Hang onto your toques: it’s time for new menus

It’s a long-held tenet of running the FCC that anyone in a position of authority who tries to change the menus does so at the risk of incurring the wrath of a horde of members incensed that their go-to favourite has vanished into thin air, leaving them with a burning sense of grievance, not to mention a rumbling tummy.

Stand by for a shock. e F&B committee, together with General Manager Didier Saugy and the more senior members of the chef’s brigade, have been putting their heads together, chewing meditatively and comparing taste buds. e results –involving about a 20 percent change right the way across the menu board – should be delivered at the beginning of May or thereabouts.

“ ere are two main reasons behind the changes – after all, the menus have not been updated in seven years,” said Saugy.

“Firstly, we need to control food costs, and remove items that are not selling well.

“Secondly, we need to make sure each outlet has a rm dining identity. So we want to make sure that the Dining Room is seen as the place for modern brasserie, the Main Bar & Lounge the spot for all-day dining, while Bert’s is somewhere to go for a snack like pizza.”

Towards the end of this month, the new dishes will be presented in a special tasting session, to allow members to give their opinions.

“We can’t say for sure at this juncture what the new dishes will be, as we are still deliberating; however the new menus will have something for everyone and are going to be a marked improvement.”

Shainal Jivan commented: “As the only vegetarian on the F&B Committee, I hope my input will help in the development of some interesting and varied vegetarian dishes on the menu, with perhaps less emphasis on the ‘fake meat’ ingredients such as Beyond or Impossible.

“As rising food costs are obviously a concern for all outlets in Hong Kong at the moment, I feel there are ways to o er varied dishes without increased spend, and also without too much additional work for the kitchen.

“As an example, the base sauce for our current Chicken Tikka Masala is vegetarian – we could easily o er Paneer Tikka Masala, or Vegetable Tikka Masala, using the sauce that the kitchen already preps, and adding ingredients that we already have for other dishes on the menu.

“ is concept could be applied to many other items on the Indian menu – take a base (vegetarian) sauce, with options to mix it with chicken, sh, lamb, paneer or mixed veggies.

“ e obvious challenge is which menu items to drop in order to make room for new dishes – members do have their favourites! So we’re doing our best to accommodate everyone.”