HAUTE KITCHEN

BY SHARON SETO HauteKITCHEN

THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER

LIFE IS A JOURNEY IN ALL ASPECTS AND, WHEN traveling, food is an essential part of it. As a young girl, I’d get excited, come May and June, knowing that it meant the school year was ending—soon it’d be time to jet off somewhere with my parents and family. My wise father always told me to “go out there and see the world. Learn from it.” Yes, our family adventures were a ton of fun, but I also learned from them. Traveling as a young kid, I gained new perspectives that prepare me for what I have yet to see; for example, toilet paper is a given when you visit public bathrooms here in USA, but in some countries, you better have it in your purse! The best part of jetting to new destinations is eating— especially yummy, new dishes. There’s a bit of wanderlust in each of us, even if we can only travel via the dining table. As travel is this issue’s theme, we got some really cool recipes that capture the spirit of far away lands.

DENNIS AND BIANCA WONG

LE SOLEIL RESTAURANTS in Hong Kong and San Francisco

I’m so proud to introduce our first father-daughter team in Haute Kitchen—chefs Dennis and Bianca Wong of Le Soleil Restaurant.

For over 40 years, chef Dennis Wong has nurtured his passion for the exquisite taste of Asian cuisine in the Far East as well as locally in the SF Bay Area, earning recognition on the Michelin Guide. Drawing influence from the French, he developed and

Award-winning chef Dennis Wong

refined a style of his own. His marriage of Vietnamese and French styles introduces a unique way to present traditional Indochinese delicacies.

Chef Dennis and his partner, restauranteur Annie Wong, debuted their first restaurant, Thai Café, in 1982. With the success of Thai Café, the chef and the restauranteur opened their second restaurant, Le Soleil, in 1993. Stylishly appointed through Annie's eye for beauty and Dennis’ flair for cooking, the remarkable dining experience of Le Soleil quickly spread. It has earned accolades throughout the Bay Area and was named the number one restaurant by San Francisco Focus magazine. The James Beard Foundation knows a good thing, too, and recognizes Chef Dennis who has been invited to demonstrate his culinary excellence time and again.

Le Soleil has not only given Chef Dennis the opportunity to reach beyond the boundaries of tradition, it has also allowed him to take his talents overseas. In 2007, a second Le Soleil location was established at The Royal Garden Hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong. With Le Soleil restaurants in Hong Kong and in San Francisco, Chef Dennis continues his innovative culinary journey with Asian cuisine by collaborating with his daughters.

The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree in the Wong family. Middle daughter, Chef Bianca Wong, is making her mark in the Bay Area. Having grown up in her parent’s restaurants and in a city rich in culture, Bianca Wong has always been exposed to an abundance of cuisines. This environment heavily influenced her cooking style and palate. Known for her playful twists on classic comfort foods, Chef Bianca specializes in modern Asian flavors. The combination of her love for food and creativity makes her part of the next generation of contemporary chefs.

As the daughter of celebrated international chef Dennis Wong and restaurateur Annie Wong, the passion for food really developed organically. There was only one rule when it came to food in the Wong’s household: “Try it before you say no.” This principle has guided Bianca’s culinary journey as both a chef and a foodie. In 2017, Bianca established Bites By Binky, a pop-up kitchen serving playful bites around the Bay Area.

Bites By Binky is an ode to fun foods without boundaries. In 2018, she founded her second pop-up kitchen, Tuezday Noodz Day, with her sisters and father. This pop-up celebrates noodle dishes from around the world. In 2019, Bianca joined the team at the historic Farallon in San Francisco. Soon after, she was invited to represent the United States at the

Chengdu Panda Asian Food Festival alongside her father. That summer, Bianca participated in the Gourmet Master Chef Competition in Beijing where she brought home the gold medal.

“My parents cultivated my love for food at a young age with their motto: 'Try it before you say no.' They encouraged my sisters and I to be open-minded when trying new things and not to judge anything until we’ve experienced it. This motto is one of the greatest gifts they’ve given us.” – Bianca Wong

HauteKITCHEN

Q&A

HAUTE LIVING X BIANCA & DENNIS WONG

HL: It's heartwarming to hear you have three little ones. What do you like doing with them when you aren’t working? DB: Our family loves to go hiking or bike riding, to play outside, and generally to explore San Francisco and the Bay Area. I love to cook at home for my family as well. Many chefs hate cooking at home, but I love it. I do a lot of woodworking in my garage shop as well and am an avid consumer of literature.

