Celebrity Life

Fifty metres underground — this is the depth that local winemakers chose when they decided to store 10,000 wine bottles in the Aven d'Orgnac caves, an underground tourist attraction located at the southern end of the limestone plateau of the Gorges de l'Ardèche.

The experiment began in March 2018, when a new storage facility was specially created in a disused access tunnel to allow wine to mature in what amounts to a highly stable and peaceful environment.

A living product that ages best in undisturbed darkness, the wine will have benefited from ideal conditions: A constant temperature of around 12°C and an all-year-long rate of humidity of over 95%.

On December 12, 1,000 bottles of Côtes du Vivarais "Grand Aven 2017" from this treasure trove will be passed from hand to hand by a chain of human volunteers who will bring them back to the surface after two years underground. Thereafter, they will go under the hammer with a range of other local vintages in an auction with modest reserve prices.

Lots on offer will include 150 magnums of Terra Helvorum 2017 starting at 30 euros, 350 bottles of 2015 Terra Helvorum for as little as 15 euros and 350 bottles of Grand Aven 2016 from just 10 euros.

On land and sea

These days, experiments to store wine deep underground are very much in vogue in France. On June 3 of this year, 500 bottles were placed in racks at a depth of 103 metres in caves in Padirac under the watchful eye of Serge Dubs, the Best Sommelier of the World in 1989.

The first of these to return to the surface will be brought up for an initial tasting in the spring of 2021. And let's not forget that this experiment is focused on a very particular wine: A Clos Triguedina Cahors, christened Cuvée Probus, which has been produced to honour the 130-year anniversary of the Padirac Chasm.

Surprisingly enough, this new approach to maturing wine was initially inspired by a find at sea. In 2010, divers in the Baltic discovered a wreck containing what turned out to be a cargo of champagne, which was probably on its way to 1840s Russia.

The wave of experimentation that is now ongoing began when the bubbly, which was made by such houses as Veuve Clicquot, Heidsieck and the now defunct Juglar, was discovered to still be delicious after some 170 years under water.

In Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the French Basque country, winemaker Emmanuel Poirmeur has registered a patent for a process that involves vinifying wine in special vats at a depth of 15 metres under water. For its part, Leclerc-Briant set a record when it vinified one of its champagnes at a depth of 60 meters under the Atlantic in 2012, not surprisingly the vintage was christened "Abyss."

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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.

Ying Jee Club

If the Steamed king prawn with egg white and crab coral isn't reason enough to visit Ying Jee Club, then I don't know what is. Perhaps it's also the restaurant's exquisite interior or the menu which encapsulates Cantonese cuisine in such a refined yet contemporary manner. But for me, it really is something worth coming back for, time and time again. This seemingly simple dish involves a labour-intensive and meticulous process which takes three chefs several hours to create. The king prawn is shaped and prepared for a crunchy bite, while the braised egg whites, crab meat and crab roe add deeper flavours and texture as a whole.

Test Kitchen

Get yourself to one of the pop-up dinners at Test Kitchen and you will be escorted on a culinary journey that takes on a unique, and really rather cool, format. Most recently, I joined a tasting for their Edible Tales which spotlighted chocolate. But instead of the more sweet and sticky connotations that it conjures, I found complex and intriguing plates of food that highlighted its rich, savoury, and sometimes bitter flavours. One such dish is this chocolate spice-marinated prime short rib with chimichuri, scorched shishito peppers and a chocolate stout jus courtesy of Chef Ray Choi, whom you may remember from his stints at Tate Dining Room, Mandarin Grill and L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

Test Kitchen, Shop 3, Kwan Yick Building Phase 3, 158A Connaught Road West, Sai Ying Pun

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Ichu Peru

A recent lunch led me back to H Queen's modern Peruvian restaurant, Ichu Peru, and I was once again reminded of how good the ceviche is here. On this occasion, the Ceviche Clasico I ordered used firm pieces of snapper, bathed in a beautifully bright and zesty leche de tigre with a slight kick. It also featured chewy Peruvian choclo and crunchy red onions, topped with crisps of sweet potato. The cool dish is ideal for hot summer days, while the mix of textures make every bite a little more fun, too.

Ichu Peru, 3/F, H Queen's, 80 Queen's Road Central, Central; +852 2477 7717

Bedu

There is one restaurant that pulls me in from being a critic of lamb to a fan, and that eatery is the contemporary Middle Eastern restaurant Bedu. The Rack of lamb, which is exceptionally executed, sits atop a pool of sharp and flavourful labneh and za'atar oil, before it's topped with jewels of pomegranate for crunch. I have also ordered the lamb for delivery to my home, which is just as tender, succulent and perfectly pink as if I was dining in the restaurant.

