TK11 Icons of the Empire by Tasting Kitchen (TK)

HKD40 | MOP40 | RMB42 | NTD180 | SGD8 | USD6 | £4

T A S T I N G 11

K I T C H E N

ICONS OF THE EMPIRE

BEIJING Duck

Duel 烤鸭大对决 CHENGDU Southern Blend 荟萃川粤 CHANGSHA Taste Tapestry 缤纷湘菜

DAVID HARTUNG

starter

Bo Innovation’s Demon Chef Alvin Leung produces a fresh take on a traditional Korean raw fish dish. This is Mulhoe – a collation of sea produce, strong and sweet in flavor and diverse in texture. Octopus, sea urchin and smoked sea bream are doused in sweet and sharp pear syrup. Crunchy dried seaweed and juicy fresh seaweed add color. Squeeze a generous helping from the tube of chili- and miso-infused foie gras into the syrup, mix with a spoon and enjoy. 「厨魔」主厨梁经伦对韩国传统生鱼料理进行大改造，带来令人耳目一新的「Mulhoe」，结合多种海鲜，味道浓烈鲜甜，口感丰富多变。章鱼、海胆和烟熏鲷鱼淋上又酸又甜的梨子糖浆，香脆的海苔与新鲜海带为菜肴增添色彩。将管内混合了辣椒及味增的鹅肝酱大方挤入糖浆，用汤匙搅拌，就可以开动了！

TK | ICONS OF THE EMPIRE

Hermann Nitsch Schüttbild/Sevilla

TASTE CULTURE

„Tradition is the passing on of the fire, not the worship of the ashes.“ Gustav Mahler www.austrianwine.com

T A S T I N G 11

K I T C H E N

ICONS OF THE EMPIRE

Tasting Kitchen www.tasting-kitchen.com 7A, 22/F, Kodak House II, 39 Healthy East Street Quarry Bay, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2642 0008

Tasting Kitchen is a celebration of the Pearl River Delta’s finest restaurants, greatest chefs and most delicious food. Our mission is simple: to share our enthusiasm for all the great culinary experiences the region has to offer.

Mark Hammons FOUNDER & PUBLISHER mark@tasting-kitchen.com

Jeff Hammons

Jean Alberti

EDITOR AT LARGE jeff@tasting-kitchen.com

CHEF AT LARGE jean@tasting-kitchen.com

Barbra Austin

David Hartung

Alicia Beebe

Sarah Dallof

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

ART DIRECTOR

Marco Gorman

Joey Cheang

Kennis Yuen

Madeline Gressel

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR CHINESE EDITOR

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jo Mckinnon

Timothy Tang

Lucy Morgan

GROUP ADVERTISING

CIRCULATION &

Kate Nicholson

sales@tasting-kitchen.com

Yvonne Cheong Victoria Lei EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

SUBSCRIPTION EXECUTIVE

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Bob Campbell

Inara Sim

Rita Ng

Anne-Clémence Tillette

ACCOUNTANT

Adele Wong

Mary Ng Traverso SALES DIRECTOR +852 9023 7879 mary@tasting-kitchen.com

Abid Shaikh ACCOUNT DIRECTOR abid@tasting-kitchen.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@tasting-kitchen.com

PRINTING ABC Digital Printing Co. LTD. 9/F, Long Life Industrial Building

Lung King Heen Executive Chef Chan Yan-tak stuffs green-skinned dumplings like the one on our cover with steamed scallops and silver fish. Read more about Chef Chan’s innovative dim sum starting on page 140. 封面照片以绿色饺子皮包裹的银鱼蒜香带子饺由龙景轩行政主厨陈恩德烹制。如欲了解更多有关陈主厨的创意点心，请翻阅本刊第140页。 Photo by David Hartung. ©Tasting Kitchen 2014 All rights reserved

TK | icons of the empire

contents

2 S T A R T E R • 12 – 23 T A S T I N G N E W S 24 Reining Design • 26 Seeds of Success • 30 Kitchen Intuition • 36 Second Time Ground 38 Wine and Thyme • 42 A Spirit Chef for Bold Palates • 44 The Art of Wine • 48 What’s the Catch 50 Food Therapy • 52 The Principles of Alain Ducasse • 56 Restaurant Reconnaissance • 62 New Temptations

TK | icons of the empire

contents

64 Food is the Best Medicine • 70 Duck Duel • 78 Whatever Works Really Works • 82 Taste Tapestry 86 Snowy Utopia • 98 An Elegant Blend • 106 Refined By Time • 112 Welcome to the Feast 120 Southern Blend • 126 Better and Better • 130 Flying Free • 136 Fortune Favors the Hungry 140 Dim Sumptuous • 144 Big Sky Beef • 148 Mumm at the Ritz • 152 The Pig Has Landed 156 W H E R E T O F I N D T K • 158 R E S T A U R A N T L I S T I N G S • 160 D E S S E R T

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publisher’s note

Welcome to Tasting Kitchen. In this issue TK takes a hopscotch eating tour of China. In Beijing we learn how a culinary outsider cracked the code for making the best Peking Duck. In Tianjin we join the Snow Polo World Cup and tour one of China’s most ambitious real estate developments, where the culinary performances are as spectacular as the sporting ones. In Chengdu we meet a chef who has mastered both Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine, get a spice lesson from the chef at one of the city’s best private kitchens, and then travel two hours west to visit the distillery where some of China’s finest baijiu is made. For a second dose of spice, we visit Changsha, Hunan, where we dine with a chef who travels the back roads to discover the best Hunanese comfort food. And we meet Qin Lingzhi, the founder of the world’s largest Chinese restaurant, with 5,000 seats and more than 2,000 dishes to choose from. TK sampled a dozen and found that in this case, quantity does not preclude quality – they were among the best dishes we had in China. Returning to Hong Kong we have scrumptious foie gras wontons at one of the city’s most highly regarded private dining rooms, attend to our qi with a healthy meal designed by a talented chef and a Chinese doctor, and sample delicacies from two Michelin three-star Chinese restaurants, before taking a ferry to Macau to eat at another Chinese three-star winner. In a new column written and photographed by Wine Master Bob Campbell we learn how Chinese coal miners were responsible for the hint of thyme found in some New Zealand wines. The world of Chinese cuisine is infinitely exciting and enticing. It’s impossible to discover it all, but fun to try.

MARK HAMMONS

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chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note

Greetings from Tasting Kitchen. I was fascinated by the food culture of China long before I came to Asia. One of my small culinary pleasures when I moved from San Francisco to Shanghai was to find the smallest and most unassuming eateries and order dishes randomly from their menus. I had no idea what I was ordering, but it was always a thrill and I was never disappointed. Then I started to travel throughout China and my interest was heightened by the techniques used by farmer-chefs to cook and to prepare their food: braising, smoking, drying, confit. These techniques are very similar to those that have been used for centuries by chefs and housewives across Europe. I especially remember one meal that I was offered by an old couple in a tiny village in the north of Yunnan: headcheese, pickled wild mushrooms and a crusty, freshly baked piece of bread. Delicious! I could not believe the quality of the headcheese and its similarity with the one I was raised on in France. The meat was cooked to perfection, lightly set in an herb-scented aspic and truly exceptional. That was the first moment I personally experienced how the passage of centuries has interwoven cooking techniques and traditions from China and the West, so deeply now that the threads are hidden from sight.

JEAN ALBERTI

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DELUXE SEAFOOD HOT POT DINNER BUFFET 極盛海鮮火鍋自助晚餐

@ 1/F Café Panorama 一樓西餐廳 Café Panorama proudly presents a new hot pot dinner buffet featuring chef ’s recommended deluxe seafood items and much more, promising you an exceptional culinary journey!

一樓西餐廳隆重推出極盛海鮮火鍋自助晚餐，由大廚嚴選令人垂涎的特級海鮮，讓您一試愛上，保證回味無窮！ Every Friday & Saturday 7pm - 10pm 逢星期五、星期六晚上 7 時至 10 時 Adult 成人 $388 | Child 小童 $194 For enquiries or reservations, please call 853.8899.1020 如欲查詢或訂座，請致電 853.8899.1020

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TK |

tasting news

上流餐馆

upper class

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沿着一条幽静小巷拾级而上，远离邻近荷李活道上钻地机和大货车震耳欲聋的喧嚣，入目出现一间美丽宽敞、以丝绸和天鹅绒装饰的餐厅。天花板布满蛋型金属片，层层叠叠闪着不同色调的灰，轻巧地一路沿着壁面向下，模糊了餐厅内尖锐的棱角。大片窗户向街道敞开，营造出置身室外的开放感。这里就是 Upper Modern Bistro。之前曾于

Pierre 和 St. George 两间餐厅担任主厨的 Philippe Oricco，是荣获米其林二星荣誉的知名大厨，他辞职后决定自立门户，开设了这家小餐馆。餐厅内气氛静谧安详，顾客轻啜着鸡尾酒，享用着鹅肝焦糖炖蛋、吞拿乳鸽茄子卷、猪脚烤土司等精致小碟料理，用餐区舒适的座椅又增添了悠闲轻松的氛围。不过点菜时可别漫不经心，Philippe 大厨的料理既成熟又多变，绝对值得深思熟虑后再决定。用肉汁炖煮的西班牙海鲜炖饭散发出诱人的乳猪、墨鱼和虾的香气，可见 Philippe 掌握口味的功夫深厚，他对传统的尊重，也从精致的螺肉与面包泥搭配里表露无遗。丰富的味道，创新的香料使用手法，令人惊艳的食材组合，全都在这宜人宁静的小餐馆里，看来这位大厨离第三颗米其林星星也不远了呢？

Upper Modern Bistro 6-14 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong 香港上环差馆上街6-14号 +852 2617 0977, www.upper-bistro.com

COURTESY OF UPPER MODERN BISTRO (2)

Up a sleepy side street, away from the jack hammers and heavy goods vehicles pounding nearby Hollywood Road, lies a beautiful, spacious restaurant, furnished in silk and velvet. The ceiling is clad with egg-shaped pieces of metal in varying shades of grey, which trail gently down the walls, blurring the sharp corners of the room. Large windows open out onto the street, creating an airy alfresco feel. This is Upper Modern Bistro, presided over by Philippe Oricco. Formerly of Pierre and St. George at Hullet House, the two-Michelin-star chef has gone solo. The atmosphere is serene as diners sip cocktails and enjoy delightful tapas like foie gras crème brulee, juicy morsels of squab wrapped in slivers of tuna, and pig’s trotter on toast. In the dining area, deep comfortable chairs add to the relaxed feeling of the place. But don’t switch off when it’s time to order: Chef Oricco’s menu is a list of grown-up, palette-challenging food, worth careful consideration. Philippe’s knack for flavor is displayed in his beautiful baby pork, squid, prawns, cereal seed and paella bouillon dish. His respect for tradition is showcased in his gorgeous snails and mash with croutons. Rich flavors, an innovative use of spices and combinations of ingredients that surprise and delight, all served in a cool, tranquil setting – could the third star be on its way for this innovative chef?

20th~23rd MARCH

3月20日至23日 OUTDOOR LAGOON of The Venetian Macao Resort 澳門威尼斯人室外人工湖沿岸

Organized by 主辦方

Main sponsor 贊助商 More than 30 booths with food and wine from around the world. The best opportunity to taste and learn about wines, and the various foods to pair it with. FREE ADMISSION The event has free admission with a voucher payment system of MOP/HKD 10 per voucher. Vouchers can be redeemed for both food and wine.

WINE SCHOOL Instructive sessions for absolute beginners, wine lovers and professionals

本屆葡萄酒美食節特設了30餘個來自世界各地的葡萄酒、美食展位和葡萄酒學堂免費進場 | 該活動入場費全免！如要品嚐美酒佳餚，

facebook.com/winedinemacau youtube.com/winedinemacau weibo.com/winedinemacau

可購買價值MOP/HKD 10一張的代金券入場消費，每份代金券可以用作消費場內任何食物和葡萄酒. 葡萄酒學堂 | 有專家坐鎮的初級葡萄酒教堂，適合愛酒如痴的你或者葡萄酒從業人員參與。

Produced By 製作機構

Supporting Organizations 輔助機構

Sponsors 贊助商

Media Partners 媒體合作夥伴

ITALIAN TRADE AGENCY ICE - Italian Trade Commission

www.winedinemacau.com

糕点大赛

piece of cake

LAST FALL , for the second consecutive year, the Fonterra

去年秋天，恒天然烘培大赛连续第二年于澳

Foodservices Pastry Challenge was held in Macau at the

门旅游学院教学餐厅举办。各参赛队伍使用

IFT Educational Restaurant. Using their expertise, teams

安佳乳制品，为主题「季节之味 (Taste of

turned Anchor dairy products into delightful creations

the Seasons)」，施展专业技巧，精心制作美

focused on the theme, Taste of the Seasons.

味糕点。

Cruz from Galaxy Macau

showed off their winning

「澳門銀河 TM」度假村酒店的杜林村 (Terry) 及 Gelyn Cruz 凭借在巧克力蛋糕

creation, “Autumn Delight,” a chocolate cake flavored

中加入茶韵与杏桃的香甜的创意，以作品

with tea and apricots. “We missed out on a place last

「Autumn Delight」夺下金牌。 Gelyn Cruz

year,” said Cruz. “So this year, we were really focused – it

说：「去年我们很希望得奖，却无法雀屏中选。

was all or nothing!”

所以今年我们真的孤注一掷，全力以赴！」

TK | icons of the empire

DAVID HARTUNG

Gold medal winners Terry Du Lin Chuan and Geyln

“Autumn Delight” is available at the Cascades pastry shop at Galaxy Macau.

tasting news

道地澳洲风味

australian flavor ← Salt-cured ocean trout ceviche with pineapple chili dressing 海盐酸橘汁腌鳟鱼伴菠萝辣椒醤 ↓ Seared sea scallop with golden yabbie tail, cod brandade, orange chicory and a parsley glaze 香烤扇贝搭配澳洲黄金小龙虾，鳕鱼羹，香橙菊苣和意大利香菜

F O R S I X N I G H T S starting on the first of April, The Park Lane Hong Kong will host famed Australian chef and restaurateur Scott Webster. As part of the Park Lane’s Guest Chef Tour, Webster will help the hotel celebrate its 40th anniversary by serving up his intriguingly Australian-flavored dishes at

COURTESY OF THE PARK LANE HONG KONG

RIVA and The Deck.

Chef Webster made his reputation cooking in a series of extraordinary kitchens around the world. He now works as an international culinary consultant. In 2010 he oversaw the opening of Osia Bar and Restaurant in Singapore, to rave reviews. Dishes like his foie gras coated with polenta and a mirin soy glaze have earned a reputation for delivering attention-getting flavor. Unpretentious in the Australian way, Chef Webster makes a habit of giving most of the credit to the ingredients on his plates. Some of the distinctly Australian ingredients he uses include wattle seeds, lemon myrtle, bangsia and eucalyptus. “My food has a genuine Australian feel about it,” he has said, “since I have a passion for the wonderful produce we can source in this country, and I love highlighting its flavors and textures.”

自四月一日起接连六天，香港柏宁酒店将举

的波伦塔日式酱烧鹅肝等菜色也令人想一探

办「客席厨师巡礼」，聘请身兼餐厅老板的澳

究竟。

洲名厨 Scott Webster 来港，于酒店内 RIVA

Webster 主厨秉持澳式作风，一贯谦逊

餐厅及露天平台献艺，呈献精致澳洲风味美

地将菜肴的美味归功于食材。他采用的澳洲

食，共同欢庆柏宁酒店四十周年纪念。

特有食材包括金合欢籽、柠檬香桃、山龙眼

Scott Webster 曾在全球多家顶级餐厅

与尤加利。

工作，因此名闻遐迩，目前则担任各国餐

「我对澳洲奇妙的 Webster 主厨曾表示：

厅的料理顾问。 2010 年他负责主导新加坡

作物非常着迷，也喜欢强调这些食材的滋味

Osia 酒吧餐厅开幕，餐厅佳评如潮，他创制

与口感，所以做出来的菜有道地的澳洲风味。」 icons of the empire

TK |

tasting news

拜访未来大厨

tastes of the seasons F O O D L O V E R S can now t aste cuisine prepared by the chefs of tomorrow at The Seasons, the training restaurant at the Macau University of Science and Technology ( M U ST ). T he cutting- edge facility for students in the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management prepares the next generation of chefs and front-of-house staff for professional life by demanding high standards in a real-life restaurant setting. “We have a whole professional team guiding the students,” says Jean Alberti, Director of Food and Beverage. “Every student is learning to be a professional provider of hospitality in either the culinary arts or restaurant management.” T he rustic but chic design of the restaurant is informed by an underlying farm-to-table philosophy and practices that embrace agricultural sustainability and support local organic farmers. Student chefs also use fresh vegetables and herbs grown on a small plot of land on campus. A four- course set menu features seasonal dishes such as cream of cauliflower with sea urchin, warm red mullet with vegetables salad, and roast guinea fowl with almonds and sultanas. “Our menu changes every day,” says Alberti. “There’s not much structure, it all depends on seasonal produce and the head chef’s ability to create with what is available on the day. That’s how so many real restaurants operate.”

