ISSUE 91 | JULY/AUGUST 2017 | WWW.AFOODIEWORLD.COM
where chefs eat in hong kong Here are the places top chefs take their legendary taste buds to dine
P ROMOT I ON
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INTRO DU CTIO N
EAT WHERE CHEFS EAT CEO Lily Ng CTO Derek Kean Editor-in-Chief Alicia Walker Editor-at-Large Celia Hu Digital Editor Stephanie Pliakas Junior Digital Editor Cheuk Fung Ng Art Director Jen Paolini Marketing & Community Leader Yanhan Tan Director of Commerce Joseph Kwok Relationship Manager Cecilia Gui Interns Iris Cheung, Shirin Ong, Anson Chan, Lauren Lee, Yashna Manglani
Contributors Laura Williams, Cindy Lam, Hannah Chung
Nothing seems to make more sense than following the advice of those top flavour makers who spend their days ensuring food tastes good. They would know, right? So we asked them. We got the dishes and the restaurants that have delighted the palates of international super chefs like Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Heston Blumenthal, Pierre Hermé, Alain Ducasse and many more, as well as those local culinary heroes who live and breathe the 852 and have their faves that they return to again and again. You’ll no doubt agree with a lot of them, and then find yourself heading out to those you haven’t yet treated your own taste buds to. This really is the ultimate collection of dining advice for everything from fine dining to small family-run delights here in Hong Kong. ISSUE 91 | JULY/AUGUST 2017 | WWW.AFOODIEWORLD.COM
where chefs eat in hong kong
We also have a Foodie Foray into Here are the places top chefs take their legendary taste buds to dine Guilin by bicycle that you won’t want to miss, as well as our usual hearty and delicious recipes from My Little Hong Kong Kitchen and Olive Oly Kitchen. We do battle with cheesecake in this issue’s Food War to discover if newcomer The Cheesecake Factory has a better-tasting competitor here in Hong Kong. And as per usual, Hannah Chung guides us through her Zero Waste Challenge and delights us with the perils that come along with seeking green solutions in this often resistant city of ours. Tuck in! Alicia Walker, Editor-in-Chief alicia@afoodieworld.com
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P ROMOT I ON
Bringing the most sought-after premium products from Europe to Hong Kong Like this Finnish gin, made from small batch rye gin made from the finest botanicals. Once you’ve sipped it, you’ll never drink another brand. Try the recipe for yourself and you’ll have found your new cocktail of choice. www.foodlinkers.com
CO NTENTS
06
Contents 0 4 FO R START E RS What’s happening around town this month
0 6 FO ODIE C LUB Check out the deets and pics from our Foodie Club events
12 WHERE CHEFS EAT WHEN IN HONG KONG
1 0 FO OD WAR
When they’re not
Say cheese! Who does the best NY-style cheesecake in the city?
in the kitchen, who
22 2 6 LITT LE H O N G KO N G K ITC H E N Laura Williams shows us how to whip up wholesome dishes at home
3 0 M E AT LE SS M O N T H LY Cindy Lam delights us with delicious veggie options
do these global 22 FO ODIE FO R AYS CF Ng and Iris Cheung hop on their bikes and cycle their taste buds around Guilin
and local top chefs let cook them up their supper?
3 2 T H E ZE RO WA S T E DIARIE S Hannah Chung details her journey to cutting out waste and helping the planet afoodieworld.com 03
FOR STA RT E RS
f or starters THE HOTTEST NEWS BITES
FOOD’S FUTURE SUMMIT
BEST FOR VEG A new high-profile list released by the Culinary Institute of America in partnership with the Europeanbased Eat has highlighted their Plant-Forward Global 50, which lists a collection of the world’s chefs elevating the profile of vegetables. While many stalwarts of the global restaurant scene appear on the list such as René Redzepi, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Alain Ducasse and Alice Waters, there are also eateries within countries overlooked by Michelin and World’s 50 Best, such as Midunu in Accra, Ghana, and Baekyangsa Temple in Bukha-myeon, Korea, a Buddhist vegan restaurant. While most restaurants on the list are American, and Hong Kong isn’t mentioned, this is the first edition, and they plan to add more every year going forward in the hopes that it will encourage more chefs to focus on cooking beautiful vegetables to promote a more sustainable future.
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We here at Foodie have organised an epic (if we do say so ourselves) one-day event that will bring together a host of change makers and experts to discover the latest food innovations, upcoming trends and imminent issues in the culinary world. Through a series of talks and workshops, the challenges facing the food sector will be unravelled; together, we will explore solutions and advances to make concrete progress towards impacting what ends up on plates around the globe. Our goal is to inspire and initiate change within the world of food while giving businesses something to sing about and bolstering individuals with a critical cause to invest their passion into. To join this vital event on food’s future, visit www.foods-future.com.
GOUGH'S ON GOUGH Vintage British-inspired interiors brand Timothy Oulton’s first restaurant, Gough’s on Gough has just opened at – you guessed it – Gough Street. Keeping with the designer’s style and heritage, Gough’s on Gough will feature modern British cuisine, quality ingredients and classic tipples as well as cocktails inspired by British icon Sir Winston Churchill. Diners can also look forward to two storeys of elegant furnishings that showcase the brand’s interior design credentials and complement the overall dining experience. 15 Gough Street, Central, 2473 9066
FO O D TECH
FOOD
TECH
The latest and greatest ideas being cooked up in the tech kitchens. What we're geeking over this month:
PATCH IT UP
Photo Credit: 109180828@N06 / Flickr
Scientists have discovered a quick and reliable way to test the freshness of fruit. Florida International University have found that a coated fabric they’ve designed can soak up the chemical compounds in the juice of an orange and isolate the three main compounds within the fruit that are markers for freshness. Over a two-month period, they found these chemicals lost their intensity, indicating the ability to track the degradation of the fruit. This could be a step forward in the food waste game, with staff at grocery stores and restaurants alike able to determine at a glance how soon they need to sell or use up their fresh produce.
