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Hong Kong's guide to good taste
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108 HOLLYWOOD ROAD,CENTRAL,HONG KONGFOR RESERVATIONS:+852 2613 9286
info@bluebutcher.com www.bluebutcher.com
NOW OPEN FOR LUNCHNOW OPEN
108 HOLLYWOOD ROAD,CENTRAL,HONG KONGFOR RESERVATIONS:+852 2613 9286
info@bluebutcher.com www.bluebutcher.com
NOW OPEN FOR LUNCHNOW OPEN
Wagyu Takumi The Oakhill, 16 Wood Road, Wanchai
2574 1299
What is it? A member of the Japanese restaurant
group that includes Gin Sai and Rozan, Wagyu
Takumi – newly crowned with two Michelin stars
– is the most exclusive dining experience of the
bunch. Akin to a private kitchen, up to 14 diners
each night can partake in Chef Mitsuru Konishi’s
seasonally changing tasting menu (definitely eye-
watering at $1,880 per person for nine courses),
which is a blend of Japanese and French ingredients
and culinary techniques. The shiny jewel-box of
a room, all bronze and copper tones, is centred
around an open kitchen surrounded by counter
seating so that diners can get up close and personal
with Konishi-san. The chef and his brigade exude a
sense of calm and precision that’s contagious: the
focus is solely on immersing yourself in the dining
experience as a whole.
The new tasting menu: Having honed his craft at
two-Michelin-starred L’ATELIER de Joël Robuchon
in Tokyo and Paris restaurants Michel Rostang and
Taillevent, Chef Konishi has recently introduced
a new simplified – but far from simple – tasting
menu. Nine courses may seem like a gut-busting
lot, but the portion sizing is just right. We left
feeling completely satisfied, but with our buttons
still firmly intact. The first accolade goes to Chef
Konishi’s flawless presentation and attention to
detail, starting with the teeny-tiny gold leaf atop
the first course of gorgeous tuna and avocado
tartare served with a generous heap of caviar. The
chef is a fan of playing with texture and mouthfeel,
with “crunch” being a particular favourite; this was
best showcased in the subtly sweet chestnut soup,
where some delightful surprises where hidden at
the bottom of our teacup: crunchy diced celery
and chestnut and velvety steamed egg and foie
gras. There’s no tactful way of putting this without
giggling, but we also enjoyed the codfish milt,
which is (get ready) another way to say fish sperm.
Brain-like in appearance, it’s also super creamy,
rich and delicate in flavour. The fatty – in the best
possible sense of the world – and impossibly tender
charcoal-grilled Hida Wagyu tenderloin and
teppanyaki flank steak were other high points. Both
were accompanied by three sauces that worked a
treat counterbalancing all that richness: wasabi
and salt; an assertive Béarnaise, heavy on the
vinegar, and a thin and peppery number. The pre-
dessert course of wee spoonfuls of lychee and yuzu
jellies provided pops of flavour, the most intense of
the meal.
Latest lunch news: Four- and six-course lunch
menus, priced at $880 and $1,380 respectively, are
now available. They sound like the perfect options
for those with smaller tummy space (and wallets).
16
18
ZafranB/F, 43-55 Wyndham Sttreet, Central 2116 8855
What is it? Riding the Spanish wave that has
recently washed over Hong Kong’s culinary shores
is this haute-cuisine offering of stylish tapas. The
hidden depths of this chic new eatery contain a DJ
lounge, front bar, open kitchen with long chef’s
table and a second intimate eating area, all decked
out with cool lighting and comfy seating.
The food of España: Zafran’s Executive Chef,
Marc Lores Panades, cooks and entertains from his
show kitchen with typical Latin gusto, producing
appetising masterpieces while answering his curious
diners’ questions from their counter dining perches.
His chorizo ($88) and black pudding are both made
in-house and are a triumph of simplicity, while his
scallop dish with Barcelona artichokes and salt cod
cauliflower cake ($118) are highly decorated dishes
with more styling than a US Marine. Not usually
impressed by overly fussed food, the taste of both
these dishes was a triumph that overwhelmed both
the eyes and the palate. Spain’s version of surf and
turf – the sea cucumber and Ibérico ham – was a
chewy and fibrous endeavour, while the suckling
pig ($170) was just the right amount of crispy and
fatty. All the typical tapas fare you would expect are
also on the menu, from patatas bravas ($78) to ham
croquettes ($88).