喜好美食的人有口福了，现在到澳门科技大学的教学餐厅「季节」，就能品尝到未来大厨的手艺。「季节」拥有最先进的设备，可以让酒店与旅游管理学院的学生在真正的餐厅环境里，以最高标准接受训练，培育出下一代专业的大厨与餐厅前线员工。「我们有一餐饮总监 Jean Alberti 表示：整个专业团队来指导学生，每个学生都能在厨艺或餐厅管理方面，学习如何提供专业的餐饮服务。」餐厅装潢带有田园风格，同时又时髦别致，有光洁的木地板，墙上挂着黑板，头顶照射温暖的灯光，这些设计意在反映「从农场到餐桌」的理念，推广农业永续发展，并支持当地有机农业。校园中还辟有一小块农地，栽种新鲜蔬菜和香草，供受训的厨师运用。「季节」提供四道菜的套餐，每道菜都洋溢季节特色，如奶油椰菜花佐海胆、乌鱼蔬菜温沙拉、烤珠鸡佐杏仁与葡萄干等等。Jean 说：「我们每天都会更换菜单，根据有哪些季节食材，以及主厨当天按材料烹调的菜色而定，和其他正式餐厅的经营方式一样。」

s↑ Setting up the communal table 餐桌摆设 ← Kitchen demonstration 厨房教学室 → Wine cellar 酒窖 →→ Mixology class 调酒课堂

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DAVID HARTUNG (4)

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TK |

至尊飨宴

the principal experience

At The Principal in Wanchai, Head Chef Jonay Armas is offering a ten-course degustation menu, “The Principal Experience,” with dishes that transport diners through four seasons of flavors, from fresh and delicate to rich and earthy. Barbra Austin tastes and describes some of the memorable dishes.

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tasting news

Mackerel: Lemongrass, Radish, Tomato Seed, Jalapeño Chef Armas plays assertive, oily mackerel against a refreshing backdrop of bright flavors. The fish is briefly brined, just to season it, and then its skin is torched to a crisp. The broth, clear like a consommé, is infused with ginger, lemongrass, and jalapeño, each flavor present but restrained. Sweet tomato seeds mimic the texture of caviar with a slippery little crunch, and salmon roe deliver satisfying bursts of salt. 烧鲭鱼浸蕃茄籽、墨西哥辣椒汤汁行政总厨 Jonay Armas 以清新明亮的口味做底，反衬出味道浓郁、富含油脂的鲭鱼。鱼肉短暂浸入盐水，稍微调味，再将鱼皮用喷枪烤脆。如高汤般清澈的肉汁浸入姜、香茅和墨西哥辣椒，各种佐料风味节制地并存。甜蕃茄籽比拟鱼子酱的纹理，除了滑溜的咬劲，还让人体验鲑鱼卵破裂时咸味在口中爆裂的快感。

Pigeon: Bresse, Bomba Rice, Cèpes Soil, Hunter’s Truffle Resembling a scene from a forest floor, Chef Armas plants the Bresse pigeon, juicy and rare, on an earthy “soil” of powdered cèpes, buttery like a crumble topping. Short grain Bomba rice absorbs all the flavor of the mushroom stock in which it is cooked but retains its texture. The “hunter’s truffle” is not a truffle at all, but a trompe l’oeil illusion of silky foie gras and pigeon liver, dusted with coffee and truffle powder.

法国乳鸽伴牛肝菌菇、新鲜黑松露看似丛林泥地，洒满粉的牛肝菌铺成一片黄褐沃土，Armas 主厨再将珍稀多汁的布雷斯鸽肉种在这面泥地上，像坍塌的顶上装饰。邦巴短米在菌菇高汤里炖煮，吸饱所有风味后却嚼劲依旧。猎人的松露根本不是松露，而是以丝滑的鹅肝和鸽肝撒上咖啡和松露粉，

DAVID HARTUNG (3)

几可乱真。

icons of the empire

TK |

Venison: Tartare, Blackberry, Walnut, Sorrell Gently smoked just before it leaves the kitchen, Chef Armas’s venison tartare comes to the table in an aromatic cloud. Juicy bits of blackberry accentuate the meat’s natural sweetness, which is balanced by drops of pungent mustard and tart sorrell. Walnut is shaved on a microplane, creating a pile of fine curls that almost melt on the tongue, adding a touch of richness.

英国野生鹿肉配香料酱汁出餐前稍微烟熏过的鹿肉在一阵香气弥漫中上桌，搭配些许多汁的黑莓，带出鹿肉的天然甜味，再由数点辛辣芥末和酸模草塔来平衡。刨成屡屡细丝的核桃堆成一座小山，几乎入口即化，增添了丰富的口感。

TK | ICONS OF THE EMPIRE

tasting news

Cod: Black and White This dish only looks minimalist. Black cod is gently roasted and surrounded by a pool of pil-pil, a traditional Basque sauce made by emulsifying olive oil with the proteinrich juices of the cod, garlic and a bit of chili. Encircling the cod and the pil-pil is a blackas-night sauce of squid ink and fermented black garlic, which has an intense, funky, almost sweet flavor. Ethereal fish stock foam crowns the dish.

日本银鳕鱼配黑蒜汁这道料理可为极简之最。黑鳕鱼经些许炙烧，周围淋上西班牙巴斯克传统 pil-pil 酱，是由丝滑柔顺的橄榄油与高蛋白的鳕鱼肉汁、大蒜和一点辣椒制成。环绕着鳕鱼和 pil-pil 酱的是如暗夜般黑的墨鱼酱汁和发酵过的黑蒜，散发强烈的味道，却又近乎甜味，最后以空灵的鱼沫点缀作结。

Snowball: White Chocolate, Passion Fruit, Coconut This playful dessert looks chillier than it really is. Coconut “snow” (made with maltodextrin, a staple in the molecular chef’s larder) forms the base for a sphere of white chocolate mousse, enrobed in a crisp, whisper-thin shell of cocoa butter. Crack it open, and a sweet-tart passion fruit coulis pours out like sunshine through the rich mousse. It’s winter in the tropics.

白巧克力雪球、热情果夹心这道玩笑般的甜点其实并不像外表那般冰寒。椰子粉做出的雪﹙分子主厨的压箱宝，以麦芽糊精制成﹚作为白巧克力慕斯球的基底，外围包覆着一层吹弹可破的可可脂球壳。将球壳打开，甜腻的百香果酱从浓稠的慕丝中如一

DAVID HARTUNG (3)

道阳光般倾泻穿出，正是热带的寒冬啊。

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tasting news

香槟的两个故事

a tale of two champagnes

ARNAUD GUFFON, ROMEO BALANCOURT

Two unique Krug blends form chapters telling the story of the renowned Champagne House.

ALL THAT IS PERFECT and pleasurable in a flute of Krug Champagne dates back 170 years. That’s when founder Joseph Krug first pushed the boundaries of bubbly blending to offer new levels of quality and taste. He believed that a great Champagne House should create two great wines. Krug’s Grande Cuvée is a blend of more than 120 wines from ten vintages. Since Joseph Krug’s time, the aim has been to rely on expert blending and tasting to produce great Champagne every year, even during years of difficult weather. A Krug Grande Cuvée aspires to deliver a complexity and fullness of flavors and aromas that would be impossible to express with the wines of a single vintage. Krug Vintage, by contrast, is Champagne blended from the most expressive wines from a single year. “At Krug we are story-tellers,” says Olivier Krug. “And with a Krug Vintage we tell the story of an interesting year.” Challenging weather, including a dry winter and spring, serious frosts and aboveaverage heat, made 2003 an especially adventurous vintage. Many Champagne houses opted not to release a 2003 vintage. But by blending distinct wines from different plots, the Krug winemakers were able to produce an unexpectedly fresh, aromatic and balanced 2003 Vintage, enhanced by a decade’s stay in the house’s cellars. “We decided to call Krug Vintage 2003 ‘Vivacious Radiance’ because it reminds us of the intense sun and heat of the year while possessing a vivacious energy and infinite finesse,” says Eric Lebel, Krug’s Chef de Caves. “Expression and vivacity comes from the wines of the parcels of Meunier, from villages such as Sainte Gemme, Villevenard and Courmas. The Pinot Noirs with their lovely structure and body, from the south and north-facing slopes of the Montagne de Reims, add balance and freshness.” In other words: a tale well told.

一百七十年前，Joseph Krug 率先为香槟开拓新边界，调制出库克香槟优雅细长酒瓶中的绝世佳酿，将香槟的品质与风味提升到新的境界。

Joseph Krug 也认为，一家杰出的香槟酒厂应该产有两种出色的香槟。首先是库克陈年香槟，调配基酒来自十个年份，种类逾一百二十种。自第一任创办人开始，库克香槟就仰仗专家的调配技巧与品味，每年推出顶级香槟，即使在气候不佳的年份也不例外。库克陈年香槟风味复杂深邃，香气丰富，单一年份的葡萄酒自然无法如此尽情表现。相较之下，库克年份香槟则选用单一年份最具特色的葡萄酒酿造而成。 Olivier Krug 表示：「我们是库克的说书人，用库克年份香槟诉说这一年有趣的故事。」而由于 2003 年气候恶劣，冬季与春季十分干燥，霜害严重，加上夏天异常炎热，使得酿造这年的香槟特别有挑战性。很多香槟酒厂放弃推出 2003 年的香槟，但库克酒厂则选择不同葡萄园各具特色的葡萄酒，酿造出清新馥郁、口感和谐的 2003 年份香槟，再历经十年窖藏，更添风味。「我们决定香槟酿酒师 Eric Lebel 说：把 2003 年的库克年份香槟称为『Vivacious

Radiance ( 活力光辉 )』，因为这瓶香槟让我们想起当年热力四射的阳光与温度，酒中充满活力生气，复杂纤巧。采收自 Sainte Gemme、 Villevenard 和 Courmas 村的莫尼耶，打造出香槟中独特活泼的风味，而采收自 Montagne de Reims 南北向山坡上的黑皮诺，则有优美的结构与酒体，赋予这瓶香槟和谐清新的口感。」换言之，这瓶香槟诉说的故事，定然十分引人入胜。 icons of the empire

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跃马迎春

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





The Year of the Horse has come thundering in, bringing with it the chic style of Hermès’ Cheval d’ Orient tableware. Inspired by elements of horse harnesses and decorated in the style of Persian miniatures, the richly colored plates add the liveliness of Orients past to the dinner table. They’re a visually delicious start to the New Year. § 气势奔腾的马年已经到来，爱马仕经典的 Cheval d’ Orient 东方骏马餐具系列，灵感源自马具元素，饰以波斯迷你画的纤细彩绘，缤纷用色诠释怀旧东方风情，生动活泼，赋予了餐桌盎然生机，为新年伊始打造一场盛大的视觉飨宴。 H www.hermes.com, +852 2907 2974

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FRÉDÉRIC BERGUE, © HERMÉS, PARIS 2006 (5)

reining design

inspired living

Vide-Poches HK$5,990

 Dessert plate HK$1,980  American dinner plate 魚

HK$2,220

 

Large round deep platter HK$22,760 Large round tray HK$12,830

ICONS OF THE EMPIRE | TK |

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inspired living

葡萄籽的美丽秘密

seeds of success Caudalie has opened its first store in Hong Kong, on Gough Street. Jo Mckinnon talked with co-founders Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas about searching for beauty in a grape.

D U R I N G T H E 1993 G R A P E H A R V E S T, Professor

Joseph Vercauteren, an expert on polyphenols, visited Mathilde Thomas at her family ’s Bordeaux vineyard and said to her: “Do you know that you are throwing away treasure?” The professor was talking about grape seeds. His question turned Mathilde and her husband Bertrand down the path of a new life and led to the development of the highly regarded Caudalie line of skincare products which are now sold all over the world. Besides their wondrous ability to make grapes, what’s so great about grape seeds? When the rind of a grape seed is crushed, it releases precious oil. Containing highly concentrated levels of omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin E, the oil is intensely nourishing for dehydrated skin. Grape seeds also contain polyphenols – a natural chemical compound, often occurring in dark fruits and vegetables, that provides healthful antioxidant benefits. Fifty kilograms of grape seeds yield a liter of oil. “Polyphenols are proven to be 10,000 times more effective than vitamin E and protect the skin against nasty free radicals that cause four out of five wrinkles,” says Bertrand. DAVID HARTUNG (2)

As Bertrand and Mathilde and Professor Vercauteren searched for other beauty benefits that grape seeds and vines might have to offer, folk remedies sometimes provided clues. Young girls working

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inspired living

“ Polyphenols are proven to be 10,000 times more effective than vitamin E and protect the skin against nasty free radicals that cause four out of five wrinkles. 我们脸上有八成的皱纹都是由顽强的自由基造成的。多酚已被证实能保护肌肤不受自由基的威胁，而且比维生素 E 有效一万倍。”

sap to their hands and faces to reduce dark

「妳知道妳丢掉的是葡萄 Mathilde Thomas 家族的波尔多葡萄园，他问她：

spots and clear their complexions. This anecdotal

很珍贵的部分吗？」

evidence led the Caudalie team to Viniferine, a

这位教授指的珍贵部分就是葡萄籽。他的随口一问，却将 Mathilde 和

natural molecule in grapevine sap. Bertrand says

她先生 Bertrand 带往了全然不同的道路，演变成如今家喻户晓的一系列欧

that Viniferine, subsequently extracted for use in

缇丽（Caudalie ) 品牌护肤产品，销往全世界。

Caudaline products, does in fact reduce dark spots and brighten the complexion.

葡萄籽的外壳被压碎后，会释出很珍贵的葡萄籽油，内含高浓度的 omega-6 脂肪酸和维生素 E，对于干燥脱水的肌肤有绝佳的滋养效果。葡

grapevine stalks – battered by harsh cold, wind and

萄籽还富含多酚，这是一种常见于深色果实和蔬菜内的天然化合物，具抗

rain, they live for up to a hundred years – led to

氧化作用、有益健康。五十公斤葡萄籽可生产一公升葡萄籽油。

the Caudalie team: Resveratol, the substance the vine produces to protect itself from the elements.

「我们脸上有八成的皱纹都是由顽强的自由基造成的。多酚已被证实能保护肌肤不受自由基的威胁，而且比维生素 E 有效一万倍。」Bertrand 说道。 Bertrand、Mathilde 与 Vercauteren 教授致力于研究葡萄籽和葡萄藤

“No other molecule has been cited in as many

的潜在肌肤保养效用，同时也有民间作法提供了相关证据。例如在葡萄园

scientific publications and inspired so much hope for

工作的年轻女性会将葡萄藤的汁液涂在手上和脸上，以淡化黑斑，让肤色

health, notably in the field of cell degeneration,”

更明亮。这种并无根据的民间作法让欧缇丽团队开始研究起葡萄藤汁液里

says Bertrand. “It basically helps stimulate collagen

的天然分子 Viniferine。 Bertrand 表示，萃取 Viniferine 用在欧缇丽产品中，

fiber production and increases skin thickness.”

确实能有效淡化黑斑，亮泽肤色。

Re sve rato l i s n ow a key i n g re d i e nt i n

除此之外，葡萄藤的茎极富韧性，经过严寒、风吹、雨淋仍屹立不倒，

Caudalie’s bestselling product, the aptly named

甚至能存活一百年。这项观察让欧缇丽研究团队有了一项重大发现 — 白藜

Premier Cru the Cream. Bertrand calls it the

芦醇，一种葡萄藤产生用以保护自己、抵御病菌入侵的物质。

ultimate anti-aging cream and Caudalie devotees around the world seem to share his enthusiasm. “Many French winemakers made fun of us,”

葡萄籽除了能长出葡萄，还有什么神奇的能力呢？

O b s e r v i n g t h e i n c re d i b l e re s i l i e n ce of

one of the most revolutionary discoveries of all by

1993 年葡萄收成季期间，多酚专家 Joseph Vercauteren 教授造访了

「没有哪个分子比白藜芦醇更常被引用在科学论文里，而且大家都看好它对健康的功效，尤其是在减缓细胞退化这方面。」Bertrand 说。「简单来说白藜芦醇有助于刺激胶原纤维生成，提升肌肤厚度。」

says Bertrand, referring to the early days when

白藜芦醇现为欧缇丽最畅销商品里的主成分。此畅销商品名为尊贵时

they were first exploring the beauty benefits of

光逆转护肤霜，可说是恰如其分，Bertrand 称它为极致抗老护肤霜，在欧

grape seeds. “But we were crazy and confident

缇丽遍布全球的拥护者间炙手可热。

and ignored the criticism. We believed in the

谈到他们最早开始研究葡萄籽的美容效果时，「许多法国的酿酒商取笑

project and that is what has led us to where we

我们。」Bertrand 如是说。「但当时我们很疯狂、自信满满，完全无视他人

are today.”

的批评。我们对这项计画深信不疑，也因而有了今日的成就。」

TK | icons of the empire

DAVID HARTUNG

in vineyards, for example, would apply grapevine

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inspired living

Andreas Enslin, Head of the Miele Design Center, was recently in Hong Kong to launch Miele’s PureLine series, a collection of sleek, understated kitchen appliances. He talked with Lucy Morgan about kitchen design past and future and about how a new demand for minimalism and responsible living has changed the appearance of modern kitchen appliances.

