last 20 days or so, I’ve been in Japan for one week, Singapore for one week and now one week here in Hong Kong. So I’m travelling here and there, but I go back to sleep in Rome.

How would you personally describe your pastry style?

It’s Italian. The flavour is pure Italian. But the style is my own -- Fabrizio Fiorani style.

[caption id="attachment_154272" align="alignnone" width="1613"] Tiramisu Glasses: the coffee-flavoured glasses (or biscuits) perch on a red plastic nose and come with mascarpone cream covered with a delicate layer of chocolate.[/caption]

You’ve worked at some of the world’s most renowned Michelin-starred restaurants. But was there a restaurant that left a long-lasting impression on you?

All of them gave and left me with something. Technique, human power, everything. I won the title [Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2019] at Il Ristorante Luca Fantin. I became the best when I was there, so that will stay with me. But my team was, and still is, my best memory of the five years I spent in Japan.

Who has been your biggest influence?

My parents. They taught me how to eat good food. And if you want to cook good food, you need to eat good food. This is very important -- they taught me this. For pastry, my biggest influence… Pierre Hermé. When you enter the boutique, I’m always speechless. Everything is just wow.

Do you have a favourite dessert?

Of course, it’s the tiramisu [glasses]. As for anyone else’s… Pierre Hermé makes this dessert [the Tarte Infiniment Vanille] with different kinds of vanilla [from Madagascar, Mexico, and Tahiti]. It’s unbelievable and one of the best things that I’ve eaten in my life. Another is a very beautiful cake make by Japanese pastry chef [Norihiko] Terai [of Aigre Douce in Tokyo]. Terai-san’s vanilla cake is crazy too, it’s so pure!

I heard you started working in a gelato shop at 14 years old. Is that where your love for pastry started?

Gelato is the entry level of pastry. You start to touch [and use] ingredients like egg yolk, cream and chocolate. Then after the gelato, you’ll want some cookies and biscuits. So this was my way in. That’s where it all started, with gelato.

[caption id="attachment_154271" align="alignnone" width="4928"] Raspberry Splash: Fiorani uses a magnetic stencil to paint a raspberry image on a white chocolate disc, which conceals a triple layer of raspberry confections.[/caption]

What are your favourite ingredients to use?

You know, I don’t do anything for fashion or for Instagram. I don’t like kiwi, so I never make anything with kiwi. I rarely drink alcohol, so I only use a small quantity of alcohol. A little gin with chocolate maybe. But I make desserts as if I was the customer. I only create what I love myself. If I don’t like it, I wouldn’t give it to my customers.
I love using chocolate. It’s dangerous to leave chocolate with me [he points to the chocolate wrappers he’s left on the table]. I love milk chocolate. For example, for the tiramisu glasses, I use this chocolate, [Valhorna’s] Bahibe Lactée, from Santo Domingo, with high cocoa content at 46%. Milk chocolate with a touch of bitterness is just unbelievable -- it balances everything.

Some of your creations have been described as ‘humorous’. Do you agree and if so, why do you do that?

With a smile, you release the tension of the mind. Take the tiramisu glasses [for example], you take a selfie and all your attention is on the dessert. It’s not on your phone or your drink, or your previous main course, it’s all on the dessert. I want people to smile and have fun with my desserts. We need to give happiness, not sadness, to the people. That’s my job. I cannot save the world with dessert, but I can give 20 minutes of happiness to the people.

Is that why you decided to be a pastry chef?

Yes. Ask me to make pasta with tomato. I cannot, I’m not able to do it. Dessert is my thing.

[caption id="attachment_154273" align="alignnone" width="1433"] Fiorani’s vision and technique earned him the title of Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2019.[/caption]

Do you think you really are Asia’s best pastry chef?

My first fan is me. But every night before I go to bed, I always ask [myself], “Can you can do it? Maybe yes, maybe no?” But that’s OK, it’s important to feel uncomfortable. If you feel comfortable, like on this chair I’m sitting on, you cannot make nice things. You need to be uncomfortable to create. Think about a lobster, it can grow for infinity. Why? Because every time it grows, it will change its shell and grow again. It’s not comfortable to stay in the same shell. So in order to grow, you need to be uncomfortable.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Pastry is important in my life, but it’s not everything. There are movies, shows, books and people. There are a lot of things I take inspiration from. Food is a small part of it. But there are so many places to find it. For example, the glasses [for the tiramisu] were made for Massimo [Bottura, the celebrated Italian chef of the three-Michelin-sttared Osteria Francescana]. I was inspired by him and created that.

