The BellBrook, bistro oz by Laris2/F, Carfield Building, 77 Wyndham Street, Central

2530 1600

Outback Oz: The BellBrook is an Australian-

themed bistro that has replaced former fine-dining

restaurant LARIS Contemporary Dining. The menu

features home-made rustic bites that highlight

Australia’s indigenous ingredients and casual-yet-

upscale bistro dining scene.

The scenery: The revamped concept is a complete

360-degree overhaul from LARIS’ stylish, swanky

design. In its place is an open, raw, fuss-free space

with wooden panels, a lengthy enclosed terrace

with high tables and bar chairs and chalk-scribbled

blackboard beams adorning the walls.

Bush-tucker fare: Yes, there are ’roos on the

menu; there’s grilled and smoked kangaroo loin

($288) served with parsnip purée, roasted kipflers

and sweet onion sauce with plump chocolate-

coated raisins. Albeit a touch too oversmoked for

our liking, the loin was still delightfully gamey,

tender and moist. Sweet and pudgy Kinkowooka

mussels seasoned with chilli and coriander and

served with tanami fire (a hot spice made from

ground native Australian plants) fries offered a

healthy kick of warm, earthy and zesty spice. We

relished the elevated tart and citrusy flavours of

the caviar-esque finger limes (also known as citrus

caviar) that garnished the barramundi cooked in

paperbark ($298), though we wished the fish was

cooked less.

Thrilling experience: The stars of this outback

are definitely the tapas-style starters and desserts.

Thinly sliced potato chips curled around a stake and

draped in melted grated Parmesan with a side of

truffle mayonnaise were salty, truffly, cheesy and

scarily addictive. We unfortunately did not find

out what exactly makes the Aussie steak tartare

($158) “Australian”, but we definitely enjoyed and

appreciated the addition of bone marrow, which

gave a richer finish to the raw meat. For desserts

(all priced at $78), sticky date pudding with slightly

salted brandy caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream

screamed ”pud” in every sense of the word – it

was comfortingly warm and indulgent – whilst the

pavlova with passion fruit and berries catered to

those who enjoy their pavs sweet, gooey

and marshmallow-y.

The verdict: While prices may look steep at

first, bear in mind that this concept is all about

sharing, and the menu is designed as such. Think

about sharing between four to six or an extremely

gluttonous two. We definitely foresee this as the

next Aussie expat hang-out; it’s a revamped Dining

Concepts undertaking that will undoubtedly thrive

in Hong Kong’s dining scene this time around. 14

of soba are made each day – with one highly

trained chef assigned to the task – and it takes

45 minutes to make just 25 portions. Not only

is the cold soba precisely cut and al dente with

that almost indescribable moreish bite, but the

soy-sauce-based dipping sauce made with bonito

and saba packs a powerful punch (if you have a

Japanese dining companion who squeals “oishii!”

with delight after her first slurp, you know you’re

in for a real treat). Everything else sampled was

equally as delicious, with special praise going to

the light and 100-per-cent-grease-free sea urchin

and snow crab tempura (fried in white sesame oil);

the hot crab roe dip with a gorgeous assortment

of seasonal veggies (the Shanghainese version of

fondue or bagna càuda) and the excellent charcoal-

grilled items – particularly the succulent Miyazaki

A5 Wagyu sirloin and minced chicken skewers

(tsukune). Make sure to order an onsen egg on the

side for dunking to your heart’s content. Since it

was a lunch tasting, we steered clear of Gonpachi’s

tempting sake selection and other alcohol-fuelled

tipples, so if you’re on the wagon like we were, we

can recommend the sweet, sour ‘n’ spicy ume-syoga

(plum-ginger) cooler.

Doing Tokyo proud: Gonpachi here in Hong Kong

has done well to match the super-high standards

and critical acclaim of the Roppongi original. The

prices are on the higher end of the spectrum (the

lunch sets average around $268, for instance),

but the quality of the ingredients and authentic

execution make the bill oh-so-worth-it.

