Category: Taste

Edible Stories: Creative culinary flair helps Tate keep Michelin star

Tate features delicious French-Cantonese fusion cuisine

Few fine dining restaurants are abuzz with activity on a Wednesday night, especially when the eight-course tasting menu promises to set you back some HK$1,600. However, Tate Dining Room & Bar manages to pull an elegant crowd even on weeknights, with diners flocking to try the restaurant that has won a Michelin star every year since its inception in 2012.

Tate, a French-Cantonese fusion restaurant in Sheung Wan, is the brainchild of Vicky Lau, an NYU Graphic Communications graduate who indulged her love for food at Le Cordon Bleu Bangkok. “I discovered that food, as a medium of expression, was a far more liberating canvas to explore creativity because of the added dimensions of taste and smell,” says Lau.

Chef Vicky Lau heads Tate

Last March, Tate re-opened its doors after relocating from its “humble” home on Elgin Street to a space twice its size on Hollywood Road. On the first floor, a neon light blinks at you from the street, spelling out “POEM”. At this patisserie celebrating the iconography of Hong Kong, Lau collaborates with pastry chef Nocar Lo to create delicate pastries and chocolates inspired by the city’s nostalgic flavours (think oolong tea mousse and chocolate red date cake). On the second level, a staircase opens up to a space not unlike a contemporary art gallery.

Lau is in the kitchen, hard at work less than a year after giving birth to daughter Kory. “Since moving to Sheung Wan we’re serving more customers every night,” she says. “We are constantly changing; in the culinary scene the only constant is change.”

Sleek Tate interiors

The latest menu, entitled Odes to, is inspired by Chilean poet-diplomat Pablo Neruda. It begins with Ode to Balance: marinated hiramasa (yellowtail kingfish sashimi) with yuzu cream, avocado and cucumber ice cream. Our group thought it was a strong start; subjected to a democratic vote, the fresh first course tied with the chicken rice risotto as the overall favourite.

The Ode to Nostalgia risotto – cooked in a supreme chicken broth with goji berry – would appeal more to Asian palates. The hot and comforting dish is an interpretation of oriental classics such as drunken chicken and rice congee.

Tate features delicious French-Cantonese fusion cuisine

Other highlights of the menu included a 10 vegetables broth poured over pan-fried red mullet fish and the generously marbled Kagoshima beef striploin with Sichuan puree. The latter, however, drew mixed reactions. Some appreciated the fatty meat, while others declared it a heart attack waiting to happen.

The lettuce-wrapped, pan-fried foie gras was a paragon of fusion cuisine: shaped like a dumpling, the leaf pocket was stuffed with dried mushroom, then steamed and deliciously paired with pine nut cream. Cantonese specialties, including dai lin abalone with vegetable ribbons and scallop espuma with fermented tofu butter, were other welcome additions to the menu.

Ode to Bees creation at Tate restaurant

Unfortunately, the dessert – an apple espuma with fermented apple and apple pie ice cream – was underwhelmingly bland. However, the mignardise (bite-sized sweets) saved the day with its assortment of honeyed creations. Aptly named Ode to Bees, the macaroons and confections – served in a beehive-shaped plate tower – wowed both visually and sapidly.

The menu unveils itself much like an art exhibition, with a story behind each dish. Lau calls her approach “culinary expressionism”, and it is this creative outlook that helped her land the title of Hong Kong’s only female chef with a Michelin star.

Tate serves up pretty dishes like Ode to Nostalgia

An optional wine pairing (HK$480/3 glasses or HK$780/6 glasses) consists of carefully curated labels hailing mainly from France. An eight-course vegetarian menu (HK$1,380) “for lovers of Mother Nature’s treasures” is also available.

“I am truly honoured to be considered among the ranks of the greats,” says Lau.

Tate's new address in Sheung Wan

A trip to Tate is truly an immersion in gastronomy and design. Lau’s harmony of art, science and story-telling continues to produce a winning formula which all but assures Tate’s tables will remain full for many more weeknights to come.

Tate Dining Room and Bar. 210 Hollywood Rd, Sheung Wan. Dinner 7pm to 11pm (closed on Sundays). +852 2555 2172, +852 9468 2172. info@tate.com.hk, tate.com.hk

Text: Julienne C. Raboca
Images: Tate

Meat Thy Maker: Maximal Concepts’ flagship, Blue, is more than your average steakhouse


With seven properties in the region – including a speakeasy, haute Chinese restaurant and, more irreverently, a beauty centre – Hong Kong-based Maximal Concepts is living up to its name.