SNACK FOOD’S FUTURE Vending machines could soon be printing out your bespoke snacks if 3D printers have anything to say about it. Researchers in Finland released their plans working on the printability of nutritious ingredients to create customised food items available at the touch of a letter and a number. Hey, print me out a pretzel, will ya?
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FOODI E C LU B
Feather & Bone Workshop Fair We never knew all your sausage-making skills were so adept until we saw then in action at our Feather & Bone Workshop Fair. As well as learning the sausage-making craft, foodies got a chance to learn about different steak cuts and cooking methods, various types of cold cuts, cheeses and wine pairing, and we all made our own ice cream cookie sandwiches too. It was a feast for the mind and the body where we were stuffed as full as those sausage skins and rolled ourselves home.
An Evening with NZ Food & Wine
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Kiwi treats, breathtaking rooftop views and a soldout event! Held at the luxurious Seafood Room, our foodies were treated to a special evening sampling New Zealand wines from over 20 different producers from both the North and South Island and chowed down on fresh meat and seafood canapĂŠs from the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Foodie Forks Awards Party Foodie Forks 2017 was an event to remember thanks to our bright sponsors and partners. Metta, our venue partner, made for an elegant setting, while our talented host, Debbie Wong, well known for her YouTube channel Wok and Gong, walked us through the evening’s excitement. Our sponsors quenched our guests' thirst for quality beverages with S.Pellegrino sparkling natural mineral water, Acqua Panna still natural mineral water and Sanpellegrino Sparkling Fruit Beverages. Jebsen Fine Wines brought their premium international wine brands to amp up the party atmosphere, with Kung Kai Hong first-class crystal stemware classing it all up, along with Chef Works providing our award-winning chefs and mixologists with their beautifully made chef whites along with Food Linkers' crisp Kyrö gin. Scrumptious food came from Pololi, the first poké eatery in Hong Kong, Everything Organic added a healthy spark to our food celebration with organic food bites like blueberry yoghurt, wholesome nuts and tomato fusilli, while Tai Tai Pie Pies filled bellies with an array of savoury and sweet pies along with Phoenix Sweets supplying their lush cupcakes, and XTC Gelato set up their own ice cream station and brought us four luscious mini-cone flavours. The after-party at Stockton by Maximal Concepts was at its best with A-1 finger food and drink, and the hand-rolled, stone-baked bagels from Schragels along with 88Beans and their finest coffee beans tucked in the goodie bags made a nice breakfast after the long party night.
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FOODI E C LU B
Code: MasterFox at Foxglove 72-hour cooked short rib
Chef Woo Wai Leong with MasterChef USA winner Christine Ha
MasterChef Asia winner Woo Wai Leong
Our Foodie Club members and Foxglove VIPs got to be the judges for one magestic night within the dazzling interiors of Foxglove, dining on an exclusive menu by the first winner of MasterChef Asia, Woo Wai Leong, hailing from Singapore. Together with Foxglove Executive Chef Kevin Lee, we took our taste buds through a unique six-course menu paired with drinks by Montrose Fine Wines and Veuve Clicquot. Our guests were immediately entranced as they were welcomed through a hidden doorway behind an umbrella store as part of the speakeasy's experience. Our leaked Secret Supper kicked off with a dramatic start. Chef Lee’s theatrical appetiser of heirloom tomatoes with lemongrass soufflé and Chef Woo’s cured swordfish set the appetites up before Chef Lee's silky buttery wonton pockets of lobster flesh were unveiled with his Boston lobster ravioli, closely followed by Chef Woo's 72-hour cooked short rib, with tender slices contrasted with brown butter crumb and glazed with sweet angelica root jus. The chefs eased diners into the final course with a savoury pre-dessert of jackfruit mousse, a perfect harmony of fruitiness, saltiness and crunch, before wrapping up the night with Chef Woo’s soybean ice cream paired with sarawak pepper meringue and sesame cakes, with equal doses of kick and cool on the tongue. Chef Woo then shifted his role behind the bar with the Foxglove team to showcase his kopi & kaya, a Singapore-style roasted coffee mellowed by the oaky sweetness of cognac topped with aromatic coconut foam. With the first-ever winner of MasterChef Asia displaying his culinary prowess for our benefit, we all judged that this definitively beat watching it on screen.
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FO O DIE CLUB
JAC KF RU I T M O U S S E W I T H G OJ I BE RRIE S, MANDA R I N S A N D G R AT ED R ED C HE DDAR Try your hand at recreating this unique sweet and savoury dessert by MasterChef Asia winner Woo Wai Leong Tip: If you can't find fresh jackfruit, you can use mango as a substitute. Serves 8.
I NG R EDI EN TS Mousse •
600g jackfruit segments
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100g egg yolks
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100g caster sugar
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50g water
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250g cold whipping cream
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Salt, to taste
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Apple cider vinegar, to taste
Garnish •
A wedge of red cheddar cheese, frozen
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4 mandarins, diced and frozen
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A handful of goji berries, rehydrated and then rinsed in water, chilled
MET HO D 1.
