108 HOLLYWOOD ROAD,CENTRAL,HONG KONGFOR RESERVATIONS:+852 2613 9286

info@bluebutcher.com www.bluebutcher.com

NOW OPEN FOR LUNCHNOW OPEN

108 HOLLYWOOD ROAD,CENTRAL,HONG KONGFOR RESERVATIONS:+852 2613 9286

info@bluebutcher.com www.bluebutcher.com

NOW OPEN FOR LUNCHNOW OPEN

Wagyu Takumi The Oakhill, 16 Wood Road, Wanchai

2574 1299

What is it? A member of the Japanese restaurant

group that includes Gin Sai and Rozan, Wagyu

Takumi – newly crowned with two Michelin stars

– is the most exclusive dining experience of the

bunch. Akin to a private kitchen, up to 14 diners

each night can partake in Chef Mitsuru Konishi’s

seasonally changing tasting menu (definitely eye-

watering at $1,880 per person for nine courses),

which is a blend of Japanese and French ingredients

and culinary techniques. The shiny jewel-box of

a room, all bronze and copper tones, is centred

around an open kitchen surrounded by counter

seating so that diners can get up close and personal

with Konishi-san. The chef and his brigade exude a

sense of calm and precision that’s contagious: the

focus is solely on immersing yourself in the dining

experience as a whole.

The new tasting menu: Having honed his craft at

two-Michelin-starred L’ATELIER de Joël Robuchon

in Tokyo and Paris restaurants Michel Rostang and

Taillevent, Chef Konishi has recently introduced

a new simplified – but far from simple – tasting

menu. Nine courses may seem like a gut-busting

lot, but the portion sizing is just right. We left

feeling completely satisfied, but with our buttons

still firmly intact. The first accolade goes to Chef

Konishi’s flawless presentation and attention to

detail, starting with the teeny-tiny gold leaf atop

the first course of gorgeous tuna and avocado

tartare served with a generous heap of caviar. The

chef is a fan of playing with texture and mouthfeel,

with “crunch” being a particular favourite; this was

best showcased in the subtly sweet chestnut soup,

where some delightful surprises where hidden at

the bottom of our teacup: crunchy diced celery

and chestnut and velvety steamed egg and foie

gras. There’s no tactful way of putting this without

giggling, but we also enjoyed the codfish milt,

which is (get ready) another way to say fish sperm.

Brain-like in appearance, it’s also super creamy,

rich and delicate in flavour. The fatty – in the best

possible sense of the world – and impossibly tender

charcoal-grilled Hida Wagyu tenderloin and

teppanyaki flank steak were other high points. Both

were accompanied by three sauces that worked a

treat counterbalancing all that richness: wasabi

and salt; an assertive Béarnaise, heavy on the

vinegar, and a thin and peppery number. The pre-

dessert course of wee spoonfuls of lychee and yuzu

jellies provided pops of flavour, the most intense of

the meal.

Latest lunch news: Four- and six-course lunch

menus, priced at $880 and $1,380 respectively, are

now available. They sound like the perfect options

for those with smaller tummy space (and wallets).

16

18

ZafranB/F, 43-55 Wyndham Sttreet, Central 2116 8855

What is it? Riding the Spanish wave that has

recently washed over Hong Kong’s culinary shores

is this haute-cuisine offering of stylish tapas. The

hidden depths of this chic new eatery contain a DJ

lounge, front bar, open kitchen with long chef’s

table and a second intimate eating area, all decked

out with cool lighting and comfy seating.

The food of España: Zafran’s Executive Chef,

Marc Lores Panades, cooks and entertains from his

show kitchen with typical Latin gusto, producing

appetising masterpieces while answering his curious

diners’ questions from their counter dining perches.

His chorizo ($88) and black pudding are both made

in-house and are a triumph of simplicity, while his

scallop dish with Barcelona artichokes and salt cod

cauliflower cake ($118) are highly decorated dishes

with more styling than a US Marine. Not usually

impressed by overly fussed food, the taste of both

these dishes was a triumph that overwhelmed both

the eyes and the palate. Spain’s version of surf and

turf – the sea cucumber and Ibérico ham – was a

chewy and fibrous endeavour, while the suckling

pig ($170) was just the right amount of crispy and

fatty. All the typical tapas fare you would expect are

also on the menu, from patatas bravas ($78) to ham

croquettes ($88).