Have you tried any Chinese desserts while you’ve been in Hong Kong?

I had dinner at China Tang and the duck was unbelievable. But for dessert we had the mango and pomelo sago, which was lovely. Maybe one day I will do something that incorporates these flavours; I can do this with mango and tapioca, why not!

The post Fabrizio Fiorani, Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2019, Tells Us About Chocolate, Cake and Lobsters, Too 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. 

She’s the chef and owner of one Michelin-starred Tate Dining Room, but who is Vicky Lau beyond being one of Asia’s best female chefs? We took the chance to find out more about the ex-graphic designer and found out what she gets up to when the chef whites come off.

What’s a normal weekend like for you?

Well, weekends for me are actually only Sundays as I work on Saturdays. Tate [Dining Room] is closed on Sunday, so I have one day off and I always spend it with my daughter. She’s two and a half years old. We do a lot of family activities on that day and explore new places with her. Last week, we went to the library. That’s the kind of thing we do together. This weekend, maybe we’ll go swimming. I like hanging out in Repulse Bay and just generally in the midst of nature. I think kids also enjoy that, too.

What’s on your playlist right now?

Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of [American three-piece band] Khruangbin. It’s hard to define this type of music, but I guess it’s alternative. I like alternative music, trip-hop, jazz and easy listening music. Bonobo is one of my favourites too.
I’ll listen to music in the car but also in the kitchen -- especially if I’m doing something repetitive because I need to encourage myself to keep going! If you need to make the same thing [for a dish] 200 times, you really need music to get you through it!

[caption id="attachment_149945" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Khruangbin is a band from Texas formed of Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald Johnson on drums.[/caption]

When you’re not in the kitchen, what else are you up to?

I do Thai boxing at the gym… I also meditate, which I try to do everyday for 20 minutes before I sleep. I do it in silence mostly, but if your thoughts are a little crowded you can use music or do some guided meditation. For me, I need that peace of mind. I’m actually a quiet person, but when you’re in this industry you need to face a lot of people, handle them and get along with them, so I need that quiet time to reset. Meditation really helps you to dump any negative feelings and be more neutral.

What are you most likely to order at a bar?

I enjoy a lot of cocktails, but especially Negronis. I love the classic version but I will also explore different kinds of cocktails. It’s actually really tough to get flavour in liquid, but a lot of people do such a good job, so it’s worth exploring. The Old Man makes a great Negroni!

[caption id="attachment_149944" align="alignnone" width="1135"] The Old Man took the top spot in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2019.[/caption]

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I love eating in bed. I do that a lot actually. Especially at the end of a work night when I’m tired and feel like falling asleep, but I really want to eat. During service I don’t have much of an appetite, so I’ll just have something in bed instead. It’s the best when I’m staying at a hotel, and I can just order some room service and eat a club sandwich in my pyjamas, in bed!

Have you ever met any chefs that turned you into a fan-girl?

So many! Thomas Keller is definitely at the top of my list. [Joël] Robuchon and Pierre Hermé, too. They’re all big names but they’re so humble. I think there are a lot of people that are at that high level, but are more normal than you think.

[caption id="attachment_149946" align="alignnone" width="2445"] Pierre Hermé and Chef Vicky Lau.[/caption]

Who was the last person you called?

My daughter. We FaceTime and she sings to me -- she loves singing. She makes up her own songs even. I took her to a Mozart concert once and she came out telling me she wanted to learn the violin.

What was the last meal you had?

Recently, we went to Sing Gor [a popular two-table-only private kitchen in Macau]. It was really delicious. They cook up that classic Cantonese flavour which is so tough to find these days. All that wok hei [smoky, charred flavour you get from using a wok]. He made this soup with pork belly, intestines and seaweed -- it had so much flavour and was a very dark soup, so you could tell it had so much work put into it. You can’t find this kind of traditional Cantonese flavour anymore and I crave for it. A lot of my childhood memories are of food with this classic flavour.

