Celebrity Life

Whether it’s an extravagant fine dining restaurant or a humble street side hawker stall, we are perpetually on the quest for delectable foods -- whatever the occasion. So, for the ultimate insider scoop, who better to personally recommend the best eats around the world than top chefs who’ve seen and tasted it all. We go right to the source as international culinary legends reveal where they eat and what they order when the aprons come off.

Chef Agustin Balbi is no newcomer to the dining scene. His road into the culinary arts began when he was 15 years old, inspired by the cooking and hospitality of his Spanish grandmother. Since then, he has garnered experience from kitchens all around the world, including Argentina, United States and Japan. Currently, Agustin Balbi is the executive chef of innovative Japanese restaurant, HAKU. Today, the award-winning chef lets us in on his favourite places to wine and dine in Hong Kong and abroad.

For an evening of fine dining…

I really have a passion for kaiseki [Japanese haute] cuisine and Kitcho in Kyoto for me is a very special place. Of course, the food is refined but also the environment – with the tatami rooms and servers in their traditional kimonos – makes the whole experience something unique. It is truly a place where the word fine is best described and applied in all the senses.

[caption id="attachment_169417" align="alignnone" width="6720"] L’Armur Beluga No.7 W3, seared wagyu tenderloin served alongside blinis topped with beef marrow and Beluga caviar at L'Envol[/caption]

I also really love Olivier Elzer’s new place, L'Envol. There is a very spacious and beautiful dining room with an open kitchen. The cuisine is super tasty and refined – it’s hands down one of my favourites in Hong Kong. The service is top notch and the quality of everything is really another level. Food, service, hospitality are at its best here, and I always leave this place not only full but with a sense of true happiness.

Kitcho, 5-8 Sagatenryuji Susukinobabacho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto; +81 75 881 1101

L’Envol, The St Regis Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 2138 6818 

For a cheeky cheat meal…

Yakitori Hachibei in Japan is a super fun and elegant place. It’s a perfect place for friends to get together and enjoy amazing yakitori and highballs counter-style and share a conversation. It’s also great to watch the chefs cooking all that delicious skewers right before you.

Yakitori Hachibei, various locations across Japan

For a romantic date night…

[caption id="attachment_169418" align="alignnone" width="930"] Laska with king crab, confit egg and Sudachi lime at Caprice[/caption]

The perfect place for this is Caprice at Four Seasons in Hong Kong. It is elegant and classy and of course serves excellent food with impeccable service. You can’t beat the view here and the wine list is out of this world! I love going there with my wife on date nights as Caprice just ticks all the boxes.

Caprice, Four Seasons Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 3196 8888

For getting friends and family together…

I love going to La Paloma for a fun night out with friends. Ricky and Alex who work there are amazing and they know how to treat people and offer that homey feeling. The food is delicious and great to share, and the sangrias are super fun too.

La Paloma, 189 Queen's Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong; +852 2291 6161

For a healthy detox…

Nectar is quite a special place in terms of its whole philosophy and the way they are very serious about executing their vision. It’s very challenging to do what they do. The food is really exquisite and surprising – the cheese cart is made from nuts and other delicious bites are stimulating for both the mind and the body.

Nectar, Centrestage, 108 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; +852 2873 3353

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For happy hour tipples…

[caption id="attachment_169415" align="alignnone" width="5899"] The view on the terrace at La Rambla by Catalunya[/caption]

La Rambla by Catalunya is amazing – the view, the terrace and the people make a perfect combo for happy hour and dinner. The food and drinks are great! I imagine if I worked in an office, I will be there a lot after work for a drink and a bite which will probably lead to a full on dinner.

La Rambla by Catalunya, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central; +852 2661 1161

What's happening at HAKU?

We are very excited for this coming year-end and we will soon be launching our new autumn menu with the best produce from Japan and Spain. This truly is my favourite season of the year to cook. We are also very much looking forward to 2020 as we prepare for exciting new collaborations with amazing chefs from all over the world.

The post Where Chefs Eat: Agustin Balbi of HAKU appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s most exciting culinary capitals, where good food is more than abundant. In that light, we’ve put together a few of our tastiest tidbits and most memorable morsels that are worth tracking down to try.

Sushi Zo

This LA-born Japanese restaurant is another of Tai Kwun's recent openings to hit Hong Kong's lively dining scene. Having found success in Tokyo and Bangkok, along with some coveted Michelin stars in Los Angeles and New York, Sushi Zo is another Japanese omakase concept to join a plethora of others. But is it a welcome addition? Well, try the otoro and we think you'll find the answer. Caught fresh from the seas off Nagasaki, this nigiri uses unctuous fatty tuna which is seared, ever so slightly, and topped with Australian winter truffle. The layer of nutty earthiness it adds is one thing, but the way it finishes clean in your mouth is another. It's an excellent, and really rather clever, piece of sushi.

