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Meet the Contributors
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Fergus Fung
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Samanta Pong
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Wilson Fok
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Gary Danko
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Prudence Lui & Anneliese O'Young
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The Gastronought
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Grégoire Michaud
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Catharine Nicol
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Debra Meiburg MW
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Jacqui Williams
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Seema Bhatia
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Natasha Loo
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Vicki
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Fideme Ngau
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Uwe Opocensky
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Kenji Yanagita
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Louis Ho
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Sunny Wong
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Marie-Emmanuelle Febvret
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Vicki Williams
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Dane Alexander Clouston
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ILuvLubutin & SSB
Meet: Wilson Fok
Associate Editor
Bio:
A food person whose obsession in food takes him through the edible landscape of the city - from roadside cafes to fine restaurants. One with fascination by the edible affairs that happen from makeshift folding tables to ones lined with starched tablecloths. On weekends, Wilson either roams the city through new food discoveries, or disappears into the kitchen as he stirs the simmering pots of homemade jams and preserves.
Related Articles
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First Dip at JAR
The first time I entered the JAR space, it did not feel like it was just a restaurant, as it claimed to be. Brought to us by the creators of 798 Unit & Co, JAR has a different ambience resembling to that of a perfect beach house during a vacation, and this was not the only thing that marks difference from its predecessors. The restaurant menu serves fewer finger foods than 798 Unit & Co, yet one shouldn't feel intimidating because of a shifted focus at JAR.
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Spanish Sherry + Hairy Crabs
While the US recently celebrated Thanksgiving with turkeys and pies, Chinese celebrate this time of the year with Hairy Crabs, with the season running from late October to mid-December. Tradition calls for good quality crabs to be paired with Chinese yellow wine as its sweet finish complements the lightly sweet aftertaste of crabmeat. Yet a contemporary approach calls for something different.
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New + Noteworthy - Above & Beyond
When I first heard a restaurant named “Above and Beyond”, all I could envision was a restaurant with a full panoramic view of the Victoria Harbour, with a strip of shimmering fluorescent lights when night falls. Experiencing the view from the top, I realize there is much to brag about when it comes to Hotel Icon’s newest opening. Entering the restaurant, we are greeted by a lounge area where guests linger for a drink or wait for a table. The menu intends on Cantonese cuisine, about the majority of the dishes are based on Cantonese concepts, while the rest borrows ideas from other provinces of China.
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New + Noteworthy - Loyal Dining
Loyal Dining has a prime location -- four stories from the ground up (the top floor is the kitchen). Yet instead of packed with a hundred diners at the same time, tables are loosely placed and surrounded by spacious comfortable booths under dim lighting, much like a restaurant set pulled straight from a 60s movie. The kitchen produces real food, dishes that are diverse in selection from three square daily meals to afternoon tea items and evening dimsum
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A Tale of Two Fine-Dining Restaurants
When it comes to fine-dining establishments, we think mostly of hotel dining restaurants, especially those that serve Western cuisines. After all, the majority of these restaurants keep a high standard on their food quality. It is also true that to qualify as fine-dining, the definition surpasses quality of the food, but also takes into account the whole dining experience; ambiance and service are often accounted for as the whole package. Here we take a look at two reputable French dining establishments here in Hong Kong.
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Decadent Cantonese Cuisine
There is a saying in Chinese: Eat in Guangdong. Other parts of China may be famous for their beautiful women or breathtaking scenery, but when it comes to food, Guangdong reins supreme. Guangdong, or Cantonese cuisine is also the best-known Chinese regional cooking in the world. Because of the mass popularity, it is misinterpreted all the time. It is not unusual to find dishes prepared with expensive ingredients that do not complement one another, or others that are made from frozen ingredients and seasoned with artificial flavourings.
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Chef's Table
The chef's table is located inside the kitchen, away from the main dining area and originally by invitation (of the chef) only. It is not entirely sure when the concept of chef's table started but it is the ultimate in dining. There is a saying in Chinese that can be loosely translated as "when one is near the kitchen, there is (good) food". What about when one is inside the kitchen of a top hotel?