Say what? Just as our stomachs threatened to
burst, dessert was served. A fried breakfast sat in
the skillet in front of us looking like the last thing in
the world we wanted to eat at that moment. But a
brave first spoonful unearthed that the French fries
were in fact pineapple sticks doused with raspberry
coulis rather than ketchup, and the apparent black
pudding was a chocolate brownie in disguise. The
fried egg revealed itself to be a delicious sorbet.
This creative and pleasurable dessert both messed
with our minds and delighted our taste buds.
Jax Coco – $20/250ml
city’super, Shop 1041–49, Level 1, ifc mall, 8 Finance
Street, Central 2234 7128
Jax boasts fantastic packaging, with a beautifully
simple glass bottle that you could easily reuse
elsewhere in your kitchen. Completely absent of
scent, with a cloudier, yellowish appearance, this
version from the Philippines is a good-looking
contender. It felt a bit thicker going down the
throat, with a stronger flavour than the others, but
somehow also managed to taste more like actual
water as well.
FOODIE RATING
Coco Fresco – $13/250ml
city’super, Shop 1041–49, Level 1, ifc mall, 8 Finance
Street, Central 2234 7128
Whoa! Pop the lid off this bottle and it’s like a
pina colada has assaulted the senses. This is not
necessarily a bad thing, but it’s certainly not what
we had expected. This Vietnamese offering would
appeal to those with a sweet tooth, but for us, it
was akin to drinking sugar water. The flavour was
like actually drinking the flesh of a coconut and
was a bit sickly for our taste.
FOODIE RATING
20
food war
foodClash of the Coconuts
WARAlthough coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, it has gained
popularity in the Western world quite recently, where it has mainly been marketed as a natural energy-boost drink because of its high potassium and mineral levels. Some
marketers have gone so far as to call it “Mother Nature’s sports drink”. Thailand, Vietnam or the Philippines – which country’s coconuts produce the tastiest water?
Too sweet for us! Beautiful and tasty
In 1999, he established Ducasse Education, a global
organisation of professional culinary training
centres, including research and consulting. He
has since founded cooking institutions throughout
France (Argenteuil, Paris and Yssingeaux) and in
the Philippines. There is one more institute set to
open this year in Moscow, with additional academic
partners in the US and Brazil.
Ducasse was one of the first Michelin-starred chefs
to found a restaurant here in Hong Kong and says
that in the ten years since establishing SPOON, he
has noticed a food revolution of sorts here, not only
in the quality of the food but also in the variety of
cuisines that are now available. In celebration of
SPOON’s 10th anniversary, a competition was held
amongst the top Hong Kong culinary schools, with
students submitting a complete dish presented
solely on a spoon, as well as their personal
reasons for wanting to meet Ducasse. The top 10
winners spent a day in the kitchen with Ducasse,
before preparing a feast for a select group of food
journalists.
His main advice to these ten young chefs was that in
order to succeed in this industry, one “needs to learn
and master the necessary [culinary] skills”, and
when it comes to maintaining high standards in his
numerous kitchens across the globe, it is essential
for the kitchen management to have rigorous
discipline and high expectations.
chewin' the fat
Chewin’ the Fat with...
A man with 22 restaurants across the globe and 17 Michelin stars to his name, Alain Ducasse is undoubtedly one of the most acknowledged and revered
international chefs. Foodie had the privilege to sit down and dine with this culinary icon whilst celebrating the 10th anniversary of SPOON by Alain Ducasse at InterContinental Hong Kong
Having worked in kitchens since he was 16 years
old, Ducasse has over four decades of experience in
the industry. He spent several years working under
the tutelage of renowned French chefs such as
Michel Guérard, Gaston Lenôtre and Roger Vergé
before moving on to lead his own kitchen team at La
Terrasse (Hôtel Juana in Juan-Le-Pils, France) and
being awarded his first two Michelin stars in 1984 at
the age of just 28.
