The BellBrook, bistro oz by Laris 2/F, Carfield Building, 77 Wyndham Street, Central 2530 1600 Outback Oz: The BellBrook is an Australianthemed bistro that has replaced former fine-dining restaurant LARIS Contemporary Dining. The menu features home-made rustic bites that highlight Australia’s indigenous ingredients and casual-yetupscale bistro dining scene. The scenery: The revamped concept is a complete 360-degree overhaul from LARIS’ stylish, swanky design. In its place is an open, raw, fuss-free space with wooden panels, a lengthy enclosed terrace with high tables and bar chairs and chalk-scribbled blackboard beams adorning the walls. Bush-tucker fare: Yes, there are ’roos on the menu; there’s grilled and smoked kangaroo loin ($288) served with parsnip purée, roasted kipflers and sweet onion sauce with plump chocolatecoated raisins. Albeit a touch too oversmoked for our liking, the loin was still delightfully gamey, tender and moist. Sweet and pudgy Kinkowooka mussels seasoned with chilli and coriander and served with tanami fire (a hot spice made from ground native Australian plants) fries offered a healthy kick of warm, earthy and zesty spice. We 14
relished the elevated tart and citrusy flavours of the caviar-esque finger limes (also known as citrus caviar) that garnished the barramundi cooked in paperbark ($298), though we wished the fish was cooked less. Thrilling experience: The stars of this outback are definitely the tapas-style starters and desserts. Thinly sliced potato chips curled around a stake and draped in melted grated Parmesan with a side of truffle mayonnaise were salty, truffly, cheesy and scarily addictive. We unfortunately did not find out what exactly makes the Aussie steak tartare ($158) “Australian”, but we definitely enjoyed and appreciated the addition of bone marrow, which gave a richer finish to the raw meat. For desserts (all priced at $78), sticky date pudding with slightly salted brandy caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream screamed ”pud” in every sense of the word – it was comfortingly warm and indulgent – whilst the pavlova with passion fruit and berries catered to those who enjoy their pavs sweet, gooey and marshmallow-y. The verdict: While prices may look steep at first, bear in mind that this concept is all about sharing, and the menu is designed as such. Think about sharing between four to six or an extremely gluttonous two. We definitely foresee this as the next Aussie expat hang-out; it’s a revamped Dining Concepts undertaking that will undoubtedly thrive in Hong Kong’s dining scene this time around.
tried & tasted
mousse, banana custard, popping candy and Baileys liquid nitrogen “popcorn”, which had us from the first glimpse of the Baileys fog. The star atop your tree: There’s a lot to look forward to this upcoming Christmas season at Gold, with its festive weekday lunch and brunch menus. The tour de force, however, will be the restaurant’s multi-course Christmas Eve ($980) and New Year’s Eve ($1,380) dinner menus.
Gonpachi 4/F, Lee Gardens One, 33 Hysan Ave, Causeway Bay 2787 3688 Aka the Kill Bill restaurant: Gonpachi restaurant in Tokyo is infamous for being the inspiration for the sword showdown scene in Kill Bill where yellowtracksuit-clad Uma Thurman takes down Lucy Liu and a bunch of masked suits bearing samurai swords. It’s recently been reinvented in Hong Kong in a setting that’s meant to invoke the traditional Edo period of Japan. The long, dimly lit (mysterious) entrance corridor leads to an elegant and spacious curved dining room and outdoor terrace featuring a semi-open tatami area, bamboo screens, lanterns and rustic wooden furniture, all accented in imperial red. There’s even a room dedicated to soba making (check out the Japanese-imported stone mill in the corner, grinding away kilo after kilo of buckwheat seeds). The menus: If you order nothing else on Gonpachi’s extensive menus (lunch, main, sushi/ sashimi, afternoon tea, drinks), make it a double of the restaurant’s signature seiro soba, divine to the nth degree. We’re told that about 200 portions
of soba are made each day – with one highly trained chef assigned to the task – and it takes 45 minutes to make just 25 portions. Not only is the cold soba precisely cut and al dente with that almost indescribable moreish bite, but the soy-sauce-based dipping sauce made with bonito and saba packs a powerful punch (if you have a Japanese dining companion who squeals “oishii!” with delight after her first slurp, you know you’re in for a real treat). Everything else sampled was equally as delicious, with special praise going to the light and 100-per-cent-grease-free sea urchin and snow crab tempura (fried in white sesame oil); the hot crab roe dip with a gorgeous assortment of seasonal veggies (the Shanghainese version of fondue or bagna càuda) and the excellent charcoalgrilled items – particularly the succulent Miyazaki A5 Wagyu sirloin and minced chicken skewers (tsukune). Make sure to order an onsen egg on the side for dunking to your heart’s content. Since it was a lunch tasting, we steered clear of Gonpachi’s tempting sake selection and other alcohol-fuelled tipples, so if you’re on the wagon like we were, we can recommend the sweet, sour ‘n’ spicy ume-syoga (plum-ginger) cooler. Doing Tokyo proud: Gonpachi here in Hong Kong has done well to match the super-high standards and critical acclaim of the Roppongi original. The prices are on the higher end of the spectrum (the lunch sets average around $268, for instance), but the quality of the ingredients and authentic execution make the bill oh-so-worth-it.
