Celebrity Life

Never one to shy away from new openings, the dining scene in Hong Kong continued to thrive in 2019. We witnessed the launch of some very exciting new concepts as well as restaurants that travelled from overseas to join our dynamic city. From contemporary French cuisine and a luxury smokehouse and grill, to a modern approach to Japanese sushi and even a wine-focused eatery -- we had it all, and then some. But if you're wondering which ones came up top, then read on for our top eight restaurant openings of 2019.

1. Cornerstone

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Shane Osborn, the Australian chef behind one Michelin-starred Arcane and Netflix’s Final Table contestant, did it again with his second establishment Cornerstone. Occupying a smaller 24-seat space on Hollywood Road, the modern bistro feels more relaxed but is every bit as fantastic. Offering all-day dining, the menu is short, concise and filled with items that showcase the season's best produce, in true Australian style. Simple, but refined, and extremely satisfying, the food hits all the right notes and dishes are updated regularly. Signatures include a Salmon with herb cream cheese, homemade malt bread and cornichons, as well as a hearty mushroom Tagliatelle with optional white truffle (when the season is right).
Cornerstone, 49 Hollywood Road, Central

2. Henry

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When former Rhoda chef Nathan Green left the Ritz-Carlton, we all waited in anticipation to find out where he might turn up next. Thankfully, fans of his work will be pleased to know he did not go far. For he is now the Chef de Cuisine of the American grill, smokehouse and butcher concept Henry. Located in yet another opening of the year, Rosewood Hong Kong, Henry offers a menu inspired by the flavours and ingredients of America’s southern states. From premium cuts and signature meats such as the 44 Farms Texas whisky and ash-aged beef, T-bone and porterhouse, to dishes including a Butcher’s shop terrine, Henry's burger and an indulgent Mac & cheese with devilled lobster.

Henry, Level Five, Rosewood Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 3891 8732

3. L'Envol

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Hong Kong has many French fine dining options to choose from, but when the restaurant is led by seasoned chef Olivier Elzer, it's worth paying extra attention to. Recently awarded its first Michelin star, L'Envol offers innovative French gastronomy with curated tasting menus. During our first visit, we enjoyed beautifully presented dishes that were executed with precision and always remained balanced in flavour. The menu changes seasonally, but is always excellent, and is offered in an equally impressive restaurant which comes complete with its own French cheese cave.

L'Envol, 3/F, The St. Regis Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Drive,  Wan Chai; +852 2138 6818

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4. Louise

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It was only a matter of time that celebrated chef Julien Royer of Odette, Asia's Best Restaurant 2019, would spread his culinary wings to our shores and he did so with Louise earlier this year. The concept is inspired by the traditional French cuisine that Royer was brought up on, and is now led by Executive chef Franckelie Laloum. The menu showcases honest cooking with a modern twist using the best (and local where possible) ingredients. Highlight dishes include the sautéed Hong Kong frog legs with parsley and garlic chips, Angel hair pasta with Kristal caviar, and the roasted Hong Kong yellow chicken with Nigata rice en cocotte.

Louise, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central; +852 2866 0300

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5. Mono

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If you were to guess the meaning of this restaurant's name, you probably wouldn't have thought it was connected to Mono-ha, the 1960s Japanese art movement. But this contemporary French restaurant is indeed inspired by the same essentialist approach. Hence, offering a single ingredients-driven tasting menu, which changes with the seasons. Furthermore, Petrus alum chef Ricardo Chaneton who also came from Mirazur; the World's Best Restaurant 2019, uses his background and memories to add South American nuances to his cuisine. The result of which is stunning. Think Ocean crudo with perfectly cooked seafood brightened with leche de tigre and a Miéral pigeon dish served with a deep and flavoursome 26-ingredient mole.

Mono, 5/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central; +852 2200 7000

6. Roganic

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Another new Hong Kong restaurant to be awarded its first Michelin star is overseas import Roganic. Hailing from London, acclaimed chef Simon Rogan has brought with him a restaurant that offers contemporary British cooking with the same farm-to-table concept as its sister. Having visited both restaurants, we got to know Rogan's cuisine quite well and found that his focus was always on letting the flavours of the ingredients speak for themselves. It's apparent in his exceptionally executed menu with seasonal dishes such as the leek, turnip and yellow chicken or Seaweed custard with beef tendon and pike perch.

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

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7. Somm

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As the new Amber and Sushi Shikon marked its place in The Landmark Mandarin Oriental this year, so did French neo-bistro Somm. Offering an incredibly diverse selection of over 1,600 champagnes, wines and sakes, the restaurant also serves up some really fantastic dishes too. A concise and seasonal menu currently includes items such as freshly shucked Ebisu winter oysters or signature dishes such as Japanese Pork Belly with BBQ Sauce & Hakata Cabbage. All dishes can be thoughtfully paired with the sommelier's choice or guests can experiment themselves, making it the ideal restaurant for both wine newcomers and connoisseurs alike.

Somm, 7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central; +852 2132 0055

8. The Araki

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One more restaurant coming in from the British isles is Mitsuhiro Araki's namesake The Araki, which opened recently in Tsim Sha Tsui's 1881 Heritage. Having previously been awarded three Michelin stars in both Tokyo and London, one wonders if the stars will follow. The concept remains the same in the Hong Kong outpost and offers Araki's renowned style of sushi which honours the origins of Edomae. It therefore makes use of local seafood such as fresh Hong Kong tiger prawns, mantis shrimp and clams. Paving the way for non-Japanese sushi masters. Expect more than the sushi you know, as that is certainly what we experienced here.