Sushi Zo, LG1/F, Block 01, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2884 0114

The Legacy House

If you read our Rosewood Hong Kong hotel review, then you'll know that we loved most of the food at their Chinese restaurant The Legacy House. In fact, we've been meaning to return as we can't stop thinking about one particular dish: stewed water bamboo shoots with conpoy, dried shrimp and Chinese celery. Seemingly simple, the dish plays with the textures of finely shredded bamboo shoots, firm and meaty dried shrimps, and crunchy slices of celtuce. But it's the fish broth itself that will stun you: Rich, flavourful and almost creamy, you won't want to miss one drop of this beauty.

The Legacy House, 5/F Rosewood Hong Kong Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; +852 3891 8732

La Rambla by Catalunya

There are many reasons to visit sleek Spanish restaurant La Rambla by Catalunya in ifc mall -- weekend brunch and the new terrace for alfresco cocktails, amongst them -- but there's also one more reason: the eel & foie dish. Here, soft and meaty smoked eel is enveloped in thin and perfectly al dente pillows of homemade ravioli before being served with creamy carbonara and pan-fried foie gras. It's part of the Chef’s Table degustation experience in which the menu evolves from season to season. My advice? Go now before it's taken off the menu!

La Rambla by Catalunya, 3071-73 Level 3, ifc mall, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2661 1161

Nectar

Chef Peggy Chan's newest venture, Nectar, has officially opened its doors (it's in the same space that Grassroots Pantry was in) and offers progressive plant-based cuisine to Hong Kong's discerning diners. And with dishes such as a vegan cheese course and purslane (a type of succulent) fettuccine, it's no wonder we're all a little intrigued. One particular dish I would recommend to try is the 'faux gras', that's right -- faux not foie -- gras cream combined with local organic figs, crunchy water bamboo and tangy sorrel leaves. Made from raw cashews, tahini, raw cacao butter, miso and a little bit of brandy and truffle oil for fragrance, the faux gras is just as luscious and buttery as the real deal. Plus, no ducks were harmed in the making of this dish.

Nectar, G/F, Centrestage, 108 Hollywood Rd, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; +852 2873 3353

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Sichuan Lab

Yes, some of the dishes at Sichuan Lab are indeed fiery, but others focus more on region's variety of flavour -- be it peppery, salty, bitter, sweet or sour. One such dish is the pan-fried pork dumplings filled with pepper. With this dish, chef Chan Kai Tak uses the Cambodian 'king of pepper', otherwise known as the Kampot pepper, which is extremely rare thanks to the difficulty in harvesting mature peppercorns and ia often exorbitantly priced. It's combined with juicy cuts of Sichuan cured pork, wrapped in pastry and topped with sesame seeds -- a refreshing and less mouth-numbing way to enjoy Sichuan cuisine.

Sichuan Lab, G/F, Lodgewood by L’hotel Wan Chai Hong Kong, 28 Tai Wo Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 3126 6633

Old Bailey

Not that we needed another excuse to order a bowl of noodles at Jiangnan restaurant Old Bailey, but here it is -- the clams hand-pulled noodles with chilli. This comforting and traditional serving of noodles is dressed in a slightly sweet and savoury chilli sauce which adds a good spice kick to the delicate strands of noodles. It's then topped with the sweet and briny morsels of seafood to add flavour and bite to the whole dish. If you like seafood and noodles, then there is no doubt that this is the dish for you.

Old Bailey, 2/F JC Contemporary, Tai Kwun, Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2877 8711

Meats

If you haven't been yet, then you might like to know that Meats is a restaurant that offers, you guessed it, meats. But it's not just any old meat. From rotisserie chicken to grilled hanger steak, pork ribs to lamb shoulder, Meats promises juicy, tender meat across the board. In fact, they also introduce special cuts on the restaurant’s board daily, which is a great opportunity to taste a range of different kinds. We opted for the Iberian porchetta, which was cooked to perfection and sliced to serve with crunchy pork cracking and a delightfully herbaceous green salsa that perfectly cut through all the rich meat.

Meats, G/F 28 – 30, Staunton Street, Soho, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2711 1812

Avobar

Avocados are the golden fruit of global trade thanks to a Millennial obsession with avocado toast, so it's no wonder that avocado-themed restaurants like Avobar (originally from London) have hit our food capital, too. Another new concept in the cultural-retail destination K11 Musea, Avobar's menu is full of toasts, buns, pancakes, salads and even cocktails that feature the nutrient-dense superfood. During the soft opening, we enjoyed a dish that is exclusive to Hong Kong -- the pasilla chilli and mushroom risotto with miso zuke cod -- which combines into a creamy and umami-rich dish that, amazingly, still feels healthy to eat.

Avobar, Shop B201-4, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

The post The Top 8 Dishes We Ate in September 2019 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.

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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.