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words Elle Kwan
“Chef, what’s your favourite ingredient?”
It’s a simple question that springs
expressive answers from Hong Kong chefs.
Ingredients are a chef’s primary tools but with markets going global and access to worldwide ingredients at an all-time high, we wanted to know what basics chefs come back to time and time again – after all, where would Jamie Oliver be without a drizzle of olive oil,
and a squeeze of lemon juice?
We asked five Hong Kong chefs, some chopping and stirring in new restaurants,
others bringing fresh ideas to
older establishments,
which ingredients got them sizzling. |
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Geoff Lindsay with Simson Kwan
Pearl on the Peak director Geoff Lindsay breezes into his restaurant like a kite freed from its string. Having just lunched at Pierre (Pierre Gagnaire’s new eatery, at the Mandarin), he’s excited by the three-star Michelin chef’s dedication to natural ingredients. It’s something Lindsay aspires to in his own kitchen. Fresh garden veggies, and small-town farming exposed the award-winning Lindsay – Australia’s 2005 Chef of the Year – to raw foods early on, and the excitement of nature’s bounty never left him. “My dream would be not to change a thing,” he says in a homey, wide Australian accent. Melbourne’s Pearl restaurant founder has many favourite ingredients, but is delighted at how much around-the-globe produce is available in Hong Kong. It gives him a chance to create new dishes with ingredients impossible to find back home. As Lindsay talked us through the medley of flavours in his new Boston lobster special, executive chef Simson Kwan strained clear fennel broth that combines tomatoes boiled with smoked salmon skin, and poured it into a dish. Next, he deftly whisked egg, white wine, martini and milk into a billowing foam and topped the lobster, with finishing touches coming via zucchini flowers and freshly picked lemon leaves. It’s a dish full of summery grace, the broth delicate enough to allow through the wonderful succulence of lobster but intense enough to linger long after each swallow. Subtle hints of citrus and the delicious snap of bubbles on the tongue completes a multi-faceted but beautifully balanced creation.
Pearl on the Peak, L1, Peak Tower, 128 Peak Rd,
2101 1268
Pearl on the Peak has just opened at the new Peak Tower. Boston Lobster available at $380. |
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Marco Furian with Antonio Astolfi
Habitu’s executive chef Marco Furian likes nothing better than getting down and dirty in the kitchen, surrounded by a range of specially sourced Italian ingredients – most of which he hunts down himself. They are essential in creating the clean, country-style yet contemporary recipes that have become his trademark at Habitu The Pier, and newly refurbished Habitu The Garden. Furian is playing with white truffles right now in a cost-conscious menu to make the usually pricey fungus more accessible. He is aided by fellow chef and childhood friend Antonio Astolfi in bringing Northern Italian flair to Hong Kong kitchens. “We want to offer food not so easy to get [here],” says Furian. And they are. For instance, Astolfi has brought great cylinders of Fontina cheese to include in their menus. For those questioning combining strong flavours of the cheese and the mushrooms, Astolfi stresses that they could be mistaking Fontal for Fortina. And he might be right. A taste test reveals authentic Fontina (stamped and numbered to prove it) is a smooth, delicate, milky delight, as opposed to its sticky, synthetic competitor. It’s a perfect accompaniment for the earthy truffles.
Astolfi blends the cheese with milk over a low heat to create a fondue. Drizzled around potato stuffed with ricotta and egg yolk, it is potent and comforting, grounded by the intensity of scattered shaved truffles. That same sauce, with seared Dutch veal, Parmesan dusted crisp bread and paprika tasted far more expensive than its rather fair price tag – and showed Fontina’s flexibility.
Habitu Ristorante The Pier, G/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, 3101 0901
Habitu Ristorante The Garden, 3/F, Lee Gardens Two, Causeway Bay, 2989 3919
Antonio Astolfi’s four-course tasting menu is available at Habitu The Garden, until November 5th, from $398. |
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Jeff-Daniel Schaller
Since his arrival from Switzerland five months ago, Jeff-Daniel Schaller has rejuvenated Peak Lookout’s menu. Recipes suggest a touch of the Alps brought to our own mountainside snug and suits the chateaux deliciously. His Autumn Delights menu includes hearty seasonals like chestnut cream soup with pumpkin, and roasted pigeon with foie gras and pistachio, while Chef’s Recommendation is a bumper game hen stuffed with pine nuts, served on a platter with fried rice, home fries and veggies. Seafood Bouillabaisse with its fresh ocean catch is a rich example of Schaller’s eye for colour, which is even more evident in a bell pepper entrée as stunning to the eye as it is to taste. The hollowed peppers are submerged in hot oil for a minute, quick cooking and sweetening the tender flesh, before being generously stuffed with risotto rice, asparagus and a handful of Parmesan. Five minutes in the oven ensures a sublime melted fusion on a nest of shaved zucchini, Tuscan olive oil and blended black olives, all served on white china plates. The stunning red, green and white combination would surely make Italians proud.
The Peak Lookout, 121 Peak Rd, The Peak, 2849 1000
Entrees start at $178, Chef’s Game Hen combo $348, Autumn Delights four courses, $418. |
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Norman Hu
Chef Norman Hu was out of the kitchen when we visited, but Agnès b’s Teddy Recio was left with strict instructions. At new tres chic, le pain grille – life-stylist Agnès b’s first restaurant – wine rules the menu. And what more would you expect in an authentic French bistro with a rustic dining room, elegant gateaux counter, and, in true Moulin Rouge style, absinthe served from a stylish decanter. We were treated to one of Norman Hu’s signatures – Normandy’s bouchot mussels in mariner sauce - which features more than a splash of white wine. Onions are already sweating in a rich combination of white wine and cream when mussels cascade into the pan. It takes but a few minutes for the small tough shells to unlock, revealing a peek of the plump orange flesh inside. The French classic is served steaming in a 250g portion to start, or as a main with alumette – matchstick-sized chips – and plenty of bread for dipping. Ooh-la-la. But if your taste buds are jumping, you’ll have to curb the excitement – this French fancy is already booked out until December.
Agnès b., le pain grille, G/F, 111 Leighton Rd, Causeway Bay, 2577 2718
Mussels are available at $178, some afternoon tea spots are still open for booking. |
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Thomas Lui
For Thomas Lui, it is easy to pick his favourite ingredient: chocolate has been his passion for the last 32 years. “You have to love the chocolate, take care of it and bring it to life,” says the dedicated pastry chef, as if just anyone could produce his stunning creations. With every detail precise, his chocolate sculptures look like works of art. A chess board with playing pieces softly painted in traditional Chinese style takes at least eight hours to complete, but Lui maintains he enjoys working with the sticky brown stuff because results are fast – unlike sugar work, where he has to wait overnight. Those around him believe that Lui has chocolate running through his veins, but the bouncy chef just laughs. “It’s like my best friend,” he admits.
Since the age of 14, he has favoured the smooth texture of Swiss Lindt chocolate. One of the easiest ways to experiment with it, he says, is through fondue. For his vanilla orange chocolate fondant, he stirs cream, sugar and melted Lindt orange chocolate over a light heat. Corn syrup softens the mixture, icing sugar lightly sweetens it and butter and a vanilla pod finish the recipe. The result is a devilish rich, fragrant blend, perfect for dipping. Not surprisingly, last year’s Swiss Chocolate Creation winner has lots of friends lining up to try his inventions.
The Lounge, L4, JW Marriott, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, 2841 3846
The chef’s fondue is available in three flavours at JW Marriott’s afternoon buffet until December 15. Complimentary Lindt fondue sets are available with each order, while sets last. Buffets start from $188. |
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