Say what? Just as our stomachs threatened to

burst, dessert was served. A fried breakfast sat in

the skillet in front of us looking like the last thing in

the world we wanted to eat at that moment. But a

brave first spoonful unearthed that the French fries

were in fact pineapple sticks doused with raspberry

coulis rather than ketchup, and the apparent black

pudding was a chocolate brownie in disguise. The

fried egg revealed itself to be a delicious sorbet.

This creative and pleasurable dessert both messed

with our minds and delighted our taste buds.

Jax Coco – $20/250ml

city’super, Shop 1041–49, Level 1, ifc mall, 8 Finance

Street, Central 2234 7128

Jax boasts fantastic packaging, with a beautifully

simple glass bottle that you could easily reuse

elsewhere in your kitchen. Completely absent of

scent, with a cloudier, yellowish appearance, this

version from the Philippines is a good-looking

contender. It felt a bit thicker going down the

throat, with a stronger flavour than the others, but

somehow also managed to taste more like actual

water as well.

FOODIE RATING

Coco Fresco – $13/250ml

city’super, Shop 1041–49, Level 1, ifc mall, 8 Finance

Street, Central 2234 7128

Whoa! Pop the lid off this bottle and it’s like a

pina colada has assaulted the senses. This is not

necessarily a bad thing, but it’s certainly not what

we had expected. This Vietnamese offering would

appeal to those with a sweet tooth, but for us, it

was akin to drinking sugar water. The flavour was

like actually drinking the flesh of a coconut and

was a bit sickly for our taste.

FOODIE RATING

20

food war

foodClash of the Coconuts

WARAlthough coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, it has gained

popularity in the Western world quite recently, where it has mainly been marketed as a natural energy-boost drink because of its high potassium and mineral levels. Some

marketers have gone so far as to call it “Mother Nature’s sports drink”. Thailand, Vietnam or the Philippines – which country’s coconuts produce the tastiest water?

Too sweet for us! Beautiful and tasty

In 1999, he established Ducasse Education, a global

organisation of professional culinary training

centres, including research and consulting. He

has since founded cooking institutions throughout

France (Argenteuil, Paris and Yssingeaux) and in

the Philippines. There is one more institute set to

open this year in Moscow, with additional academic

partners in the US and Brazil.

Ducasse was one of the first Michelin-starred chefs

to found a restaurant here in Hong Kong and says

that in the ten years since establishing SPOON, he

has noticed a food revolution of sorts here, not only

in the quality of the food but also in the variety of

cuisines that are now available. In celebration of

SPOON’s 10th anniversary, a competition was held

amongst the top Hong Kong culinary schools, with

students submitting a complete dish presented

solely on a spoon, as well as their personal

reasons for wanting to meet Ducasse. The top 10

winners spent a day in the kitchen with Ducasse,

before preparing a feast for a select group of food

journalists.

His main advice to these ten young chefs was that in

order to succeed in this industry, one “needs to learn

and master the necessary [culinary] skills”, and

when it comes to maintaining high standards in his

numerous kitchens across the globe, it is essential

for the kitchen management to have rigorous

discipline and high expectations.

chewin' the fat

Chewin’ the Fat with...

A man with 22 restaurants across the globe and 17 Michelin stars to his name, Alain Ducasse is undoubtedly one of the most acknowledged and revered

international chefs. Foodie had the privilege to sit down and dine with this culinary icon whilst celebrating the 10th anniversary of SPOON by Alain Ducasse at InterContinental Hong Kong

Having worked in kitchens since he was 16 years

old, Ducasse has over four decades of experience in

the industry. He spent several years working under

the tutelage of renowned French chefs such as

Michel Guérard, Gaston Lenôtre and Roger Vergé

before moving on to lead his own kitchen team at La

Terrasse (Hôtel Juana in Juan-Le-Pils, France) and

being awarded his first two Michelin stars in 1984 at

the age of just 28.