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Festive Dining Around Town
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." Most of us who grew up with Christmas will remember Nat King Cole serenading us through festive celebrations. Even at the snowless Hong Kong where snowflakes come only in forms of Christmas ornaments or shortbread cookies at bakeries at Christmas, it has become one of the best times to be merry, and celebrate the holiday season with family and loved ones. Here we have gathered some of the notable celebrations this year.
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The First Dip: The Principal
The Principal. Does that term send shivers down your spine? Whether you were a good student or not back in your school days, not many enjoyed going to the principal's office. Until now. Another addition to Press Room Group this year is The Principal, the highest end establishment the group has ever operated.
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New Opening - se sa me
When everyone is going back to basic, sticking to one cuisine or regional cooking from an area with a population of less than a million, se sa me opens and announces it serves "Japanasian" food. You guessed it; it is a celebration of Asian food, from north to south, with an emphasis on Japanese cooking. One finds elements of Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia and of course Japan in the dishes. We all had Japanese fusion before; some even became a fan of sushi with mayo and "dynamite rolls". (served in 90% of Japanese restaurants in the US, aka Japanamerican.)
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Sweet, Sweet Easter
Sweets and Chocolates are often in abundance at the Easter Table. This year, the Easter feast got more interesting, as an artful selection of chocolates and sweets capture the attention of many. Here are some of our favorites so far.
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Chocolatiers Revisited
To say that we love chocolate is quite an understatement. As popularity grows more chocolate brands are opening shops selling their chocolates all over Hong Kong. It started with the big names, taking space from gourmet supermarkets and shopping malls, to starting pop-up kiosks all over town. It is official, that chocolate is gaining popularity as we speak. Yet often due to preferences we tend to overlook what chocolatiers can offer. Sometimes when you look closer, they offer a lot more than just a selection of chocolate bars and bonbons over the counter.
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Bring On the White Spears
Following the seasonal produce calendar, white asparagus arrives in May, marking the beginning of the onslaught of summer produce. The ivory-colored vegetable, with its firm but slender stalks, is prized for its seasonality. Harvested and widely enjoyed in May, the biggest harvests come from France, Germany and Italy. A primer of choosing quality white asparagus is that one should only choose those with firm (not soggy) stalks. The vegetable takes on a light mellow taste that's best accentuated with simple preparations. With more restaurants serving white asparagus this year, WOM is introducing two of them that are no stranger to this seasonal vegetable.
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A for Abalone and Art
Eating is an art. While it relies on acquired taste in the various forms of eating, including habits, priorities, preference to cuisines and many more. There is much complexity in the form of eating and it wouldn’t be fair to conclude that eating is only for the sake of survival. We often find pleasure in the craft of eating, especially on what we eat. This May, we found the pleasure of enjoying abalones in ways more than its traditional braised form. We also embrace the joyful presentation that makes each dish an artform, through the ARTHK12 special menu at the Mandarin Grill + Bar.
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The First Dip: Blue Butcher
When rumour spread that the boys behind ‘PLAY’ are opening a restaurant focusing on steaks and chops, it quickly became “They are opening a Steakhouse”. That couldn’t be more wrong. Blue Butcher is not a steakhouse, at least it doesn’t feel like one. Located on Hollywood Road near the Sheung Wan end, Blue Butcher is sandwiched between The Press Room and Classified. Its narrow entrance leads you up to a long flight of stairs, where at the top unveils an open dining space with extra high ceiling and a long bar leading up to an open kitchen. Seating is spacious at Blue Butcher, which can hold close to 100, with a private dining room and a killer walk-in dry age meat room lined with Himalayan pink salt bricks. Blue Butcher exudes an nostalgic style, modernized with new twists. Running on the 1920s American theme, one can see the good use of antiques and old dark wooden tables, as well as custom made stools and installations of train tracks along the middle of the dining space.