[caption id="attachment_149943" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Lau also enjoys fine dining and here she is at a dinner with fellow chef Daniel Calvert [of Belon] and friends at a Michel Troisgois Dinner.[/caption]

The post Getting to Know Chef Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Formerly a chef at Noma chef and Tom Aikens’ protégé, James Sharman started a culinary pop-up project called One Star House Party that took him and his team around the world. During the global tour, the British chef cooked in as many as 20 different countries -- including some rather obscure locations -- racking up interesting experiences along the way.

Returning to Hong Kong, Sharman recently launched a new British restaurant and comfort food concept in Causeway Bay's Lee Garden Two. It's situated inside the family members' club Maggie & Rose which closes in the evening and transforms into The Leah. With the kids gone for the day, the restaurant is open to the public and accessible through a dedicated entrance that leads to an expansive terrace and outdoor bar. We took the chance to meet the man himself to learn more about the new restaurant and his culinary adventures.

[caption id="attachment_149336" align="alignnone" width="2000"] James Sharman makes his return to Hong Kong as the Creative Director at The Leah.[/caption]

Can you tell us a bit more about The Leah?

It’s something that isn’t already here: super hearty, unfussy British food. It’s good food, done right.

How did you come up with this concept?

The premise of the restaurant is the house that I used to live in: a 9-bedroom house in Battersea, where most of us worked at different Michelin-star restaurants. [The restaurants] would close on Sundays, so we’d have days off and on Saturday night. We’d finish work and have ingredients from our sections left over, things you can’t really get at a supermarket, like bits of bone marrow or foie gras. We would put together the bits and cook our own version of comfort food. We came up with things that are simple and not technically challenging, but really nice. I mean, no other scenario would force you to create things like bone marrow gnocchi.

Why comforting pub-style food over fine dining?

I’ve done a lot of fine dining, but I don’t think my skillset is that fine dining anymore. I would say that 90% of my repertoire has nothing to do with all the restaurants that I worked and trained in. I’ve just found more satisfaction elsewhere. Saddled up on a Vietnamese fishing boat with 30 blokes picking up little fishes to steam, which we eat with rice and everybody’s wives had made them their own bottle of fish sauce. I remember stuff like that way more than a 20-course tasting menu. That’s the kind of stuff that hits home and affects my cooking.

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How would you describe your own cuisine then?

I try not to be known for a type of cuisine. I don’t want to commit to one and then you’re in a cage you can’t break out of. It’d be sad If I said “OK, I do British food”, and then lose the ability to roast spices in ghee. You lose so much like that. I’d say it’s based more on my experiences.

So what did you learn from your experiences with One Star House Party?

All sorts. When we were planning to open a restaurant in Beijing, we really needed to discover as much as we could about China. We really wanted to get to grips with Sichuan [peppers]. We didn’t get why there was so much energy around this ingredient. So, we looked into the area where Sichuan peppers grow, which is huge but incredibly remote. Then we figured out that a really good way to meet people in advance was to use [the popular dating app] Tinder. We were all trying to find people within the location that we found Sichuan was growing. So one of the chefs met a girl and asked if we could come visit. So we rocked up -- it’s a five-hour drive from Chengdu and then a 45-minute hike up to the house.

But when we got up there, the girl’s dad was absolutely furious. In the end, he let us stay (for nearly 2 weeks) and allowed us to sleep with the staff on the condition that we worked with them. It was harvest season so we were picking peppers for days and days, but this is where we really fell in love with the whole plant and tree. The dishes that we put together used the wood, the leaves, and the berries. You may think of Sichuan pepper as a spice or a sensation, but it’s much more. The fresh berry, for example, is a fruit!

[gallery ids="149330,149332"]

I heard that you also cooked on Mount Everest, what was that like?

There’re only a few thousand people that live above the 4,000-metre threshold (base camp is a little higher than 5,000 metres). You can’t take water buffalo or donkeys up there, so that really changes the cuisine. They can grow some vegetation, but the real struggle was getting fuel up there, so cooking was challenging.
We met a family of four there. And it’s funny because they had everyday parent struggles too because they couldn’t get their kids to eat vegetables. The dad would bury lots of little pumpkins in the snow. Then he would get it, thaw it out by the fireplace and cut it open. He’d add a bit of salt and sugar, give the kids a spoon and they loved it! And all without fuel. That’s such a useful technique where you can flash freeze your vegetables and effectively cook it.

When did you know that you wanted to be a chef?