§ Miele设计中心总监 Andreas Enslin 最近造访

香港，介绍Miele最新推出的PureLine优雅低调家电系列，并接受TK记者Lucy Morgan采访，畅谈家电设计的历史与展望，分析现代厨房家电如何受极简风

格与环保生活方式影响，继而改变了形貌。

厨房家电的设计美学是否像时尚一样，会随潮流改变？我对时尚持观望态度，时尚固然满足个人品味，但是每个礼拜都在变。有的家电用品有必须内嵌，有的要接上排水系统，不能说变就变。设计新产品系列起码得花上四到五年的时间，才能符合品牌调性以及未来市场需求。

What about customers – do they ask for a particular look? What we have found is customers will not accept colors in an expensive product. Look at the automobile industry – people don’t want colors, they prefer monochrome: black, silver and white. Black is very

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所以一般来说，外观必须考量周到，历久不衰。话说回来，Miele 家电是否有哪些功能，是受外在影响而设计的？有，我们新一系列配备的 M-Touch 技术就是实例，这是一种使用者界面，可以透过触控、滑动萤幕来操作家电。这个技术在 iPhone 走红后其实就可以预见了，像这样滑动触控的界面很受消费者青睐。 iPhone 问世半年后，我们进行了消费者调查，发现有些客户在使用我们的旧系列时，会直接触碰显示介面，就像操作智能手机的萤幕一样。虽然旧系列没有触控功能，

RED DOG STUDIO

Does the design aesthetic for appliances tend to move in trends, like with fashion? I have a problem with fashion – it’s something that fulfils your taste but it changes from one week to another. Domestic appliances are built in, connected to the water supply. It isn’t easy to change them. When we design a new product range it takes us four to five years to create something that fits our brand and the requirements of markets for the future.

客户的看法如何？他们会想要某种特定的外观吗？我们发现客户不喜欢彩色系的昂贵品。汽车产业是个典型，大家不喜欢彩色的车子，而是想要黑色、银色或白色等单色的车子。黑色就占了很大的比例。房子也是，你应该找不到粉红色的房子吧？我们知道，一般人买小东西，买容易替换的科技产品，喜欢尝试不同颜色，但如果购买房子或家电等昂贵的东西，除了希望制造技术耐用，也希望外观耐看。

智能家电时尚代言

kitchen intuition

inspired living

“ We have cut out the frills and gimmicks to focus on what is really important and to make the controls highly intuitive. 减去多余装饰与噱头，突出显著功能，能让操作更加直觉流畅。” ANDREAS ENSLIN, HEAD OF THE MIELE DESIGN CENTER

OK – so the general appearance has to be discreet and timeless. But are there features on your appliances that have evolved as a direct result of external influences? Yes! Our new range has M-Touch technology. It’s a user interface that allows people to interact with the appliance by touching and swiping a screen. This was really foreseeable once the iPhone became popular – that this swiping and touching user interface would appeal to consumers. We did consumer testing six months after the iPhone came out. We found some customers already interacted with our old series display directly. They were touching the screen like a smartphone. Even though the old system did not operate this way, these customers were sure that they could work it by touching! We were just waiting to see if people accepted this new technology. We already had a prototype that would use the M-Touch operating system, so we were able to develop it. Now the M-Touch technology is the norm, and it is very popular with our customers. Can you give me an example of how an appliance has changed over the years

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as a result of advancements in technology and the evolving demands of customers? A good example is the electric cooking hob. Go to a museum and look at an electric hob – in the fifties and sixties this was considered modern. Before the Second World War cookers ran on coal and charcoal. Suddenly in the fifties they had these individual electric heated plates. You could control the heat supply by turning a knob. It was a big change in cooking technology. But we’ve come an even longer way since then! Nowadays you would have a hard time identifying a hob in a kitchen – it’s invisible, just a piece of glass. There are no signs that it has anything to do with cooking. I think if you travelled in time from the fifties into the present you would have a problem: you wouldn’t know what this black piece of glass set into the kitchen counter even is! What trends have you identified in kitchen design – what can we look forward to seeing in the future? The main problem is we are living in a world of complexity: more products, more colors and more things, with less time to manage them all. People want to reduce their possessions. They know and reflect about what they are doing and now luxury is not having possessions. It is better to have more time than more things and owning things eats your time. You have to buy the things, store them, care for them and maintain them. So at Miele we try to be part of the customer’s environment. We have reduced

colors and lines, and we look for every chance to reduce and just blend into the background. If you buy a Miele appliance, it doesn’t feel like you are acquiring a new thing – it feels invisible. This downsizing of possessions is a real trend, and at Miele we have started to reduce too, in our own way. We combine two products so people don’t need to own as many units. Like our combiovens or our washer-driers: you can have one device instead of two. It’s more expensive and more complicated to make, but it is the right thing – it takes up less space. Is this because people are becoming more socially responsible, with an eye to sustainability? People are becoming less grasping. Grown-up societies want to move away from owning things and they want to buy things from producers who are being responsible. Since 1899 the Miele idea has been to make something from good materials that last longer. Everything we build is designed to last twenty years. We want it to be this durable because we understand the carbon footprint, the consumption of energy that is required to manufacture just one household appliance. It is enormous! If an appliance breaks down after two years then you just waste that energy. You can repair a Miele product. We use good materials and we guarantee that we have the spare parts so you can repair it. It’s a really good value. It sounds so simple. But if you buy something that lasts for twenty years and repair it, that’s sustainable.

COURTESY OF MIELE

important. Houses too – where is a pink house? We know that when you purchase something small, a piece of technology that is easy to change, then people are happy to experiment with color. When you purchase something expensive, a house or appliances, then people want the look as well as the technology to be durable.

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inspired living

但是客户还是觉得可以触控萤幕来操作！于是我们静待时机，观察大家对这种新技术的接受程度，那时我们已经有 M-Touch 操作系统的产品原型，可以用来开发。现在， M-Touch 技术成为必备主流，广受客户欢迎。

这几年来随着科技进步、客户需求演变，家电有什么变化？您是否能举例说明？电陶炉是个好例子。到博物馆看看电陶炉吧，在五、六十年代大家还认为这是尖端科技，第二次世界大战前，煮饭还要用煤炭或木炭，到了五十年代，突然发展出独立的电子加热平板，只要转动旋钮就可以控制火量大小，这是烹调技术的一大进步，而从那时起到现在，我们发展更进一步，如今想在厨房里找到炉子还不容易呢！它很不明显，就像一块玻璃，看不出可以用来烹调。如果你穿越时光，从五十年代来到现在，一定会觉得很奇怪，不知道厨房流理台上那块黑色的玻璃到底是什么！

COURTESY OF MIELE

您在厨具设计上是否观察到什么趋势？我们未来有何展望？最重要的问题是，我们生活的世界太复杂，堆挤着太多产品、太多颜色和太多杂物，却缺少时间打理这一切。现在大家会想减少拥有量，会去了解和反省自己的行为，现在奢华也不等于拥有。与其拥有更多东西，不如拥有更多时间。东西愈多会蚕食时间，你要花时间去买、去储藏、去照顾、去维护。所以 Miele 努力融入客户生活，减少色彩和线条，尽量让产品简洁精炼，自然融入周遭环境中。购买 Miele 家电，感觉不像拥有一件新产品，它感觉并不显眼。减少手上拥有的物品才是真正的趋势，Miele 也用自己的方式追求精简，将两种产品合而为一，所以不再需要拥有那么多家电。例如我们有多功能微波电烤炉、洗烘衣机，一件产品即可满足多功能的使用。价格或许比较昂贵，制作也比较复杂，但符合主流 —— 东西占用空间缩小了。这是不是因为大家逐渐重视社会责任，注意永续发展的重要？大家逐渐不再那么贪婪了，社会也不再强调物欲，会想跟负责任的制造商买东西。从 1899 年以来，Miele 的宗旨一直是用上好材质制造经久耐用的产品，产品使用期限被设定为起码二十年。之所以设计得这么耐用，是因为我们有碳足迹的观念，知道需要消耗多少能源，才能制造一件家电。耗能多得可怕！如果一样家电两年就坏了，这些能源就都浪费了。 Miele 的产品都可维修，材质好，而且保证有备用零件供维修使用，非常划算。听起来很简单，但真正要买一件能用二十年的产品，坏了就维修，这样才能永续发展。 icons of the empire

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champions

重整旗鼓

second time ground PINKY LEUNG, a siphonist and barista at Hong Kong’s Accro Coffee, was introduced to the world of fine coffee just three years ago. “In the past, I drank milky coffee with a lot of sugar, chocolate and cream in it,” she confesses. “I liked sweet coffee.” After tasting her first cup of black coffee, made for her by Accro Coffee owner and acclaimed roaster Tsuyoshi Mok, Leung experienced a coffee epiphany and decided to start volunteering at Accro. Not long after, she quit her office job and became a fulltime barista and siphonist at the cafe. In preparation for her return to the World Championship, Leung practiced every day for several months. “We tried many, many cups of coffee each day,” she says. Eschewing the expensive, high-grade beans used by most of the coffee competitors, Mok prepared for Leung a unique blend of affordable, standard-grade beans from Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Kenya. During the competition, at the moment of truth, she kept her calm and let her siphoned coffee sit cooling for three or four minutes before serving it to the judges, a clever move that allowed them to taste it immediately. Timing is crucial and she got it just right. Leung walked away from the 2013 competition as the World Champion. Adding to her triumph was a Special Award for her signature drink, a unique blend of coffee from Yunnan and oolong tea from Guangdong. “If I can give the customer a good memory or experience, they will come back next time and be willing to experiment more,” says Leung of her work at Accro. “We connect here because of coffee.”

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2012 年于东京举办的世界杯虹吸咖啡大赛中，香港 Accro Coffee 的虹吸咖啡师梁海恩屈居第四。提到参加 2013 年比赛的决定，她说：「我想要进步，并达成我最初的理想。」三年前，梁海恩首次认识精致咖啡。「过去我都喝牛奶咖啡，加了很多糖、巧克力和奶精。我以前喜欢甜咖啡。」她直言道。直至 Accro Coffee 的店长、也是备受赞誉的咖啡烘培师 Tsuyoshi Mok 让她与黑咖啡有了第一次亲密接触后，梁海恩体验到前所未有的陶醉感。为深入精致咖啡的世界，她开始自愿在 Accro 工作。没过多久，她辞去办公室的工作，成为咖啡店的全职咖啡师和虹吸师。为重返世界咖啡大赛并一雪前耻，梁海恩长达好几个月不眠不休地反覆练习，精进技巧。「包括步骤、餐桌摆设等全都反覆练习。」她解释道。「我们每天试喝的咖啡不可胜数。」 Tsuyoshi Mok 抛弃多数参赛者选用的名贵高档咖啡豆，改为梁海恩准备来自哥斯大黎加、衣索比亚、肯亚三个国家的平价、标准等级的豆子，组合出独一无二的拼配咖啡。比赛结果揭晓前，梁海恩冷静地让她的虹吸咖啡静置冷却三到四分钟才端给评审品尝，这项明智的作法果真让她的咖啡立刻脱颖而出，受评审青睐。煮虹吸咖啡，时机非常重要，梁海恩则恰恰掌握了这一点。不仅咖啡让评审留下了深刻的印象，最后成功抱走 2013 年大赛的冠军杯，她还因自创云南咖啡和广东乌龙茶的招牌调饮而荣获特别奖。「如果我能带给顾客美好的回忆或体验，他们就会再来，愿意有更多体验。因为咖啡，让我们结缘。」梁海恩如此描述她在 Accro 的工作理念。

DAVID HARTUNG

After placing fourth runner-up at the 2012 World Siphonist Championship, Hong Kong barista Hoi Yan “Pinky” Leung was determined to brew even better in 2013. Kate Nicholson spoke with her about competitive coffee.

Hong Kong barista Hoi Yan “Pinky” Leung

Wild thyme

new zealand wine

葡萄酒与百里香

wine and thyme

The unique herbal character of Pinot Noir from New Zealand’s Central Otago region is a legacy of the Chinese gold miners who prospected there a century and a half ago. Essay and photography by Wine Master Bob Campbell.

ON 8 JUNE 1861 a Central Otago newspaper reported that gold had been discovered by an Australian prospector. By Christmas 14,000 prospectors had travelled to what is now New Zealand’s and the world’s most southerly wine region. Many were from China. A staple of the miners’ diet was damper – a mix of flour, salt and water fashioned into a flat pancake that could be cooked over an open fire. For a little extra flavor the Chinese miners liked to add thyme. They planted the herb around their camps, and the hardy, woody bush soon covered the hills, filling the air with its rich scent when it flowered in October and November. Less than a decade later the goldfields were depleted but the miners’ legacy lives on today in Central Otago Pinot Noir. Vineyards surrounded by wild thyme often produce wine with the unique regional signature of the herb. Although subtle, the character of thyme adds complexity and a strong sense of place to the wine. Central Otago Pinot Noir is not the only wine to be enhanced by the character of a

1861 年 6 月 8 日，中奥塔哥报纸报导，澳洲矿脉探勘人员在当地发现了金矿，到了当年圣诞节，已经有一万四千名矿工来到中奥塔哥，当地后来成为目前纽西兰和全球最南端的葡萄酒产区。这一万四千人中，许多人来自中国。这些矿工以硬烤饼为主食，作法是先混和面粉、盐和水，捏成扁平的面饼，可以在篝火上烤食。中国矿工喜欢在烤饼中加点百里香调味，于是在营地附近种植百里香。很快地，这种耐寒的木本灌木就覆盖了当地山丘，到十月及十一月开花时，空气中满是百里香浓郁的香气。不到十年，金矿开采殆尽，但矿工的遗绪流传下来，表现在如今中奥塔哥的黑皮诺葡萄上。葡萄园四周如果生长着野生百里香，酿出的葡萄酒往往带有当地独特的百里香气息，这种香气尽管清淡幽微，却让酒的香气更复杂，强烈展现地方风土的特色。说到因周遭植物而更添香气的葡萄酒，中奥塔哥的黑皮诺并不是唯一的一种。我记得曾在南法的菲图 (Fitou) 产区参观酒厂时偶遇过。在葡萄园，一簇簇葡萄藤生长在小山坡上，山坡同时也覆满了灌木。

A Pinot Noir vineyard in Central Otago 中奥塔哥的黑皮诺葡萄园

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new zealand wine

“ Many of the world’s greatest wines are produced in marginal climates that cannot support other commercial crops. Out of adversity grows strength.”

nearby plant. I recall visiting a winery in the southern French wine region of Fitou. As I inspected the vineyards, small plots of vines perched on scrub-covered hillsides, the proprietor plucked a handful of leaves from the stunted bushes around the vines. After we returned to the winery for a tasting, she asked me to describe the wine in my glass. I was happy to oblige but struggled to identify an aromatic and slightly floral character. “Perhaps it smells like this?” she said, presenting me with a handful of herbs that had an aroma identical to the subtle character I was trying to describe. She said the herbs were “garrigue” – a French word used to describe the Mediterranean scrubland made up of low-growing, bushy plants including holm oak, broom and wild herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Some Australian research helps to explain how the scent of plants can be found in wine. A study by the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) examined the source of the minty, eucalypt character often found in wine made from grapes grown near eucaplyptus trees. The AWRI found small levels of eucalypt character in grapes grown 25 to 50 metres from eucalyptus trees and substantially higher levels in grapes grown closer to the trees. The flavoring compound from the trees is found in high levels on the skins of the grapes. Red wines are traditionally fermented on the grape skins while white wines are made from juice fermented without skins, which explains why white wines are relatively free of eucalypt character. Mechanically harvested grapes are more likely to have eucalypt characters than handharvested grapes because eucalyptus leaves

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can find their way into the picking bin. Two ways to reduce eucalypt character in wine are to avoid leaf contamination and to ferment grapes grown close to eucalyptus trees separately. While some wine drinkers appreciate the minty/eucalypt character occasionally found in Australian red wine, many do not. I have yet to learn of anyone who objects to the far more subtle wild thyme flavor in Central Otago Pinot Noir. Central Otago is a region of extremes. Unlike New Zealand’s other more moderate, maritime-influenced regions, it has very cold winters and hot, dry summers. Growing Pinot Noir in Central Otago has been described as “making wine on the edge of an abyss.” If a vineyard is poorly located and unable to harness enough sun and heat in the region’s short, hot ripening season, the grapes don’t fully ripen. If an early frost kills the vine leaves (read “solar panels”) before the grapes are ripe the wine will taste green and hard. Despite those threats, or perhaps because of them, the region’s winemakers seldom run into trouble. Good site selection and careful viticulture are necessary weapons to combat the challenging Central Otago climate. Out of adversity grows strength. It’s a well-known fact that many of the world’s greatest wines are produced in marginal climates that cannot support other commercial crops. It’s hard to imagine Germany’s steep Mosel Valley supporting anything other than grapevines. The same applies to many Grand Cru sites in Burgundy. If the grapevines were removed from the steep slopes of Central Otago, what could possibly take their place? Wild thyme perhaps?

