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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.

Arbor x La Cime Four Hands Menu

When: 7 to 9 November

Price: Nine-course dinner HK$2,988 + 10% (7-9 November); Four-course lunch at HK$988 + 10% (8-9 November)

Chef Eric Räty of Arbor has earned quite the reputation for his inventive menus and love for collaborating with culinary legends. Following the success of his previous collaboration with Osaka's La Cime in October last year, Arbor welcomes back chef Yusuke Takada for another joint degustation menu. In this four hands menu, the spotlight is on the flavourful riches of Fukuoka. Following a personal visit to the local farms, the two chefs carefully selected some of the finest ingredients of the region including Asari clams, Minokotobuki sake, Matsu Kinoko mushrooms, Sazae sea snails and more.

Arbor, 25/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central; +852 3185 8388

Guest Chef David Tamburini of La Scala at Whisk

When: 7 & 8 November

Price: HK$998 + 10%; Wine pairing + HK$388 + 10%

Right on the heels of the 10^th anniversary four hands menu last month, Whisk welcomes fine dining prodigy and Michelin-strared chef David Tamburini of Bangkok’s La Scala for another dining pop-up. Inspired by the colourful expressions of autumn in Italy, each of the six plates are brand new inventions that play on minimalism. Diners can expect classics such as Hokkaido scallops, cured duck breast, Patagonian cod and Kagoshima wagyu beef.

Whisk, 5/F, The Mir Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 2315 5999

Locavore x Test Kitchen

When: 7 to 10 November

Price: HK$1,080; Wine pairing + HK$480

Bali-based chef Eelke Plasmeijer of Asia’s 50 Best Locavore pays a visit to Hong Kong for a special four-day pop-up at the culinary laboratory – Test Kitchen. Cooking up contemporary Balinese cuisine with European influences, founder and chef Plasmeijer presents a nine-course menu featuring some of the most unusual and inventive dishes, while introducing Indonesia’s most celebrated flavours with a twist. Topping our list of most anticipated dishes includes Salt baked jicama and Pigeon with cacao citrus sauce and White coffee liquorice gelato.

Test Kitchen, Shop 3, Kwan Yick Building Phase 3, 158A Connaught Road West, Sai Ying Pun; +852 9032 7628

Roganic Mushroom Menu

When: 12 & 13 November

Price: HK$980 + 10%

Roganic has made quite a name for itself in the industry when it comes to the farm-to-table concept. Plucking fresh ingredients straight from the farms of Hong Kong and adapting British flavours for the local palate has been a gift of chef Simon Rogan’s. In light of the cooling temperatures, a special tasting menu of 11-courses showcasing the earthy and versatile mushroom will be available for 2 nights only. Each dish demonstrates how the under-appreciated ingredient can be used to highlight its distinct flavour, aroma and texture. Guest favourites such as the Truffle pudding and homemade Mushroom, and miso parker house bread will make a return on the menu, while exclusive fungi creations like the Aerated cep cake and Hong Kong chicken will be presented for the first time.

Roganic, UG/F 08, Sino Plaza, 255 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay; +852 2817 8383

Iconic Wine Dinner at Alain Ducasse at Morpheus Macau

When: 16 November

Price: MOP$28,888 + 10%

Wine buffs will be pleased to know that two-Michelin-starred haute cuisine restaurant Alain Ducasse at Morpheus is offering an extremely rare opportunity to sample five of the greatest vintages of all time. The seven course menu prepared by Executive Chef Pierre Marty is carefully crafted to enhance the limited bottles including the 1997 Richebourg, 1995 Grands-Échézeaux, 1990 Romanée-St.-Vivant, 1999 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault-Blochet and 2000 La Tâche. Every guest will also get a chance to win a bottle of 1997 Grands-Échézeaux on the evening at the lucky draw.

Alain Ducasse at Morpheus, Level 3, Morpheus, City of Dreams, Estr. Do Istmo, Macau; +853 8868 3432

Gems & Pearl – An Italian Culinary Journey at Tosca di Angelo

When: 21 & 22 November

Price: HK$1,998 + 10%

Starting this November, Tosca di Angelo will debut its Gems & Pearl Italian Culinary Journey, a five-part series inviting international culinary ambassadors to Hong Kong for exclusive one-off menus melding the talents of the East and West. To kick off the campaign, Valeria Piccini from two Michelin-starred Cain restaurant in Montemerano will be the first guest chef to present her native Tuscan cuisine of pasta, mushrooms, prime cuts of meat alongside Angelo’s classics tailored for the local palate.