Having been trained by such acclaimed chefs,
Ducasse is a firm believer that passing on
knowledge is the key to developing talented
chefs, explaining, “Transmission is a fundamental
value. I have the duty to share my knowledge with
the future generations of chefs. I must transmit
flavours, techniques, motivation.”
22
Alain Ducasse
SPOON by Alain Ducasse
24
In celebration of its website expansion, EAT Fresh is
sharing the love by showcasing a revolving line-up
of fabulous organic pantry items from a select
range of local companies, including Carazuc organic
coconut flower sugar, 73 Deep Pink Himalayan salt
and volcanic pili nuts from Stephen James Organics
(www.sjorganics.com); superfoods drinks by Pure
Swell (www.pureswell.com); gluten-free breads
baked by Choice Cooperative (www.facebook.com/
choicecooperative) and essential oils courtesy of
Native Essentials (www.nativeessentials.com).Launched two years ago by a duo with a passion
for local farm-to-table produce, Eat FRESH’s
directors – certified plant-based chef and health
coach Mia Moore and Martina Bin, whose love
for the land was fostered by her Italian farming
family – have partnered up with ten certified
local organic farms in order to provide customers
with the highest-quality organic seasonal veggies
delivered direct to their doors.
All of the
e-greengrocer’s
produce is
hand-picked and
delivered soon
after harvest, with
seasonal vegetable,
juicing and even
detox boxes
(regular and large
sizes) available for
purchase via Eat
FRESH’s brand-new
interactive website. Both subscription plans and
à la carte options are up for grabs. The website
also features a user-friendly Recipe Finder, where
web surfers can discover simple, tasty and – most
importantly – tried and tested recipes with Chef
Mia’s seal of approval. Users can search by
vegetable or meal course, with facts and storing
tips offered.
Upcoming Foodie Event
To highlight their new organic veggie detox
boxes (which include a manual chock-full
of juicing and detox recipes), Eat FRESH will
host an organic raw vegan sushi-making
workshop on Wednesday, 8 January 2014 at
creative and social space Plantation (Shop B,
1–4 Tai On Terrace, Sheung Wan). For more
information and to register, email
delivery@eatfresh.com.hk.
This green-hearted company’s mission is simple: to deliver fresh,
high-quality local and organic vegetables to homes around the 852
Eat FRESH
promotion
To start shopping for the finest organic veggies around,
go to www.eatfresh.com.hk.
26
From HK to NZ
Michael Leung of HK Honey says, “Bees are an
essential and valuable part of our food system.
As per the USDA, one-third of the food in our diet
relies to some extent on bee pollination. In the
past few years, the population of bees globally
has been reduced. This is due in large part to the
use of pesticides.” Peter Bray is Managing Director
of Airborne Honey, New Zealand’s oldest honey
brand and a family company that has been in
business for more than 100 years. Bray says the
great bee decline is all a bit overhyped. “This is a
case where some events have been reported beyond
their significance. Worldwide, the profitability
of beekeeping plays the largest role in beehive
numbers. If it is not profitable, beekeepers will
reduce their hive numbers. Since labour is the single
largest input (beekeeping is labour-intensive),
countries with high labour costs have higher total
costs to operate a beehive. Favourable beekeeping
conditions and low labour costs are one of the
reasons China is one of the largest honey-producing
countries. New Zealand is lucky to have favourable
conditions, wonderful honey sources with unique
flavours and a clean, pollution-free environment.”
A Rooftop Beehive
Since its inception in 2010, Hong Kong’s own
local honey initiative, HK Honey, has been doing
its part to grow the bee population here. It
has now spread its honeybee wings further to
collaborate with InterContinental Hong Kong,
and by helping them to house their own hives on
the hotel’s rooftop, the hotel can now produce
their own honey. Bryan Chiu, InterContinental’s
Executive Assistant Manager, tells us how he’s
been busy as a bee: “We needed professional
guidance to determine the viability of setting up
all about the honey, honey, honey
30
piggy provenance
Get to know your pork sausage before it ends up in your belly
PIGGy PROvENANcE
Isn’t it nice to know where your meat
comes from? A new company in
Hong Kong are leading the way into
trustworthy local pork products with
their range of classic sausages.