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tried & tipsy
Types of glögg: Versions can vary, with white wine or spirits like brandy and whisky used as the base instead of red wine. While it may almost seem unimaginable to do so, there are versions of non-alcoholic glögg or mulled wine where fruit and berry juices (like blackcurrant) replace the wine, or where the mixture is brought to a rolling boil to remove most of the alcohol content. The pour: Glögg is always served warm. In Nordic countries, it is often accompanied by a sweet nibble, either gingerbread, biscuits, sweet buns flavoured with saffron and raisin or even rice pudding. In other parts of the world, it doesn’t hurt serving a portion of mulled wine with some mince pies or Chrissy pud.
Our tried and tasted tipples: this month, we feature one of our Christmas faves, glögg
Glögg Pronounced “glurgg”, from the Swedish etymology meaning “to burn or mull” What is it? Plain and simple, glögg is the Nordic term for mulled wine, enjoyed typically during the cooler months. Traditional versions of glögg consist of red wine, sugar and a handful of spices, including cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove and bitter orange fruits, plus a generous dabble of a strong spirit – usually vodka or brandy. The mixture is infused for at least an hour at 60–70°C. In Europe, mulled wine was a favourite during the Victorian times, when it was normally made without the addition of spirits, but could include raisins or apples in the mix, with port or claret often used as the base. It is believed that Charles Dickens is the man to credit for making this tipple a traditional holiday drink, as mulled wine is referred to in several of his novels – most notably in A Christmas Carol. 18
Flavour notes: Infused with spices and citrus peel, the flavours can be earthy, sugary and zesty, with slightly bitter citrusy notes.
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Where to find it: Glögg can be readily found Y and drunk this month in its European form CM here in Hong Kong. As per Mandarin Oriental’s MY annual tradition, the hotel will be handing CY out free glugs of mulled wine (and roasted chestnuts) from 17–24 December; Peak Cafe CMY Bar will offer a traditional version of mulled K wine with a splash of brandy for $58; 208 Duecento Otto will serve it on two days only (17 and 24 December) for $70 (the first serving is complimentary), whilst The Salted Pig will be offering their own version for $78.
Foodie’s tipsy note: Make your own version at home by placing 100g demerara sugar, 3 cloves, 1 stick of cinnamon, 2 bay leaves and 1 star anise in a pot along with a bottle of red wine and a dash of grated nutmeg. Add the peel of half an orange and half a lemon. Heat gently and simmer for 15 minutes before adding a splash of brandy or sloe gin and serving a mugful to your favourite Santa.
Pantone Blue 072C
100C/100M
Pantone 032C
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food war
food WAR Orange Marmalade
Typically not as sweet as other fruit spreads, orange marmalade should pack a bitter punch from the addition of rind to a jam-like base. Straddling the sweet/sour divide, a dollop or two of this intensely flavoured zero-fat spread would make a great accompaniment to your breakfast or teatime spread this Christmas. We’ve helped to narrow down your purchasing decision with this mega marmalade showdown
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Unappealingly sour
For those (like us) who prefer things extremely bitter
Bonne Maman – $24.90/225g
Hero – $33.90/340g
great Food Hall, Basement, Two Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty 2918 9986
great Food Hall, Basement, Two Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty 2918 9986
This well-known French maker of fruit spreads (whose mini jars with their iconic ginghampatterned lids have been nicked from many an aeroplane and room service meal tray) was a surprising taste-test disappointment. Its texture was thin and watery, with few orange-y bits, and the taste was overwhelmingly sour from the addition of lemon juice. In fact, it was difficult to detect much orange flavour whatsoever. We’ll pass on this mama.
A Swiss brand, Hero’s lovely, wobbly marmalade was the most jelly-like in consistency; but looks more like honey than a chunky fruit spread. This marmalade provided the strongest (and most pleasing) scent – pungent peel – and it was also the sharpest tasting of the lot. Personally, we’re fans of bitter tastes, and we couldn’t get enough of this marmalade’s tangy flavour with its lingering piquant aftertaste. When it comes to spreads for toast, it doesn’t get much better than (our) Hero.
FOODIE RATING
FOODIE RATING
chewin' the fat
Chewin’ the Fat with...