Having been trained by such acclaimed chefs,

Ducasse is a firm believer that passing on

knowledge is the key to developing talented

chefs, explaining, “Transmission is a fundamental

value. I have the duty to share my knowledge with

the future generations of chefs. I must transmit

flavours, techniques, motivation.”

22

Alain Ducasse

SPOON by Alain Ducasse

24

In celebration of its website expansion, EAT Fresh is

sharing the love by showcasing a revolving line-up

of fabulous organic pantry items from a select

range of local companies, including Carazuc organic

coconut flower sugar, 73 Deep Pink Himalayan salt

and volcanic pili nuts from Stephen James Organics

(www.sjorganics.com); superfoods drinks by Pure

Swell (www.pureswell.com); gluten-free breads

baked by Choice Cooperative (www.facebook.com/

choicecooperative) and essential oils courtesy of

Native Essentials (www.nativeessentials.com).Launched two years ago by a duo with a passion

for local farm-to-table produce, Eat FRESH’s

directors – certified plant-based chef and health

coach Mia Moore and Martina Bin, whose love

for the land was fostered by her Italian farming

family – have partnered up with ten certified

local organic farms in order to provide customers

with the highest-quality organic seasonal veggies

delivered direct to their doors.

All of the

e-greengrocer’s

produce is

hand-picked and

delivered soon

after harvest, with

seasonal vegetable,

juicing and even

detox boxes

(regular and large

sizes) available for

purchase via Eat

FRESH’s brand-new

interactive website. Both subscription plans and

à la carte options are up for grabs. The website

also features a user-friendly Recipe Finder, where

web surfers can discover simple, tasty and – most

importantly – tried and tested recipes with Chef

Mia’s seal of approval. Users can search by

vegetable or meal course, with facts and storing

tips offered.

Upcoming Foodie Event

To highlight their new organic veggie detox

boxes (which include a manual chock-full

of juicing and detox recipes), Eat FRESH will

host an organic raw vegan sushi-making

workshop on Wednesday, 8 January 2014 at

creative and social space Plantation (Shop B,

1–4 Tai On Terrace, Sheung Wan). For more

information and to register, email

delivery@eatfresh.com.hk.

This green-hearted company’s mission is simple: to deliver fresh,

high-quality local and organic vegetables to homes around the 852

Eat FRESH

promotion

To start shopping for the finest organic veggies around,

go to www.eatfresh.com.hk.

26

From HK to NZ

Michael Leung of HK Honey says, “Bees are an

essential and valuable part of our food system.

As per the USDA, one-third of the food in our diet

relies to some extent on bee pollination. In the

past few years, the population of bees globally

has been reduced. This is due in large part to the

use of pesticides.” Peter Bray is Managing Director

of Airborne Honey, New Zealand’s oldest honey

brand and a family company that has been in

business for more than 100 years. Bray says the

great bee decline is all a bit overhyped. “This is a

case where some events have been reported beyond

their significance. Worldwide, the profitability

of beekeeping plays the largest role in beehive

numbers. If it is not profitable, beekeepers will

reduce their hive numbers. Since labour is the single

largest input (beekeeping is labour-intensive),

countries with high labour costs have higher total

costs to operate a beehive. Favourable beekeeping

conditions and low labour costs are one of the

reasons China is one of the largest honey-producing

countries. New Zealand is lucky to have favourable

conditions, wonderful honey sources with unique

flavours and a clean, pollution-free environment.”

A Rooftop Beehive

Since its inception in 2010, Hong Kong’s own

local honey initiative, HK Honey, has been doing

its part to grow the bee population here. It

has now spread its honeybee wings further to

collaborate with InterContinental Hong Kong,

and by helping them to house their own hives on

the hotel’s rooftop, the hotel can now produce

their own honey. Bryan Chiu, InterContinental’s

Executive Assistant Manager, tells us how he’s

been busy as a bee: “We needed professional

guidance to determine the viability of setting up

all about the honey, honey, honey

30

piggy provenance

Get to know your pork sausage before it ends up in your belly

PIGGy PROvENANcE

Isn’t it nice to know where your meat

comes from? A new company in

Hong Kong are leading the way into

trustworthy local pork products with

their range of classic sausages.