The Sausage co. uses meat from animals that
have been bred from original European breeds
and lead a happy, well-cared-for life on family-
run Wah Kee Farm in the New Territories. No
chemicals or hormones are used to stimulate
artificial growth, and the pigs are fed from grains
imported from the UK. What’s more, in the
production of their premium-quality sausages,
there are no preservatives, emulsifiers, browning
agents or other nasty chemicals added. They are
a pricey lot ($118 for four on www.grocer.com.
hk), but with The Sausage Co., you get what you
pay for. Andrew Cawte tells us about how the
company got started here in HK: “Growing up in
England, my parents always steered clear of the
mass-produced, highly processed sausages that
were common in supermarkets, and instead bought
them from our local butcher, who made the most
delicious sausages by hand. Over the years, I’ve
discovered more and more great sausages, and a
kind of passion has developed. As I’ve embarked
on this journey, more and more people have
been coming out of the woodwork with the same
passion. What it taught me is that in Hong Kong,
32
piggy provenance
Jonny describes the classes, explaining, “The
Butchers Club’s sausage-making class is held
every Tuesday night at our butcher shop in
Aberdeen, and we can accommodate up to
10 individuals per class. We also offer private
bookings at other times, both evenings and
lunchtimes, for groups of 10 to 16. Tuesday
classes are priced at $1,300 per person, and for
private bookings of 10 people or more, we offer
a discounted price of $1,150 per person.” In the
workshop, you’ll learn how to butcher legs of pork
and lamb and select and combine the ingredients
for the sausage recipe – or get creative and design
your own recipe. Then you’ll learn to grind the
meat and combine it with your ingredients, stuff
the sausage meat into natural casings using a
sausage-stuffing machine and link the sausages.
The class also includes a dinner of sausage and
mash with complimentary drinks, as well as a
prize for the best sausage of the evening. You get
one kilogram of sausages to take home, and they
even run kid’s classes, so you can get your tiny
tots making up their own supper. Sounds like the
missing link to us! Check it out at
www.butchersclub.com.hk.
If you’re interested not only in the provenance of the
meat inside your sausage but also in putting that
meat in there yourself, you can learn to make your
own through The Butchers club’s sausage-making
classes. We spoke to owner Jonny Glover to find out
all about what inspired him to teach Hong Kongers to
build their own bangers. He says, “We started these
classes because we thought it would be fun, and there
are also not many places in Hong Kong that have
classes as such. The response has been very good so
far. We have been booked solid every Tuesday since we
started, with many requests for large-scale corporate
team-building classes. This was an experiment – we
had no idea it would be so popular – but the food
movement is rapidly growing here.”
In December 2013, Mirror Restaurant regained
its one-Michelin-starred status, but unfortunately
the damage was already done. The restaurant
served its last meal on 31 December 2013. All
Jeremy had to say was, “I would rather they had
waited until they were sure.”
Michelin stars have always been something that
certain chefs strive for as an acknowledgement
that they are among the best of the best.
Diners are also continually on the lookout for
internationally renowned restaurants that have
been awarded for culinary excellence. This is all
perfectly fine… until it starts to compromise the
financial stability of an establishment and the
health of the chef and his or her team – either
through the pressure of maintaining or the fear of
losing those coveted stars. And when this happens,
the perspective is lost.
The Michelin Guide and its standards here in
Hong Kong are in danger of devaluing the brand’s
36
food for thought
The Michelin Red Guide is the oldest and most popular European hotel and restaurant guide,
established over a hundred years ago by the Michelin tyre manufacturer with the intention of
boosting the demand for cars in France. The first editions contained information for motorists that
included maps, repair and tyre change instructions and a listing of hotels and petrol stations.
Michelin Star criteria
According to the Michelin Guide itself, restaurants are judged regarding what’s on the plate,
meaning the quality of products, the mastery of flavours, execution, personality of the cuisine,
value for money and the restaurant’s consistency in serving its menu throughout the year.
One star: A very good restaurant in its category, offering cuisine prepared to a
consistently high standard. A good place to stop on your journey.