主人在葡萄藤旁矮小的灌木丛中摘了一把叶子。之后我们回到酒厂品酒，她请我描述我杯里的葡萄酒。我很乐意描述，但一直想不出那馥郁而微带花香的气息究竟是什么。「闻起来是不是像这个？」她请我闻刚摘的那把香草，那香味和我努力想形容的微妙香气恰恰相同。她说这些香草在法文中叫「garrigue」，用来形容地中海的灌木丛，包含冬青栎、金雀花，以及迷迭香、百里香等野生香草这类低矮茂密的植物。澳洲有些研究说明了为什么葡萄酒中会有其他植物的气味。澳洲葡萄酒研究所 (AWRI) 研究了生长在尤加利树附近的葡

Central Otago vineyards and an abandoned gold miner’s hut 中奥塔哥葡萄园和一个被废置的金矿矿工小屋

萄，以了解这些葡萄酿出的酒，为什么会带有薄荷与尤加利的气味。 AWRI 发现，如果葡萄种植在距尤加利树 20 至 50 公尺内，会带有轻微的尤加利气味，若种植的距离更近，则气味更明显。他们也在这些葡萄的皮里发现高浓度的尤加利气味化合物。传统上，酿红葡萄酒用的是连皮发酵的葡萄汁，白葡萄酒用的则是不带皮发酵的葡萄汁，这也说明了为什么白葡萄酒的尤加利气味不那么明显。比起手工采收的葡萄，机械采收的葡萄因为可能会让尤加利叶掉入采收桶，所以更可能有尤加利气味。要减少酒中的尤加利味，可以避免尤加利叶参杂在葡萄中，

并将靠近尤加利树生长的葡萄另外单独发酵。虽然有些品尝葡萄酒的人会欣赏澳洲红酒中偶尔出现的薄荷／尤加利气味，但许多人并不喜欢这些味道。不过目前为止，我还没听过有人不喜欢中奥塔哥黑皮诺更加细致微妙的野生百里香味。不像纽西兰其他受海洋调节、气候较温和的区域，中奥塔哥的气候很极端，冬天酷寒、夏天干燥炎热。有人形容，在中奥塔哥种植黑皮诺，就像「在深渊边缘酿酒」，如果葡萄园的位置不好，在短促、炙热的成熟季节里得不到足够阳光与热量，葡萄就无法完全成熟。如果太早结霜，葡萄还没成熟，作用如同「太阳能板」的葡

萄叶就冻伤了，那酿出的酒尝起来就会青涩而味酸。尽管有这些挑战，也或许正因为这些挑战，当地的酿酒商很少失手。要迎战中奥塔哥的气候，必备武器是选择良好葡萄园位置，并小心培育照顾葡萄，从逆境中培育出强悍的力量。众所周知，世上许多最出色的葡萄酒，都来自气候极端、种不出其他经济作物的地区。很难想像陡峭的德国摩泽尔河谷能种出葡萄以外的东西。同样的道理也适用于在勃艮第的许多特级葡萄园。如果中奥塔哥陡峭的山坡上不种葡萄，还能长出什么作物？或许只有野生百里香吧。 icons of the empire

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food & art

幽冥庖丁烹珍馐

a spirit chef for bold palates A centuries-old funerary statue of a cook, created to prepare meals in the afterlife, is today a portal into the working life of Han Dynasty chefs. By Kate Nicholson

HELD IN THE COLLECTION of the Shandong Museum in China, this

中国山东博物馆收藏了众多从汉代陵墓中

green-glazed pottery chef is just one of the large number of food-

挖掘出的冥器，也就是在冥界使用的器具

themed minqi – spirit utensils or burial figurines – that have been

或是陪葬的小塑像。其中有一尊高度近

uncovered during excavations of Han Dynasty tombs. Standing

三十公分的绿釉陶俑，在山东省高唐县东

almost thirty centimeters tall, he was unearthed from the Dongguhe

固河出土。从陶俑独特的帽子和袍服，以

archeological site in Gaotang County. His distinctive cap and clothes

及他身前的工作台与斟酌下刀的动作来

presumably denote his profession as does his work table and

看，大概可以推断他是个厨师。

As kitchen scenes painted, drawn and carved into tomb walls suggest, the sort of cook this figurine was modeled after likely

王公贵族家中喧闹的大厨房工作。在他四

worked in a large, bustling kitchen owned by a noble Chinese family.

周，男男女女有忙不完的事要做：从井里

Around him, men and women would be attending to an almost

打水、砍柴、屠宰、拔毛、分割、搅拌装

endless variety of tasks: drawing water from a well; chopping wood;

满肉与谷物的炖锅、在火炉上烧烤肉串、

slaughtering, plucking and cutting up animals; stirring stew pots full

压平面团制作馒头、糕点、面条和饺子，

of meat and grains; cooking skewered meats over a brazier; rolling

以及酿酒。在这位厨师的工作台附近，有

out dough for buns, cakes, noodles and dumplings; and fermenting

各式各样干燥与新鲜的肉类，从鲫鱼、野

beer. Nearby our chef’s station, a selection of dried and fresh meats

鸭、羊肚到整只麻雀、牛唇及狗腹，全都

– everything from carp, wild duck and lamb stomach to whole

高挂在一个木架上，这所谓的「肉林」景

sparrows, beef lips and dog flank – hangs on a wooden rack; these

象在汉代的厨房相当普遍。

so-called “meat forests” were a universal feature of Han kitchens.

从陵墓壁上描绘与雕刻的庖厨图推测，这座陶俑所仿制的厨子，可能在中国

西元前 206 年至西元 9 年为西汉时

The economic and political stability of the Western Han Dynasty,

期，政经局势稳定，使种植、烹饪与用

which lasted from 206 BC to 9 AD, allowed for significant innovations

餐的方式有了重大创新，专门的厨具如

in growing, cooking and eating food. Highly specialized culinary

镬与磨臼等纷纷在这时发明或改良，加

tools like the wok and the grain mill were invented or refined in

上本地及世界各国食物贸易繁盛，中国

this period. Robust local and global trading and the Chinese elite’s

达官贵人的饮食也发展出一套规矩，使

ritualization of eating stimulated an adventurous Han palate. This

汉朝人的口味变得多样化且勇于尝鲜。

little green chef might be chopping shallots to be combined with

这个小小的绿釉庖丁陶俑可能正在仔细

shredded pheasant, rice wine and other ingredients before they are

地将香葱切成细丝，准备与野鸡丝、黄

deep-fried. He might be finely slicing bream to be eaten raw. Or

酒与各种其他材料一起下锅炒；也可能

perhaps he is preparing pomegranate to be enjoyed by diners at the

是在片鲷鱼准备生食，或是在取石榴籽，

end of a meal.

预备给客人餐后享用。

TK | icons of the empire

SHANDONG MUSEUM

measured chopping.

Green Glazed Funerary Statue of a Han Dynasty Chef 汉绿釉庖厨俑

ICONS OF THE EMPIRE | TK |

Peter Femfert

feature

雅致酒艺

the art of wine When Peter Femfert bought his villa in the Tuscan hills, he had no idea that it came with 120 hectares of land and a working vineyard and had once belonged to Michelangelo. Inara Sim talked to him about the estate and the wine he makes there.

§ Peter Femfert 买下托斯卡尼山坡上的别墅时，完全不知前主

人正是鼎鼎大名的米开朗基罗(Michelangelo).因缘际会下接手了广达120公顷的土地及尚事生产的葡萄园。

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

How long have you been involved in the wine growing industry? How did your involvement with Fattorio Nittardi begin? My wife, who is from Venice, wanted a house in Tuscany. So I did what any man would do and took my bike and rode around Tuscany to find a house. I didn’t speak Italian then, so I didn’t know that there were these huge vineyards that went with the house. Afterwards I discovered there were vineyards, 120 hectares of land and two houses. I decided to enlarge the winery and make it into a real running place. What is the history of the Nittardi Estate? The house, which is about a thousand years old, was called Villa Nectar Dei, which means “nectar of god.” The whole valley, including my houses, belonged to Michelangelo. He purchased it in 1530 while he was living in Rome and painting

您从事酿酒业多长时间了？当初又如何和 Fattorio Nittardi 结下不解之缘？我太太来自威尼斯，一直想在托斯卡尼有间自己的房子。身为男人，我当然有求必应，一骑单车就直捣托斯卡尼找起房子了！那时我一句意大利话都不会说，完全搞不清楚状况，不知道买房还附大片的葡萄园，直到后来才发现原来一口气买下了数片葡萄园、120 公顷的土地和两栋房子。我也顺水推舟扩大酿酒厂规模，打造成酒庄认真经营。能否谈谈 Nittardi Estate 庄园的历史？这栋房子将近有一千年的历史，名为 Villa Nectar Dei 庄园，即为「神之甘露」的意思。这整片山谷，包含我的房子在内，原本都是米开朗基罗名下所有。 1530 年他住在罗马，全神投入西斯汀教堂壁画绘制的工作时买下这块土地。一年后他把几瓶 Nittardi 出产的葡萄酒赠予当时的教皇利奥十世。 2007 年我也效仿他，请我小儿子带着一箱 Nectar Dei 葡萄酒到罗马，亲自到梵蒂冈献给教宗本笃十六世。一周后教宗 icons of the empire

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the Sistine Chapel. One year he had some bottles of Nittardi wine sent to Leo X, the Pope at that time. So in 2007 I sent my youngest son to Rome with a case of Nectar Dei and had him deliver it to Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. A week later his private secretary sent us a lovely letter thanking us for the wine, and later that year we received a handwritten Christmas card from the Pope. He earned the right to receive a case every year after that! Each year you have an artist design a label for your Chianti Classico wine, Casanuova di Nittardi. How did that idea originate and how do you select a different artist each year? When I bought the house there were 15,000 bottles in the cellar that I had no idea how to sell. I decided to make an artist label. I thought it would be easier to have a unique selling point, something special. Because I own a gallery in Frankfurt, I have contact with international artists, so it was rather easy to ask an artist to do something. I thought an artist label was not enough, so I also asked for a second painting which I made into wrapping paper. We’ve had thirty different artists do labels and wrapping

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paper for us. Günter Grass, Yoko Ono and Bruno Bruni have all done labels. I am very selective. I only ask people that I know, someone I have a personal relationship with. What are your tasting notes for the Casanuova di Nittardi? This wine hasn’t seen much wood, just a short passage of about six months. It’s an easy-to-drink wine – you can open the bottle and serve it without decanting. It reflects my philosophy of wine because I like to have a wine that is fruity, round, with soft tannins. It has a medium acidity and is very light and easy to drink. What does it mean for you to have your wines showcased at The Banyan Tree in Macau? We come from a small village in Tuscany, so this is just a different world for me. It’s incredible. I’m a small producer, so for me it is important to aim for quality rather than quantity, and it is important to me for my wines to be in top places in the world. It is a great joy to have a product that comes from my hands, that comes from me. It gives me such satisfaction to be in a first-class place like Macau.

的私人秘书转致他的谢函，一年后的圣诞节我们甚至收到写有教宗亲笔祝福的圣诞卡，自此之后我们每年的送酒，绝对不会忘了教宗一份！

每年你都邀请一位艺术家为 Chianti Classico 经典奇扬第红酒设计酒标，想法从何而来，又是如何每年挑选不同的艺术家？我买下庄园时酒窖有多达 15,000 瓶的酒藏，我根本不知道要从何卖起。所以才想不如做个艺术家酒标好了，这样才有独特卖点，让我们的酒与众不同。我在法兰克福也经营画廊，常有机会与国际艺术家接触，与艺术家合作其实再自然不过。不过光有艺术家酒标可能还不够，我还请艺术家多画一幅作品，可以在外包装纸上看得到。延续至今已有 30 位不同的艺术家，包括诺贝尔文学奖得主 Günter Grass、小野洋子及意大利名家 Bruno Bruni 等，都曾为我们创作过酒标及包装纸。我找的都是认识、交情匪浅的艺术家。 Casanuova di Nittardi 喝起来口感如何？这款酒装窖藏时间不长，仅有六个月，入口相当容易。打开橡木塞，不用醒酒即可直接品尝。这也代表我个人的葡萄酒哲学，喜爱富有果味、圆融且单宁较软的美酒。 Casanuova di Nittardi 酸度适中，味道很轻，容易入口。来到澳门悦榕庄展示有何重大意义？我们来自托斯卡尼的小村庄，这边对我们来说简直是不同的世界，惊喜不断。我们是小型的酿酒商，向来品质第一，重质不重量，竭尽所能也要让自家所产的酒挤身世界顶级酒款行列。每款酒都是我亲自挑选、自己经手，我总感到无限喜悦。现在身处澳门如此一流的场所，也让我非常心满意足。

DAVID HARTUNG

“ We’ve had thirty different artists do labels and wrapping paper for us. Günter Grass, Yoko Ono and Bruno Bruni have all done labels.”

Braised Japanese Sea Cucumber with Abalone Sauce 鲍汁扣日本辽参

海「鲜」上桌

what’s the catch Galaxy Macau’s Jin Yue Xuan specializes in superior seafood. “THE GREATEST CHALLENGE working with

seafood is that there are so many different varieties,” says Wan Chi Ho, Executive Chef at Jin Yue Xuan at Galaxy Macau™. “You have to know how to cook each ingredient to perfection.” Jin Yue Xuan specializes in seafood, and Chef Wan specializes in creating dishes that leave the kitchen only after he has developed them to perfection. “When creating something new, we will make it over and over again to get it right,” he says. “When serving, timing and presentation are very important.”

TK | ICONS OF THE EMPIRE

Dishes making their way out to diners include stewed fish maw and sea whelk in chicken soup, and deep fried dumplings stuffed with pork, shrimp and crabmeat. Chef Wan’s braised Japanese sea cucumber with abalone sauce is also a popular menu choice. “Preparing the sea cucumber is a lengthy process,” says Chef Wan. “It starts out dry, hard and about the size of a finger. We have to clean it and soak it in water for three days until it expands. To make it perfect, the secret is to use distilled water for the

soaking. Tap water does not have the right acidity.” Lacking a distinct taste of its own, this gastronomic shape shifter soaks up the flavors of the ingredients and seasonings with which it is cooked. “My cooking style is to stick to the fundamentals,” says Chef Wan. “I don’t like to stray far from the true tastes.” The sea is a bountiful source of fantastic flavors. Like a great director in command of his players, Chef Wan selects the best of the bounty and knows just how to coax a great performance from each ingredient.

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DAVID HARTUNG (3)

Cold Abalone with Salmon and Snail 冻鲍三文鱼拼花螺

ICONS OF THE EMPIRE | TK |

feature

杜卡斯大师开讲

the principles of alain ducasse When Alain Ducasse visited Hong Kong to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Spoon by Alain Ducasse at the InterContinental Hong Kong, Anne-Clémence Tillette was on hand to listen in as the renowned French chef talked about his principles of cooking and teaching.

§ 适逢香港洲际酒店顶级法国餐厅「Spoon by Alain

Ducasse」十周年欢庆，Anne-Clémence Tillette 特别把握住创办人艾伦·杜卡

斯（Alain Ducasse）访港的难得机会，向这位「米其林三星厨神」一探有关厨艺及其传道授业的秘诀。§ Photography by David Hartung

PRIOR TO MR. DUCASSE’S ARRIVAL, Spoon Executive Chef Philippe Duc held a selection process to choose ten young chefs who would have the honor of cooking lunch on the day of Chef Ducasse’s visit in November 2013, under the watchful eye of the great chef himself. The goal was to create dishes that could be served on spoons. After the lunch, Mr. Ducasse shared his knowledge and advice during a question and answer session with the students.

Why is training young chefs so important to you? Passing on my knowledge is something that has always motivated me. Very early on I had the responsibility of training young chefs who wanted me to share my techniques, my kitchen principles and my values. Passing on knowledge is what drives the Alain Ducasse group and will ensure that the group continues forever. Our group was founded on a set of twelve principles: passion, pleasure, harmony, performance, legacy, rigor, curiosity, diversity, excellence, respect, courage and respecting origins. These same values are at the core of each of my training establishments.

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为迎接 Ducasse 大师，「Spoon」行政主厨杜辉廉提前举办公开遴选，挑出十位青年厨师于 Ducasse 2013 年 11 月来港时大显身手，烹煮午餐料理，也希望这些料理能成为「Spoon」菜色之一。午宴过后，Ducasse 毫无大师架子，透过问答形式和满场学生分享相关知识，提出不少中肯建议。

您相当重视新厨师培训，可以聊聊为什么吗？传授一身绝活给学生向来是我往前的一大动力。从很早开始，我就知道自己有责任传授我的技巧、厨房的规矩和重视的价值给年轻厨师。传授厨艺不藏私也正是 Alain Ducasse 集团系列餐厅能持续进步、历久不衰的关键之一。集团创办时有十二大箴言：热情、喜悦、和谐、优越表现、优良传统、严谨、好奇心、多元性、卓越、尊重、勇气及尊重来源，这些全部都是我训练学生所仰赖的核心价值。可以介绍一下训练中心吗？我在 1999 年创办首间训练中心，不管是专业、业余或单纯为了开创事业第二春而来的人，只要对料理有兴趣，我都欢迎他们来上课。中心以法式料理基础为主，开办一系列实务课程，简单说，就是教导一切烹煮优质料理所需的技巧。精准度、

What are your training centers like? In 1999 I founded my first training center. It was designed to teach anyone who was interested in cooking, regardless of whether they were professionals, amateurs or simply retraining for a new career. The aim was to teach the basics of French cuisine through a series of practical modules. In short, to teach all the techniques required for creating excellent dishes. Precision, innovation, creativity – these are the principles of my training course. Teachers and experienced consultants communicate these principles with a rigorous methodology.

ingredients. Then, prepare them simply and accompany them with subtlety. Cook them to perfection. Pair them with a perfect wine. Make sure the wine and dish are in perfect harmony. The secret lies in being able to transform a good ingredient without making it unrecognizable. That is the stamp of Ducasse.

What are your three guiding principles of management? The three principles that guide me when managing colleagues are discipline, exigency and rigor. It is vital to strive for perfection, but you must never feel you have achieved it. Never be satisfied with your work. Aim higher.