I moved out when I was 15, but continued school until I was 18. So I was doing my A-Levels during the day and working at restaurants in the evenings and on weekends. It was weird because I would be in the kitchen worrying about coursework, and then in the classroom worrying about if I had enough prep on my section.
But the first restaurant I worked in, I just needed a job. Then I went to London and worked for [Tom] Aikens. Stepping into that kitchen was the most wild and ruthless environment that I’ve ever been in -- far crazier than any kitchen I’ve ever heard of. It was a good year or two of suffering. But once you got through that, it became rewarding and that’s when I fell in love. Not just for the food, but the way it makes you feel. The subculture of being in the kitchen -- that lifestyle is what you fall in love with first.

So, what’s your relationship with Tom Aikens like now?

I went to his wedding (which was fantastic!) and I speak to him most days still. He’s been a massive part of my life: a supportive and also quite ruthless figure, which is what I needed back then. He’s a really great guy and I think his technique surpasses any other chef I’ve seen. He’s just genetically born to do this.

[gallery ids="149334,149333"]

I read that you even slept in his kitchen!

Yes, when I moved to London, I was working for free in the beginning, which you had to do until you could got the job. So you’d clean down and keep yourself to yourself and then hide. You could get a night’s kip and then the next day it looks like you’re the first one in!

Any plans for more culinary adventures in the future?

We’re going to travel a bit. We’re looking to do another project actually -- an ambitious one. The idea is to sail from Hong Kong to London, but we’ll let you know more when the time comes!

The post Chef James Sharman on his Crazy Culinary Adventures and New Restaurant The Leah appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Feel free to protest copiously online against our bold-faced proposition that Richard Ekkebus is the most famous and finest chef living in Hong Kong. The culinary director of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, with a staff of 72 (at last count) oversees all cuisine at the hotel. Under his supervision of the property’s collection of restaurants and bars, Ekkebus created and then championed progressive restaurant Amber into prominence, ranking (56th) on the World’s 100 Best Restaurants 2018. Just one feather in his highly festooned cap; for the 10th consecutive year in 2018, Amber was awarded two stars in the Michelin Hong Kong and Macau guide.

While most would rest comfortably on their star-studded laurels, for the past six years Ekkebus has had grand plans to completely alter what was essentially a faultless restaurant, and had the lofty idea of changing not only its DNA but also expanding the cuisine culture of the five-star hotel as a whole. But not with predictable, tedious global expansion, rather with in-house, evolutionary changes to ensure that the hotel would be a key dining destination in a city long overcrowded with culinary alternatives.

But first, a bit of background. Ekkebus began his career with an apprenticeship in his native Netherlands under Michelin-starred chefs Hans Snijders and Robert Kranenborg. In his home country, he won the prestigious Golden Chef’s Hat for Young Chef of the Year, an honour that encouraged him further to perfect his craft and dispense with his engineering-degree studies. This was much to the dismay and chagrin of his father, who didn’t speak to him for two years after he quit college. But under the tutelage of some of the greatest chefs in France, including Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Passard and Guy Savoy, he honed his skills.

While in France, how could this foreigner make his mark in the notoriously difficult, esoteric, distinctly French, overtly snobby world of chefs and their kitchen-confidential games? Well, for one thing, he refused to play. Ekkebus didn’t even bother to compete. Instead, his wannabe “gypsy soul” led him on a flight to Mauritius to become executive chef at the Royal Palm and then, years later, to Sandy Lane in Barbados. He still considers Mauritius home (he has a sprawling house there -- “where my wife and kids go a few times a year, far more than I do!”). In 2005, he was appointed executive chef for the Landmark Mandarin Oriental through an accident of fate (more on that later).

While things were swimming along, in December 2018, the hotel’s signature restaurant, Amber, closed for renovations over a four-month period. Ekkebus spent his time exploring new ingredients, contemplating the needs of diners and evolving a bold new culinary philosophy.

Amber’s revered French-style cuisine was changed dramatically -- the restaurant’s progressive menu has now dispensed with dairy products, minimised refined sugar and reduced salt -- inviting diners to appreciate flavours in their purest form. So much effort and such a big, expensive gamble. Will it pay off?

While it wasn’t the first question that came to mind when we finally meet in the innards of the hotel, it was one that lingered. Having dismounted his beloved bike and freshly changed from all-black denim into the crisp white linens worn by all cooking staff, Ekkebus discussed, well, just about everything during a series of conversations.

