Executive chef of Mandarin Oriental (Hong Kong) Uwe Opocensky is one of Hong Kong's most talented and creative chefs. This talent was finally recognised by Michelin when it awarded him a Michelin star for the Mandarin Grill in the latest guide.

I caught up with Opocensky over lunch at Mandarin Grill to learn more about his most recent progressive gastronomy creations and how these discoveries translate to the plate. We also talk about his desire to create a true total dining experience.

What is it about progressive gastronomy, and the technique behind the dishes, that most excites you?

The constant research and development of techniques and ingredients. It is fascinating to come up with new techniques that lead to a beautiful result or makes the process easier. It is also a huge challenge and I enjoy the challenge. It is now possible to develop ideas that I have had in the past that were not possible to realise. The opportunities that progressive gastronomy allows is both fascinating and frustrating.

Did you first come across these techniques at El Bulli?

The wave started at El Bulli and this is where I learnt the basis but I had always wanted to achieve something, to standout from the crowd and the techniques I was exposed to at El Bulli provided the springboard to developing my style of cuisine. I have now evolved my own technique, my own style, and even in the past two years there has been huge evolution and progression. It is also a team effort, and for the influence of my team's ideas and emotions I am grateful. I also have the support of the hotel and this allows me to have what I need to create such distinct cuisine.

I was incognito (out of chef's whites) recently at a cocktail party that we catered and I overheard one person say to another about the canapes that these must be from the Mandarin, they recognised the style. This is what I want.

Do you think that you have gone as far as you can?

No, I am just at the beginning really, at the starting point. How far can I go? As far as my imagination goes combined with how I think the customer will respond.

What are some recent discoveries that you are excited about?

I recently catered a dinner and the host wanted a medieval theme. One of the foods that was served during this time was called Meat Fruits, a way to hide exotic ingredients disguised as fruit. I have taken this idea and created my own version. For example taking foie gras and making it into the shape of a particular fruit, it is then covered by a "skin" which is made of the juice of the fruit, alcohol and a gelling agent. It took two weeks to get right. 

Another is what I called onion tea. Author's note: On the menu under Soup and described as, Onion - consomme, chervil, gold, flower, tea bag. See lunch notes for more details.

My fantastic new toy is a Freeze Dryer. I am keen on experimenting with this and dishes will start to come through this month. It allows for so many new creations and new textures. For example a freeze dried soup that comes in the form of a jigsaw puzzle and when complete you add water and it becomes soup. I am having a lot of fun pushing boundaries with this machine.

There are other ideas which have not yet materialised but I am still working to achieve them. There is much more I want to do regarding the total dining experience, expanding the hearing and smell aspects of dining to meet the visual and taste aspects. I believe that more diners are looking for an experience, which is very different to food intake. I have The Krug Room as my 'lab' and it allows be to see how things work, to be more extreme. Diners coming to the Krug Room are not concerned about what they are going to eat they come for the experience I want to expand on that, and then translate that to the Grill.

I notice more and more Uwe-style dishes on the Grill's menu, how accepting are regular diners of progressive gastronomy?

Diners come to the Grill with certain expectations. It has been a two-and-a-half year journey to get the restaurant and the menu to where it is now. I have slowly broken the ice, which was the better approach than completely changing everything from the start. There are a lot of modern techniques used but for me the ingredients shine first. I take the ingredients and use modern ways to tell a story around the ingredient. 

For me the most important thing is that the diner enjoys the dish.

I feel that my food is now being greatly accepted by diners, and it has been recognised by Michelin.

Tell me more about an idea that you are working on that you haven't been able to perfect yet but plan to realise.

The next thing I want to achieve is to get 'smell' on a plate. I have the ideas and I have tried a few things but they have not worked. I actually have a scientist who is going to come and help me with the evaporator so I can achieve my goal. In the Krug Room I do a dessert called Candy Room and I spray the essence of candy in the room but there is still more to be done with that. And, I want to do more with savoury scents, for example the smell of the forest when a plate of mushrooms is placed before you. Smell is so important. A smell can make you go "mmmmmm, I want to eat that" or  can evoke and reignite memories. I love the challenge.

Any final thoughts?

It is important for me to get more international recognition for the hotel. What we do on a culinary level is unusual for a hotel, it is unique, I believe that no other hotel is doing what we do.

Lunch Notes

Every time I have eaten Uwe's cuisine at the Grill it has been a memorable experience, both in terms of presentation and taste. Often both have that "wow" factor that is not often seen in Hong Kong. I also like that even though the dish names, techniques, and presentation is progressive the food itself is accessible, it is still food that can be understood.

I started with Langoustine - scottish, agnolotti, edamame, veloute, chive. Like many of Uwe's dishes there is some table side presentation of the dish adding to the experience. This dish had a fantastic balance of rich, sweet and fresh flavours that left me wanting more.

The onion tea soup mentioned above was incredible. A 'teabag', made of onion, is placed in a glass teapot at the table and a consomme is poured in, on contact the teabag outside dissolves and roasted onion, flowers, and edible gold become the 'tea'. Then a soup plate is presented that has a few dots of 'onion jelly', caramelised onion and chervil, and the tea is poured into the soup bowl. The onion puree is so intensely onion-y that when combined with the other onion elements gives the delicate appearing soup the flavour of a homey, robust and thick onion soup. A clever, surprising dish, and a perfect example of Uwe's progressive gastronomy.

I also got to try the meat fruits, mentioned above. An example of playfulness and creativity. Presented on a plate was a mini pear and cherry, that truly looked like fruit. The cherry was my favourite, the marriage of the foie gras and the taste of cherry was sublime. To add to the decadence it was served with black truffle brioche.

For my main course (pictured above) I had the Pork - u.s., natural, fillet, belly, croqueta, apple jam, soil. This dish, like many of Uwe's has a nature-inspired presentation that is so beautiful it is almost a shame to eat. The pork fillet and belly had different flavour treatments which kept it interesting with contrasting flavours and textures from the other ingredients on the plate.

Dessert (Winter Leaves - snow, yoghurt, almond, orange, white chocolate; Frozen Landscape - ginger, bread, cinnamon, anise, ice) continued the nature theme and like all the preceding dishes were fantastic journeys of discovery and surprise, making this meal (enjoyed in late December) one of my most memorable of 2009.

More Uwe

For an interview I did with Uwe when he first joined the Mandarin click on http://www.womguide.com/index.php?id=5226

For a review of Mandarin Grill did in February last year click on http://www.womguide.com/index.php?id=5747

To see Uwe in action - http://inthefield.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/09/science-turns-junk-food-into-haute-cuisine/

Images: 3, 6 and 8 are from Mandarin Grill; 2, 4, 5, and 7 are from The Krug Room

Related Restaurants

• Krug Room, The
• Mandarin Grill + Bar, The