How do you evaluate excellence in the kitchen? I like to watch people work. Within fifteen minutes I can see the level at which a chef is working, simply from watching his technique. This first observation is usually borne out when the food is tasted. It’s a fairly quick process.

What are the rules you follow which have contributed to your success? Above all, it is essential to choose good

What advice would you give to these young people who want to become great chefs?

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What makes a Ducasse-trained chef stand out? His excellent craftsmanship, his controlled technique and the desire to pass on his knowledge.

The key is to reach a high standard in order to be comfortable in your work. You need good skills, which will come from good training. You need to be able to work faster and better than everyone else. I also advise all students studying in Hong Kong to take a course in France. Even if it is short, even if it is just for one day, you need to have cooked in France to have really completed your apprenticeship as a chef. What do you expect from a young chef who joins your group? If a young person wishes to join the Alain Ducasse group, I expect from them the same as I do from all my colleagues – that he fits into the system that I have created. He needs to share his experience, to allow his expertise to shine through, to give to the group so that it can develop as a whole. In return, he will find a family, a daily pleasure in his work and a salary that matches his competencies. I think it is an environment that keeps on motivating people for the long term. Look at Philippe Duc, the Executive Chef of Spoon. He has thirteen years of experience with the group!

创新及创意正是训练课程的三大重点，老师及经验丰富的前辈也会从旁辅导，教学严谨、毫不马虎，希望能让学生从做中学习，心领神会。

能否分享管理的三大指导方针？管理共事员工不外乎三大方针，纪律、应变能力及严格恪守标准。追求完美很重要，但同时心中要时时提醒自己离最高境界尚远，不要感到自满。目标设定远大一点。您成功的秘诀为何？挑选好的食材是关键所在，备料的话不要复杂，小细节记得要拿捏得当。烹煮食材，发挥到完美境界，再选支相得益彰的美酒，让餐酒完美搭配。从优质食材中幻化出美味，同时保留原本特色正为秘诀所在，也是 Ducasse 美馔的正字标记。 Ducasse 式培训的厨师出类拔萃，诀窍何在？凭借其卓越的技艺、恰到好处的技巧及传授专业知识的热诚。厨房里的表现如何评判？我喜欢观察别人工作。只要十五分钟，

从厨师的技巧就知其功夫是否到家。品尝菜色就是观察的第一步，一下子便知有没有。

对于一心向往成为名厨的年轻人有何建议？要达到高标，才能舒适的工作。训练要扎实，才能培养好的技巧。要做的比任何人来得更快、更好。香港的学生我建议到法国去上堂课，时间短、即使只有一天都没关系，要有在法国料理的经验，厨师训练过程才算完整。

对于加入集团的年轻厨师有何期许？对于想要加入 Alain Ducasse 集团的年轻人，我期许他们和我旗下同事一样，都能融入我所创立的独特体系。可以大方分享自身经验，为集团发挥实力，才能与我们共荣，更上一层楼。与此同时，新人也会找到大家庭的归属感，每天开心上工，拿到与专业相当的合理薪水。这让人长期保持动力、不断往前。看看「Spoon」行政主厨杜辉廉就好了，在我们集团一待就是十三年！ icons of the empire

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movers & shakers

「食」尚远瞻

restaurant reconnaissance Sandeep Sekhri, Dining Concepts Ltd. founder and managing director, started his investment in Hong Kong’s culinary scene during difficult and turbulent times.

Soho Spice Grilled King Prawns cooked in Vietnamese spices and herbs with chili lime sauce 越式香草烤大虾

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“WE OPENED OUR FIRST RESTAURANT in December 2002. In December 2012 we celebrated our tenth anniversary. We now have twenty-three restaurants and plan to open even more,” says Sandeep Sekhri. His company Dining Concepts is aptly named: Sandeep is constantly on the search for the next emerging dining area, the next fashion able cuisine, and the next great chef. Striving to keep Hong Kong’s culinary scene fresh and exciting is no easy task, as he explains: “My job? It’s like this: find a location, find a concept for that location, negotiate with landlords, organize leases, find a designer to come on board, put the project team together, choose the contractors, sign the quotations, project manage the fit out, find staff, train the staff and be there to make sure the concept works, as well as doing the marketing and handling media interviews like this. From an entrepreneurial point of view, my job covers just about everything under the sun!” After delivering that exhaustive list of the tasks involved in his multi-faceted role, Sandeep continues with a chilling account of the ultimate challenge his business faced shortly after opening. It was SARS, the vicious viral respiratory disease that grabbed Hong Kong by the throat in March 2003 and caused death and mayhem throughout the region. “We had just opened our second restaurant in February 2003, and then one month later

「2002 年 12 月，我们开了第一家餐厅，到 2012 年 12 月就满十年了。现在我们有 23 家餐厅，预计还要开更多。」Sandeep Sekhri 表示。他为公司取名 Dining Concepts ﹙ 饮食新概念 ﹚，相当贴切，Sandeep 永远都在寻找新的饮食新兴领域、新的时尚料理、新的顶级厨师。但同时，不断翻新香港餐饮界的样貌绝非易事，他说：「我的工作？找地点，为地点塑造概念，与房东协商，安排租赁，聘设计师，整编团队，挑选承包商，签报价合约，管理装潢，找员工，训练员工，在场监督，确保这样的概念能行，还要做行销，面对媒体。从创业的观点来说，我的工作内容无所不包！」 Sandeep 巨细靡遗地讲了一大串他多元的工作内容后，又继续谈到他的公司创立不久就面临的终极挑战 —SARS。 2003 年 3 月，SARS 病毒引起的呼吸道疾病肆虐，造成多起死亡，香港一片人心惶惶。「2003 年 2 月我们才刚开第二家餐厅，一个月后就爆发了 SARS，到处都愁云惨雾，别人说我完了。这场灾难带来许多不确定性，我们完全无法预料这样的情况还要持续多久。」当时 SARS 的管理很严格，一栋建筑物里只要有人受病毒感染，整栋建筑就会被封锁并隔离几星期，对于一家倚赖对外开放维生的企业而言无疑是噩耗。接下来几个月，Dining Concepts 营业额暴跌了八成以上，但 Sandeep 决定坚持下去。「当时所有创办 Dining Concepts 的人都在一起，我们像家人一样，不论结果是好是坏，我们都会一起度过。命运在那时候将我们

Sandeep Sekhri

movers & shakers 

Manzo USDA Bone-in Tomahawk Steak 35oz 美国35安士有骨斧头扒



Bellbrook Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Quinoa, Red Onion, Young Spinach, Toasted Almonds and Pumpkin Seed Oil Vinaigrette 烤南瓜藜麦沙律



Craftsteak Strawberry Cheese Cake with Strawberry Sorbet 士多啤梨芝士蛋糕配雪芭

“ People were predicting terrible things for Hong Kong, but I had the same vision as before: we will get through this. 到处都是看衰香港的流言，但我和之前抱持一样的态度：我们会挺过去的。 ”

SARS broke out. There was doom and gloom

everywhere. People said, ‘You are finished.’ There was such uncertainty around the disease. We had no idea how long it was going to last.” SARS protocols were strict. If anybody in a building became infected with the virus, the whole building would be sealed and quarantined for several weeks – a serious concern when running a business that relied on premises being open. Over the following months, Dining Concepts business dropped by more than eighty per cent. Sandeep was nevertheless determined to stick it out. “We who founded Dining Concepts . . . were all in it together, as a family. We were in it for good or bad. Fate and destiny had brought us together at that stage for a reason.” The precipitous drop in business had left him with close to nothing, and Sandeep felt that to avoid giving up altogether, he would have to make a bold move. He decided to open a restaurant in Hong Kong’s Soho district, at that time a low-key residential area with a few neighbourhood restaurants. “By June 2003 there were no new cases of SARS. Everyone was of the opinion that SARS would be back in the winter months when the viruses are known to flourish. But I had put everything into my business. My neck was on the line. I said, ‘Let’s go with this gamble!’ and I opened Soho Spice in December 2003. Luckily SARS did not come back and the restaurant was a success.”

TK | icons of the empire

His gamble paid off, not just for him but also for the Soho district in general, which swiftly gained popularity with diners. “Soho has this flexibility,” he explains. “You can be a simple mom and pop operation or a smart boutique restaurant. At that time, rentals were inexpensive, the look and feel of the area and the properties was very basic, but there were still a few restaurants that did reasonably well. I saw opportunities so I started negotiating leases. I persuaded a hair salon to move to a new location, took over their premises and opened Olive, which was an overnight success. In the next two and a half or three years I opened another seven restaurants in Soho.” Other businesses moved into the neighborhood and Soho began to evolve into the vibrant dining destination it is today. But the rising popularity of Soho also brought a sharp rise in rents as landlords saw the opportunity to make money from the success of the area. Sandeep decided to move out and diversify. He headed for Kowloon, the area that had been hardest hit by SARS. “In 2007 I opened two restaurants in ICC and I also opened a restaurant in Macau, at The Venetian.” Ever the pioneer, Sandeep kept a close eye on Kowloon side premises, feeling sure that the neighborhood would present great opportunities. At the end of 2008, when the US was plunged into depression and the mood in Hong Kong was pessimistic, Sandeep was undeterred. “People were predicting

系在一起是有原因的。」业绩暴跌将 Sandeep 几乎推至破产边缘，他意识到若要避免全盘皆输，就必须大胆采取行动。他决定在香港苏豪区开一家餐厅。当时的苏豪区是低调的住宅区，只有几间社区餐厅。「到了 2003 年 6 月，已经不再爆发 SARS 的新案例，但谣言说冬天时病毒蔓延快，SARS 会再来。当时我已经把一切都赌在公司里了，没有回头路了，我说，我们继续赌一把吧！然后在 2003 年 12 月，我开了 Soho Spice 这家餐厅。幸好 SARS 没再回来，这家餐厅一举成功。」他的孤注一掷有了回报，不仅他自己受益，还包括整个苏豪区，前来一饱口福的人潮迅速窜升。他解释道：「苏豪区有这种弹性，你可以开个家族小店，也可以开智慧精品餐厅。那时租金不贵，整个地区的外观、氛围和物产都很阳春，但还是有几家餐厅经营得相当成功。我看到了机会，就开始商谈租金。我说服一家发廊搬到另一处新的地点，接管他们的旧址，然后开了 Olive，一夕之间就成功。接下来两年半到三年间，我又在苏豪区开了七家餐厅。」随后其他企业开始进驻附近社区，苏豪区逐渐发展成现在这般活力十足的餐饮聚集地，但人潮渐增也使得租金水涨船高，房东看准这块地区的发展潜力，全都想大捞一笔。于是 Sandeep 决定迁出这区并多角化经营，便去了受 SARS 肆虐最严重的地方 — 九龙。「2007 年我在环球贸易广场开了两家餐厅，在澳门威尼斯人酒店也开了一家。」善于开疆辟土的 Sandeep 密切关注九龙的物业，他有把握这里的社区潜藏无限商机。 2008 年底，美国经济陷入大萧条，香港也弥漫着一股悲观的氛围，Sandeep 丝毫不为所动。「到处都是看衰香港的流言，但我和之前抱持一样的态度：我们会挺过去的。2008 年底至 2009 年初，我在海港城开了一家餐厅，我们是当时唯一在开餐厅的人，因此吸引了很多媒体关注。」乐观的 Sandeep 在这家餐厅尝试新方向，将美式牛排馆改成小酒馆，非常适合奔走购物的人来歇歇腿。「我们为一家典型牛排馆增添欧洲小酒馆的氛围，纸本菜

movers & shakers 

Al Molo Terrina di Fegato: Foie Gras Terrine with Fig Marmalade and Brioche 鹅肝无花果酱配法式面包

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Olive Lamb Loin in Goat’s Curd, Slow Cooked and Grilled, with Labne Sawda 慢烤小羊柳配羊奶芝士

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Nahm Deep-fried Soft Shell Crab Roll with Mango, Avocado and Spinach with Orange Caramel Dipping Sauce 香芒牛油果软蟹卷

“ If people can’t remember what they paid for their meal, that’s good. 如果顾客不记得吃这餐花了多少钱，这样最好。 ”

terrible things for Hong Kong, but I had the same vision as before: we will get through this. I opened a restaurant in Harbour City Shopping Mall at the end of 2008, beginning of 2009. We were the only people opening restaurants at that time, so we got a lot of media attention.” Optimistic Sandeep moved in a new direction with this restaurant, turning an American steakhouse into a simple brasserie, the perfect place for busy shoppers in need of a quick break. “We took this classic steakhouse and gave it a European bistro feel – paper menus, no tablecloths, simple chairs – very accessible.” Dining Concepts’ portfolio is an interesting mix of high-end and more casual dining establishments. The success of every restaurant in the group is judged according to the same criteria: “The common thread in our restaurants is consistency and value for money,” says Sandeep. “We have tried to make sure that whether people are spending fifty dollars or five hundred dollars or a thousand dollars in our restaurants, they are always getting value for money.” He believes that if a diner leaves one of his restaurants without worrying exactly how much he or she has spent on their meal, it is a sign that establishment is doing things right. “If people can’t remember what they paid for their meal, that’s good. If they check their bill, they aren’t coming back. Or if they are coming back, you know they will be choosy!” Sandeep’s positivity and determination are tempered with humility. The restaurant business is mercurial. Diners are capricious,

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landlords tenacious, and sometimes dreams don’t work out. He elaborates: “We’ve had a few instances where the concept of a restaurant just wasn’t working very well. So we change. We aren’t shy about that – we do it right away. Not everything you do works. Not every position in the market works out. The good thing is we recognize our mistakes and change what is wrong. Usually the subsequent idea works better than the previous one.” This flexibility has led to the creation of a successful, well-respected brand, which has attracted famous international chefs like Laurent Tourondel and Jaime Pesaque, who are keen to collaborate with Sandeep and who bring talent and glamor to his restaurants. Sandeep has also become popular with Hong Kong’s notoriously fierce landlords. “We have good credibility with landlords and we look after the premises we lease. We pay either a base rent or a percentage of the sales, which can become advantageous for the landlord. Also, when you become a destination restaurant, you add value to the real estate of that property and the surrounding area. Landlords realize this and are happy to sign longer leases with us. We don’t own any of our restaurant premises. It’s hard to be a landlord and a restaurateur at the same time.” Dining Concepts has brought lesserknown areas of the territory into the culinary limelight and has introduced new ways of eating and new cuisines to the demanding clientele of Hong Kong. Sandeep puts it like this: “Building a successful restaurant business is a win-win situation for everyone: chefs, landlords, customers, and us.”

单、不用桌巾、简单的椅子，任谁都可轻易来小歇一会儿。」 Dinging Concept 旗下餐厅有的高档、有的休闲，多元的组合相当有趣，但每家餐厅成功的标准都相同。 Sandeep 说：「贯穿我们旗下餐厅的主轴就是一致和物达所值。我们致力让顾客感受到消费的价值，不论他们在餐厅里花的是 50、500、 1000 元，总是能获得与金钱价值相当的回馈。」他相信，只要顾客离开餐厅时不在乎用餐花了多少钱，就表示餐厅做对了。「如果顾客不记得吃这餐花了多少钱，这样最好。如果还会看帐单，就表示这个顾客不会再回来了，就算再来，也一定会挑三拣四！」 Sandeep 的乐观与坚定与他的谦逊相得益彰。餐厅事业变幻莫测，顾客口味善变，房东态度强硬，有时梦想就是无法成真。他表示：「有几次我们餐厅创想的概念就是做不起来，所以我们就改变，这没什么不敢承认的，我们立马就变。很多时候做事都徒劳无功，不是在市场里的任何定位都行得通。幸好我们一意识到自己做错了就马上矫正，通常后来的想法都比原先的好。」正是这样的弹性变通才能打造出如此成功且享誉盛名的品牌王国，更吸引了全球知名的厨师前来，例如 Laurent Tourondel 和 Jaime Pesaque 便一心想与 Sandeep 合作，也为 Sandeep 的餐厅招揽人才，增添光彩。同时，Sandeep 的名声逐渐在香港竞争激烈的房东圈里传开。「我们与房东间保持良好的信用，而且悉心照料租赁的物业。我们会支付基本租金或部分销售额给房东，对他们来说很有利。当你成为一间顾客会慕名前来的餐厅时，你就为房地产和周遭区域增添了价值，房东意识到这一点，就会很愿意与我们签更长期的租约。我们不拥有任一家餐厅的物业，要同时当房东又要经营餐厅太难了。」 Dining Concept 让原本鲜为人知的地区摇身一变成为餐饮界众所瞩目的焦点，并引进新吃法和新料理，满足香港饕客挑剔的味蕾。 Sandeep 说：「打造一家成功的餐厅是多赢的局面，对厨师、房东、顾客、我们都有好处。」

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新年新「品味」

new temptations At StarWorld Macau, an old favorite gets a facelift.

STARWORLD MACAU’S Temptations Restaurant is starting the year afresh, with a new look, a new focus and a new menu. The new garden-themed restaurant, complete with greenery and birdcage seating, has moved away from its previous buffet style and now offers casual dining with an a la carte menu. “I really enjoy a la carte, it’s a completely different experience,” says Executive Chef Joe Chan. “As a chef, I get so much more satisfaction. Yes, the job is harder, but totally worth it.” The new menu features a range of Macanese, Portuguese, French and Italian dishes. “I don’t believe in fusion – it’s confusion – but I like crossover,” says Chef Joe. “Our

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menu features different Continental cuisines, but each dish is individually its own.” Chef Joe aims to delight diners with salmon tartar, seared scallops, and his Portuguese seafood rice, recommended by CNN Travel as one of Macau’s must-try dishes. “This is a dish I learned to cook more than thirty years ago,” he says of the seafood rice. “The secret is in the seasoned olive oil.” “When I cook Portuguese food I never change the ingredients or the tastes,” says Joe. “My style is to follow the traditional way, maybe just think about a French or Italian way of presentation. There is a reason why these dishes have been around for hundreds of years – they are perfect just as they are.”