Deseed jackfruit segments and cook over low-medium heat in a saucepan with 100g water until the jackfruit is soft. Blend the jackfruit to get a purée. Set aside to chill.
2.
Whisk the egg yolks until pale and creamy. In the meantime, combine the caster sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat to get a syrup. Using a thermometer, heat the syrup to 120ºC. Remove from heat and slowly drizzle all the hot syrup into the egg yolks, continuing to whisk at high speed until the egg yolks have increased in volume and are thick. Continue whisking until the mixture reaches room temperature. You have just made a pâté à bombe. Set aside to chill.
3.
Whisk the whipping cream until you obtain soft peaks. Combine 400g of the jackfruit puree with the pâté à bombe, whisking until smooth. Fold in the cold whipped cream with a spatula, a little at a time, until fully incorporated.
4.
This mousse can now be served or stored overnight in a bowl with cling film covering the surface of the mousse. Whisk slightly to incorporate the mousse before serving.
5.
To serve, pipe or place a mound of jackfruit mousse in chilled bowls. Top with mandarin segments and goji berries. Grate red cheddar with a microplane to cover the top of the jackfruit mousse.
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FOOD WA R
DAN RYAN’S CHICAGO GRILL Shop 315, 3/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, TST, 2735 6111 Price per slice: $78 We were surprised after all we had already experienced from the super-sized mentality at The Cheesecake Factory that Dan Ryan’s was in fact the big cheese of this competition – and the most expensive. Served with a small spattering of fresh blueberry, strawberry and kiwi chunks, it looked the part with a golden colour and a baked top. Thick and creamy was the initial sensation, then a bit of a fluffier edge nearer the top layer and a thin crust with a nutty hint. There was a zesty citrus element going on, but overall it was a rather homogenous offering that wasn’t special enough to be memorable. Verdict: Does the job at the end of a meal. Foodie rating:
THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY Shop G102, G/F, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, TST, 2791 6628 Price per slice: $69 Terrifying calorie counters everywhere, The Cheesecake Factory’s original cheesecake version is surprisingly modest. There’s no double-height monstrosity here, just a healthy slab of gleaming white goodness with a side dollop of whipped cream in its impressively designed fitted container. Satiny and simple, the thin top layer of sour cream cut through the sweetness and nicely broke up the taste, and there was a hint of a crust with a complementary cinnamon graham cracker flavour. Verdict: We all liked it. The top layer of sour cream really takes the cake. Without it, we would’ve been less enamoured. Foodie rating:
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say chees
With the opening of the muchby some!) The Cheesecake Factory, city’s cheesiest contenders to the taste love cake, this dessert union is a
FO O D WAR
se...cake! anticipated (and much-feared it’s a good time to put some of this test. If you love cheese, and you sweetheart for your sweet tooth
CHEESESS Shop H102, 1/F, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, 2838 1314 Price per slice: $42 Ignoring all the s’s, we really wanted to love this local contender with its tiny triangle gleaming prettily in its beautiful, but nonfunctional, aquamarine box. Unfortunately, our tasters all agreed that the dry, mealy, yoghurty flavour with sour undertones and lack of crust was missing that essential cheesecake-ness. While we are fine without a crust in general, this version had none of the criteria we were looking for in this specific dessert. Verdict: We will return to try the Hong Kong cheesecake of condensed milk with peanut butter toast instead. That sounds like it could be a winner in its own right. Foodie rating:
BEST
CHOICE
LADY M 1-3 Cleveland Street, Causeway Bay, 2861 1866 Price per slice: $68 We were pleasantly surprised by the price from this premium brand and further impressed by the thoughtful box with its tiny built-in cool pack. The slim crust had a pumpkin pie spice flavour and a dense but smooth, velvety and buttery texture. The fine top layer of cream cheese was the third element that lent to the depth of flavour that was just the right balance of cheesy, sweet and tangy in this layered yet harmonious cake. All our tasters were unanimous that this was the number one cheesecake. Verdict: A luxurious dessert, like cashmere for the tongue. Foodie rating:
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where chefs eat in hong kong
From Jean-Georges and Gordon Ramsay to May Chow and Luke Nguyen, this is where the top tastemakers in the industry eat out With all their time spent in the kitchen honing their craft and tasting their own dishes, when chefs set out on days off or at the end of a long shift, they typically love to dine out and enjoy the hard work of others. So there is no one better to ask than these culinary experts with their diligent and discerning taste buds about where to take your own for some quality cuisine. From discovering the local neighbourhood eateries to a bite of the fine when they have time, here’s a collection of where, and which dish, both resident and visiting chefs eat in the fine food city of Hong Kong.
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WHER E CHEFS EAT
Luke Nguyen The well-known Vietnamese-Australian chef opened his first restaurant, Red Lantern in Sydney, at the age of 23 and has built an empire that includes numerous award-winning cookbooks, restaurants and television shows. He also founded a cookery school in Ho Chi Minh City to offer visitors a culinary and cultural journey through Vietnam. He recently opened the much anticipated Moi Moi in Hong Kong after being featured on an ancestry programme and discovering he had HK blood running through his veins. He has a sure-fire local favourite:
Mak's Noodle
Jason Atherton The chef from Sheffield has sprung up the ranks in Britain with his acclaimed restaurants and Michelin-starred Pollen Street Social. His first Hong Kong restaurant, 22 Ships, has been fully packed since its opening in 2013 and subsequent Ham & Sherry and Aberdeen Street Social have proved equally popular. He’s a man who knows what the people like and what he himself likes; he has a very specific favourite dish at a favourite place:
“The KFC (Korean fried cauliflower) at Yardbird. I’m a huge fan of Matt Abergel and his restaurant.”