First, the basic question: Why renovate Amber when it had stellar reviews and a mile-long waiting list? You know the adage, if it ain’t broke…

That’s a good question, but to put it simply I didn’t want to take for granted the fact that Amber was so successful for so many years. I asked myself, if we continue in the same way, will it have another 50 years of shelf life? So, I came up with this new sort of evolution on the old Amber -- which by the way, wasn’t so old.

I also thought, why not add three more restaurants while we’re at it? So we went a bit insane. We opened SOMM by Sommeliers, which has a very strong food component. We built a brand-new Amber, of course, and a private room that’s hidden behind a wine cellar. Then we have two Japanese eateries: Sushi Shikon, the only three-Michelin-star sushi restaurant in Hong Kong, moved in with us, and also Kappo Rin, whose chef Masa-san is from Kyoto. It’s also supervised by the head chef of Sushi Shikon.

Not only the restaurant, but you’ve got a brand-new look too.

I’m going to be 53 soon, so I’m trying to be healthier. What’s going to be the next 15 and probably the last 15 years of my career? Is it going to be the same old, same old or is it going to be something very different and exciting? I decided to do something different and exciting.

For the restaurant, it’s more than a cosmetic, interior design change…

Exactly. Well you can’t just make a cosmetic change -- that’s just lipstick on a pig. A delicious pig, but still a pig! I really wanted to make a profound change. When we opened 15 years ago, we were a disrupting force. I think we wanted to be, once again, this disrupting force, but in a thoughtful way. We decided, in a French restaurant, to take out that old style of cooking, cut refined sugars, and minimise salt. Not to become a more healthy restaurant but really to improve the experience. In a restaurant like this, we need to change the perception of what fine dining could be. And that’s the statement we want to make in the new Amber.

You’ve involved many from the local community in this project.

Well, I think we all talk about sustainability but people always forget about the sustainability of making sure that people around you are able to make a good living. I wanted to make sure that we support local artists, local tailors, local food suppliers. My son is an artist; he studies at Parsons and I know how difficult it is to make a career in the arts.

I used to buy French jackets for all the chefs to wear. One day I asked a great local woman, who has a line called Milk, if she wanted to make chef jackets for me. And she brought me this great jacket -- now all my staff uniforms are from her. It’s creating this organic cosmos of people that live on the success of the restaurants. Everything in our orbit, we want them to succeed.

Also, you can’t live for 15 years in Hong Kong and not be sensitive to how much opulence there is but also so much waste too [gesticulating outside to the crowded streets of Central] -- in the sense that people don’t even realise the problem that they’re creating. I felt that we as a restaurant need to be more in the forefront of trying to create a movement from a professional perspective and making a change in Hong Kong and especially in how we consume it.

It was very important for us that that became the golden thread through the whole project. We wanted to cut out the industrial washing of white linen, so we have no tablecloths. We also went for natural and stained materials instead of, you know, dyed, chemical things.

Does this go all the way down to ingredients? There’s a certain high-status value to state that the steak is from Argentina, the wagyu from Japan, the red wine from France, the white from New Zealand and so on.

Of course. In the past I always thought that chicken from France would be the best chicken, but we’ve started to find a source closer to home. We have a chicken that comes from New Territories because there’s a farm where people are doing great things and we want to support them and see that they can make a living out of that.

And we’re building a rooftop garden here as we speak to grow all the small vegetables and herbs. You know something funny? Most of my chefs have no clue how a vegetable or flower or a herb grows! And it’s very strange because I was born and raised in the countryside.

Garden rooftops around Central… sounds lofty.

But we have to start somewhere -- to make Central more green, and to bring more oxygen to Central. We really need to reduce our carbon footprint. Maybe the majority of our restaurant guests aren’t bothered with it, but through this messaging and by explaining why, we can plant a little seed of this idea to buy local. We did the maths; we were bringing in 35,000 kilograms of dairy products every year. Think of that carbon footprint. Insane.

The menu won’t change fundamentally to something tediously healthy, will it?

We’ve always been seafood-focused, because that’s who I am. I was born and raised next to the sea, so seafood is where I’m comfortable. I’ve always loved vegetables. I had a hippie mum and we were always veggie-driven in our home. And it’s a very Dutch thing. I always have a heavy hand on vegetables but a very light style of cooking. So we were never a place like Caprice or Robuchon, butter and cream. We’ve always had a lighter touch. I want people to have an amazing meal here and not go into a food coma after. I thought of this after a recent trip to France.