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Summer Dainties: New Dim Sum for the Season
The new season calls for light appetites and lighter meals to go with the appetite. Often times, we end up eating less per meal but more meals, nibbling our way throughout each day. Dim Sum is just about perfect – literally mean ‘little morsels’, dim sum can be regarded as one of the most complex food item in the Chinese cuisine, covering various culinary techniques through their preparation. The joy of having dim sum in a city like Hong Kong is not only will you have the traditional Har Gau (Shrimp dumplings), Shao Mai (Shrimp and pork dumplings), and ChaXiuBao (Barbecued Pork Buns), you are also likely to encounter dim sum varieties that keep us going back every once in a while. Starting with this season, two restaurants are presenting their novel morsels to delight a diner’s appetite.
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Off the Beaten Track
There is never trouble locating food through the overlapping networks of streets – the selections of cuisines and repertoires within each of them, dazzle the eyes and delight the appetite for those who love to eat. Yet conventional wisdom reminds us good food requires some searching, and we have just located a few off the beaten tracks, despite being in popular dining districts, many may have trouble finding the exact location, but once you’re in, it will be worth all the trouble.
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The First Dip: Lab Made
You've seen it made on TV. The addition of liquid nitrogen in the creation of ice cream, turning liquid custard into putty-textured frozen dessert within seconds. It is a cool technique to look at, but a shop dedicated only to the ice cream made with liquid nitrogen? There's a new shop opened in Tai Hang. Find out what we think about it below.
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Freshness Kicks the Appetite Blues
Summer heat can be unbearable sometimes, the hotter it is, the less we're inclined to eat. This is how we feel about eating under the scorching sun. Luckily enough, we have sampled some of the more appetite-inducing dishes at Intercontinental Grand Stanford's Chinese Restaurant Hoi King Heen, where executive chef Fai Hung Leung (Chef Leung) introduces an array of flowers, teas and fruits in his summery creations, kicking the stomach blues away.
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Grabbing Good (but Quick) Lunches
While eating out is a lifestyle respected by many, eating out during lunch peak hours can be quite a pain. Let’s face it, even with a reservations made there are so many confounding variables that will affect your experience in the limited time you have for the middle meal of the day. Even worse is when you feel so constrained with time that you simply grab something you know you won’t remember the same evening, and loathe yourself for wasting the quota. Yes, lunching is not always easy especially during the week, but restaurants are starting to serve good lunches that can easily fit within the timeframe of most who don’t normally have 3-hour lunches. Here we introduce two good lunch options that we’ve tried that should satisfy in the quick for many.
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New + Noteworthy: DiVino Patio
Brim28 is an familiar neighborhood to many. It is a pack of newly opened restaurants, with al fresco dining in mind. The 33-degree days did not affect our desire to sit outside. With the smell of crusty pizza and aroma of meats turning in the rotisserie, DiVino Patio has yet to be packed with diners. Find out what whetted our appetite on our visits.
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The First Dip: L'altro
There is never a dull moment in the Central dining scene. Restaurants keep opening (and to some unfortunate ones, closing) and new concepts present themselves as novelties -- be it a new cuisine for novelty, or a twist of the classics. We foodies are often drawn towards the sparkling new restaurants. This time we dived right into the brand new L'altro, a new Contemporary Italian restaurant headed by chef Philippe Leveille and his protege, Antimo Maria Merone. Together they create a contemporary take on Italian cuisine. WOM has sampled a few of the restaurant's signatures, and is ready to look into the novelty L'altro has to offer.
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New + Noteworthy: Le Salon Restaurant et Croissanterie
The highest-profile opening to date this season does not belong to one single restaurant, but all coming down to a slew of collective openings inside Hysan Place, Causeway Bay's latest retail hub. Doubling as a booklover's paradise, the new shopping mall also houses many restaurants, among one of the more popular ones is "Le Salon Restaurant et Croissanterie", a French concept operated by The Drawing Room's Roland Schuller and Tony Cheng, of Hainan Shaoye and AMMO's fame. Together the duo aims to bring traditional French fare with a contemporary twist to mall-dwellers. As the name suggests, this dining venue is divided into two sections: The restaurant that holds 40 with a private dining that seats 10 comfortably; as well as the Croissanterie, which as its name would clue you in, is a shop that accentuates Le Salon's buttery Croissants. WOM has paid a visit to Le Salon, and while sampling some of its signatures, we also tried the famed croissants, find out below what we think about them.