澳门星际酒店的「品味坊」餐厅今年以新面貌、新宗旨、新菜单重新开张，崭新的园林主题以绿色植物和鸟笼造型妆点，过去的自助餐形式不再，转而弥漫着休闲的用餐气氛并提供单点菜单。「我非常喜欢单点菜单，是完全不同的体验。」行政总厨陈继祖说道。「身为主厨，单点菜单让我感到更满足。工作确实是更重了，但绝对值得。」新菜单荟萃了澳门、葡式、法式、意式料理。陈继祖说：「我不喜欢 fusion, 把各式料理结合在一起，让人眼花缭乱，我偏爱 crossover, 提供不同的欧陆美馔供客人选择，而且每道菜都独一无二。」陈继祖总厨冀望顾客能愉快地享用三文鱼他他、香煎带子和其刚被美国有线电视新闻网之旅游网页 (CNN Travel) 力赞的葡式海鲜饭。提到海鲜饭，他说：「这是我三十几年前学做的一道菜。好吃的秘诀就在自家特制的橄榄油。」「我做葡式料理的时候，从来不更动食材或口味，但会想用法式或意式的方法摆盘。」陈继祖说。「我的风格就是遵循传统，顶多只改摆盘方式。这些料理数百年来历久不衰是有道理的 — 它们本已是完美作品。」

DAVID HARTUNG (5)

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“ Our menu features different Continental cuisines, but each dish is individually its own.” STARWORLD MACAU EXECUTIVE CHEF JOE CHAN 澳门星际酒店行政总厨陈继祖

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Portuguese Seafood Rice 葡式海鲜饭

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Temptations’ Tiramisu 品味坊提拉米苏蘇魚

Seared Scallop on Saffron Risotto 香煎带子伴意大利黄饭魚 French Spring Chicken Breast Stuffed with Mango and Wild Rice 芒果野米酿法国春鸡胸魚

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Ginseng, Matsutake, Bamboo Pith, Yunnan Ham, Pork Shank 人参松茸养心汤

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tasting notes

养生食疗

Exploring the Wellness Menu at the Langham Place, Mongkok’s Ming Court, Barbra Austin finds that great food has never been so healthy.

DAVID HARTUNG

food is the best medicine ACCORDING TO A CHINESE PROVERB, good medicine tastes bitter. But there’s nothing hard to swallow about the dishes on Ming Court’s Wellness Menu. Mango Tsang, Ming Court’s awardwinning chef, and Dr. Gladys Leung, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, created the menu together by drawing on the philosophy of the Five Elements, or Wu Xing, which together with the principles of yin and yang, provide the basis for the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. “The Five Elements reflect a deep understanding of natural law, the universal order underlying all things in our world,” says Dr. Gladys. “It is essential to the practice of TCM. It provides a framework to understand, diagnose and treat all health issues regarding the body, mind, emotions and spirit.” According to the philosophy of Wu Xing, everything on earth – seasons, colors, emotions, sounds, tastes and more – can be categorized under the rubric of one or another of the five elements. Dr. Gladys explains that there is a correspondence between the five elements and the internal organs: Wood corresponds to the liver and gallbladder; Fire to the heart and small ICONS OF THE EMPIRE | TK |

Executive Chef – East, Chef Mango Tsang Chiu Lit 明阁行政总厨曾超烈

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tasting notes

Whole Superior Pigeon, Wolfberry, Lily Bulb

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

杞子鲜百合乳鸽甫

intestine; Earth to the spleen and stomach; Metal to the lungs and large intestine; and Water to the kidneys and bladder. Because of links between the five elements and the five basic tastes, it is possible to beneficially target organs with expert menu planning. In moderation, the five flavors benefit their corresponding organs. But Dr. Gladys warns that it is possible to have too much of a good thing: “Overeating sweet flavors is detrimental to the spleen, excess consumption of salt affects our kidneys, overindulgence in sour food weakens the liver, an excess consumption of spicy foods impairs lung function, while having too many bitter flavors in the diet damages the heart.” TCM also holds that certain foods have either yin (cooling) or yang (heating) properties. “The goal,” says Dr. Gladys, “is to have a clean, toxin-free body with yin and yang in harmony.” To that end, Dr. Gladys and Chef Mango collaborated to create a selection of healthful and delicious dishes, anchored by the Five Element Wellness Soups. Chef Mango first came up with the recipes and then consulted with Dr. Gladys to make them more healthful. A big challenge for Chef Mango was the

TK 资深记者 Barbra Austin 近来一访香港旺角朗豪酒店粤菜餐厅「明阁」，品尝著名的五行养生餐，惊觉原来美食也可以如此健康。中国人常说良药苦口，但这话在「明阁」可行不通，健康十足的养生餐吃来可是让人口齿留香。金奖加持的「明阁」总厨曾超烈与中医师梁宁茵联手合作，运用「五行」( 生命五大元素 ) 及中医之本「阴阳」为基底，齐心打造养生菜单。梁医师说明：「五行代表对于自然定律的体悟。而深入了解宇宙万物的运行规律，对于中医的重要性毋庸置疑。我们行医以此为架构来观病、诊断，治疗一切与身体、心灵、情绪及精神相关的健康问题。」根据五行之说，世上所有事物，包括季节、颜色、情绪、味道等等均可用五大元素的属性加以分类。梁医师也解释，五大元素与人体的不同脏器相对应，关系密切：木对肝脏及胆囊、火对心脏及小肠、土对脾脏及胃、金对肺脏及大肠、水则对肾脏及膀胱。另外，五行又能与五大基本味道相结合，用以针对不同脏器而设计专门的健康菜色。摄取得当，五大味道可滋补内脏，大有裨益，不过梁医师也警告，好的东西吃过头也可能适得其反：「甜味摄取过多会对脾脏有害、重咸影响肾脏、酸性食物无节

制恐削弱肝功能、辣的过量食用对肺脏有负面影响，而苦味食材超标则可能对心脏不好。」她也进一步分析中医之道，表示部份食材带有阴 ( 阴凉 ) 或阳 ( 温热 ) 的属性，而目标当然就是要「让身体干净、不留任何毒素，阴阳调和」。因此梁医师和总厨曾超烈联手精心打造兼顾健康及美味于一体的养生餐，疗效卓著的五行养生汤正是其中代表。两人分工合作，总厨会拿着构思好的菜单咨询梁医师的意见，为美食增加食疗效果。许多中药材会带有苦味，这对主厨而言可说是一大挑战。他说：「我们尽量避免味道太重的中药材，各种味道都要一试再试。」新鲜山药及枸杞是他心中最理想的养生食材，总厨表示：「枸杞有明目功用。在水煮沸后把枸杞丢进去煮一煮，汤汁喝下去可以改善视力，看得更加清明。还有一些中药材可以美肤，对女生来说，多吃花胶和白木耳对皮肤就很好。」上补良汤最少要用整八小时慢慢熬煮，这也是一种能让材料精华完全保留的技巧，确保没有一丝营养成分流失。讲到五行养生汤，梁医师强调：「五行汤各有功效，可以滋养特定脏器。木行汤用了鱼头、天麻及菊花熬煮，可以补气、健胃并加强血液循环。火行汤中的人参、 icons of the empire

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tasting notes

Lotus Seed, Chinese Taxillus, Black Fungus Soup

bitterness of many Chinese herbs. “We tried to avoid the herbs with too strong a taste,” he says. “We tasted many, many times.” His favorite wellness ingredients are fresh Chinese yam and wolfberries. “Wolfberries, for the eyes. You can boil water and add wolfberries, then drink the water, which can really improve your eyesight, make it clearer. And some Chinese herbs improve the skin. For the ladies, fish maw and snow fungus are very good for beautiful skin.” “Each kind of soup is beneficial to each element and will give energy to a particular organ in the body,” says Dr. Gladys. The Wood soup uses fish head, gastrodia and chrysanthemum to promote qi, improve circulation and strengthen the stomach. The Fire soup promotes qi and calms nerves with ginseng, matsutake, bamboo pith, Yunnan ham and pork shank. The Earth soup is formulated to strengthen the spleen with barley, snow lotus seed and chinese yam. Mineral soup incorporates snow fungus, fish maw and lily bulb to nourish the lungs and spleen and to promote yin. The Water soup tonifies the kidneys with morinda root, gutta percha, radix astragali, wolfberries and dried longans, and helps the spleen, liver, and heart too. “Soup therapy” is what Dr. Gladys calls it. The menu also includes three appetizers

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and three mains. Rich grilled eel gets a dose of angelica to replenish the qi. Scallop with black truffle, hedgehog mushroom and egg white is said to have anti-aging benefits. Even the desserts are salubrious. The glutinous rice dumplings filled with green bean paste detoxify and nourish the qi. Red date pudding with snow lotus improves skin tone and calms the nerves. Ginger pudding with black-eyed peas warms the stomach. “Eating has become something that we either have to fit into our day,” laments Dr. Gladys, “or something we do thoughtlessly and carelessly, not paying all that much attention to what we put into our bodies.” The way to put one’s health back in balance, she says, is to cook the right type of food the right way and to consume the right amount at the right time. Dr. Gladys and Chef Mango agree that people are too quick to reach for the pill jar. After a long night of work, she recommends a cup of Detox La Passion, a tea of mufaguo, luohanguo, shiuhu and wolfberries, which she says will clean the lungs and liver. “It is definitely a better remedy than drugs.” Chef Mango offers a different panacea: “Hot coca cola with ginger.” He says it works every time.

松茸、竹笙、云南火腿及蹄膀能补气安神、土行汤食材包括大麦、莲子及山药，有健脾之效、金行汤加入白木耳、花胶、百合球茎以益肺补脾，提升体内的阴气。水行汤则可强肾、滋补脾脏、肝脏及心脏，喝得到巴戢天、杜仲、黄耆、枸杞及龙眼干的功效。」就像梁医师所说，这正是不折不扣的「汤疗」。养生菜单上还各有三道开胃菜及主菜。当归炙烧大鳝可以补气，而扇贝佐黑松露、猴头菇及蛋白则有抗老的神奇疗效。就连甜品也是道道有益健康，像绿豆糯米糕可以解毒补气、雪莲红枣糕养颜安神，眉豆姜汁糕则能温胃散寒。聊到吃，梁医师语带感慨：「大家都是一天当中找时间打发打发，要不就是不经思考、不够用心，对于吃进肚子的东西把关松散。」她分享给我们身体健康平衡的秘诀，就是要用对的方式烹煮对的食材、拿捏对的份量、在对的时间用餐。梁医师和曾总厨异口同声表示，现代人太依赖药物，动辄就要吃药。如果工作到深夜才下班，梁医师建议可以来杯无花果、罗汉果、石斛及枸杞调配的「Detox La Passion( 排毒激情 )」，对于肝肺均有清养之效。她说：「这比吃药好得多。」曾总厨也提供个人良方「姜汁热可乐」，并自豪表示：「每次都见效。」

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

桑寄生莲子蛋茶

Dr. Gladys Leung, Langham Hospitality Group Global Traditional Chinese Medicine Consultant 朗廷酒店集团专业中医顾问梁宁茵医师 ICONS OF THE EMPIRE | TK |

北京烤鸭大对决

duck duel In Beijing, the quest to roast the most delicious duck is serious business. Mark Hammons learned how they do it at Duck de Chine.

Peter Lam, Executive Chef 1949 - The Hidden City

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烤鸭大对决

duck duel

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

In Beijing, the quest to roast the most delicious duck is serious business. Mark Hammons learned how they do it at Duck de Chine.

THERE IS BROAD CONSENSUS that visitors to Beijing must do two things: visit the Great Wall and eat Peking Duck. The debate starts over whose duck. Beijingers take immense pride in their duck and it takes a special ambition for an outsider to challenge the locals on their own turf. “It was always my dream to open a great Peking Duck restaurant, but I never thought it would be here in Beijing,” says Elite Concepts Executive Director Paul Hsu, whose restaurateur roots are in Hong Kong. “In the end, I decided to march straight into the dungeon.” Roasting a great duck is harder than one might imagine. There are a host of elements that need to come together: climate, duck quality, drying duration, wood aroma, oven temperature and cooking time. Every night a new wave of local and overseas diners set out into the city, each searching for his or her own perfect Peking Duck moment. History buffs make a beeline for Bianyifang, whose lineage traces back to 1416. Ducks there are roasted in a traditional closed convection oven, which leaves both skin and meat soft and moist with a layer of fat in between. Delicious, but at odds with the modern ideal of fat-free, crispy skin. Quanjude is the leading proponent of a second method, first developed in Qing Dynasty kitchens: ducks are hung over a fragrant fruitwood fire, infusing the duck with hints of sweetness and smokiness. Over the century and a half since it was founded, Quanjude’s famous hanging ducks have made it one of the most recognized brands in China. Its sprawling duck empire now roasts over two million birds a year.

众所皆知，爬万里长城和吃北京烤鸭是造访北京必做的两件事。但争论不休的是：要吃哪一家的烤鸭呢？北京人深以他们的烤鸭为豪，外地人若非是抱着极大的企图心，可绝不敢在太岁头上动土。而优意集团 (Elite Concepts) 执行董事徐保罗就是个充满干劲的外地人。餐馆主要开在香港的他说：「开一家很棒的北京烤

鸭餐厅一直是我的梦想，只是我从没想到会开在北京，直捣黄龙。」要烤出一只美味的烤鸭远比想像中困难，气候、鸭肉品质、晾干时间、木头香气、烤炉温度、烹调时间等各种元素都得配合地恰到好处。不论来自国内还是海外，每晚都有络绎不绝的游客造访北京，搜寻着自己心目中最完美的北京烤鸭以一偿宿愿。崇尚老字号的人最爱「便宜坊」，是一 icons of the empire

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DAVID HARTUNG (2)

tasting destination

But more recently the roasted duck landscape in Beijing has evolved as rapidly as the skyline, and to compete, even established entrants have had to adapt. Quanjude continues to emphasize its storied history while also incorporating some theatrical innovations. At various times they have introduced plate spinners, acrobatic women balancing on poles, and Peking Opera performances. When Quanjude diners are served their duck, they are also presented with its birth certificate. Dong Zhenxiang, founder of Da Dong Roast Duck, emerged in the 1990s and made a name with his healthier, super lean duck. More recently he has introduced flashy plating and molecular gastronomy flourishes involving liquid nitrogen and blowtorches. Hsu saw it all firsthand before he launched his own entrant into the fray ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “Before I opened I had duck twice a week for nine months. I knew every duck in town.” He enlisted history as his ally, refurbishing the former Beijing Machinery and Electric Institute factory into an industrial-chic setting with exposed brick walls, wooden floors and vermillion lanterns. He proceeded to recruit his culinary team, Hong Kong-trained chefs Peter and Wilson Lam. The father and son team were living in Beijing and had decades of innovative success on their resumes, but relatively little duck experience. It may have seemed a surprising choice, but like New World winemakers free from the restraints of convention, Peter and Wilson relished the advantages of being culinary outsiders: “How can you be creative when you are carrying a hundred years of duck history on your back?” asks Wilson. They started by establishing their own farm, where more than 20,000 ducklings eat a measured diet of corn and vegetables. The ducks are raised for two months until they reach exactly two kilograms. Peter and Wilson found that heavier birds are too oily, while smaller ones aren’t fragrant enough. Two thirds of them don’t make the cut and are sold to other suppliers.

Door duck at Duck de Chine 全鸭季门前图腾

家历史可追溯到 1416 年的老店，店家采用焖炉烤鸭的方式，让鸭皮和鸭肉软嫩湿润，中间夹着一层脂肪，尽管美味可口，却与现在讲求剔除脂肪的脆皮烤鸭有些差距。「全聚德」是与「便宜坊」齐名的烤鸭店，采用清朝时开发的方法：挂炉烤鸭，将烤鸭悬挂在香气四溢的果木烤炉上方，让鸭肉吸入甜味与烟熏味。自「全聚德」创立一个半世纪以来，声名远播的挂炉烤鸭让其成为中国的驰名商标，版图不断扩大，现在一年要烤多达两百万只鸭。

然而，近期北京烤鸭的版图之争可谓群雄割据，有如高耸的天际线一般快速成长，连已在市场上立足的竞争者都不得不严阵以待。「全聚德」在维系传统之余，还添入创新剧场元素，不时推出花盘、立柱顶端杂技和京剧等表演。甚至在端出「全聚德」烤鸭时，还给顾客附上烤鸭的出生证明。「大董烤鸭」的创始人董振祥于 1990 年代发迹，因标榜更健康、超精瘦的烤鸭而声名大噪。最近更推出了精致摆盘，还有使用液态氮和喷枪的分子美馔盛宴。 icons of the empire

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Peking duck roasting to perfection at Duck de Chine 全鸭季的皮脆肉嫩话烤鸭

After arriving in the kitchen, the ducks are first cleaned and then brushed with a coating of maltose syrup, which during roasting helps give the skin its rich brown hue and prized crispiness. They are then filled with air to help free the skin from the meat before being fan dried for thirtysix hours. It’s crucial to completely dry each duck, easier in arid Beijing than in the humid climates of Hong Kong and southern China.