Tosca di Angelo, Level 102, The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, 1 Austin Road, West Kowloon; +852 2263 2270

VEA x Florilège Pop-up

When: 22 November

Price: HK$2,880 + 10%; Cocktail or wine pairing +HK$780 +10%

Following the incredible popularity of its four-hand collaborations with Odette and JL Studio, VEA is inviting one of the region’s most prominent chefs for another crossover pop-up. This time, chef Vicky Cheng partners up with chef Hiroyasu Kawate from modern French restaurant Florilège of Tokyo. The one-night-only degustation menu features inventive French cuisine like Kawate’s signature Beef carpaccio with beetroot puree and host chef Vicky’s Fish maw and sea cucumber. The option for wine or cocktail pairing by mixologist Antonio Lai is also available as an addition to complement the nine-course meal.

VEA Restaurant & Lounge, 29& 30/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central; +852 2711 0063

The post The Top 7 Special Menus You Can’t Miss This November appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The many faces of Chinese cuisine -- be it traditional, regional, Westernised or fusion -- have evolved gradually over the centuries, and they continue to do so today with a recent wave of new-generation chefs that take it to the next level. At Chinese fine-dining restaurant Yi, which sits impressively on the 21st floor of Morpheus in Macau, Executive Chef Wilson Fam and Chef de Cuisine Angelo Wong are doing exactly that. Offering guests an elevated dining experience, Yi has a daily-changing chef’s menu that blends traditional and regional Chinese cuisines with modern techniques and creative flair. We caught up with the dynamic chef duo to discuss their ever-changing dishes, the future of Chinese cuisine and how they got there in the first place.

[caption id="attachment_145177" align="alignnone" width="1112"] Executive Chef Wilson Fam and Chef de Cuisine Angelo Wong of Yi.[/caption]

What’s behind the name Yi?

Wilson Fam (WF): Yi is named after the book Yi Jing [otherwise known as the Book of Changes, which is considered one of the most important ancient Chinese books ever written and a source for both Confucianist and Taoist philosophy]. It considers many things, including the balance of well-being, so we try to bring that into our food and cooking too. It also translates to other aspects in the restaurant. For example, when you dine in, there are tea and wine pairings; it’s a balance of all flavours.

What do you think is happening with Chinese cuisine today?

WF: There are a lot of chefs out there doing different contemporary versions of Chinese cuisine. They’ll include Western, French or even Japanese elements, to Chinese food. But this can become too fusion -- or as I say -- confusion.

Angelo Wong (AW): We focus on the traditional, but present it in a modern way. We might be inspired by other cuisines, and use French cooking methods like the sous vide machine. But this is because technology is better now and we can produce our food in different ways.

Do you think it’s important to keep these traditions?

WF: In Chinese cuisine there are a lot of [cooking] methods that cannot be replaced. For example, the wok. You cannot replace this technique with anything else. It takes a long time to perfect -- to handle and understand the wok. In a traditional Chinese kitchen you’ll have the ‘end wok’ and the ‘head wok’. The end wok needs at least 5 years experience to master it at a basic level, while the head work needs almost 20 years. That’s almost a lifetime of experience. It requires time, technique, speed and strength. So we can’t lose these traditions. Nowadays, in my personal opinion, the new generation of chefs aren’t willing to spend the time to learn that.

What are the challenges with producing the daily-changing chef menus?

WF: It’s probably the continuous picking of high-quality ingredients -- it has to be the best. But also the mixing and matching of ingredients. Because we’re trying to think outside the box, it can’t simply be fried chicken [for example]. It needs to be more.

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Are there any advantages of daily tasting menus?

AW: It gives us flexibility. If one day we don’t have the best ingredients for this particular dish, then we can change it and still produce something good. If you’re set on one dish, but the ingredients aren’t good that day, then what you produce isn’t going to be good either.

How do you develop your dishes?

WF: We go to the market in the morning to source ingredients. We search for different ones because sometimes you can’t find all the best produce, so we need to go to a few. When we find it, we have to think about what we’re going to do with it on the spot -- how we’re going to cook it, what it will look like on the plate -- before we buy it. Then we go back to the kitchen and start to plan and write the menus; we design the dish and consider all the flavours, then train the chefs and brief the team on these dishes and the sequence. Finally, we do our service. We start all over again the next day.

AW: We base all our dishes on the traditional methods that we know. Because at the end of the day, when a dish needs wok hei [the smoky and charred aroma only achieved by using a wok], we will cook with wok hei. If something needs to be scorched, then we will scorch it. We will keep using these techniques to cook. But we are always experimenting and fine tuning to achieve the best possible result.

How about the regional specialties?

AW: It’s usually based on our own experiences. We haven’t been everywhere, but we’ve tried a lot of different foods. So we choose things that have been memorable for us. It’s hard to find a dish that is memorable these days.

WF: The team is mixed. We have a Sichuan chef, Shanghainese chef, Hunan chef . . . There’s an expert for every cuisine. So we can try different techniques and styles. It’s also a good mix of Western and Chinese skills. We’re a young team of like-minded people. So it works.