16

tried & tasted

Gonpachi4/F, Lee Gardens One, 33 Hysan Ave, Causeway Bay

2787 3688

Aka the Kill Bill restaurant: Gonpachi restaurant

in Tokyo is infamous for being the inspiration for the

sword showdown scene in Kill Bill where yellow-

tracksuit-clad Uma Thurman takes down Lucy

Liu and a bunch of masked suits bearing samurai

swords. It’s recently been reinvented in Hong Kong

in a setting that’s meant to invoke the traditional

Edo period of Japan. The long, dimly lit (mysterious)

entrance corridor leads to an elegant and spacious

curved dining room and outdoor terrace featuring

a semi-open tatami area, bamboo screens, lanterns

and rustic wooden furniture, all accented in

imperial red. There’s even a room dedicated to soba

making (check out the Japanese-imported stone

mill in the corner, grinding away kilo after kilo of

buckwheat seeds).

The menus: If you order nothing else on

Gonpachi’s extensive menus (lunch, main, sushi/

sashimi, afternoon tea, drinks), make it a double

of the restaurant’s signature seiro soba, divine to

the nth degree. We’re told that about 200 portions

mousse, banana custard, popping candy and Baileys

liquid nitrogen “popcorn”, which had us from the

first glimpse of the Baileys fog.

The star atop your tree: There’s a lot to look

forward to this upcoming Christmas season at Gold,

with its festive weekday lunch and brunch menus.

The tour de force, however, will be the restaurant’s

multi-course Christmas Eve ($980) and New Year’s

Eve ($1,380) dinner menus.

Foodie’s tipsy note: Make your own

version at home by placing 100g

demerara sugar, 3 cloves, 1 stick of

cinnamon, 2 bay leaves and 1 star

anise in a pot along with a bottle of

red wine and a dash of grated nutmeg.

Add the peel of half an orange and half

a lemon. Heat gently and simmer for

15 minutes before adding a splash of

brandy or sloe gin and serving a mugful

to your favourite Santa.

Types of glögg: Versions can vary, with white

wine or spirits like brandy and whisky used

as the base instead of red wine. While it may

almost seem unimaginable to do so, there are

versions of non-alcoholic glögg or mulled wine

where fruit and berry juices (like blackcurrant)

replace the wine, or where the mixture is

brought to a rolling boil to remove most of

the alcohol content.

The pour: Glögg is always served warm. In

Nordic countries, it is often accompanied by

a sweet nibble, either gingerbread, biscuits,

sweet buns flavoured with saffron and raisin or

even rice pudding. In other parts of the world,

it doesn’t hurt serving a portion of mulled wine

with some mince pies or Chrissy pud.

Flavour notes: Infused with spices and citrus

peel, the flavours can be earthy, sugary and

zesty, with slightly bitter citrusy notes.

Where to find it: Glögg can be readily found

and drunk this month in its European form

here in Hong Kong. As per Mandarin Oriental’s

annual tradition, the hotel will be handing

out free glugs of mulled wine (and roasted

chestnuts) from 17–24 December; Peak Cafe

Bar will offer a traditional version of mulled

wine with a splash of brandy for $58; 208

Duecento Otto will serve it on two days only

(17 and 24 December) for $70 (the first serving

is complimentary), whilst The Salted Pig will be

offering their own version for $78.

18

Glögg Pronounced “glurgg”, from the Swedish etymology

meaning “to burn or mull”

What is it? Plain and simple, glögg is

the Nordic term for mulled wine, enjoyed

typically during the cooler months. Traditional

versions of glögg consist of red wine, sugar

and a handful of spices, including cinnamon,

cardamom, ginger, clove and bitter orange

fruits, plus a generous dabble of a strong

spirit – usually vodka or brandy. The mixture

is infused for at least an hour at 60–70°C. In

Europe, mulled wine was a favourite during

the Victorian times, when it was normally

made without the addition of spirits, but could

include raisins or apples in the mix, with port

or claret often used as the base. It is believed

that Charles Dickens is the man to credit for

making this tipple a traditional holiday drink,

as mulled wine is referred to in several of his

novels – most notably in A Christmas Carol.