Two stars: Excellent cuisine, skilfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding
quality. Worth a detour.
Three stars: Exceptional cuisine where diners eat extremely well, often superbly.
Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients.
Worth a special journey.
own well-earned reputation as being the best
restaurant guide in the world by contradicting
one of the core principles it demands: consistency.
Until this is properly established, the Michelin Guide
Hong Kong Macau will not be truly appreciated and
respected around the world.
During the writing of this article, a friend of mine
made a great comparison that I would like to
share, as I think it gives a bit of an insight as to
what the Michelin Guide is going through here in
Hong Kong: “You have to treat the Michelin Guide
in Hong Kong as if the publication itself were a new
restaurant; it’s newly opened, it’s not perfect, it’s
having a couple of bumpy services and it’s finding
its feet and perfecting its procedures. Given time,
I’m sure it will settle down. How many stars would
you give the Michelin Guide?”
I think that sums it up really well.
38
recipes
SpiCed pumpkin Curd, Cider Winter FruitS
For 3–4 people
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus curd freezing time
cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
+ 160g pumpkin purée
+ 160g cream (35% fat)
+ 30g white sugar
+ 30g brown sugar
+ 1 egg
+ a pinch of salt
+ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
+ ½ tsp ground ginger
+ ½ tsp ground cloves
Cider winter fruits:
+ 2tbsp white sugar
+ 200g pumpkin, sliced
+ 180g figs, quartered
+ a splash of cider
+ 5g sprigs thyme
Method:
1 Preheat oven to 170°C.
2 Line the bottom of desired cake moulds
with cling film.
3 Mix together the pumpkin purée, cream,
white and brown sugar, egg, a pinch of salt
and the ground spices. Pour the batter (up
to 1–2cm thickness) into the moulds.
4 Bake for 25–35 minutes, or until the curd is
set but still slightly wobbly in the middle.
Remove from the oven and set aside to
cool. Freeze until the curd is completely
solid.
5 To make the cider winter fruits, caramelise
the sugar and then add the pumpkin
slices and quartered figs. Once they have
softened, deglaze with a splash of cider.
6 Garnish the curd with the caramelised
pumpkin and figs, finishing with the fresh
thyme sprinkled on top.
Candied GinGer pandoro, Vanilla Cream
Makes 50
Prep time: 1 hour, plus additional 15 hours for
proofing the dough
cooking time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
+ 280g pastry flour (type 45)
+ 60ml milk
+ 90g white sugar, plus a bit more for sprinkling
+ 110g unsalted butter, at room temperature
+ 180g eggs
+ 12g dry yeast
+ 5g salt
+ 65g candied ginger, diced
+ icing sugar, for dusting
+ 140g vanilla pastry cream
Method:
1 Mix together the pastry flour, milk, sugar,
butter, eggs, dry yeast and salt.
2 Knead the dough until the texture is smooth
and elastic.
3 Add in the candied ginger.
4 Leave the dough to rest overnight.
40
recipes
Method:
1 Preheat oven to 190°C.
2 Mix 15ml of the cream with the chestnut
purée. Evenly spread out the chestnut
mixture on the bottom of a baking dish.
3 Slice the brioche and layer the slices over
the chestnut mixture.
4 Crumble the roasted chestnuts over the
brioche slices.
5 Mix together the remaining cream, milk,
pinch of salt, vanilla bean seeds, whole
egg, egg yolk and sugar.
6 Pour the mixture over the brioche slices.
7 Bake for 14–16 minutes, or until the curd
has just set.
8 Brush with the apricot jam and serve
warm with the confit kumquats.
roaSted CheStnut BrioChe puddinG, ConFit kumquatS
For 2 people
Prep time: 25 minutes
cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
+ 100g sweetened chestnut purée
+ 65ml cream (35% fat)
+ 120g brioche, sliced
+ 3 roasted chestnuts
+ 50ml milk
+ pinch of salt
+ 1 vanilla bean, seeds only
+ 1 egg (whole)
+ 1 egg yolk
+ 25g coconut flower raw sugar (a natural sugar
from the coconut tree)
+ 2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed slightly
+ 2–3 confit kumquats
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