Yardbird
Photo Credit: cityfoodsters / Flickr
“One dish that I eat all the time here, I've gotta admit, is wonton noodles. A place that I find is really consistent, I think it's called Mak's Noodles. So I eat there all the time, breakfast, lunch or dinner. I finish work and I eat there. I fly in, I eat there. It's quick, it's easy and it's always consistent.”
Photo Credit: Pierre Monetta
W HER E C HEF S E AT
Ho Lee Fook
Alain Ducasse Legendary chef, culinary visionary, industrious businessman. To mention Michelin success with Alain Ducasse in the same sentence seems almost trivial as the prolific chef’s life work goes well beyond the horizon of his 19 Michelin stars. The owner of 24 restaurants across eight countries, in addition to a chateau and hotel empire and more, Alain Ducasse is a formidable force in French cuisine and a gold standard on the global culinary stage. So where does Monsieur Ducasse take his seasoned palate when in the city?
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“What fascinates me most about Chinese cuisine is its diversity. Just like French cuisine, Chinese culinary traditions are closely associated with the nation's diverse regions and have vastly different and contrasting flavours. Here, I am a fan of Ho Lee Fook and VEA, two very different ways of interpreting Chinese cuisine. Personally, I feel that Chef Vicky Cheng of VEA could have been awarded his Michelin star earlier.”
WHER E CHEFS EAT
Heston Blumenthal The purveyor of multi-sensory dining and Michelinstarred owner of pioneering UK restaurant The Fat Duck, Blumenthal has turned modern dining into an experience that is nothing short of an art form, from the bizarre and wonderful bacon and eggs ice cream to the sensory stimulation of sight and audio that is so prevalent in his dishes. He has garnered recognition the world over, yet holds Hong Kong and Asian cuisine in particularly high regard. And he recalls his first trip to Hong Kong with a smile:
Photo Credit: Alisa Connan
“I wasn’t staying for too long – it was only a couple of days, and I had come straight from Tokyo, I think. But my intention was to cram as much culture and inspiration into the time I had – to take back as many ideas and influences as I could. I was like a sponge on maximum absorbency for two days, because I knew there was so much I could see and use and, ultimately, take back with me. Hong Kong always feels alive… vibrant. The food that I have tried has always been fantastic as well, particularly the meal I had at the Mandarin when I stayed there, and I would highly recommend it. And the street markets are a wealth of creativity and flavour.”
A trailblazer in modern Arabic fine dining, Chef Gal Ben-Moshe from Berlin’s lauded restaurant Glass showcased his unique blend of time-honoured flavour pairings with refined food techniques in a series of highly anticipated dinners at Test Kitchen in Hong Kong. The young Israeli chef started his culinary career in Tel Aviv before moving to London to work at Jason Atherton's Maze restaurant. Chef Ben-Moshe found love with every dish he found here:
“It almost feels like there is no bad food in Hong Kong. Everything was delicious, from the goose to the congee we had on the day we landed. But my favourite has to be the dan dan mian from Din Tai Fung. I love the texture of the noodles and the spicy peanut sauce.”
Photo Credit: intercontinentalhongkong / Flickr
Gal Ben-Moshe
W HER E C HEF S E AT
Jamie Oliver There was excitement when the man behind Britain’s food revolution, television personality, cookbook author and restaurateur finally set his sights on Hong Kong. Jamie’s Italian has two locations in the city, and when Chef Oliver comes to town, he sticks to the local delights:
“I really enjoyed our dinner at Under Bridge Spicy Crab, and the cocktails at Brickhouse were great – the tequila really hit the spot. I also loved the traditional breakfast this morning with all sorts of different congees. The blood congee is my favourite, and those little fried doughnuts you dip into the congee were really nice. When I'm back home, I love dim sum on Sundays for brunch. It's just the best. The diversity is just incredible.”
May Chow Hot on the heels of her win for Asia's Best Female Chef, Little Bao and Second Draft's May Chow just opened her third Hong Kong venture, Happy Paradise, earlier this year to the delight of the city's eager palates, and has already snagged itself the Foodie Forks Best Vibe award. So where does May head when hunger calls?
“Probably, and I say this a lot, Yak Lok Roasted Goose.”
Philippe Orrico
“I like to eat dim sum on the weekend, usually at Lei Garden. It's fun and relaxing. In the evening I usually go to my friends’ restaurants, Seasons or Otto e Mezzo, for a late-night dinner.” Roasted goose
Photo Credit: cityfoodsters / Flickr
This Michelin-starred chef has been renowned on the local scene since opening his first concept three years ago and was Foodie Forks Chef of the Year 2016. Upper Modern Bistro in Sheung Wan and Central's ON Dining are both renowned eateries. For Chef Orrico, it’s all about visiting his fellow cuisiniers:
Photo Credit: jijake1977 / Flickr
WHER E CHEFS EAT
Maria Bizri Her flavourful Mediterranean cuisine in openplan private kitchen Pomegranate Kitchen has been earning praise since gracing the city with its presence and bespoke menus to suit any event. When she’s not whipping up heartfelt cuisine, Chef Bizri has a few go-to’s:
Posto Pubblico
“The truffle xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung, Posto Pubblico’s veal meatballs, K-Roll’s spicy chicken korrito and the deep-fried tofu cubes at KEE Club.”