Home base of all fine dining.

Exactly. We ate at all the fine restaurants, food marathons. We ate at so many Michelin-star restaurants but after, we could do nothing. We wanted to go see the museums but we collapsed in food comas. And I thought, it should be a better feeling when you leave a restaurant. That’s what triggered me to cook differently.

When we cut the salts and sugars, the flavour was better. We replaced cream with tofu. Maybe not as exciting, but we replaced milk with water. All of a sudden there’s a very different flavour profile. I had this little discussion with my team about how much dairy we would use in a menu on average. We put everything on a tray: the cream, butter, milk. The tray was so heavy – who wants to eat all this in one sitting?

What else did you eliminate?

We started by asking the question, what really makes you feel bad after eating? We identified refined sugars. We need protein, but let’s use better protein. We need fat. So we started to buy all these different types of oils; we identified about 70 blended and basic oils. We use about 30 on a daily basis now. People don’t like salty foods. So we started to work more with umami and less with salt.

I call them dogmas, but I think these are limitations actually. [They push] us to be more creative. Instead of ultimately falling back on a little cream, a little butter, it forces us to think. We want to bring in fat elements that could enhance the dish. Then we experimented with oils; olive oil, flaxseed oil, rice-bran oil, almond oil, avocado oil, pumpkin-seed oil, all types of flower oils -- and then all of a sudden we see the possibilities these oils have within the flavour profile.

What brought you to Hong Kong, by the way?

After Barbados, I was on my way to New York when 9/11 happened. Every plan went on a toss, as everything I’d planned with my family was gone. And then Mandarin Oriental came along and offered me a couple of opportunities that I didn’t want initially. They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse; they asked me to create a restaurant from scratch. They just asked us to make it a world-famous restaurant.

Is your family in the hospitality business?

My grandparents were. My grandfather ran the bar and my grandmother was always in the kitchen. Because my father was a child of hotel-running parents, he always told us never to go into hospitality; you’d have no private life, no family life and it’s too much hard work and, “I don’t want you to go through this. I’ve seen it with my parents and they both died before they were even 60.” I was studying engineering, and to earn money on weekends, I worked in the kitchens. I hated what I was studying and I loved what I was doing part-time, so I made the switch. My father didn’t speak to me for years -- but then later he came around and he was very proud of me.

How did you land your first apprenticeship?

I would read Gourmand, a very famous French magazine at the time, about all these famous chefs. I would buy books in French, but my French was very average and I would obsess over these people, especially Guy Savoy. I heard hundreds of people wanted to learn under him. But I was also very clever: I knew he loved rugby and I used to play rugby. I wasn’t that great, but I made sure to talk a lot about rugby and how much I loved it. He said, ‘You’re hired.’ Sometimes you need to do your homework.

What was so special about the great chefs you worked with?

I think Guy Savoy really made a mark on me on a human level, because he was so strong. Some people really have it in themselves to lead people and he’s a natural-born leader. You’d want to follow him if he walked into a fire, without question. I’ve worked with people who’ve been extremely tough on me, like Robert Kranenborg in Holland, a two-star chef. He really taught me a lot about cooking and the refinement of cooking, and he always called it playing with fire. Cooking is not just putting things on the stove; it’s about regulating fire and how to get the best extractions. And then working with Pierre Gagnaire was about trusting your instincts. He’s not a guy who’s about written recipes, his style is very unconventional. He’s like the jazz man of cooking. I learned from him the only person that’s in charge when you’re cooking is yourself.

So you've been to Pierre Gagnaire's restaurant Pierre in Hong Kong?

Yes, of course, many times. When he [Gagnaire] comes to town, we try as much as we can to catch up. I still call him 'chef'. I’m not competitive with him or his restaurants. I want to do well for myself, not disappoint myself. You don’t want to do well to beat other people, you do it for yourself. For the pride you have in what you do.

Speaking of pride, what did the Michelin star mean to you when you first got it? 

It’s the greatest recognition that we’ve had through all these years of re-positioning and rethinking. But that honour hangs like the Sword of Damocles -- I’ve been reading in The New Yorker about chefs who killed themselves over the fall of a rating or the pressure to maintain it. It’s just an opinion, after all.