Bedu, 40 Gough Street Central, Central; +852 2320 4450

Ask for Alonzo

Rustic comforts can be found at Mediterranean Italian restaurant Ask for Alonzo, which opened its second location in Tai Hang earlier this year. I visited the cosy trattoria, which offers family recipes on their menu, recently and ordered my new favourite combination -- handmade burrata with parma ham, tomatoes and rocket. Creamy soft cheese, with rich savoury ham, and zingy pieces of fresh tomato to cut through, this is Italian summer on my plate.

Ask for Alonzo, 11 Lin Fa Kung Street West, Tai Hang; +852 3101 8045

The post The Top 5 Dishes We Ate in April 2020 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.

Bibo

[caption id="attachment_172075" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image credit: Dishtag[/caption]

Taking inspiration from his native Singapore, Chef Nicholas Chew's new menu features the marriage of French technique and Singaporean cuisine. More specifically, it offers dishes influenced by the aromatic and rich flavours of Peranakan food; prepared and presented in a refined fashion that is typical of French fare. Take the Cold poached abalone dish, which is sliced and served atop bouncy udon tossed with classic assam pedas (or literally 'sour spicy' in Malay) seafood sauce and chorizo. It's a blend of flavours that is uplifting, tangy, and full of umami, which really helped to whet our appetite for the degustation experience to come.

Bibo, 163 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan;  +852 2956 3188

TokyoLima

The popular Nikkei restaurant has been quite successful in refreshing their menu, and our tastebuds, every season. This autumn, they've introduced the Henko collection which offers some punchy new dishes to sample. For us, the clear winner is the Ceviche mixto. A Peruvian classic and a seafood lover’s dream dish, this refreshing ceviche is jam packed with ingredients. Think textural layers of Iberian octopus, fresh prawn, seared scallop and crispy squid marinated beautifully with a vibrant leche de tigre, or tiger’s milk. So good, you might just drink up the rest of the sauce by the spoonful.

TokyoLima, G/F, 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central; +852 2811 1152

Écriture

For those of you that are up for some wild game, hunt down the dishes on Écriture's 'Furs, Feathers, Iode" menu. Chef Maxime has once again crafted some creative dishes that not only feature wild game, but also some fantastic autumnal flavours. One such dish is the Partridge, which takes on the bird whole and oven-roasts it until golden. It's then carved by the table for a nice serving of dining theatrics. The light textured meat is then smoked gently with herbs to take on flavour and fragrance, before it's presented alongside porcini en papillote and brightened by sweet muscat grapes.

Écriture, 26/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Central; +852 2795 5996

Carbone

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. A saying that we would happily apply to the Spicy vodka rigatoni at Carbone. As they celebrate their fifth anniversary this year, a special celebratory lunch took us back to the Italian-American restaurant to enjoy the cult classic dishes once more. It's bright, creamy and satisfyingly spicy. At Carbone, the chunky rigatoni is smothered in sauce, which actually has no vodka in it, despite its name. It's a belly-warming pasta dish that we keep going back for and we think you will too.

Carbone, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2593 2593

Ying Jee Club

Comforting Cantonese cuisine gets a sophisticated makeover at two Michelin-starred Ying Jee Club, which Executive Chef Siu Hin Chi -- formerly of Duddell's -- is responsible for. Here, in their elegant and stylish dining room, signature dishes such as Steamed king prawn with egg white and crab coral tastes as exquisite as it looks. The intensely-flavoured, creamy coral and sweet crab meat pairs flawlessly with the lighter tasting fresh prawn and soft steamed egg white. It's no wonder it became a firm favourite and signature on the menu.

Ying Jee Club, Shop G05, 107-108, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2801 6882

Roganic

Thanks to the change in season, a revisit to Roganic was due. Not that we needed an excuse to eat British chef Simon Rogan's food again, but the new tasting menu and dishes did not disappoint. Case in point is the Berkswell pudding. This creative interpretation of an English bread and butter pudding is love at first bite. Savoury, with subtle notes of sweetness, the pudding is layered with birch sap syrup before it's topped with plenty of aged Berkswell cheese. It's a rich, buttery snack that we definitely want more of.

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

Kakure

Ginza-style restaurant Kakure has all the Japanese sub-cuisines from sushi to sukiyaki, but the champion dish here is offered at their teppanyaki live grill bar. The prized Hida Wagyu from Japan's Gifu prefecture is a speciality here and as soon as you take your first bite, it's clear as to why. The succulent A5-certified premium beef is not only charred to perfection, but it also strikes a wonderful balance between flavour, juiciness and tender texture. The cubes are presented straight off the grill and guests are open to season their meat with salt, pepper, garlic, shallots or wasabi.

Kakure, Shop M20-24, M/F, Prince's Building, 10 Chater Road, Central; +852 2522 9990

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