Founded in 2012, the group has achieved widespread recognition for its track record of opening diverse, narrative-driven F&B venues. Trend-conscious diners will doubtless be familiar: whether it’s award-winning cocktails at Stockton or late-night revels at Brickhouse, the company’s Mexican offering.

Indeed, the group’s strongest asset might be its specialised portfolio, which caters to diverse – and often ultra-specific – segments of the market. This being Hong Kong, steakhouses are one such premiere segment. Local buyers have imported an estimated HK$7.6 billion in beef this year alone, while international chains continue to expand into a city saturated with steakhouses. It’s this environment that makes the longevity of Blue, Maximal’s restaurant-cum-butchery, previously known as Blue Butcher, all the more impressive.

Originally established in 2012 (and rebranded last year), Blue made its initial reputation by specialising in Rubia Gallega: a breed of bovine hailing from the Basque region in northern Spain. These days – though Galician beef remains a fixture on the restaurant’s menu – executive chef Sebastian Comerso casts a wide net, searching internationally for the best cuts in every corner of the world.

Intent on providing a culinary experience that goes beyond the milquetoast, Blue revamped its menu in May so as to echo the resurgent movements of “slow food” and international dining.

Proceedings commence innocently enough, with the house’s steak tartare. The foundation of this dish is grass-fed Australian tenderloin, making for lean beef that is initially unctuous before giving way to a more delicate texture. Inspired by the cuisine of Catalan, Comerso dresses it as a pan tomaca, complementing the former’s richness with chunks of fresh acidic tomato. Iberian flourishes follow with salty-sweet pata negra added to the composition.

Initial impressions are followed by the Blue beef ribs – a new barbecue-centric addition to the restaurant’s menu. Comerso’s take on the ubiquitous North American dish won’t be winning any accolades for innovation, but what it lacks in novelty it compensates for in sheer execution.

Upon initial inspection, the signs all point toward a roaring good time: burnt ends gild the edges of the beef while a natural fat cap glistens provocatively. Slow cooking has preserved the meat’s moisture, imparting a tenderness so profound that it borders on ethereal – even the bones have softened, adding to the multi-textural experience!

The sourdough French toast, conceived by pastry chef David Puig, bears a croque monsieur-esque appearance – thick-cut toast topped with flambéed vanilla cream. A crisp top layer gives way to the cake-like sourdough below, and the dessert is paired with an assortment of “breakfast” spreadables and freshly grated lime zest. There’s something so delightfully taboo about consuming this creation, acutely resembling breakfast, at dinnertime. Fittingly, it is a finale capturing Blue at its best and most elemental: simple, familiar, comforting.

BLUE – BUTCHER & MEAT SPECIALIST
Address: 108 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Tel: 2613 9286
www.bluebutcher.com

Text: Randalph Lai

For the full article, please check out the latest issue of Gafencu’s print magazine or the PDF version on the Gafencu app. Download the app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store

Coffee Culture: COVA celebrates its 200th anniversary

On the eve of its birthday bash, COVA’s CEO Paola Faccioli tells us how the brand successfully balances its 200-year Italian heritage with modern tastes and trends.

What makes COVA unique?

COVA is an experience. It’s not just a product store or a cup of coffee. Whether you’re stepping into our store in Milan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, etc, you will be touched by all the tastes and atmosphere that are quintessentially Milanese. This adherence to tradition has helped us reach this 200 anniversary milestone today.

How do you tailor the COVA experience for local palates?

Our first expansion into Hong Kong over 25 years ago taught us a lot. You can’t just transplant our original café into a new destination and not make some changes. There’s a big back and forth, a cultural exchange local trends and our traditional roots that keeps us fresh in new markets.

A great example is our mango cake. It’s not something that we traditionally have in Italy, but it’s a huge favourite in Asia. So our Hong Kong chef created a mango cake to cater to local tastes first, and now it’s become one of our international favourites.

How has coffee culture evolved in Hong Kong?

When we first entered Hong Kong, nobody knew what coffee really was. It was not a common habit to drink coffee and very few had tried an authentic espresso or a cappuccino. We were pioneers.

With the advent of Starbucks and the globalisation of coffee, everything has changed. People are more aware of different types of beans and brewing methods. They have become more selective so they now recognise the high quality that COVA provides.