The Araki, Block, House 1881, G/F, Stable, 2A Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 3988 0000

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The post 8 of Our Favourite Hong Kong Restaurant Openings of 2019 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

There’s something wonderfully poetic about the art of sushi. As I watch one of the world’s most celebrated sushi masters at work in his new restaurant, I’m captivated by his movements.

Chef Mitsuhiro Araki takes his knife to the tuna with precision. He swiftly dabs on wasabi and begins a dance-like motion of pressing and flipping rice and fish, before gently brushing the final product with soy sauce. Finally, it’s placed delicately from his hand into mine, and eaten in one bite, setting off its own beautiful haiku dedicated to flavour.

My love of sushi knows no end, especially when it comes to sushi as good as Araki’s. In fact, I could probably smother his sushi with superlatives until Sunday next week, but what I really want to tell you is how he’s changing sushi and what it means to take it to the next level.

Araki’s style of sushi is Edomae, a 200-year-old tradition where Edo, the ancient name for Tokyo, and mae, meaning “in front of”, references a traditional use of local ingredients from around Tokyo Bay. Edomae also points to the methods of preservation, as refrigeration technology had not then been invented, so sushi chefs developed techniques to prolong the shelf life of seafood, while retaining and enhancing its flavour.

The traditional Chinese technique is to dry seafood in the sun, but the Edomae way is to pickle, marinate, simmer or steep in broth and sauces. It’s then served as sushi, atop rice characterised by red vinegar and its subtle savoury taste.

Today, Araki remains deeply respectful of this philosophy and translates its traditions to create a new cuisine that makes use of local produce, wherever in the world he happens to be. In Tokyo, he mostly uses local ingredients or tuna from the Japan Sea, while in London wherever possible he sources seafood from Scotland, Cornwall and other British waters. It’s all about preserving – both the traditions and fish stocks – through sustainable methods.

To meet Araki, I venture out to his new restaurant, which is tucked away in the refurbished heritage building House 1881 in Tsim Sha Tsui. Like several other high-end sushi restaurants in Hong Kong, it has an interior with elements of Zen, its 12 seats surrounding a blonde-wood bar at the centre. It also offers omakase – or the chef’s menu – in two sittings. It’s not until I meet the sushi master that I notice a real difference here.

Soft-spoken, he smiles kindly before bringing out Marty Lau, his British-born Chinese chef and protégé who currently runs The Araki in London, to translate. The trust and respect between the two reveal their closeness.

“Previous generations of chefs have believed that sushi can only be made by Japanese people,” pronounces Araki. “I want that idea to disappear. The sushi chef shouldn’t be judged by his nationality or his skin colour, but rather by his soul.”

This rings true in his own team. With a cosmopolitan mix of apprentices from places such as mainland China,Hong Kong, the UK and Poland, he’s evidently not like other traditionalists of Japanese sushi. “It doesn’t matter if the skills don’t come naturally – time will solve that,” he says. “The real question is whether you can last that time.” As proof, he’s closed The Araki in London for two weeks so the team can fly in to help him prepare for the opening in Hong Kong.

When asked about his inspiration, Kyushu-born Araki tells me it began with a grandfather who worked for the Japanese consular service as a Western chef. This intrigued the youthful Araki, and after high school he took the opportunity to train as a Western chef too, only to find that he was asked to cook Japanese food instead.

In 1990 he moved to Australia, where he found an abundance of chefs who were inspired by Japanese cuisine. It was then that he
recognised the full potential of Japanese cuisine and set his sights on mastering it. Before long, he became more serious and chose the most revered – and arguably most difficult – path: that of becoming a sushi chef.

He achieved this at Izumi in Tokyo’s southwest district of Meguro, where he trained under the restaurant’s grandmaster for almost a decade. After that, it was the legendary Niitsu Takeaki – sometimes referred to as the Sushi Emperor – who polished and prepared Araki for success. In 2000, he opened his own restaurant in Setagaya and 10 years later moved the restaurant to Ginza, where it almost immediately gained three Michelin stars.

Never one to settle, Araki decided in 2013 to move to London and three years later the London outpost was awarded its first Michelin star. After two more years it had gained three.

Araki now turns to art for inspiration, as well as scenery and music – that is, anything beautiful. According to Lau, “Master always teaches his apprentices that anything that’s beautiful to you should be a source of great inspiration. After that it’s about how you can make people feel the same way as you did at that precise moment through your craft.”

I asked about the Michelin stars that have followed Araki from Ginza to London, and whether he thinks they’ll now follow him to Hong Kong. “If you can get a star, of course it’s nice to have. It’s a reward,” he said. “For me, the real stars are the customers. It starts with one customer, and then two, and you keep building until you have six months of a fully booked restaurant. But it will always start from that one customer.”

I began to understand how Araki sees the importance of return customers. “If you can convince them,” he said, “they’ll take that experience away. It stays with them. That’s the most rewarding.”

In Hong Kong, Araki’s search for high-level local ingredients continues, and so far he’s discovered items that will be familiar to locals here. One example is a dish created with three Chinese delicacies, a combination of Japanese dashi with bird’s nest and fish maw that makes for a lush and thick sauce, full of umami and collagen. It’s cooked to the perfection that even a local Chinese would approve of and then topped with tender slices of local abalone.

Although Araki’s technique and skills are already at a level that warrant Michelin stars, it’s still exciting for him. “I’m still studying the culture, people, food, produce and how it’s all interconnected” he says. “There’s still so much to discover.”

The post Discovering A New Era of Sushi at The Araki Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Having previously held three Michelin stars for his restaurant in Tokyo, Japanese chef Mitsuhiro Araki repeats his success, this time at a nine-seater sushi restaurant in London.

The post The Araki is London’s newest three Michelin-starred restaurant appeared first on LUXUO.