Our tried and tasted tipples: this month, we feature one of our Christmas faves, glögg

&triedtipsy

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Pantone Blue 072C

Pantone 032C

100C/100M

100Y100M

w

24

food war

Unappealingly sour For those (like us) who prefer things extremely bitter

foodOrange Marmalade

WAR

Hero – $33.90/340g

great Food Hall, Basement, Two Pacific Place,

88 Queensway, Admiralty 2918 9986

A Swiss brand, Hero’s lovely, wobbly marmalade

was the most jelly-like in consistency; but looks

more like honey than a chunky fruit spread. This

marmalade provided the strongest (and most

pleasing) scent – pungent peel – and it was also

the sharpest tasting of the lot. Personally, we’re

fans of bitter tastes, and we couldn’t get enough of

this marmalade’s tangy flavour with its lingering

piquant aftertaste. When it comes to spreads for

toast, it doesn’t get much better than (our) Hero.

FOODIE RATING

Bonne Maman – $24.90/225g

great Food Hall, Basement, Two Pacific Place,

88 Queensway, Admiralty 2918 9986

This well-known French maker of fruit spreads

(whose mini jars with their iconic gingham-

patterned lids have been nicked from many an

aeroplane and room service meal tray) was a

surprising taste-test disappointment. Its texture

was thin and watery, with few orange-y bits,

and the taste was overwhelmingly sour from the

addition of lemon juice. In fact, it was difficult to

detect much orange flavour whatsoever. We’ll

pass on this mama.

FOODIE RATING

Typically not as sweet as other fruit spreads, orange marmalade should pack a bitter punch from the addition of rind to a jam-like base. Straddling the sweet/sour

divide, a dollop or two of this intensely flavoured zero-fat spread would make a great accompaniment to your breakfast or teatime spread this Christmas. We’ve helped to

narrow down your purchasing decision with this mega marmalade showdown

One of your first culinary roles was as the

captain’s pastry chef for the French Navy.

What were the biggest challenges baking at

sea? After I finished my apprenticeship, I had to do

one year of national service. Because I had done

very well in my pastry chef exams, I got offered the

position on the flagship of the French Navy, which

was an amazing position for my age – I was only

20. We travelled around the world for five months,

entertaining diplomats, presidents, ambassadors and

VIPs every time we arrived in a different country.

Even as glamorous as the captain’s apartments

were, the bottom line is that it was still a Navy

ship, and there was no air conditioning. There were

high expectations; we were representing legendary

French cuisine. One time we arrived in the Caribbean

at Christmas, and

we were asked to do

chocolate sculptures

for the dessert table.

The temperature

inside my kitchen

was around 45°C. So

I went to the main

kitchen and locked

myself in the freezer,

and I made all the

chocolate sculptures

there and then!

Which other patissiers do you admire? There are

pastry chefs who I grew up looking up to, like Gaston

Lenôtre. He had a patisserie empire around the world

and was one of the godfathers of modern patisserie.

Another who is more contemporary, and has moved

patisserie to another level, is Pierre Hermé. There’s a

new guy in Paris who’s very creative with flavours –

Philippe Conticini. His shop (La Pâtisserie des Rêves)

is completely different from what you would expect

from a traditional French patisserie.

If you could eat only one cake or pastry every

day for a year, which one would you choose?

chewin' the fat

Chewin’ the Fat with...

French patissier Eric Lanlard has taken pastry and cake making to the next level in his adopted home of the UK, where he relocated in 1989 to work

for chefs Albert and Michel Roux. In addition to opening his own cake boutique – Cake Boy – in London in 2005, Eric has twice been the recipient of the Continental Patissier of the Year title at the British Baking Awards, written numerous best-selling cookbooks and baked up a storm on our screens with the series Glamour Puds and Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard

What were some of your favourite pastries

and cakes to eat while growing up in France?