HL: As someone who grew up in the restaurant business, at what age were you allowed in the kitchen to start cooking professionally alongside your dad? What were the first dishes you prepared for

Le Soleil patrons? BW: My parents are veterans of the restaurant industry, having opened their first restaurant when they were just dating. So, I think it’s safe to say that

I’ve been immersed in this industry since before I was even born. I’ve always admired everything about restaurants, but it’s the way food and culture bring people together that I admire most. My mom first created the pathway for me to a professional kitchen. She had always wanted to open a restaurant focusing solely on noodle soups, her favorite food second only to caviar. My sisters and I played with this idea until we came up with Tuezday Noodz Day, a pop-up that operated out of Le

Soleil’s kitchen on Tuesdays. I must have just turned 25. This was the first time I got to collaborate with my dad on a menu. It was so exciting, because I actually got to run it and see it come to life! We decided to start by taking staples from Le Soleil’s menu and updating them. One of the first dishes at Noodz was the curry duck vermicelli. All the curry dishes at Le Soleil are super-popular, so we used Le Soleil’s curry as a base for a broth. We seasoned duck legs in my dad’s signature mix of curry powder and braised them until they were fall-off-the-bone tender.

Eventually, Noodz gained its own regulars who returned week after week for our exclusive menu.

HL: Are there any cool, popular dishes you created together for the restaurant? BW: I wanted to keep our Noodz menu interesting, so we rotated new dishes as often as possible. I was inspired by the Sichuan boiled fish dish shui zhu yu and consulted my dad on how we could turn it into ramen.

Personally, I can’t handle too much spice, so I wanted this dish to be more palatable, and easy on the chili. We found a way to soothe the heat and balance it with acidity and sweetness from pickled mustard greens. The Sichuan sole ramen was a hit and is still one of our family favorites! Another cool dish was the “ph-aco,” or pho taco. I took my dad’s homemade pho and turned it into tacos! A very fun play on those traditional Vietnamese flavors. HL: Chef Dennis, what are your hopes and dreams for your restaurant and your daughter's future? DW: Food, for me, has always been about bringing people together, connecting, sharing an experience, and making memories. Many of our customers have become our family, and we’ve been able to see them grow through the years. Some came to Le Soleil as children with their parents, and they are now bringing their own families to dine with us. These relationships transcend the food and dishes that I have been able to create. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to build such relationships with our customers. My hope is for my daughter to continue to build on this legacy by serving the many generations of our customers through her love and passion for food.

HL: Chef Bianca, you have gifted parents. Both have been in the restaurant industry for decades. Le Soleil is considered the pioneer for innovative French-inspired Vietnamese cuisine. How did your parents influence your career choice? Do your hopes and dreams mirror your parents’ or do they differ? How? What is next on your agenda? BW: As a child, I’ve always seen my parents as a power couple. My mom ran front of the house while my dad ran back. It was extremely inspiring, especially because both are immigrants. They showed so much hospitality and kindness to their guests, truly creating a family environment within their business. People came back not only for the delicious food, but also because they became family. The connection that they’ve been able to create by simply serving a tasty meal is pretty incredible to me: some of their patrons span over three generations. The ability to create such a deep connection is what keeps me drawn to the restaurant industry, besides my love for food, of course! In some ways,

I think my dreams do mirror those of my parents. Like them, I want to be a restaurateur and eventually have my own restaurant group. Their entrepreneurial spirit definitely lives within me. However, as immigrants,

I think the restaurant industry was much more about survival and maintaining a connection to their cultural roots while thriving in a new home. As a first generation Asian-American, I’m starting with my passion for food and navigating my identity by combining all the cultures I experience. Currently, I’m focusing on rebranding Bites By Binky. BBB is very personal to me, because it’s essentially all snack foods, which is my favorite way to eat! I’ve been launching charcuterie style boards with a twist. There’s been a banh mi board and a Beijing board (a play on Peking duck wraps). But I have so many more ideas, and they’re perfect for picnics in the summer. The vibe of BBB is very much what it would be like if you were to spend the day with me, my sisters, my best friends, and our favorite cocktails. Follow @bitesbybinky on Instagram to see what’s coming next!

HL: Chef Dennis, you are born of Chinese descent. What inspired you to focus on Vietnamese cuisine? DW: My parents were from Guangdong, China, but I was actually born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam. I was lucky to be surrounded by a family with women that showed their love through cooking. My older sister would create traditional Vietnamese dishes, and my favorites were thit kho (braised pork belly) and canh chua cá (hot and sour catfish soup).

As a kid, I remember coming home, smelling the aroma of the delicious flavors, grabbing a bowl of rice, and pouring sauce or soup over it. It was my definition of comfort and love. Later in life through my experience as a refugee, I held onto those memories of food with my family to get through challenging times.

When I escaped to the US with my younger brother, I was drawn to the food industry, as it brought me a sense of comfort in a foreign place.

I found a position as a dishwasher and learned my way through a

Thai restaurant which led me to opening Thai Café. With the success of my first restaurant, I was finally able to open a restaurant closer to my upbringing: Le Soleil. This was the opportunity for me to bring all my favorite Vietnamese dishes from childhood to our San Francisco community.

HL: Chef, your accolades are world famous. We know that the owners of the highly regarded Royal Garden Hotel in Hong Kong sought you out to place a Le Soleil Restaurant there to enjoy your cuisine.