Do you have any special 200th anniversary products?

We’ve released a limited edition Capsule Collection which is a compilation of COVA’s best-selling products. There is also special 200th anniversary packaging for all our products from the world-famous panettone to delectable chocolates. We also launched some special menus for the big occasion.

What plans for the future?

We just opened a lovely and intimate café in Monte Carlo this September. It’s our first café other than our original Milan location in 200 years, so it was very exciting for us. We are also opening another store, a big one, in Dubai at the end of this year.

There are other major projects in the pipelines in the Middle East and even North America, so keep an eye out for those announcements, too!

Thank you.

Interview: Tenzing Thondup

Zuma’s Sake Pairing Autumn Menu is the Asian answer to vine and dine

Our Features Editor was invited to an intimate dinner at yuppie favourite izakaya Zuma in the Landmark. Little did she know she was about to dine in the presence of sake royalty: Mr Hideki Sakai of Gokyo Junmai. The Sakai family is famous for brewing the “Five Bridges” sake for centuries.

After a lot of bowing and formal card exchanging, the dinner proceeded more casually than anticipated. Zuma’s downstairs dining ambience helps: high-ceilings, a buzzing after-work crowd, chefs doing their magic in an open kitchen, and floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the energetic street scene of Central by night.

“We stumbled upon the secret to our distinct flavour by mistake,” says Sakai. “Instead of brewing the rice wine in mineral water, which is better for the fermentation process, we accidentally used soft water.” The error resulted in a well-bodied product: equal parts smooth, fruity and crisp.

Sake sommelier Hiroaki Matsuno was also present that evening. He elaborated on the sake pairings alongside the restaurant’s contemporary Nikkei-esque cuisine. According to Matsuno, hiya-oroshi sake is specifically for the autumn season – stored throughout summer and released once the temperature in and out of the brewery matches.

Although winter’s warm sakes and summer’s chilled ginjos are fondly considered, the country’s best brews are said to be those of red-leaf season. Hiya-oroshi is characterised for its mellow and round disposition, the lightest and cleanest of which we tried with the appetisers: Oysters with Ponzu and Chili Daikon and Shima Aji Sashimi Salad with Green Apple Granita.

Little dots at the bottom of the short clear glasses marked the different brews we were trying. At 15% average alcohol content, sake is a match for wine’s 9-16% range, well over beer’s 3-9% ABV, and less than half of vodka’s 40%.

With the chef’s Premium Sushi and Sashimi Selection (course #3 – both a visual and gastronomic work of art), we had the Kyoto-sourced Tsukinokatsura. The smooth-cloudy rice brew also accompanied course #4: Akamutsu, a torched rosy sea bass) with sudachi (citrus) and fresh wasabi.

The fusion seafood pairings of courses #5 and #6 were the best applauded: Chilean Seabass with Green Chili Ginger Dressing and Hokkaido Scallops with umeboshi butter and mentaiko (Alaskan Pollock roe). The distinct and powerful flavours were well matched with Gookyo Junmai’s aromatic and fragrant tones.

The last mains were paired with Gozenshu 9 “Black” Bodaimoto Junmai, which came in a dark bottle more akin to those of cherry dessert wines. This brew (from a famous female wine master) was specifically chosen to go with the meat: a Niigata Snow-Aged Wagyu Sirloin (f1 grade). Surprisingly, the accompanying Maitake Mushrooms (course #8) proved a vegetarian alternative well on par with the meat.

Soup was the last savoury dish: Spicy crab with fresh yuzu and mushrooms. Fantastic and well-balanced, like everything in this dinner. The only over-indulgence came in the form of the Deluxe Dessert Platter, in which Zuma outdid itself with all its best-selling sweets. Do not hold back on this one, it’s worth every single calorie.

Zuma’s Sake Pairing Dinner will be available until the 9th of December. Landmark Level 5 & 6, 15 Queen’s Road Central. (852) 3657 6388. www.zumarestaurant.com


Text: Julienne C. Raboca

Retro Reinvented: Central’s newest cinema gets creative in the kitchen

Albert Yeung’s Emperor Group is launching its first cinema in the city this fall. With a prime location in Central’s Entertainment Building, the venue will boast 200 seats across five theatres with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment and the latest in paperless ticketing technology.