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When their skins are as dry as parchment, the ducks are ready for roasting. Perfect Peking Duck has crispy skin, moist meat and no fat. To learn how to achieve this in the oven, Wilson had to eat a lot of duck. “When we were experimenting with different approaches, I roasted and tasted forty different ducks a day,” he says. “We tried forty-five minutes, we tried an hour and a half, but in the end we discovered that

面对这样的战国局面，徐保罗早在 2008 年北京奥运前便已做足准备工作才正式加入战局。「开业前整整九个月，我一周吃两次烤鸭，城里每家烤鸭店都不放过。」他以历史为本，将北京机械工业学院的工厂翻新，改装成工业现代感十足的餐馆，外露砖墙，采用木质地板和朱红色的灯笼装饰。随后他组织料理团队，聘任出身香港的厨师父子档 Peter Lam 与 Wilson Lam。这一对父子档曾在北京生活，数十年来的经验累积出不胜枚举的烹调创举，但料理烤鸭的经验却寥寥无几。徐保罗做出这样的选择或许出人意表，但就像新世界酒区的酿酒商可完全不受传统窠臼的囿限一样，对烤鸭料理外行反而成为 Peter 和 Wilson 的优势。 Wilson 问道：「当你背负着一百多年传统的烤鸭招牌时，怎么可能创新呢？」他们从建立养鸭场开始，以悉心调制的玉米与蔬菜喂养两万多只幼鸭，两个月后，幼鸭体重达到刚好两公斤。 Peter 和 Wilson 发现，过重的鸭肉质过于油腻，过瘦的鸭又不够香甜，结果有三分之二饲养的鸭过不了关，而被卖给其他供应商。合格的鸭子送到厨房后，先经过清理，然后刷上一层麦芽糖浆，鸭皮便能在烘烤时呈现出丰厚的棕色，并赋予享誉盛名的酥脆口感，然后将鸭身灌气，让鸭皮与鸭肉分离，再风干 36 小时。关键在于，每只鸭都必须完全风干。这点在干燥的北京做起来比在潮湿的香港和中国南部简单得多。当鸭皮干燥得有如羊皮纸般时，就可以开始烤鸭了。上等的北京烤鸭得要是皮脆、肉润和零脂肪。为确保烤炉能达到这个目标， Wilson 试吃了非常多的烤鸭。「我们实验不同方法时，一天烤 40 只鸭，还要品尝。」他说。「我们烤过 45 分钟、一个半小时，最后发现烤 65 分钟刚刚好： 30 分钟在烤炉后方，30 分钟在烤炉中央，至关重要的最后五分钟直接在果木上，驱逐油脂，让鸭皮完美地覆盖一层焦糖，又脆又香。」全鸭季在用餐区推出了许多独创的剧场元素，但其真正吸引人的地方得要饕客有点功力才体会得出。全鸭季每端出一只鸭就会敲锣一响，但真正的行家要看的是厨师片鸭时俐落的刀法，每一只鸭都能恰恰好切出一百片。端上桌时，服务生会添上花生和芝麻蘸酱，只见他手腕轻巧一转，就转出优雅

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tasting destination

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tasting destination

sixty-five minutes is just right: thirty minutes in the back of the oven, thirty minutes in the middle, then the final crucial five minutes directly over the fruitwood to render away the fat and leave the skin perfectly caramelized and crispy.” In the dining room, Duck de Chine has introduced its own elements of theater, but it also appeals in more subtle ways. A gong is sounded each time that a duck is served, but connoisseurs focus on the deft knife work of the chef, who slices each duck into exactly seventy pieces. At the table, a server adds splashes of peanut and sesame sauces and with a deft flick of the wrist creates a crowd-pleasing swirl of color. The effect is elegant, but like a duck paddling in a pond, the real action is taking place below the surface. Sweet wheaten paste is traditionally used to make dipping sauce, but Duck de Chine makes its own sauce that incorporates more than twenty Chinese herbs, including wolfberries, angelica and Chinese licorice, adding layers of complexity to the taste. Duck de Chine has ninety-one items on its menu, fourteen of which are made with duck, including several French-inspired dishes. Duck fans who want something different can order Mustard Duck Webs, Duck Liver Terrine on Toast, Duck Tacos with Crispy Tarts, or Fried Duck Tongue with Salt and Pepper. To produce so many dishes well night after night is testament enough to the culinary team’s talent. But in certain arenas the judging is focused disproportionately on a single moment. A gymnast has to stick the landing. Divers can’t leave a splash. For true enthusiasts, the assessment of a Peking Duck’s greatness is concentrated on a single element: the quality of the skin. In some restaurants the skin is the only part of the duck that is even served. Perfection in complicated endeavors is always elusive, but with enough energy and attention and enthusiasm it can sometimes be achieved. Wilson holds a single slice of translucent duck skin up to the light. “When the skin is perfectly thin and crispy, it’s like a piece of glass.”

The bar at Duck de Chine 全鸭季的酒吧区

诱人的双色漩涡螺旋花样。但真正的功夫可不仅如此呢。传统上是用甜面酱作烤鸭蘸酱，但全鸭季自制独门酱料，以枸杞、当归、甘草等多达 20 几种中草药入味，创造出多层次的口感。全鸭季菜单上共有 91 道料理，其中 14 道是鸭料理，甚至有从法国菜发想的佳肴。爱吃鸭的饕客若想尝尝鲜，建议不妨点芥末鸭掌、鹅肝酱吐司、鸭肉卷饼佐酥饼或椒盐酥鸭舌。一个料理团队能够精益求精地创造出珍馐美馔，烹饪才能便可见一斑，然而，

就好比体操选手必须完美落地，跳水选手必须不溅起水花才是高竿的证明一样，在某些领域，评断高下总是着重在某一点。北京烤鸭亦是如此。真正的老饕评断北京烤鸭的优劣，只取决于一个要素：鸭皮。某些餐厅甚至只供应鸭皮，由此可见行家对鸭皮好坏的重视。工夫越细，完美就越难拿捏。但只要有足够的投入、专注和热情，完美绝非遥不可及。Wilson 举起一片薄如蝉翼的鸭皮对着光线，说道：「鸭皮如果够薄、够脆，就会如同玻璃一样剔透。」 icons of the empire

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tasting notes

美味不二论

whatever works really works

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Can innovative, sophisticated cuisine also be welcoming comfort food? Sampling Chef Esther Sham’s dishes at Ta Pantry’s new home in North Point, Madeline Gressel finds that it can.

WHEN CHEF ESTHER SHAM was a child, her mother made big batches of traditional pork and bok choy Shanghainese wontons and froze them for Esther and her brother to eat as after-school snacks. “Those are some very happy childhood memories,” she says. Today, Chef Esther makes her own wontons, a foie gras version that she calls the “Not-So-Shanghainese.” The wonton is a signature dish of her sleek and successful private kitchen, Ta Pantry. “I had a foie gras xiao long bao in Shanghai once that wasn’t very nicely done,” she explains. “But the idea stuck with me. I decided to invent my own. I didn’t want to use both pork and foie gras, because they don’t complement, so I tried pureed mushrooms instead.” Like her mother, she adds a bit of bok choy for crunch. The dumplings are slippery, warm and rich, plopped in a chicken and mushroom consommé and garnished with turnips and adorably bow-tied egg strips. The result is exemplary of Esther’s cooking – a mélange of global ingredients, sophisticated yet somehow also homey, with an added element of kawaii. Her cooking is an apt metaphor for her own character, which is at once feminine and commanding. Esther, who was raised by a Shanghainese family in Hong Kong and then California, began cooking professionally after a brief career as a model. “At the beginning, cooking

沉依红主厨还小的时候，她母亲会事先做好许多上海菜肉大云吞，给她和哥哥下课后当点心吃。她说：「那是我童年时的快乐回忆。」如今，沉依红自己做云吞，加入了鹅肝，取名为「Not-So-Shanghainese（非正宗上海菜）」。在她奢华时尚、极获欢迎的私房菜馆，这道鹅肝云吞可是招牌料理。她解释：「我在上海时做过一道鹅肝小笼包，不是很成功，但这念头在脑海中萦绕不去，于是决定自己创造一道新菜色。我不想把猪肉和鹅肝放在一起，这两种材料味道不合，所以改用蘑菇泥代替。」沉主厨学母亲在云吞里加了白菜，增添爽脆口感。云吞吃起来暖呼呼的，香滑又浓郁，浸在蘑菇清鸡汤中，还装饰了大头菜和蛋丝扎的蝴蝶领结。整道菜展现出沉依红的烹饪风格融合国际食材，精致又温馨，再加点日式可爱风。她做的菜贴切反应出她的个性，既女性柔美，又有掌控欲的一面。沉依红在香港的上海家庭长大，后来到了加州，曾任职模特儿，之后才投身厨艺。「一开始做菜只是好玩，后来遇到我丈夫后，开始认真考虑把它当作长期的事业。做模特儿很不稳定。然后有一次，一整个月我都没有做菜，感觉糟透了！那时我就明白自己想做的是什么了。」沉依红一开始在法国名厨的米其林星级餐厅 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon 当服务生，后来在 Amber 担任米其林名厨 Richard Ekkebus 的学徒。 2008 年，沉依红的哥哥将湾仔星街用来存放进口葡萄酒的空间供她使用，于是 Ta Pantry 的雏型就此诞生。

Above: Soft-boiled Egg 流心醉蛋 Left: Foie Gras Shanghai Wontons Served With Egg Knots 法式上海鹅肝云吞

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Red Date Sticky Rice served with Red Date Reduction, adorned with Gingered Lotus Pulp, Sugar-Coated Gingko & Crispy Lotus Root

Melting Onion Duck 家传中秘制洋葱鸭

Chef Esther Sham 主厨沉依红

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was just for fun, but when I met my husband, I began to consider it seriously as a long-term career. Modeling was very unstable. There was one month I didn’t cook at all, and I was miserable! That was the moment I knew.” Esther began as a server at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and later apprenticed at Amber under Richard Ekkebus. In 2008, Esther’s brother offered her use of the Star Street space, where he stored imported wines, and Ta Pantry, in its original incarnation, was born. “At first, I was still sane enough to tell myself I didn’t want to be a chef,” she says. “Then, I quickly realized that I’m a control freak, and I had to be the chef myself.” Esther has garnered international attention and praise for Ta Pantry, which recently relocated from Star Street to a large and airy industrial space in North Point. Designed by Steve Leung, the new space features three private dining rooms; separated by two sliding doors, they also can become one room, or two. Each room has its own theme: one is decorated with roosters; another with colorful chinoiserie; and the last with colonial golf, hunting and other sports accents. Esther’s aesthetic, manifested in bespoke pink flatware, Eiffel Tower votives and richly upholstered chairs, connects all three spaces. “The difficulty was making an industrial space look like home,” says Esther. “I’m a very picky consumer, so I tried to incorporate elements I look for when I dine.” In a nod to her French training, Ta Pantry serves what Esther calls “creative French.” The kitchen offers seven set menus, each with a national theme, like the “Japonais” or

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红枣糯米卷配红枣汁

the “Coréen.” But she stresses the adaptive nature of her menus in a global food economy: “It’s difficult nowadays to draw definitive lines between cuisines. In the past, when transportation and communication were limited, different cultures were really doing their own thing. Now we don’t have those limits. It’s just like, whatever works!” The foie gras wontons are one of the courses on the Shangaïen menu, which holds great sentimental value for Esther. They are preceded by her Kor Fu Handroll, a French crepe wrapped around tofu and mushrooms. Usually kor fu is deep fried, but not here. “It’s a sponge! Imagine, if you deep fry it, how much oil it absorbs.” Instead she serves it braised, accompanied by a soft-boiled egg marinated in yellow wine, a Shanghainese staple. “I like to bring out traditional flavors in ways people don’t expect.” Next on the menu comes the Melting Onion Duck, another popular Shanghainese home-cooked dish. Esther’s version is slowcooked and deliciously sweet, served on a bed of caramelized onions and garnished with deep-fried eggplant and a teensy duckleg confit sandwich. Dessert is sweet sticky rice, stuffed with red dates, gingered lotus, and ginkgo, all thought to convey auspicious health benefits. “It all came out of passion, the love of food, and the love of seeing people happy,” says Esther. “When I first started cooking professionally, people warned me that I might lose my love for my hobby. But so many years later, I still enjoy cooking so much. I’m blessed that I’m good enough at what I love to make a living at it.”

Ta Pantry has recently relocated to a large and airy industrial space in North Point. Designed by Steve Leung, the new space features three private dining rooms and Chef Esther’s decorating touches. Ta Pantry最近搬到北角开阔通风的工业大楼，由梁志天负责打造餐厅设计，设有三间私人包厢，装饰洋溢沉主厨的个人风格。

“ It all came out of passion, the love of food, and the love of seeing people happy. 一切都来自热情，对食物的热情，还有喜欢看人吃得开心的热情。” 她说：「刚开始我还头脑清楚地告诉自己，我不要当厨师。后来，我很快意识到自己是个控制狂，非得自己下厨不可。」依红的 Ta Pantry 获得国际诸多关注与赞誉，最近也把地址从星街迁移至北角宽阔通风的工业大楼。新的空间由梁志天设计师操刀，设有三间私人包厢，由两扇拉门隔开，可以灵活并成一间或两间包厢。每间包厢各有不同主题，一间装饰了公鸡，另一间打造成多彩缤纷的中国艺术风格，最后一间则以殖民高尔夫、打猎与其他体育活动为特色。订做的粉红色餐具、艾菲尔铁塔烛台，还有椅子上堆满的软垫，串联起三间包厢，充分展现出沉依红的美学风格，她说：「要让工业大楼看起来像家很不容易；我是个很挑剔的客人，所以努力把用餐时希望看到的元素结合进来。」

Ta Pantry 也展现出沉依红所受的法国餐厅训练，提供她的「创意法国菜」，共有七套菜单，每一套都以一个国家为主题，例如「Japonais（日本）」或「Coréen（韩国）」。但她强调，饮食趋向全球化，她的菜色也有相应调整。她认为：「现在已经很难明确区隔不同的料理了，过去因为交通与沟通限制，不同的文化真的各有自己的天地。现在，这些限制都没有了，变成『好吃就是好吃』！」沉依红不喜欢在料理上旧调重弹：「我喜欢用出人意表的方式带出传统风味。」依红对上海十分依恋，法式上海鹅肝云吞就出现在「Shangaïen（上海）」菜单里。在鹅肝云吞前会先上「kor fu handroll（烤麸蛋卷）」，外面裹的是法式薄饼。烤麸蛋卷通常用炸的，但这里做法不同。「这卷就像个海绵！想想看，如果用炸的会吸多少油。」所以她改用炖的，佐以上海人常吃的流心醉蛋。下一道是家传秘制洋葱鸭，也改良自广受欢迎的上海家常菜，依红改将鸭肉细火慢炖，味道甜美可口，鸭肉底层再铺上焦糖洋葱，配上炸茄子和油封鸭腿迷你三明治。甜点是红枣糯米卷，填入红枣、莲子和银杏，既寓意吉祥，吃起来又健康。依红说：「一切都来自热情，对食物的热情，还有喜欢看人吃得开心的热情。我第一次以专业厨师的身分做菜时，有人警告我可能失去对烹饪这个嗜好的热情。但过了这么多年，我还是非常喜欢做菜。我很幸运，能做好自己喜欢的事，以此营生。」 icons of the empire

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tasting notes

缤纷湘菜

taste tapestry Feast Hunan Restaurant at the Sheraton Changsha Hotel serves up healthy portions of innovation and tradition to keep its guests curious and satisfied.

STARTING IN 350 BC and for centuries afterwards, a steady stream of Han Chinese from northern China migrated into Hunan province, contributing to the rich tapestry of linguistic and culinary traditions in the area. Today, neighboring towns in Hunan often speak their own dialect of Chinese, while also having their own traditional dishes and favored cooking techniques. The Hunan city of Shaoshan, where Mao Zedong was born, is famous for his favorite dish: pork braised in soy sauce. Liuyang is known for its lamb dishes and refined use of steam, while in Ningxiang, pork and stir- frying predominate. If you prefer fish, head for the towns around Dongting Lake in Hunan’s northeast corner. Diners who want a delectable taste of everything the region has to offer go to Feast Hunan at the Sheraton Changsha Hotel. There, Head Chef Bill Zhang dazzles with the sort of innovative cooking and modern plating that diners expect from Hunan’s top hotel, but he’s also confident enough to serve the simple comfort dishes popular in rural areas. His spicy and perfectly crispy Dry-Fried Crucian Carp is a traditional country dish that comes from the area around Dongting Lake. “I’ve always liked this dish,” says Chef Zhang. “But it stays on the menu because it’s popular with guests.”