Gordon Ramsay With 25 restaurants, 16 Michelin stars and countless television programmes under his belt, this prolific chef with an explosive and charismatic personality opened his first Hong Kong restaurant, Bread Street Kitchen, back in 2014. He followed up with London House in TST a year later. Chef Ramsay says he finds inspiration in the cooking techniques here:
“I like the certain amount of lightness, the infusions, the blends, the broths, whether it's the braised pork belly or the caramelised pork belly. We had extraordinary duck, and it came to the table with its neck and its head, and it was smiling at me, and if we did that in the UK, I'd get into so much sh*t for that, you have no idea. I like the fact that you've kept hold of these humble beginnings, traditions, and [are] steeped in that culture.”
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Tom Aikens
Photo Credit: David Griffen
The youngest British chef to earn two coveted Michelin stars, Tom Aikens helms his pure porcine concept The Fat Pig in Causeway Bay, as well as long-standing Wanchai treasure The Pawn. He also owns several London restaurants and one in Istanbul, all focusing on using quality, sustainable, nose-to-tail ingredients to create his culinary creations. With his time divided, he aims to discover new flavours when he gets the opportunity:
Jean-Georges Vongerichten With restaurants across America, Europe and Asia, worldrenowned, three-Michelin-starred Jean-Georges Vongerichten finally opened one here in Hong Kong. Mercato combines some of our favourite dining elements: fresh, quality ingredients, familystyle sharing plates and simple, ingredient-focused cooking with a modern twist. Chef Vongerichten listed several of his favourite Hong Kong restaurants for us as well as stating his favourite local dishes to be garlic crab and dim sum:
“Yardbird, Lung King Heen, Mott 32, Fook Lam Moon and Hee Kee Crab General.” 18 afoodieworld.com
“I never go to the same place ever, as there are always new places opening. And because I am working most of the time when I am there, it does not give me the time to eat at a regular place. The last time I was in HK, I ate at Frantzén’s Kitchen, which was great, with some very interesting dishes all heavily based on Swedish produce.”
WHER E CHEFS EAT
Pierre Hermé Born of a family with generations of patisserie chefs, Pierre Hermé has baking in his blood. The “Dior of Desserts” shares his sweet sentiments on where he delights in dining when in HK:
Photo Credit: Stéphane de Bourgies
“I have had the opportunity to dine at a number of great restaurants in Hong Kong. Some of my favourites are Bo Innovation, Mott 32, Seasons by Olivier Elzer and China Tang. We recently opened up our second boutique in Macau, and so during my visits for the openinh, I also had the chance to discover the Chinese cuisine at Jade Dragon and Pearl Dragon, two restaurants overseen by Tam Kwok Fung. When it comes to Cantonese cuisine, I love char siu, pork ribs, wonton noodles, steamed chicken with ginger. And in terms of dessert, a simple dessert of milk with tapioca and grapefruit and, of course, the eight treasures tea!”
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W HER E C HEF S E AT
Vinny Lauria Established as institutions in Hong Kong, Posto Pubblico, Stone Nullah Tavern and Linguini Fini have entrenched themselves in the community with their consistently friendly, fun-loving attitude, delicious New American food and unbeatable happy hour deals. Much of this is down to Executive Chef Vinny Lauria and his special brand of inspired dining experiences. So where does Chef Lauria spend his precious non-working hours?
“On the border of Wanchai and Causeway Bay you can find me at Lee's Family Chicken or Ichiran a lot of nights. It’s some of the best food in Hong Kong, but pretty undiscovered considering how f**king good it is.”
Igor Hadzismajlovic One of the five bartender co-founders of Employees Only in New York, which currently ranks seventh on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, Igor Hadzismajlovic recently brought his Prohibition-esque classic cocktails with a twist and modern American menu to Hong Kong. You'll travel through a psychic shop to get into the cool confines of this Big Apple export that prides itself on crafting its cocktails both speedily and with free-pouring style. So where does Igor go when he’s off duty?
“There are so many local noodle and roast duck shops in Sheung Wan and Sai Yin Pun that I've been frequenting and wish I knew the names of! My wife makes me go to Yardbird for dinner every time we're in town – it never gets old. We also love Chom Chom on Peel Street, and I have an addiction to the Hainanese chicken rice at MO Bar at the LANDMARK.”
Anthony Burd The man who keeps Mercato top notch every day of the week is Executive Chef Anthony Burd, who is a big fan of Chino in Kennedy Town – he states it’s the best taco place he’s found since moving to HK. His favourite dishes are the shima aji, the marinated pork and pineapple taco and the fish taco, which is especially nostalgic for him, bringing him back to his time spent living in California.