I was very close friends with [the late chef and owner of La Côte d’Or in Saulieu, France] Bernard Loiseau and it’s extremely personal and it’s very hard to grasp for me. Some people can’t take it. Opinions aren’t facts, no matter how well articulated.

Very true. 

It does piss me off, though, I’m going be honest with you. I stopped reading the TripAdvisor reviews because it affects my day and it shouldn’t because it’s one person’s opinion. There are colleagues, however, whom I really respect; when they come here, I really want to hear what they think. Opinions are like... well, they’re like a butthole.

Excuse me? 

Everyone has one. But it doesn’t mean anything. Constructive criticism, that I can take.

Photography Nic Gaunt | Art Direction Bex Gaunt | Styling Tasha Ling 

The post Chef Richard Ekkebus Brings a Dining Evolution to Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

You may have already read our June cover story featuring chef Richard Ekkebus of Amber, in which he explains his new approach to fine dining -- no dairy, less sugar, etc. -- but that's not all we spoke to him about. Here, in this exclusive online interview, Ekkebus reveals his guilty pleasure, what makes him angry in the kitchen, and much more.

Guilty pleasure?

French fries -- not McDonald’s, I’m talking about real French fries like the ones my grandmother used to make. Where I’m from, we baked fries in kidney fats, or beef fats. It gives a very specific, very gold, very soft inside, very crispy outside texture -- good fries make me cry!

Ever been food-poisoned?

Yes, with a cold pressed juice, here in Hong Kong! It was supposed to be a healthy food option with kale and apple. It was bad. Violent.

Say no more. When you have a banquet, is that the most stressful day?

No. It’s about organisation and preparation. We have a sheet where all the details of the events are on. So it’s actually very constructed, like a well-oiled machine. We have an early morning meeting, we go over critical control points, time slots and then action.

Favourite food destination?

Japan. Without a doubt. It’s not just food, it's high art. Any major chef who has travelled the world will say the same. Not just Japanese food, any food. They perfect it. I had the greatest slice of pizza in my life in Tokyo -- for the life of me I can’t remember the name of the place. I went to the kitchen -- entire staff was Japanese. They take the ordinary, make it sublime. Their desire for perfection is admirable.

What's the strangest food you've tried? 

I’ve tried everything. I've eaten monkey. I've eaten insects. There's nothing I will say no to, because I need to understand what it's about. When you are a guest in a foreign home or country, you try what they have. So I've even tried whale at someone's home because it's disrespectful to say no!

When you go out, what do you eat?

Anything and everything different -- it's like music. You want to see my playlist? There’s rap, there’s opera, there’s rock. Food is the same. There’s not [just] one food that can nourish me. Even literature is the same: I read everything.  I read on my phone, I read on my iPad. I read Spanish literature to biographies of Leonardo Da Vinci. That is life, that’s enrichment. Not going into a narrow tunnel. I try everything life offers.

What's on your dining wish list?

South America. There are lots of restaurants. I've been to Peru but I would love to go to Argentina. I'd love to go to Brazil and discover more. I want to head to Chile.

There are too many reality TV cooking shows and celebrity chefs. Do they amp it up for good television?

Of course -- they exaggerate for entertainment. Listen, I worked with Gordon Ramsay when I was in Paris and we were both very young chefs with Guy Savoy. He was a bully but not as you see him on TV. I think he created this image for himself for ratings. He’s not like that in reality. If he really was that aggressive all the time, nobody would really want to work with him.

What makes you angry in the kitchen?

Am I relentless at times when I see people goofing off, or they display a sense of "I don’t care"? I get really cross, for sure, because there is another person on the other side of the wall paying HK$3,000 for a meal and his expectations are the same as any critic, star or celebrity. So if you’re indifferent, it means you chose the wrong restaurant to work for.

What's in your refrigerator at home?

There's always a nice bottle of Champagne, a nice piece of ham, some salted butter, and jams. I love jams and I buy a lot of very beautiful jams. And there's always fresh fruits in the fridge too.

Are your children into cooking?

No. My son is in the arts and my daughter studied literature. They've been in my kitchens since they were babies but showed little interest. But they are all foodies. My son is a student now and I see on his Instagram all the Michelin-star restaurants he's eating in while travelling -- how he pays for it, I don't know. When I was a student, I lived on ramen noodles.

Does your wife cook?

She's a phenomenal chef; my house has the best food in town -- after Amber.

The post 12 Questions with Chef Richard Ekkebus of Amber appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.