The Sausage co. uses meat from animals that

have been bred from original European breeds

and lead a happy, well-cared-for life on family-

run Wah Kee Farm in the New Territories. No

chemicals or hormones are used to stimulate

artificial growth, and the pigs are fed from grains

imported from the UK. What’s more, in the

production of their premium-quality sausages,

there are no preservatives, emulsifiers, browning

agents or other nasty chemicals added. They are

a pricey lot ($118 for four on www.grocer.com.

hk), but with The Sausage Co., you get what you

pay for. Andrew Cawte tells us about how the

company got started here in HK: “Growing up in

England, my parents always steered clear of the

mass-produced, highly processed sausages that

were common in supermarkets, and instead bought

them from our local butcher, who made the most

delicious sausages by hand. Over the years, I’ve

discovered more and more great sausages, and a

kind of passion has developed. As I’ve embarked

on this journey, more and more people have

been coming out of the woodwork with the same

passion. What it taught me is that in Hong Kong,

32

piggy provenance

Jonny describes the classes, explaining, “The

Butchers Club’s sausage-making class is held

every Tuesday night at our butcher shop in

Aberdeen, and we can accommodate up to

10 individuals per class. We also offer private

bookings at other times, both evenings and

lunchtimes, for groups of 10 to 16. Tuesday

classes are priced at $1,300 per person, and for

private bookings of 10 people or more, we offer

a discounted price of $1,150 per person.” In the

workshop, you’ll learn how to butcher legs of pork

and lamb and select and combine the ingredients

for the sausage recipe – or get creative and design

your own recipe. Then you’ll learn to grind the

meat and combine it with your ingredients, stuff

the sausage meat into natural casings using a

sausage-stuffing machine and link the sausages.

The class also includes a dinner of sausage and

mash with complimentary drinks, as well as a

prize for the best sausage of the evening. You get

one kilogram of sausages to take home, and they

even run kid’s classes, so you can get your tiny

tots making up their own supper. Sounds like the

missing link to us! Check it out at

www.butchersclub.com.hk.

If you’re interested not only in the provenance of the

meat inside your sausage but also in putting that

meat in there yourself, you can learn to make your

own through The Butchers club’s sausage-making

classes. We spoke to owner Jonny Glover to find out

all about what inspired him to teach Hong Kongers to

build their own bangers. He says, “We started these

classes because we thought it would be fun, and there

are also not many places in Hong Kong that have

classes as such. The response has been very good so

far. We have been booked solid every Tuesday since we

started, with many requests for large-scale corporate

team-building classes. This was an experiment – we

had no idea it would be so popular – but the food

movement is rapidly growing here.”

In December 2013, Mirror Restaurant regained

its one-Michelin-starred status, but unfortunately

the damage was already done. The restaurant

served its last meal on 31 December 2013. All

Jeremy had to say was, “I would rather they had

waited until they were sure.”

Michelin stars have always been something that

certain chefs strive for as an acknowledgement

that they are among the best of the best.

Diners are also continually on the lookout for

internationally renowned restaurants that have

been awarded for culinary excellence. This is all

perfectly fine… until it starts to compromise the

financial stability of an establishment and the

health of the chef and his or her team – either

through the pressure of maintaining or the fear of

losing those coveted stars. And when this happens,

the perspective is lost.

The Michelin Guide and its standards here in

Hong Kong are in danger of devaluing the brand’s

36

food for thought

The Michelin Red Guide is the oldest and most popular European hotel and restaurant guide,

established over a hundred years ago by the Michelin tyre manufacturer with the intention of

boosting the demand for cars in France. The first editions contained information for motorists that

included maps, repair and tyre change instructions and a listing of hotels and petrol stations.

Michelin Star criteria

According to the Michelin Guide itself, restaurants are judged regarding what’s on the plate,

meaning the quality of products, the mastery of flavours, execution, personality of the cuisine,

value for money and the restaurant’s consistency in serving its menu throughout the year.

One star: A very good restaurant in its category, offering cuisine prepared to a

consistently high standard. A good place to stop on your journey.

Two stars: Excellent cuisine, skilfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding

quality. Worth a detour.