WHER E CHEFS EAT
Chino
Frantzén's Kitchen
Ichiran
Chris Grare Lily & Bloom is a popular playground for the Central crowd, and charming Jersey boy Chef Grare says:
“On my day off I always crave something hearty and satisfying. Recently that has been a bowl of ramen: salty, fatty, umami. My go-to place for awhile has been Nagahama No 1 Ramen in Sheung Wan. Their spicy miso ramen is just a little bit thick, which I like in a ramen broth, and of course you have to add an extra egg!” afoodieworld.com 21
foodie forays
Guili n
In this month’s Foodie Forays, Iris Cheung and CF Ng explore Guilin’s rural north-west region and its rich and colourful natural, cultural and culinary landscapes
There’s an ancient Chinese saying that boasts Guilin’s scenery as the best under heaven, typified by limestone karst hills unique to this region. Any visit to this city should see its rural regions prioritised over its cosmopolitan counterparts, for this is where you get to witness a melding of nature and culture that truly characterises China. 22 afoodieworld.com
FO O DIE FO R AYS
Ping’an Village and LongJi
The perspective from our hotel’s wooden deck, located over 600 metres above sea level, offers an unrivalled sense of tranquility.
Dappled sunlight gleamed off the surfaces of the terraced fields, coiling along the contours of the dotted hills and dividing them into distinct layers of water and green rice shoots. These terraces were given the name Longji (Dragon’s Backbone) because they resemble the scales of a dragon. While these lands have largely shedded their true agricultural elements and are instead capitalised on for tourism purposes, the terraces still own over 2,000 years of history. It’s perhaps the perfect example of sustainable tourism: a conservation of natural and cultural landscapes that is, for now, untainted by hugely overwhelming hordes of tourists. The rich diet is signified by the Longji Sibao (Four Longji Local Specialties – Yunwu tea, pepper, rice wine and glutinous rice). Here are the activities we experienced at Ping’an, Longji:
Up close, Longji’s green canvases form into winding trails and stone steps, intertwined with rows of fresh kai lan and string beans. The vegetables, all of which are organically hand grown in rich soil free of pesticides and chemical fertilisers, are a reflection of the energetic, laborious spirit of the local community. With our douli hats on and the weather in our favour, we felt confident enough to take on some digging and planting of our own. Several women, each uniquely decorated in individualised embroidered aprons and colourful, embellished headpieces, looked on with amusement. Sinking our ankles into a flooded rice field and trying our hand at ploughing the mud was a particularly illuminating experience, requiring the navigation of an unfamiliar contraption made of several wooden beams.
Channel Your Inner Farmer on Longji’s Rice Terraces
Understanding the generations of skill, knowledge
There’s nothing quite like waking up to a
inspired an appreciation for the ingredients that
screensaver-worthy view of Longji's hilly slopes
were used in our hearty meal later. Our guide,
and seeing the breathtaking network of layered
a gregarious, bandana-wearing local named
rice terraces that have developed over a period
Tony, efficiently butchered a live chicken, which
stretching back as far as the Yuan Dynasty.
was added to an earthy soup of freshly picked
and vigor encompassed in the art of farming
garlic chives, Chinese cabbage and tomato, all simmering on a wood-lit fire. The rice noodles added a starchy texture to the soup and mopped up the fresh flavours.
Appreciate the Rice appreciation of the staple food that the area’s iconic landscape has been designed and shaped to produce. As with most parts of southern China, rice forms an intrinsic component of the Guilin diet afoodieworld.com 23
Photo Credit: downeym / Flickr
No visit to Longji is complete without a thorough
FOO DI E FORAYS
and is usually served plain with a variety of meat and vegetable dishes on the side. Characterised
Yijiang and Wantian
by fresh ingredients, mouth-watering sauces and a generous dose of wok hei (meaning “the breath of the wok”), Guilin’s cuisine is best described as a more flavourful, slightly spicier sister to its neighbouring Cantonese counterpart. A more unconventional way of experiencing the region’s famed rice is to enjoy it hot from the hollow of a short bamboo stick. A soupy mixture of water, grains of black glutinous rice, carrot and meat is scooped inside a bamboo pole before corking the bamboo hollow with a shaved husk of corn. It is then cooked over an open fire, before being split open to reveal the fluffy, fragrant rice. Truly veterans in the handling of rice, the brewing of rice wine using glutinous rice is also at the heart of Longji locals’ daily routine. The most traditional method of preparation involves extracting glutinous rice from local rice fields, feeding it into wooden baskets along with water drawn from streams outside villages and finally braising it with fire and fermenting it until milky white. A bamboo pole is inserted into the middle of the wooden basket where the fermented wine is
The renowned Yijiang area along the Yi river is known for its majestic mountainous terrains, cascading waterfalls, canyons and rapids. Those up for a little physical challenge should opt to complete the journey on bike and raft along Yi river and through Wantian, a rustic agricultural district, as we did, where we passed lush villages, farms and bustling local street vendors.
Earn your Noodles by Cycling to Guilin City Ping'an is an ideal starting point for a cycling trip because you start off high up in the mountains and coast down a series of pine and bamboo forests, before a short journey along the river and deep into the mountains again. The last stretch from Wantian to Guilin city is a much easier ride, on flat, concrete backroads through small villages, bustling marketplaces and farmlands. This was where we witnessed pastoral beauty in Chinese country life that is still largely unsullied by urban development and tourist attractions.
allowed to stream down. The end product is sweet and fragrant and so easy to knock back that it will
Stuff Yourself with Guilin Mifen
have you tipping over the edge before you know it.