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Taste of New Korean
The rapid rise of popular Korean TV and K-pop has quickly build up our interest of everything Korean, including its colorful cuisine. As a cuisine with dishes showcasing the depth in flavor profiles and a colorful display of preserved vegetables in each meal, Korean is ever so popular here in Hong Kong, from the barbecue to the Korean hot-pot dishes. With signatures such as short ribs and ginseng soup with chicken, it is easy to think that Korean cuisine is a repertoire with little movement forward. This time around, WOM is introducing two restaurants, BBQ Brothers and JANG, both exuding its newness in each its own way.
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Meet Your Maker - Janice Leung
How many Farmers’ Markets can you name in Hong Kong? Even if you can name them, how many have you visited and purchased from? Our guess is: Not Many. Meet Janice Leung, local food writer who now adds another entry to her resume: organizer of a local farmer’s market. Janice is joining forces with Vince Poon, managing director of the Hong Kong Markets Organization, in bringing the market to Quarry Bay. For 4 Sundays in a row, starting September 30, the Island East Market will kickoff at Taikoo Place in Quarry Bay. We sat down to have a chat with Janice on the idea of the Island East Market, as well as what we can expect from the one of a kind farmer’s Market.
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Say It: Wholly Crab!
It’s that time of the year, people. The mooncakes are now replaced with the flooding of hairy crabs from China. Before you grab your utensils ready and your hands dirty, do look into the options of hairy crabs when dining out. Many restaurants are serving special dinner sets and deals for these prized crustaceans, and we have arrived at Man Wah, where a collaboration with Shanghai’s Cheng Long Hang Crab Palace Restaurant runs from October 27 to November 14. While the promotion is days away, we offer you a sneak peek into the luxury of crabs and their roe and the many inspired dishes created by Man Wah’s very own Chef Man Sing Lee.
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A Fruitful Week
The issue most of us take when it comes to eating, is that you get only a handful of good meals out of the many you try out. Even though it’s true that the more you eat the finer your scale it is going to become when it comes to know what is good and what isn’t. We at WOM are thankful of the past week, when we got to sample some of the best of the early Autumn, from succulent scallops to flower dumplings and the city’s latest pan-Asian delights.
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Winter's Luxury
There is something about White Truffles, an intrigue that draws foodies back to examine fine dining options every year. The prized morsel is now at the peak of its season, as restaurants are featuring the best flavours to accentuate the delicate flavor of the white truffle. Here is a selection of white-truffle dishes WOM has sampled this season so far.
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In the (Christmas) Kitchen with Gregoire Michaud: Part 1
With the festive holiday season just around the corner. The familiar melodies are jingling in our ears like the Christmas bells, and the sweet aroma of winter spices on Pannetone, Christmas Puddings and Cakes are igniting our appetite for something delightful and festive. WOM has the pleasure to enter the kitchen with chef Gregoire Michaud as he demonstrates the making of Christmas Stollen.
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The First Dip: LARIS Contemporary Dining
Years in Shanghai and numerous culinary-related projects later, chef David Laris has geared up and ready to give it a go in Hong Kong, with his passion for the contemporary approach of cooking. Serving dishes comprised of colorful elements from the International food world, LARIS Contemporary Dining intends to inspire creativity in flavor combinations using modern techniques. We had a taste of what David Laris has in mind.
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New + Noteworthy: Mango Tree
Among all Southeast Asian cuisines, THAI has had a steady following with its masterful pairing of tartness and fiery chili heat. From brightly colored salads, vibrantly rich curries to roasted meats and seafood are favorites of many. While there is distance to catch up with Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese in popularity, it is undoubtedly true we love Thai food’s refreshing flavours. As the new, colorful addition to The Elements, Mango Tree is turning out dishes that demonstrate Thai cuisine’s complexity in flavours and the reasons behind its burgeoning popularity.
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New Opening: Mr. Bing
When it comes to "Crepes" we often think of the French variety, after all in the culinary repertoire that's what the word is referring to. However, different cultures do share a similar ‘paper thin pancake' not unlike the French crepe. Those of you who have visited Beijing would probably remember these thin pancakes sold on the street side, made on the spot on the hot plate, with a few toppings and served rolled up.