The crowning achievement (quite literally) is the Coronet, a VIP room with just 11 seats replete with reclining seats, USB charging ports and a table-side ordering service. There’s even a blanket at your elbow if you start feeling chilly.

The biggest surprise, though, is the retro American-diner style food outlet, Roomsbar. Run by veteran dining group Maximal Concepts, the menu features classic American cinema snacks such as hotdogs, nachos and popcorn – with an up market twist.

Unlike the pre-made fare at other cinema outlets, each tasty treat here is made-to-order from the kitchen. Now gourmets can munch on freshly made Truffle Dogs, Pork Carnitas Nachos or Pulled Pork Burgers while taking in the latest Hollywood flick.

If you’re feeling thirsty, Roomsbar also has several signature cocktails on tap curated by Maximal Concepts mixologists. Adults can sip on a Margarita or Gin & Tonic, while the kids enjoy non-alcoholic mocktails like the Sarsaparilla or Raspberry Fizz.

So next time you’re feeling in a movie mood, an outing to Emperor Cinema might just be your ticket!

Spirited Away: The Woods’ Annex bucks the trend and takes you on a journey

In a city already saturated to the brim with alcoholic watering holes, The Woods’ Annex is taking things in a completely new direction.

KWOON by The Woods’ unassuming storefront on Staunton Street hides a vast spirits library and a single wooden table in the back. This cosy space, dubbed The Woods’ Annex, is where the charismatic and eminently knowledgeable Victoria Chow, founder and managing director of The Woods, holds educational spirits tastings.

Although her more conventional cocktail bar on Hollywood Road and KWOON store do feature artisanal spirits, Chow’s vision for The Woods’ Annex goes one step further. By putting the spotlight solely on spirits, she wants to foster an educational space that, in her own words, “[is] somewhere we can essentially get people to open their minds about different spirits and understand them a little better.”

Don’t come here expecting your run-of-the-mill Bombay Sapphires, Absoluts or Johnny Walkers. No. This is a space dedicated to exploring artisanal spirits with unexpected tastes and unique terroirs.

Each carefully curated bottle has its own place in the shelves, paired fittingly with a ‘library card’ recording the bottle’s previous imbibers.

It may sound a tad pretentious but the actual experience is anything but. The reality is a captivating and surprisingly educational guided journey that builds upon and also breaks down your preconceived perceptions of alcoholic spirits.

So ditch your gin tonics and vodka sodas for an evening and try a tasting at The Woods’ Annex instead. It will be time well spent.

Tastings are by-appointment only, and for groups of nine or less. Each session lasts 90 minutes with minimum spend at HK$300 per head.

The Woods’ Annex. 64 Staunton Street, Central. 2522 0281. http://www.thewoods.hk/annex

Text by: Tenzing Thondup

Fish and Hysteria: This fresh seafood restro-bar is all business on top, party at the bottom

Now that we’re on our fifth and final instalment of the Wan Chai Date Night Series (see our last one on Sichuan bistro Deng G here), we’re almost sad to say goodbye to this bustling neighbourhood. But before the last adieu, we make one more stop at Fishsteria, a seafood place that opened on Queen’s Road East a couple of years back.

Downstairs, Fishsteria holds Mermaid’s Night one Thursday a month with ladies’ specials and live music

Best for lunch / brunch dates: Fishsteria

A majority of the restaurants we tried for this series (3 of 5!) have had two floors: one for casual drinks and bites downstairs, and another for sit-down dining upstairs. But Fishsteria’s lower floor concept sets itself apart from the others with its unique seafood propositions. Take the Oyster & Caviar O’clock, for example – the downstairs bar has HK$10 oyster ‘happy hours’ from 5 to 7pm everyday!

That day however, we made a beeline for the upper floor to see what fresh catch we could munch on. We were surprised at how spacious and elegant the first floor was compared to the small looking ground floor lobby belying Fishsteria’s true size. The place was packed with lunch hour executives enjoying Chef and Owner Gianni’s sustainable ocean fare.

Set lunch is a three-course affair of HK$238. Selections are varied and hefty, ranging from appetizers Bouillabaisse and Burrata Crab Meat Salad to mains Seafood Paella and Angus Ribeye Steak. If you’re in a hurry, they have lunch downstairs as well for HK$88-128 (Mixed Seafood Linguini!). On weekends, Fishsteria hosts the Crudo Seafood Brunch offering five types of unlimited raw seafood, freshly shucked oysters and dessert for just HK$378. See why we awarded the place best for lunch / brunch dates?