What do you bring to the table in Hong Kong? DW: My wife is originally from Hong Kong. As parents, we always thought that it was important to take our daughters there to visit on an annual basis. We intended for the girls to feel connected to their roots, but quickly realized that these trips were mostly full of food, with the endless options from traditional Chinese dishes to late night snack foods. Our daughters love food so much that my wife refers to our family as Wong’s

Farm, because they are all such piggies when it comes to great food!

This wasn’t surprising, as Hong Kong is the culinary capital of Asia. Year after year, we noticed that though Hong Kong had a variety of food from around the world, we were never able to find a Vietnamese restaurant. We joked each trip that, one day, we would eventually open a Le Soleil across the world. Little did we know that we spoke this into existence. We were so fortunate to have the opportunity to open a branch of Le Soleil in Hong Kong’s Royal Garden Hotel. One of the owners of the hotel made a point to dine at our restaurant each time he traveled to San Francisco. Eventually, he had asked that we go back home with him to Hong Kong to open a Le Soleil. Much of this credit really should go to the owners, because up until then, Vietnamese cuisine was not popular in Hong Kong’s food scene. Opening Le Soleil at the Royal Garden Hotel, popularized Vietnamese cuisine all over Hong

Kong. Now, when we make our annual trips, we have just the place to enjoy a bowl of pho that reminds us of home. HL: Who takes charge of cooking at home for the family? What are the standard favorites on your table? BW: We sit down together regularly for family dinner. For these meals, my dad and I usually take turns cooking. Sometimes we’ll see what everyone is craving, and it’ll become a team effort, which is always really fun! Or if either of us has a creative itch, we use the opportunity to test out idea and get feedback from the whole family. My chilled soba with salmon tartare and ikura originated from one of these family dinners last summer! On some occasions, it’s my poh poh who cooks for everyone. She constantly has some bone broth on the stove. My favorite is fuzzy gourd jeet gua soup, my dad’s is probably sunchoke. Another

Wong’s Farm favorite is steamed mui choy and minced pork. There’s also the simple and comforting stir-fried tomato and eggs over rice. Poh poh always brings us back to our cultural roots with traditional dishes.

But what’s her signature? Her famous fried chicken wings—our guilty pleasure!

HauteKITCHEN

Chilled Soba with Salmon Tartare and Ikura

INGREDIENTS • 300 grams soba • 4 ounces ikura • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved • ¼ of a small red onion, half-inch julienned • Shiso, julienned • Maldon sea salt

Salmon Tartare • 8 ounces sushi grade salmon, diced small • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil • 2 teaspoons chives, chopped • ¼ teaspoon togarashi • ½ teaspoon Maldon sea salt

Miso Vinaigrette • 1 tablespoon shiro miso • 4 tablespoons rice vinegar • 2 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise • 1½ tablespoons white sugar • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a rapid boil. Add soba and stir. 2. Decrease to medium heat and cook for 7 minutes. 3. Rinse soba thoroughly under cold water and drain.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator while you prep the rest of the ingredients. 4. Combine miso and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Thin out mixture with rice vinegar, adding 1 tablespoon at a time. Add sugar, garlic powder, ground ginger, and white pepper. Stir vinaigrette and set aside until ready to use. 5. Place salmon into a bowl. Coat with olive oil until salmon is glistening. Sprinkle chives and togarashi over salmon. Season with Maldon sea salt, using fingertips to crush any large pieces. Mix well. 6. In a large mixing bowl, scatter red onion and shiso evenly across soba. Coat with miso vinaigrette. Create a nest of soba noodles in four individual bowls. Toss cherry tomatoes in the mixing bowl and distribute evenly. 7. Spoon salmon tartare over mixed noodles. Gently garnish with ikura and (optional) top tartare with a pinch of Maldon sea salt. Serve immediately.

"This dish brings me back home to Vietnam where there is an abundance of superb seafood. Vietnamese cuisine is heavily centered on herbs and relies on them to bring freshness in order to combat the otherwise humid and hot climate. This take on aguachile highlights the brightness of the herbs and also celebrates the sweetness of beautiful, live spotted prawns." – Dennis Wong

Vietnamese Spotted Prawn Aguachile

INGREDIENTS • 8 ounces live spotted prawns

Sauce • 1 tablespoon fish sauce • 1¼ tablespoon brown sugar • 1 tablespoon lime juice • 1 teaspoon minced garlic • 1 teaspoon minced ginger • 1 teaspoon chili paste

Garnish • Vietnamese coriander, chopped • mint, chopped • sweet onion, julienned

INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Run cold water over prawns to wash them. Place them in the freezer for 10 minutes. Prepare sauce while prawns are in the freezer. 2. For the sauce, combine ingredients in a blender. Pulse until sauce is well combined. 3. After 10 minutes, remove heads from the prawns and peel off the shells. Gently run a paring knife down the back of each prawn and remove the vein. Do not cut all the way through. Keep on ice or a chilled plate until ready to use. 4. Spoon enough sauce onto the plate to cover the bottom. Arrange prawns on the plate in a circle. Brush sauce on prawns, covering evenly. Garnish with herbs and onion.