Three stars: Exceptional cuisine where diners eat extremely well, often superbly.

Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients.

Worth a special journey.

own well-earned reputation as being the best

restaurant guide in the world by contradicting

one of the core principles it demands: consistency.

Until this is properly established, the Michelin Guide

Hong Kong Macau will not be truly appreciated and

respected around the world.

During the writing of this article, a friend of mine

made a great comparison that I would like to

share, as I think it gives a bit of an insight as to

what the Michelin Guide is going through here in

Hong Kong: “You have to treat the Michelin Guide

in Hong Kong as if the publication itself were a new

restaurant; it’s newly opened, it’s not perfect, it’s

having a couple of bumpy services and it’s finding

its feet and perfecting its procedures. Given time,

I’m sure it will settle down. How many stars would

you give the Michelin Guide?”

I think that sums it up really well.

38

recipes

SpiCed pumpkin Curd, Cider Winter FruitS

For 3–4 people

Prep time: 30 minutes, plus curd freezing time

cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

+ 160g pumpkin purée

+ 160g cream (35% fat)

+ 30g white sugar

+ 30g brown sugar

+ 1 egg

+ a pinch of salt

+ 1 tsp ground cinnamon

+ ½ tsp ground ginger

+ ½ tsp ground cloves

Cider winter fruits:

+ 2tbsp white sugar

+ 200g pumpkin, sliced

+ 180g figs, quartered

+ a splash of cider

+ 5g sprigs thyme

Method:

1 Preheat oven to 170°C.

2 Line the bottom of desired cake moulds

with cling film.

3 Mix together the pumpkin purée, cream,

white and brown sugar, egg, a pinch of salt

and the ground spices. Pour the batter (up

to 1–2cm thickness) into the moulds.

4 Bake for 25–35 minutes, or until the curd is

set but still slightly wobbly in the middle.

Remove from the oven and set aside to

cool. Freeze until the curd is completely

solid.

5 To make the cider winter fruits, caramelise

the sugar and then add the pumpkin

slices and quartered figs. Once they have

softened, deglaze with a splash of cider.

6 Garnish the curd with the caramelised

pumpkin and figs, finishing with the fresh

thyme sprinkled on top.

Candied GinGer pandoro, Vanilla Cream

Makes 50

Prep time: 1 hour, plus additional 15 hours for

proofing the dough

cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

+ 280g pastry flour (type 45)

+ 60ml milk

+ 90g white sugar, plus a bit more for sprinkling

+ 110g unsalted butter, at room temperature

+ 180g eggs

+ 12g dry yeast

+ 5g salt

+ 65g candied ginger, diced

+ icing sugar, for dusting

+ 140g vanilla pastry cream

Method:

1 Mix together the pastry flour, milk, sugar,

butter, eggs, dry yeast and salt.

2 Knead the dough until the texture is smooth

and elastic.

3 Add in the candied ginger.

4 Leave the dough to rest overnight.

40

recipes

Method:

1 Preheat oven to 190°C.

2 Mix 15ml of the cream with the chestnut

purée. Evenly spread out the chestnut

mixture on the bottom of a baking dish.

3 Slice the brioche and layer the slices over

the chestnut mixture.

4 Crumble the roasted chestnuts over the

brioche slices.

5 Mix together the remaining cream, milk,

pinch of salt, vanilla bean seeds, whole

egg, egg yolk and sugar.

6 Pour the mixture over the brioche slices.

7 Bake for 14–16 minutes, or until the curd

has just set.

8 Brush with the apricot jam and serve

warm with the confit kumquats.

roaSted CheStnut BrioChe puddinG, ConFit kumquatS

For 2 people

Prep time: 25 minutes

cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

+ 100g sweetened chestnut purée

+ 65ml cream (35% fat)

+ 120g brioche, sliced

+ 3 roasted chestnuts

+ 50ml milk

+ pinch of salt

+ 1 vanilla bean, seeds only

+ 1 egg (whole)

+ 1 egg yolk

+ 25g coconut flower raw sugar (a natural sugar

from the coconut tree)

+ 2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed slightly

+ 2–3 confit kumquats