Eric Lanlard French patissier Eric Lanlard has taken pastry and cake making to the next level in his adopted home of the UK, where he relocated in 1989 to work for chefs Albert and Michel Roux. In addition to opening his own cake boutique – Cake Boy – in London in 2005, Eric has twice been the recipient of the Continental Patissier of the Year title at the British Baking Awards, written numerous bestselling cookbooks and baked up a storm on our screens with the series Glamour Puds and Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard What were some of your favourite pastries and cakes to eat while growing up in France? In France, going to the patisserie is part of life. On a Sunday, every family would make a trip to the patisserie to buy cakes for their lunch or dinner. When it was time to choose the cakes, I always went for the eclairs or anything with choux pastry. When I first starting baking on my own – I was six at the time – eclairs were the first thing I tried to make, and it was a disaster… 26
One of your first culinary roles was as the captain’s pastry chef for the French Navy. What were the biggest challenges baking at sea? After I finished my apprenticeship, I had to do one year of national service. Because I had done very well in my pastry chef exams, I got offered the position on the flagship of the French Navy, which was an amazing position for my age – I was only 20. We travelled around the world for five months, entertaining diplomats, presidents, ambassadors and VIPs every time we arrived in a different country. Even as glamorous as the captain’s apartments were, the bottom line is that it was still a Navy ship, and there was no air conditioning. There were high expectations; we were representing legendary French cuisine. One time we arrived in the Caribbean at Christmas, and we were asked to do chocolate sculptures for the dessert table. The temperature inside my kitchen was around 45°C. So I went to the main kitchen and locked myself in the freezer, and I made all the chocolate sculptures there and then! Which other patissiers do you admire? There are pastry chefs who I grew up looking up to, like Gaston Lenôtre. He had a patisserie empire around the world and was one of the godfathers of modern patisserie. Another who is more contemporary, and has moved patisserie to another level, is Pierre Hermé. There’s a new guy in Paris who’s very creative with flavours – Philippe Conticini. His shop (La Pâtisserie des Rêves) is completely different from what you would expect from a traditional French patisserie. If you could eat only one cake or pastry every day for a year, which one would you choose?
dishes of the year
dishes of the Y E A R
Foodie’s round-up of this year’s most sumptuous, decadent and squeal-worthy dishes from the latest dining hotspots
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future dining
On upcoming launches: I am working with Jason Atherton to open a jamón and sherry bar on Ship Street called HAM AND SHERRY, and I have another restaurant/lifestyle concept at the upcoming PMQ (Police Married Quarters in Central) opening in April 2014. I’m also developing a concept with an ex-Barrafina chef.
Malcolm Wood, Maximal Concepts A big believer that food should highlight the best ingredients, Malcolm says that a restaurant menu should also feature “something that you can eat week in, week out and are hungry for again when you wake up the next morning”. Food trends that have made an impact on you: We have seen a rise in new independent concepts that have really focused their menus on small niches; restaurants that focus on doing a small menu but executing it at a very high level. For me, this is what a real restaurant experience is all about. Lots of new “hipster joints” have opened up too, with some home-grown concepts and others imported from cities like NYC. Hong Kong is a very competitive market, and diners are very educated here, so it’s important to keep creative at all times. It means you can’t be lazy and get away with things that have not been properly thought through. The city has turned a corner, and there is a lot of talent in the market. If you want to get noticed these days, you really have to make an effort, not just in your food, but also your concept, service and philosophy, to truly stand out. 2014 food trend prediction: I think we are just about to see some very interesting things happen to Chinese food. There are a few new concepts that I have heard will be opening in the new year, and people are realising that it’s not just Western concepts that can really focus on ingredients. There is a lot of room for home-cooked Chinese food to shine through. I hope that what we have 36
seen happen with South East Asian cuisine takes place with specific regional Chinese food. A food trend you would like to start in Hong Kong: As a company, we have one key philosophy: simple, down-to-earth food that is ingredient focused. I think both the restaurant and the customer should care about where the meat comes from, whether the fish is from a sustainable source and what sorts of vegetables are in season. If this could become a trend in Hong Kong, we would be up for some very interesting meals!