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New Opening: Tenichi Don
We locals love Japanese food, so much that everything Japanese automatically jumps to the front of the ‘like’ line: The ever-so-popular sushi, craze over ramen (when lining up for it became part of the ‘experience’) and late night Yakitori etc. While the wave of ramen is still riding along, donburi, the rice bowl is not living up to its deserved foodie attention. This is exactly why Tenichi Don chose to open in Causeway Bay, the Japanese food macca of Hong Kong. With toppings from sashimi to pork cutlet, Tenichi Don intends to go an extra mile for novelty in value of tradition. Check out what we think of ‘The New Donburi’?
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Fishy Business by the Pool
Something fishy is going on with the notion of poolside dining. The trepidation of diners being seen eating by the pool with swimmers making splashes is enough of a turn-off even though we all love getting some sun dining al fresco. The newly refurbished Fish Bar at the JW Marriott is of no such worry. This outdoor dining establishment is tucked on one side, serving an impressive array of sustainable seafood dishes. Here’s a handful of dishes we sampled over a sunny afternoon.
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New + Noteworthy: Motorino Pizzeria
When it comes to pizza, we have grown used to asking about the toppings we put on the dough – The basic pepperoni and cheese combination has evolved into gourmet standards like goat cheese, artichokes and sundried tomatoes. Yet the toppings don’t make the pizza, the crust does. As the latest American import, Motorino Pizzeria opened its door, serving a modest selection of pizza that do not focus only on the toppings, but also the crust that holds them. Let’s take a glimpse into the world of pizza making here, led by Mathieu Palombino, executive chef of Motorino Pizzeria.
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Return to Gourmet
After taking a sabbatical from dining out, returning to the dining scene has proven that the city’s dining options are just as wonderful as colours on a painter’s palette. We have not lost touch to the new restaurants that opened, we just have much to anticipate about when it comes to something. This past week we’ve sampled some of the notable novelties in the city. Let’s have a taste of what we sampled.
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Spring with Ume
There is a change this year. Spring crept in and out of the city in such an unpredictable manner. The misty days were replaced by fluctuations of cool windy intervals and sunny, summery mornings. While the weather failed us, the produce calendar didn't. The market is now replaced with a spread of green. Among it we see Ume...
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Tasteful New Spring Dishes
As May arrives, weather is still a mess. While it's good news we were not promised of misty spring days where all are sticky and wet, we encounter the fluctuating weather of cool chilly days with sun in the morning and rainstorms in the afternoon. The temperature roller-coaster has affected the produce calendar as well. All is not right with the weather but one thing we can count on when it comes to dining out. Chefs are taking their time to experiment with spring flavours. We have sampled quite a taste of spring recently. Here's what L'altro and Caprice have to offer.
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Brand New Afternoon Dainties
With new season comes new treats. We are digging deep into the change of seasonal menus. Not only are we catching the blooming of new restaurants, WOM is bringing you the latest of afternoon teas, from a perfume collaboration to a colorful French celebration.
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Meet Your Maker - Pierre Hermé
Passion, dedication, an eye for beauty and a mind for perfection, such are ingredients to the recipe for creating desserts and pastries. Known for creating the perfect macaron in the world of confection, Pierre Hermé is about to launch its first outlet in Hong Kong later this month. With rising anticipation among foodies alike, WOM sat down with the masterchef for a video interview as he reveals his creative vision and a glimpse into the sweet offerings of his flagship in Hong Kong, tentatively opening on May 25.
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The First Dip: Pico
We took a dip into Pico, the new Spanish place that opened in Tsim Sha Tsui East last week. That’s right, it is Spanish cuisine, and we seemed to hear, in the back of our minds, a collective groan saying “Spanish? Again??”. Indeed, the cuisine that popularized Sangria and Paella has made a mark in the world stage of gastronomy. This wave, as we all believe, is meant to rise and continue to grow. So buckle up, and take a look at the brand new Tapas joint.