In France, going to the patisserie is part of life. On

a Sunday, every family would make a trip to the

patisserie to buy cakes for their lunch or dinner.

When it was time to choose the cakes, I always

went for the eclairs or anything with choux pastry.

When I first starting baking on my own – I was six

at the time – eclairs were the first thing I tried to

make, and it was a disaster…

26

Eric Lanlard

Foodie’s round-up of this year’s most sumptuous, decadent and squeal-worthy dishes from the

latest dining hotspots

d i s h e sY e A Ro f the

28

dishes of the year

36

future dining

CandiCe Suen, Bite Limited

The director of Bite Limited,

Candice Suen is the woman

behind concepts such as frozen

yoghurt chain Yo Mama,

hamburger franchise Triple O’s

and hot dog outlet The Frank.

Food trends that have made an impact on

you: Bite Limited has always been proud of

providing good comfort foods with the freshest

ingredients. We discovered the Panino Giusto

concept in Italy, and this is the kind of concept

we like to bring to Hong Kong. At Panino Giusto,

we offer an affordable luxury, where diners can

savour the best Italian ingredients in a casual

environment. I think Hong Kong customers

appreciate food with high quality that can fit

into their busy lives. We notice what is going on

around the world and work out if it is feasible to

bring it here.

2014 food trend prediction: I think high-end

healthy foods will continue to grow and become

more mainstream in Hong Kong and around the

world. Today, we have become more aware of

what we consume.

A food trend you would like to start in Hong

Kong: Bite Limited has always been thinking of

bringing food carts to Hong Kong! It is a big trend

in the US, and it makes so much sense in Hong

Kong with the high rents nowadays. However, it is

not feasible, as we are told that it is not possible

to get new mobile food licensing.

maLCoLm Wood, maximaL ConCeptS

A big believer that food

should highlight the best

ingredients, Malcolm

says that a restaurant

menu should also

feature “something that you

can eat week in, week out

and are hungry for again

when you wake up the next

morning”.

Food trends that have made an impact on

you: We have seen a rise in new independent

concepts that have really focused their menus on

small niches; restaurants that focus on doing a

small menu but executing it at a very high level.

For me, this is what a real restaurant experience

is all about. Lots of new “hipster joints” have

opened up too, with some home-grown concepts

and others imported from cities like NYC. Hong

Kong is a very competitive market, and diners

are very educated here, so it’s important to keep

creative at all times. It means you can’t be lazy

and get away with things that have not been

properly thought through. The city has turned a

corner, and there is a lot of talent in the market.

If you want to get noticed these days, you really

have to make an effort, not just in your food, but

also your concept, service and philosophy, to truly

stand out.

2014 food trend prediction: I think we are just

about to see some very interesting things happen

to Chinese food. There are a few new concepts

that I have heard will be opening in the new year,

and people are realising that it’s not just Western

concepts that can really focus on ingredients.

There is a lot of room for home-cooked Chinese

food to shine through. I hope that what we have

seen happen with South East Asian cuisine takes

place with specific regional Chinese food.

A food trend you would like to start in

Hong Kong: As a company, we have one key

philosophy: simple, down-to-earth food that is

ingredient focused. I think both the restaurant

and the customer should care about where the

meat comes from, whether the fish is from a

sustainable source and what sorts of vegetables

are in season. If this could become a trend

in Hong Kong, we would be up for some very

interesting meals!

On upcoming launches: I am working with

Jason Atherton to open a jamón and sherry bar

on Ship Street called HAM AND SHERRY, and

I have another restaurant/lifestyle concept at

the upcoming PMQ (Police Married Quarters

in Central) opening in April 2014. I’m also developing a concept with an ex-Barrafina chef.

42

Lardo-Braised BrusseLs sprouts witH MaLt Vinegar

Chef Lauria’s tip: if lardo is not available, you may

substitute with bacon.