Do you have any favourite dishes?

WF: The lemongrass pigeon. It’s based on my home [food]. I’m Malaysian and our cuisine has a lot of spices and herbs, and this inspired me. So when we were preparing for the opening, I was thinking that every Chinese restaurant has pigeon but we need to make ours different. I think we experimented more than 100 times; even on the day we opened, we still didn’t confirm the recipe.

AW: Hot and sour soup. That’s my creation. It’s a little bit different, as we use lemon for sourness. Hot and sour soup seems like a very simple dish, but the taste isn’t simple. It’s complex and it can really excite the tastebuds. I’m trying to create memories. At other Chinese restaurants, they’ll have a number of different soups to try, but the guests will remember the hot and sour soup.

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Why and how did you get into cooking?

WF: I never thought I would become a chef. I actually wanted to become a graphic designer, but the school fees were too high. I looked up a few colleges, but we couldn’t afford it. Then, I looked opposite the road and saw a culinary school. I was 14 years old back then, so I was just playing around and my first certificate was a D [grade]. The only reason I got serious was when I realised how stupid I was. I opened the books and didn’t understand the words -- I didn’t even know what an onion was [laughs]. So I learnt English with one of those digital dictionaries -- you can type a word in and it will sound it out. That’s how I learnt to speak English. From a D, I finally got an A when I graduated.

I also tried to get experience during college. I’d go to Michelin-starred restaurants after school, and even hot pot restaurants and hawker centres. I went in to learn, because my mum taught me that everything you learn is a treasure. It might not help you right now, but it might help you in the future. I owe a lot to my mum.

AW: My family and my mum influenced me when I was younger. I also watched cartoons, seriously, about cooking which had some influence too! Growing up, every Chinese New Year, we would all cook together to feed about 30 plus people -- so that definitely influenced me.

As new-generation Chinese chefs, what is the biggest challenge that you face? 

WF: The biggest challenge is getting people to accept you. The people who have eaten at our restaurant, most of them do [accept us and our food]. But those who haven’t -- probably not. A lot of our guests are from an older generation -- real traditionalists -- and when they first come in, they wonder what kind of dish this is. But once they’ve tasted it, they’re like “aah”, and they get it. It’s interesting for them and they change their minds.

Any future goals?

AW: What Chinese chefs were doing 20 or 30 years ago has become traditional for us, that’s what’s familiar. What we’re hoping to do is create a cuisine that, 20 years from now, will become the traditional Chinese food of the future.

WF: Other than that, we’re obviously pushing for more accolades -- Michelin stars, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. This will help us spread the word, I think. It will allow people, especially ones who seek out good food, to understand us and our cuisine.

Yi, Level 21, Morpheus, Estrada do Istmo, Cotai, Macau; +853 8868 3446

The post Chefs Wilson Fam and Angelo Wong of Yi on the Traditions and Future of Chinese Cuisine 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.

Sabatini: Seasonal White Asparagus Menu

When: 1–31 May

Price: Starting from HK$368 + 10%

[caption id="attachment_140769" align="alignnone" width="2400"] White Asparagus and Abalone Salad with Caviar, Sabatini.[/caption]

Winter may be for truffles, but spring is the time for white asparagus. Chef de Cuisine Claudio Favero of Sabatini gets creative with top AAA-grade fresh white asparagus from the Black Forest in his new seasonal menu. Using Italian home-cooking techniques, each dish is balanced, simple and showcases the tender, sweet spears. Find dishes like white asparagus and abalone salad with caviar (HK$368), slow cooked veal loin with white asparagus (HK$408), and a returning favourite, the open ravioli with white asparagus and Sicilian red prawns (HK$488). These seasonal specialties are available at both lunch and dinner. 

Sabatini, 3/F, The Royal Garden, 69 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon; +852 2733 2000

VEA x BarChef: Birds of Paradise Four-Hands Cocktail Tasting Menu 

When: 2 & 3 May

Price: HK$780 + 10%

[dual-images right-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-401.jpg" left-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-400.jpg" right-caption="Antonio Lai" left-caption="Frankie Solarik"]

Considered the godfather of contemporary Hong Kong mixology, Antonio Lai has a way of surprising us with his inventive cocktail creations at long bar Quinary, hidden speakeasy Room 309, and tap concept Draft Land. This time, he has a multi-sensory journey up his sleeve, devised by himself and Toronto’s BarChef owner and master mixologist Frankie Solarik. The six-course tasting experience, which is named Birds of Paradise, promises to stimulate the senses with a flight of outlandish new creations and tropical installations and décor. Plus you might get a chance to meet the two pioneering bartenders in person.