Guilin Mifen (rice noodle soup) might just be the crown jewel of Guilin. The reputation for this type of noodle has spread so far and wide that many claim it the best noodle in the world. The mix of sour and savoury tastes in Guilin mifen is truly a sublime pairing. A staple amongst locals, the noodle soup is made by slow-boiling various ingredients that differ across shops but usually include pork, pig skin, dried tangerine peel, cinnamon and ginger. Condiments are then added on top, including shaved pork, fried peanuts or soybeans, pickled beans, chilli and chives. While
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much of Guilin’s cuisine makes use of Cantonese
FO O DIE FO R AYS
cooking methods, this is one of the few dishes that
Although we appreciated the subtle sweetness
shares more features with its fiery north-western
of the smooth lychee and rose, as well as the
neighbour Guizhou, with its multitude of textures
lightness and delicate aroma of the white tea, we
and pungent taste.
particularly enjoyed the depth and roundness of the ginseng oolong.
Take an Unwanted Bath by Rafting Down the Yi River
As with most traditional folklore, the tale of Liu
On the way to Wantian we hopped on a rubber
of the Liu family”) has many versions, shifting
raft and drifted down the Yi river, surrounded by
and flowing with each telling of the story like a
the grandeur of towering canyons. It was a weird
game of Chinese whispers. Most versions of the
clash of senses – the thrill of the white water
story, which originates from the Zhuang ethnic
action combined with the serenity from taking in
group, features Liu Sanjie as a beautiful, talented
the scenery in all its glory.
folk singer with an enviably sweet voice and the
Sanjie (directly translating to “the third sister
elegance to match. No matter what version you
Rest Your Aching Body at Liu Sanjie Tea Farm
get, Liu Sanjie’s story is a charming one that has
Our visit to Liu Sanjie Tea Farm sadly marked the
even at a local light show you can experience.
been immortalised in plays, ballads, films and
end of our grand Guilin adventure. Luckily, an enlightening lesson on tea planting and brewing was fascinating enough to distract us from our looming departure back to Hong Kong. We were surprised and delighted to learn that the different types of teas that we normally drink (black, green, oolong, white and so on) are all brewed from leaves that derive from the same plant. The unique
Bike Aways This tour was organised by Bike Aways, which specialises in cycling tours around China and Asia. Their focus is on the appreciation of heritage and sustainable traditions and their tours are rooted in creating down-to-earth, authentic experiences. www.bikeaways.com
character of each type of of tea comes from the part of the plant from which the tea leaves are picked. White tea, for example, is made out of a tea plant’s smallest buds. The miniscule size of white lea leaves and the hardly noticeable hairs on them are associated with health benefits such as detoxing and reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, as well “clearing away heat” - a concept ingrained in Chinese traditional medicine. At the end of our tour around the farm, we sat down to digest our newfound tea knowledge with some of Liu Sanjie’s signature hand-picked teas. We sipped from tiny glass cups of ginseng oolong tea, followed by a lychee and rose tea, before the highly anticipated white tea.
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LITTLE HONG KONG KITCHEN Recipe blogger and home-cook extraordinaire Laura Williams from My Little Hong Kong Kitchen gives us her secrets for some seriously delicious dishes www.mylittlehongkongkitchen.com
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R ECIPES
SUMMER VEGGIE BRUSCHETTA Serves: 4-6 Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 5 mins
Ingredients:
Method:
Bruschetta • 4-6 slices sourdough bread • 250g ricotta cheese • 2 lemons • 1 bunch asparagus • 1 zucchini • 50g peas • 10 cherry tomatoes • 1 ½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1.
Pesto • 1 large handful fresh basil • 1 clove garlic • 30g Parmesan cheese • 30g pine nuts • Olive oil
2. 3.
4. 5.
6.
7.
Place the ricotta cheese into a bowl and add the juice of one lemon and a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix well. Use a peeler to shave the asparagus and zucchini into thin strips. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Make the pesto by adding the basil, pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan to a food processor. Blitz the ingredients together and add olive oil little by little until you achieve a thick paste. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil and the juice of a lemon. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the asparagus, zucchini, peas and tomatoes to the olive oil and lemon emulsion and toss through to coat all of the vegetables. Toast the sourdough bread and top each slice with a heaped tablespoon of the ricotta mix. Spread the mix over the bread. Top the ricotta with a heaped pile of the marinated veggies, ensuring you have a little of everything on your bruschetta. Drizzle with a teaspoon of the pesto to finish.
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R ECI P ES
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R ECIPES
BBQ PULLED CHICKEN BURGER Serves: 4 Prep time: 20 mins Cooking time: 35 mins
Ingredients:
Method:
Burger • 2 large boneless chicken thighs • 4 burger buns • Lettuce leaves
1.
Spice Rub • 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar • 1 tbsp cooking salt • 2 tsp black pepper • 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika • 1 tsp ground cumin • 2 tsp chopped rosemary • 1 tsp chopped thyme • 1 tbsp olive oil BBQ Sauce • 240g ketchup • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar • 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar • 2 tsp smoked paprika • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce • Salt and pepper to season
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. Coleslaw • 200g chopped coleslaw mix (carrot, red cabbage, white cabbage) • 1 heaped tbsp mayonnaise • 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard • 1 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar • Salt and pepper to season
8. 9.