For 6 people

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

+ 600g Brussels sprouts

+ 30g olive oil

+ 100g lardo, cubed

+ 80g rendered lardo fat

+ 12g garlic, minced finely

+ 3g fresh oregano, chopped

+ 20g brown sugar

+ 120g malt vinegar

+ sea salt, to taste

Method:

1 Par-cook the Brussels sprouts in salted

boiling water. When they are tender but still

crunchy, plunge them into ice water. Strain

and slice in half lengthwise.

2 Drizzle the olive oil in a large sauté pan and

place all the halved Brussels sprouts, cut

side down, in the pan. Place the cubed lardo

green tea seMifreddo, raspBerry sorBet, green tea CHiffon Cake and yogHurt

Pastry Chef Tracey’s tip: make a simple syrup by

heating equal quantities of water and sugar, stirring

until the sugar has dissolved. This can be kept for up

to one month.

For 8 people

Prep time: 1 hour, plus 4 hours freezing/

refrigeration time

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Green tea semifreddo:

+ 130g milk

+ 130g double cream

recipes

and rendered lardo fat on top of the sprouts.

3 Caramelise the sprouts on high heat until they

are browned and charred.

4 Take the pan off the heat and add the minced

garlic and oregano. Toss together so that

everything is thoroughly mixed.

5 Place the pan back on the heat and add the

brown sugar and malt vinegar. Allow the

vinegar to reduce for 1 minute. Season with

salt to taste.

Lardo-braised Brussels sprouts with malt vinegar

The Entertainer

– providing

close to 1,000

“buy-one-

get-one-free”

vouchers from

Hong Kong’s

most exclusive

dining, leisure,

wellness and

entertainment

venues (think

Gold by Harlan Goldstein, Alfie’s by

KEE, French Window and The Landmark

Mandarin Oriental spa), this successful

Dubai-based app and voucher book

was recently launched in Hong Kong.

The Entertainer also includes hotel

accommodation offers from Banyan Tree,

Angsana and Sofitel across luxe holiday

destinations from the Maldives through

to Bali. It is priced at $595 and available

on iTunes, Blackberry and Google Play.

Champagne house Krug has released their third edition of The Hunter & The Hunted series, this time pairing effervescence

with a hardy, versatile crustacean: the crab. This third edition features interviews with renowned executive chefs such as Uwe Opocensky and Umberto Bombana, with recipes highlighting this delish decapod. We’ve perused all three editions (including those on truffle and tomato), and we can say this is definitely an undrinkable but very enjoyable collectible champagne item. It is available in all the featured restaurants in the book as a complimentary gift to diners until the end of the year. They are 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Amber, Dragon Seal, Island Tang, Libery Private Works, Mandarin Grill + Bar and Wagyu Takumi.

A wine house with over 400 labels of wine and champagne, including more than 60 that are exclusively supplied to this shop in Hong Kong, Winebeast opened its doors in late October, offering a personalised kind of wine service. Their experienced sommeliers are on hand to guide consumers in selecting the perfect drops of wine for individual taste buds and occasions. Also available in their wine repertoire are eco-friendly and biodynamic wines featuring labels such as Domaine Oliver Guyot and Domaine Vacheron. Look out for a host of wine-tasting events paired with individual themes, as well as their online store, set to launch soon.49 Johnston Road, Wanchai 2804 1318

The culinary and cultural destination that is Duddell’s has scored what we consider the art exhibition of the year: Chinese contemporary artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei’s

first curated exhibition in Hong Kong. Framed: Ai Weiwei and Hong Kong Artists, on display until 15 February 2014, is a dynamic collaboration with 13 local artists, including Kitty Chou, anothermountainman, Kingsley Ng and MAP Office. Before or after immersing yourself in Ai Weiwei’s inspiring “visual dialogue”, be sure to book a table at Duddell’s for its Michelin-starred chef's Cantonese cuisine and vintage cocktails. Level 3 and 4, Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell Street, Central 2525 9191

48

On the huntA BOutique WineBeAst

Ai Weiwei at Duddell’s

App of the monthOur fave foodie app this month!

the inspired foodie

the cultured foodie Our round-up of the best wine, arts and entertainment happenings this month

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