Candice Suen, Bite Limited The director of Bite Limited, Candice Suen is the woman behind concepts such as frozen yoghurt chain Yo Mama, hamburger franchise Triple O’s and hot dog outlet The Frank. Food trends that have made an impact on you: Bite Limited has always been proud of providing good comfort foods with the freshest ingredients. We discovered the Panino Giusto concept in Italy, and this is the kind of concept we like to bring to Hong Kong. At Panino Giusto, we offer an affordable luxury, where diners can savour the best Italian ingredients in a casual environment. I think Hong Kong customers appreciate food with high quality that can fit into their busy lives. We notice what is going on around the world and work out if it is feasible to bring it here. 2014 food trend prediction: I think high-end healthy foods will continue to grow and become more mainstream in Hong Kong and around the world. Today, we have become more aware of what we consume. A food trend you would like to start in Hong Kong: Bite Limited has always been thinking of bringing food carts to Hong Kong! It is a big trend in the US, and it makes so much sense in Hong Kong with the high rents nowadays. However, it is not feasible, as we are told that it is not possible to get new mobile food licensing.
recipes
Lardo-braised Brussels sprouts with malt vinegar
Lardo-Braised Brussels Sprouts with Malt Vinegar Chef Lauria’s tip: if lardo is not available, you may substitute with bacon. For 6 people Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Ingredients: + 600g Brussels sprouts + 30g olive oil + 100g lardo, cubed + 80g rendered lardo fat + 12g garlic, minced finely + 3g fresh oregano, chopped + 20g brown sugar + 120g malt vinegar + sea salt, to taste Method: 1 Par-cook the Brussels sprouts in salted boiling water. When they are tender but still crunchy, plunge them into ice water. Strain and slice in half lengthwise. 2 Drizzle the olive oil in a large sautÊ pan and place all the halved Brussels sprouts, cut side down, in the pan. Place the cubed lardo 42
and rendered lardo fat on top of the sprouts. 3 Caramelise the sprouts on high heat until they are browned and charred. 4 Take the pan off the heat and add the minced garlic and oregano. Toss together so that everything is thoroughly mixed. 5 Place the pan back on the heat and add the brown sugar and malt vinegar. Allow the vinegar to reduce for 1 minute. Season with salt to taste.
Green Tea Semifreddo, Raspberry Sorbet, Green Tea Chiffon Cake and Yoghurt Pastry Chef Tracey’s tip: make a simple syrup by heating equal quantities of water and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. This can be kept for up to one month. For 8 people Prep time: 1 hour, plus 4 hours freezing/ refrigeration time Cooking time: 1 hour Ingredients: Green tea semifreddo: + 130g milk + 130g double cream
the inspired foodie
the cultured foodie A Boutique Winebeast
On the Hunt
A wine house with over 400 labels of wine and champagne, including more than 60 that are exclusively supplied to this shop in Hong Kong, Winebeast opened its doors in late October, offering a personalised kind of wine service. Their experienced sommeliers are on hand to guide consumers in selecting the perfect drops of wine for individual taste buds and occasions. Also available in their wine repertoire are ecofriendly and biodynamic wines featuring labels such as Domaine Oliver Guyot and Domaine Vacheron. Look out for a host of wine-tasting events paired with individual themes, as well as their online store, set to launch soon. 49 Johnston Road, Wanchai 2804 1318
Champagne house Krug has released their third edition of The Hunter & The Hunted series, this time pairing effervescence with a hardy, versatile crustacean: the crab. This third edition features interviews with renowned executive chefs such as Uwe Opocensky and Umberto Bombana, with recipes highlighting this delish decapod. We’ve perused all three editions (including those on truffle and tomato), and we can say this is definitely an undrinkable but very enjoyable collectible champagne item. It is available in all the featured restaurants in the book as a complimentary gift to diners until the end of the year. They are 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Amber, Dragon Seal, Island Tang, Libery Private Works, Mandarin Grill + Bar and Wagyu Takumi.
App of the month Our fave foodie app this month! The Entertainer – providing close to 1,000 “buy-oneget-one-free” vouchers from Hong Kong’s most exclusive dining, leisure, wellness and entertainment venues (think Gold by Harlan Goldstein, Alfie’s by KEE, French Window and The Landmark Mandarin Oriental spa), this successful Dubai-based app and voucher book was recently launched in Hong Kong. The Entertainer also includes hotel accommodation offers from Banyan Tree, Angsana and Sofitel across luxe holiday destinations from the Maldives through to Bali. It is priced at $595 and available on iTunes, Blackberry and Google Play. 48
Our round-up of the best wine, arts and entertainment happenings this month
Ai Weiwei at Duddell’s The culinary and cultural destination that is Duddell’s has scored what we consider the art exhibition of the year: Chinese contemporary artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei’s first curated exhibition in Hong Kong. Framed: Ai Weiwei and Hong Kong Artists, on display until 15 February 2014, is a dynamic collaboration with 13 local artists, including Kitty Chou, anothermountainman, Kingsley Ng and MAP Office. Before or after immersing yourself in Ai Weiwei’s inspiring “visual dialogue”, be sure to book a table at Duddell’s for its Michelin-starred chef's Cantonese cuisine and vintage cocktails. Level 3 and 4, Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell Street, Central 2525 9191