VEA, 29/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central; +852 2711 0063

Yi x Tate: Six Hands Collaboration (Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau Dining Series)

When: 3 & 4 May

Price: MOP$1,888; wine and tea pairing MOP$600 + 10%

[dual-images right-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-403.jpg" left-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-402.jpg" right-caption="Crispy Almond Crab Claw, Yí." left-caption="Ode to Chinese Yam, Tate Dining Room."]

In recent years, Macau has emerged as one of the most exciting culinary destinations in Asia, with a growing number of world-class restaurants, not to mention hosting the prestigious Michelin Guide and Asia's 50 Best awards. The dynamic chef duo of Wilson Fam and Angelo Wong from Morpheus' Yí have taken their contemporary Chinese menu and given it a refreshing twist in its latest collaboration with Hong Kong native chef Vicky Lau, of innovative French-Chinese restaurant Tate Dining Room. The eight-course menu is a display of intriguing flavours and visual delights, featuring a balanced union between the edible stories from Tate and Yí's modern adaptation of classic Chinese dishes. 

Yí, 21/F, Morpheus, City of Dreams, Estrada do Istmo, Cotai, Macau; +853 8868 3446

Nobu: Roku–Wareki Satsuki Grain Omakase 

When: May 14–Jun 30

Price: HK$688 for lunch (inclusive of a mocktail); HK$1,488 for dinner + 10%

[caption id="attachment_140776" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Red Snapper Karaage, Nobu.[/caption]

At the start of 2019 Nobu introduced its Roku-Wareki gourmet experience, a culinary journey taking diners through six chapters of the ancient Japanese harvesting calendar, with each chapter focusing on a special seasonal ingredient. For its third instalment, the omakase menu shines a light on Satsuki, the traditional term for the month of May, which refers to the humble grain buds of the Kansai region. The light dishes are influenced by the impending arrival of summer, with complementing ingredients such as kurodai, itoyori and kibinago fish, wild vegetables, and A5 Japanese wagyu. The omakase menu is available for lunch (six courses) and dinner (eight courses).

Nobu, 2/F, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2313 2323

Grand Hyatt: Champagne Secrets

When: 16 May–6 June (every Thursday)

Price: HK$1,888 + 10%

[caption id="attachment_140808" align="alignnone" width="5304"] Baby Peter oysters by David Herve served with Champagne jelly and watercress crème, Champagne Bar.[/caption]

The Champagne Bar at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is where you’d go for an intimate quiet drink. But for four weeks, the romantic, 1920s-style cavern will be transformed into French illusionist Stefan Leyshon’s 360-degree stage. The up-close and personal 90-minute performance is to be enjoyed with five courses of small plates (including Baby Peter oysters with champagne, lobster avocado roll and smoked Oriental spiced pigeon) paired with the bar’s selection of cuvées.

The Champagne Bar, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai; +852 2584 7722

Le 39V: Barons de Rothschild Wine Dinner

When: 28 May

Price: HK$1,480 + 10%

[caption id="attachment_140778" align="alignnone" width="853"] Vendée Pork, Le 39V.[/caption]

May is the month of gastronomy à la français, or simply Le French GourMay, celebrating one of the few UNESCO-listed culinary cultures in the world. From the 1st to 31st, Le 39V is offering a delectable six-course dinner menu paired with Loire Valley wines, showcasing the 'Garden of France' through colourful seasonal ingredients. But for one night only, Michelin-starred chef and founder of the Parisian Le 39V will be in Hong Kong to craft a four-course menu paired with premium Barons de Rothschild vintages, which is a rare opportunity not to be missed.

Le 39V, 101/F, International Commerce Centre West, 1 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2977 5266

Tate Dining Room x Atomix: Four-Hands Collaboration

When: May 28 & 29

Price: HK$1,980; wine or cocktail pairing HK$600 + 10%

[dual-images right-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-405.jpg" left-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Untitled-design-404.jpg" right-caption="Ode to Pigeon, Tate Dining Room." left-caption="Seabream, Atomix. "]

Chef Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room is arguably one of Hong Kong’s most collaborative creative minds, having partnered with globally renowned culinary masters (Wilson Fam and Angelo Wong of Yi from Morpheus Macau, Natsuko Shoji of Été from Tokyo, and Mathieu Escoffier of Ma Cuisine in Singapore). This time, she joins forces with NYC-based guest chef Junghyun Park of contemporary fine dining establishment Atomix. Both Michelin-starred chefs will bring an eight-course dinner menu featuring Lau’s signature odes of French cuisine with a Chinese touch and Park’s modernist Korean dishes. 

Tate Dining Room, 210 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan; +852 2555 2172

The post The Top 7 Special Menus You Can’t Miss This May appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

There’s a new building in Macau. Yes, it contains a casino. No, it’s unlike anything ever built before.

The post Luxury Hotel Morpheus Raises the Stakes in Macau appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.