To make the spice rub, combine all the dry spices and herbs. This spice mix will keep in a sealed jar if you have any left over. Make cuts across the chicken thighs and place on a lined baking tray. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a dish and add in 1 heaped tablespoon of the spice rub. Combine to form a paste. Coat the chicken thighs in the spice mix. Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 35 minutes. Baste the chicken in the cooking juices once or twice while roasting. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Make the BBQ sauce by placing all the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and heat on low. The sauce will begin to bubble. Remove from heat and set aside. Make the coleslaw by whisking together the mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper. Add the coleslaw mix and coat in the dressing. Once the chicken has cooled slightly, pull apart the chicken thighs into shreds. Add some of the BBQ sauce and stir to coat the chicken. Toast the buns in a dry frying pan for a minute or two to crisp them up. To assemble, spread a teaspoon of BBQ sauce on each toasted bun base and top with one or two lettuce leaves. Place a heaped tablespoon of the BBQ chicken mix and then top with a spoonful of the coleslaw. Finish with the toasted bun lid.
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meatless monthly Cindy Lam of Olive Oly Kitchen cooks delicious vegetarian recipes that support local farms and promote good old home cooking. This month, she shares her perfect go-to summer cookout salad www.oliveolykitchen.com
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R ECIPES
SUMMER SALAD Serves: 2 Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 10 mins
Ingredients: Salad • 200g watermelon, deseeded and cubed • 100g feta cheese, cubed • 200g cooked quinoa, well drained • 1 tsp lemon juice • 1 tsp chopped spring onion • 1 tsp dried oregano • 1 handful arugula • Extra-virgin olive oil Pesto • 35g arugula • 20g pistachios • 20g feta cheese • 2g spring onion • 25g extra-virgin olive oil • 1 pinch black pepper • 1 ice cube Method: 1. 2.
3.
4.
Photo styling by Giulia Revolo
To make the pesto, put everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Place the watermelon cubes in a strainer and season with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon chopped spring onion and a pinch of salt. Allow the excess watermelon juice to drain out. Season the feta with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, dried oregano, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Drain the cooked quinoa and mix with the arugula pesto. Get two 500ml glass jars and start assembling from the bottom in this order: watermelon cubes, feta, quinoa and arugula. This salad is best eaten on the same day.
Linens provided by Society Limonta afoodieworld.com 31
the zero waste diaries Hannah Chung is on a zero waste challenge. She seeks eco alternatives and green solutions for everyday living and is aiming to achieve zero waste within one year. Follow her journey on Instagram @thezerowastechallenge. I joined a group to visit a family-run organic farm in Qingyuan, China, a few months ago to further understand the growing difficulties farms face in order to be truly organic. Arriving after several hours on a minibus to a remote town, I immediately understood why the family behind Magic Season Organics moved from their farm in Hong Kong to find greener pastures in China. After several years searching for the right land, the Kwong family have found a little piece of paradise amongst the misty rolling hills of northern Guangzhou. Their methods are a mix of modern and traditional, with the water and soil tested frequently for heavy metals, waste that is fed back into the soil and crops that are enriched with their own recipe of fertilisers. As they drive their produce back to Hong Kong consumers, they are in constant dialogue on how organic can and should be done well in 32 afoodieworld.com
China, to promote the message of eating locally and seasonally. Though sounding like a new movement, the term “zero waste�, in my opinion, is just a way of taking a step back to shop and eat locally, seasonally and responsibly in a way that also caters to the convenience of modern life. With that comes a new-found appreciation for preserving foods and making the most of the produce you do buy, appreciating every little bit of food and being creative to upcycle it to better things. If you want to help to alleviate surplus food from restaurants, you should check out Food Savior and buy marked-down food that would have otherwise gone to the landfill. www.foodsavior.hk www.magicseasonorganics.com
THE ZERO WASTE DIAR IES
Veg Scrap Stock I keep all my food waste in the fridge or freezer to eliminate smells and bugs in the kitchen, a habit I picked up from a friend who used to live in Korea. I collect vegetable scraps, such as onion peels, mushroom ends, corn cobs and celery stalks, in glass jars or Tupperware boxes in the freezer until I have enough to make stock. Vegetables such as cabbage or broccoli, however, tend to be a tad bitter, so I try to skip these. When I have saved enough to fill half a large saucepan, I cover with cold water and bring to a boil with some whole peppercorns and bay leaves and leave to simmer for about an hour before cooling and straining. I generally use most of the fresh stock for soup and freeze the rest in ice cube trays to keep handy for other recipes.
Photo Credit: notahipster / Flickr
Preserving Pickling large batches of vegetables ahead of time has also saved me from finding spoilt produce in the back of my fridge. More creatively, I’ve discovered that I can also pickle watermelon rinds and root stems such as kale and Swiss chard.
Magic Season Organic
Other Scraps
Food Waste Programme
For ginger peels, lemongrass stalks and apple peels, I keep to infuse with hot water and sometimes add a little honey for a light tea. Cucumber peels, mint stalks and strawberry tops are also great for fruitinfused water.
In terms of food waste, I’m lucky enough to live in a building that participates in the Food Waste Recycling Projects in Housing Estates, a programme supported by the Environment and Conservation Fund where residents have to register to have their food scraps collected daily. The waste is composted and either fed back to landscaping and gardens around the estates or donated to farms.
For bananas that look like they might turn, I often freeze them in chunks for smoothies. They also make a great “nice” cream, simply blitzed in a food processor with some peanut butter. Freezing grapes and other fruits makes for tastier ice cubes in the summer months, and old coffee grounds make a fantastic bath scrub.
Through different phases of the projects, 35 housing estates have been participating in waste collections, educational programmes with seminars and sharing workshops to spread the word on reducing household waste. I strongly recommend enquiring about this programme at your own building.
For more zero waste tips and green solutions to try at home, visit www.afoodieworld.com/users/hannah