We started with the Whole Sea bass Carpaccio (HK$358), a light paper-thin appetizer drizzled with citrus and topped with olives and capers. Five stars. Next we had a deliciously cooked Dover Sole (HK$368) with fresh leaves and dashes of Mediterranean dip. This was more than enough for us, but if you’re hungry, we’d recommend the larger and richer Pan-Fried Royal Seabream (HK$398), served over chorizo with lobster and foie gras sauce.

By the end of the meal we thought we had no room left for dessert, but the Pistachio and Raspberry Semifreddo (HK$138) changed our minds. It was impressively good – no holds were barred in the making of this serving made for sharing. Pistachio ice cream, crispy flakes, tangy raspberry, gooey chocolate sauce and crunchy peanuts – who knew those ingredients were a match made in heaven? Every single sweet tooth we had was pleased.

Would we come back to Fishsteria? That would be a resounding yes after discovering that the place has more to it than meets the eye.

Fishteria. G/F & 1/F 111 Queen’s Road East Wan Chai Hong Kong. (852) 2343 8111. www.fishsteria.hk

Fishsteria is part of The Caprioli Management group. You can check out their other restaurants in Wan Chai, too:

Giando Shop 1, G/F, Tower 1, Starcrest, 9 Star Street, Wanchai, Hong Kong. (852) 2511 8912, (852) 9683 4900. www.giandorestaurant.com

Giá Trattoria Italiana 1/F, Fleet Arcade, Fenwick Pier, 1 Lung King Street, Wan Chai. (852) 2511 8081, (852) 9683 4900. www.giatrattoriaitaliana.com

Mercato by Giando G/F Fleet Arcade, Fenwick Pier, Wan Chai. (852) 2511 1252. www.mercatobygiando.com

Text by: Julienne C. Raboca

Going for Gold: Godiva’s latest collection gets creative

Godiva hosted a star-studded launch party to celebrate its new Gold Discovery Collection at the IFC Mall atrium. Guests were treated to an exhibition on the origin of chocolate, as well as live tastings of the latest flavours.

Gafencu sat with Belgium-based Godiva Master Chef Chocolatier Jean Apostolou and Shanghai-based Chef Chocolatier Philippe Daue to find out more about this latest collection.

What is the inspiration for this new collection?

Chef Jean: The collection is a revamp, a reinterpretation of classic Godiva flavours with a contemporary twist. The point of this collection is not to shock people, but to reintroduce them to the 2.0 version of old favourites while also introducing some new ingredients and textures.

What new flavours can we expect?

Chef Jean: The collection has 16 different flavours. We’ve included a greater variety of fruits and nuts and introduced caramels to the mix. We’ve also boosted the texture of each bite by experimenting with mousse fillings and ganaches for example. It’s a surprising collection because each piece is drastically different from the next.

Did you take inspiration from regional ingredients?

Chef Philippe: As an international brand, we are constantly exchanging ideas with our chefs across the world to stay on the cutting edge of flavour development.

For this collection there are some very Asian flavours such as lychee and passion fruit. Nuts are also an Asian favourite, so that’s something we’ve built upon. Pistachio, macadamia, pecan, etc. have been used as a response to current global tastes.

Why did you focus on Asian tastes?

Chef Philippe: Firstly, Asia is home to an immense variety of ingredients that are not traditionally found or paired with chocolate. As a chef, it’s very exciting and refreshing to experiment with these flavours and create something new.

Also, Asia is one of our largest growing markets. Asians are becoming more educated in chocolate culture now, and we want to capture that interest by including some familiar tastes.

Which is your favourite from the collection, and why?

Chef Jean: My favourite is the almond one. The sweetness of the chocolate with that hint of salt rounded off by the crunch of a whole almond is just fantastic.

Chef Philippe: I love the pistachio one. It’s a hard nut to work with and to balance out. Jean has found the perfect combination, and the result is delicious!

Thank you.

The new Gold Discovery Collection is now available in Hong Kong.
Godiva Gold Discovery Chocolate Gift Box 6pcs: HK$180
Godiva Gold Discovery Chocolate Gift Box 9pcs: HK$260
Godiva Gold Discovery Chocolate Gift Box15pcs: HK$415
Godiva Gold Discovery Chocolate Gift Box 20pcs: HK$525

Interview: Tenzing Thondup