从公元前 350 年开始，中国北方的汉人就陆续往如今的湖南省地区迁徙，持续了数个世纪，造就当地缤纷丰富的语言与烹饪传统。如今，邻近湖南的城镇多半说着自己的方言，同时保留了他们的传统菜色与擅长的烹饪技巧。湖南韶山市是毛泽东的故乡，毛泽东最爱的毛式红烧肉就成了当地名菜。浏阳擅制羊肉，烹饪技术以蒸法见长，宁乡则以烹制猪肉与煎炒技巧著称。如果喜欢鱼，湖南省东北洞庭湖四周的城镇可以让你一饱口福。想要尝遍湖南多样多变的美味，长沙运达喜来登酒店的湘飨湖南餐厅是个好选择。餐厅主厨张罗中丰富的创新菜色与摩登的摆盘方式，让饕客看得目不暇给，同时他也充满自信的端出广受欢迎的乡野小菜，菜色简单却让人吃得津津有味。酥脆香辣的糍粑干鲫鱼便是洞庭湖地区的传统民间美食，张师傅说：「我一直很喜欢这道料理，但也因为受客人欢迎，这道菜在菜单上才历久不衰。」张师傅年轻时便学会干锅血鸭的作法。 1850 年代太平天国之乱时，干锅血鸭这道菜出现在永州，据说当时军中的厨师不小心煮焦了鸭子，于是在锅中加入鸭血掩饰，没想到大受士兵欢迎。张师傅的现代版干锅血鸭改以新鲜鸭血入菜，让铁质等珍贵的矿物质更容易吸收。制作酱椒蒸肉时，张师傅则借用烹制鱼头的水蒸技巧，将肉蒸上四个小时，蒸

Steamed Pork Belly with Pickled Chili 酱椒蒸肉 ← Dry-fried Crucian Carp 糍粑干鲫

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tasting notes

Head Chef Bill Zhang 主厨张罗中

Zhang learned how to make his Clay Pot of Spicy Duck with Duck’s Blood as a teenager. The dish was invented in the town of Yongzhou during the Taiping Rebellion in the 1850s. The story goes that a soldier-cook accidentally burned the ducks. To cover up his mistake, he added duck blood to the pot. The other soldiers loved it. In Zhang’s modern version the duck blood still runs fresh, making its prized iron and other minerals easier to absorb. To prepare his popular Pork Belly with Pickled Chili, Zhang borrows a steaming technique traditionally used for cooking fish head. After four hours of steam, the succulent, multi-layered pork can be cut with a fork and chewed by a baby. When Zhang isn’t in the kitchen honing traditional recipes, he’s often exploring the towns, villages, kitchens and markets of Hunan, tracing the history of yet another dish back to its roots. In the same way that an artist goes into the countryside searching for visual inspiration, he roams in search of culinary inspiration.

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For Feast Hunan’s recent Xiangxi Wild Vegetable Promotion, Chef Zhang traveled to Hengyan to learn from the chefs and to buy produce like ginseng, sweet potato leaves and wild green onions directly from the local farmers where each dish originated. Three months of research and preparation went into the two-week event. Zhang says that Feast Hunan succeeds by providing premium surroundings and service, and food that keeps customers coming back. His curiosity, ambition and deep knowledge of all the many culinary traditions of his region make Feast Hunan an exciting place to dine. “With Hunan cuisine we always use the best ingredients. We have dozens of timetested techniques for preparing them well. The most important thing is flavor – the smell alone should make you hungry!” The Sheraton Changsha Hotel provided the TK team with magnificent rooms and delicious food during their stay in Changsha. Thanks to the entire Sheraton Changsha team for their incomparable hospitality.

好后肉汁饱满、层次分明，且肉质软烂，用叉子就能切开，小孩也咬得动。张师傅不在厨房钻研传统菜式时，就经常是在湖南各地考察，寻找一道道菜肴的起源。就像画家到乡间寻找作画灵感，张师傅也四处游历，寻找烹饪的灵感。例如，为了最近推出的湘飨野菜美食节，张师傅前往衡阳与当地厨师学艺，并到每道菜的发源地，向当地农民购买人参、地瓜叶、地木耳、野葱等蔬菜，研究、准备了三个月，就为了为期两周的野菜宴。张师傅认为，湘飨湖南餐厅环境好、服务佳，菜色美味，才能让客人再次造访回味。张师傅对湖南众多地方菜系传统知之甚详，乐于潜心钻研又有想法，到他掌厨的湘飨用餐，让人十分享受。「我们的湘菜只用最好的食材，运用多种流传已久的烹饪技巧精心制作。最重要的是口味光是闻到香气，就会让你食指大动！」

TK 团队在长沙期间，承长沙运达喜来登酒店招待豪华客房与美味餐点；感谢运达喜来登团队无可比拟的盛情款待。

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雪地理想国

Snowy �topia With plans to attract China’s wealthy new elite as residents, Pan Sutong and his Goldin Group team have embarked on a massively ambitious real estate development in Tianjin, China. Enticements include luxurious residences, exquisite dining and snow polo. By Mark Hammons. Photography by David Hartung.

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IN TIANJIN, China, the average January temperature is four degrees below zero. Cold wind parches the ground. The sky is grey. It’s not a scene that one immediately associates with a luxury lifestyle or leisure sports, and yet this is where Pan Sutong, CEO and Chairman of the Hong Kong-based Goldin Group, has embarked on one of China’s most ambitious development projects, conjuring up from the bare ground a stunning city of extravagant villas, soaring apartment towers and world-class restaurants. Located seventy-five miles southeast of Beijing and home to twelve million people, Tianjin is frequently regarded by its northern neighbor as a small town where not much happens. But now, thanks to the efforts of Chairman Pan and his team, everybody knows about the city’s new claim to fame: the World Cup of Snow Polo. In summer, the fields at the Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club are green with Kentucky bluegrass. Now, on a cold winter’s day, they are white with snow. The Buenos Aires Marching Band is just finishing a

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天津一月的平均气温是零下四度。寒风吹过干枯的土壤，掠过阴暗的天空。这个场景很难让人联想到奢华生活与休闲运动，但就在此地，香港高银集团董事会主席兼行政总裁潘苏通打造着全中国最雄心勃勃的发展计划，即在荒地上编造出一座迷人的城镇，包括奢华别墅、摩天公寓和世界一流的餐厅。天津位于北京东南方 75 公里处，人口 1200 万，从北京来看，天津只不过是个没有新鲜事的小城。但现在，经过潘苏通与团队的努力，每个人都知道最近是什么让天津大放光彩的富国高银雪地马球世界杯赛。在夏天，天津环亚国际马球会的田野长满青翠的肯塔基蓝草，如今寒冬降临，地面覆满白雪。布宜诺斯艾利斯行进乐队刚刚结束表演，英格兰队已经准备好在准决赛中与智利一决胜负；满天阴霾破开，露出一小片蓝天。英格兰队将在比赛中获胜，隔天继续过关斩将，力抗中国香港队，成为 2014 年富国高银雪地马球世界杯赛冠军。除了促成这场比赛的人，所有世界杯相关人士似乎都对比赛发生在中国北方的平原上，感到有点惊讶。高银集团副主席，

An outdoor polo field is 300 yards long and 160 wide, and the combination of small ball and vast distances can make the action hard to follow for newcomers. In snow polo, the field is a third as large, and players hit a larger, inflatable neon orange ball that is easy to spot against the white snow. Matches are divided into four periods, or “chukkas,” of a mere seven and a half minutes each, which is said to be the maximum length of a time that a pony can work at full effort before exhaustion. 户外马球场约 300 公尺长、160 公

尺宽，因为球小、场地宽阔，新手可能很难追踪球的动向。雪地马球场地大小只有三分之一，用的是可以充气、尺寸较大的球，颜色是霓虹橘，在雪地中容易发现。比赛分

为四节 (chukkas)，每节只有七分半钟，据说小马全速奔跑只能维持这样的时间。

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“ Sheldon told me one thing. He said: ‘Supply creates demand. Build it with scale, with quality, with style, with substance, and they will come.’ 萧登告诉过我：供应创造需求，只要建得大、建得好、建得有格调有内涵，客人就会上门。” GOLDIN GROUP VICE CHAIRMAN HARVEY LEE 高银集团副主席李自忠

performance, England has taken the field to play Chile in the semi-finals and the overcast sky has parted to reveal a patch of blue. England will go on to win and will prevail again the next day, over Hong Kong China, to become the 2014 Snow Polo World Cup Champions. Everybody associated with the World Cup, excepting those who engineered it, seems a little surprised that it is happening here, on the plains of northern China. Harvey Lee, Vice Chairman of the Goldin Group and Pan’s point man, says that nobody took them seriously when they decided three years ago that they wanted to host the World Cup. “At that time, the Federation of International Polo (FIP) would not even answer my call.” Eventually, though, he did get through, and when he did, he was persuasive. “I’ve been coming to China for a little over three years now for polo,” says Dr. Richard T. Caleel, president of the FIP, at the 2014 Cup. “The development of polo in China has been extremely rapid.” Boasting an indoor arena, stables for three hundred ponies and a members-only hotel, the polo club was designed to be the cultural and social heart of the larger development. Surrounding the polo fields and

也是潘苏通的得力助手李自忠先生说，三年前他们想举办世界杯，没有人把当一回事。李自忠说：「当时，国际马球联合会甚至不肯接我的电话。」不过最后，他打通了电话，并且说服了对方。在 2014 年世界杯上，国际马球联合会总裁理查德 · 卡利 (Richard T. Caleel) 博士说：「我为着马球来中国，至今已经三年多了，马球在中国发展一直非常快速。」这项庞大的发展计划以马球会为文化与社交中心，包含室内场地、养了三百匹马的马厩，以及会员制的酒店。马球场与马球会周遭环绕着 2.5 平方公里的基地，正在建造全新的中心商业区，主要设施是一座 117 层的摩天大楼、十一座其他高楼，还有要价九千万美元（约五亿五千三百五十万人民币）的豪华别墅。熟悉澳门的人看着这项计划，仿佛看到当年美国金沙集团主席萧登 · 艾德森（Sheldon Adelson) 把澳门的一片沼泽地，开发成如今的路氹金光大道。香港高银集团也跨足消费电子产品、金融服务和葡萄酒业务，副主席李自忠加入高银前则在高盛工作，处理萧登 · 艾德森澳门赌场的财务。李自忠说：「负责威尼斯人酒店交易的人就是我，我负责把它卖给投资人。萧登告诉过我：供应创造需求，只要建得大、建得好、建得有格调有内涵，客人就会上门。这正是我们潘苏通主席的作法，他没见过萧登，但两人想法不谋而合。」 icons of the empire

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club is a 2.5-kilometer square of real estate. Under construction is an entire new central business district that will be anchored by a 117-story skyscraper, eleven other towers, and luxury villas selling for up to ninety million United States dollars. Those familiar with Macau may see a parallel with Sheldon Adelson and the potential he saw in the boggy swamp now known as the Cotai Strip. Before joining the Hong Kong-based Goldin Group, which also has interests in consumer electronics, financial services and vineyards, Vice Chairman Lee was at Goldman Sachs and worked with Adelson on the financing for his Macau casinos. “I was the person who did the Venetian deal, I had to sell the deal to my investor,” says Lee. “Sheldon told me one thing. He said: ‘Supply creates demand. Build it with scale, with quality, with style, with substance, and they will come.’ That’s actually exactly what our Chairman Pan Sutong did. He never met Sheldon, but this is precisely the way he thinks.” Underground roads are being built in order to allow more landscaping up top, beautiful garage lobbies welcome residents and building facades are made with a special high-iron variety of Brazilian granite

that won’t discolor over time. Construction is under way on all of the projects, but it will be two more years before many of them will be complete, and so even during a peak period like the Snow Polo World Cup, the club sometimes has an expectant but lonesome quality, with teams of highly attentive service staff hovering over the gestures of only a few guests. Vice Chairman Lee says it is all part of the plan. “This is a members-only hotel, and so we don’t want to be completely full. The hotel is being fully utilized because we have a lot of potential buyers of our apartments and villas. They come here, dine here and see the facility. They have to see this to convince them to buy that. Just today I had one couple originally from Hong Kong. At lunch, they went into a very down-to-earth restaurant, the congee noodle place, and they felt like they were back in Hong Kong.” “One thing unique about Pan is that he’s very good at hiring people,” says Lee. “Electronics, real estate, food, wine, polo—he always hires the best.” Edward Voon, hired as Chairman Pan’s personal chef, is also the Executive Chef of Le Pan, one of a half dozen dining options at the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club. A student of the

Spanish chef Paco Roncero and one of the first chefs to introduce the techniques of molecular gastronomy to Singapore, Chef Voon was a culinary star there, named in 2004 as the city’s Best New Asian Chef of the Year. Chef Voon says that no two of his meals are alike, but they often start with a series of creative appetizers he disarmingly calls “Snacks,” which function as a kind of friendly reconnaissance. “The first course is small – to get to know you,” he says. Based on a guest’s reaction, Voon knows what to bring next. He customizes his menus for every diner and often makes adjustments on the fly. At a post-World Cup meal, Voon’s Snacks include an air-dried beef tendon fried until crackling crisp and sprinkled with dukkah spice, a fried twist of Parmesan cheese with the texture of a churro, and a Zen-like single fried Lyon black olive. Then he appears with a tray of foil-wrapped Ferrero Rocher chocolates. “I just bought these in the grocery story,” he says. “They are just simple chocolates.” His Cheshire smile makes one suspicious, but inside the gold foil wrapper there really is a round chocolate with Rocher’s signature bumpy nut-covered shell.

“ You never thought you’d see all this in Tianjin, did you? 你没想到会在天津看到这个吧？ ” CHEF EDWARD VOON 厨师温有成

开发基地正在修建地下道路，让地上有更多空间做环境美化，美丽的车道大堂欢迎住客莅临，建筑外表采用含铁量高的巴西花岗岩，时间久了也不会褪色。四处都在建设，大多还要两年才会完工，所以即使在雪地马球世界杯这样的旺季，高雅的马球会有时气氛难免寂寥，一群贴心周到的服务人员在等少数几个客人打手势，唤他们过去。李副主席说，这也是计划的一部分。「这是一间会员制的酒店，所以我们不希望里头人满为患。酒店其实发挥很大的效益，因为我们有很多公寓和别墅的潜在买家，他们来到这里，在这里用餐，看到这些设

施。他们要看到这样的情景，才会愿意买公寓和别墅。我今天才刚招待一对香港来的夫妇，午餐时他们走进一家朴实的餐厅，也就是酒店里的粥面店，他们觉得自己好像回到了香港。」「潘先生的特色就是用人有眼光。不管是电子业务、房地产、食品、葡萄酒、马球业务，他都雇用最棒的人才。」潘苏通主席聘请温有成担任他的私人厨师，以及潘氏堡的行政总厨。天津环亚国际马球会有六家餐厅，潘氏堡是其中一家。温有成曾师事西班牙名厨 Paco Roncero，也首先将分子料理技术引入新加坡，是新加坡厨界的明星，并于

2004 年获提名为新加坡的年度最佳亚洲新厨师。温主厨说，他没有烹制过两顿相同的餐点，但刚开始通常会先上几道创意开胃菜，为了让人放松戒心，他称之为「小吃」，是用来探测客人口味的。他说：「第一道份量小，是为了要了解客人。」温主厨会根据客人的反应，判断接下来该上什么菜，为每个人量身订制菜色，往往边做边调整。在世界杯赛后晚宴，温有成的小吃包括炒至松脆的风干牛腱，撒上中东的杜卡 97

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Chef Voon stands by with an air of nonchalance, waiting to provide the explanation until the moment the tongue discovers the deception: “Foie gras covered in pork skin!” Voon’s beautifully tender, moist, and flavorful slow-cooked Norwegian salmon is served with artichoke two ways, pureed and fried. The dish appears at first to be inventive in a conventional way, with variations in form and texture based on a single ingredient. But the convention is misdirection, as the diner finds when he bites into one of the two innocent-looking skinned white grapes laying on either side of the dish: they are Voon’s famed fizzy grapes, peeled and infused with sparkling Champagne. It’s often said that when a chef is angry, you can taste it in his cooking, and in his fizzy grapes one can taste Voon’s ebullience. For an appreciative audience, Voon sometimes presents an encore dessert called Dragon Breath. He dips fresh strawberries into liquid nitrogen and then pops them directly into diners’ mouths. The fruit becomes delightfully crispy and crunchy, and there’s a memorable visual effect as well. As diners chew, white smoke puffs from their nostrils. Chef Voon grins boyishly and, as if speaking for the whole Goldin team, says: “You never thought you’d see all this in Tianjin, did you?” The Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club provided the TK team with magnificent rooms and delicious food during their stay in Tianjin. Thanks to everyone at the Club for their incomparable hospitality. ↑ Sea Risotto Chef Voon cooks the risotto with oyster water and serves it with a fried red prawn head, pan-fried crab leg, and an emulsion of seashells, lemon zest and seaweed 海鲜烩饭：潘主厨用牡蛎水烩饭，搭配香炸红虾头，煎蟹脚，贝壳精华和海藻 → Lobster Custard One element in a six-part survey of lobster flavor called Maine Lobster which also includes Lobster Carpaccio, Lobster in Olive Oil, Lobster with Gold Caviar, Lobster Ravioli, and Lobster Consommé 龙虾蒸蛋：温主厨的缅因龙虾六食其中一道。其馀五道分别有龙虾生牛肉片，龙虾伴橄榄油，龙虾佐黄金鱼子酱，龙虾意大利饺和清炖龙虾汤。

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93 香料点缀，还有带有西班牙油条口感的煎巴马干酪扭结，以及富有禅意的单煎里昂黑橄榄。然后，他带着一盘金箔纸包的金莎巧克力现身，说：「我刚在杂货店买了这些巧克力，就只是简单的巧克力而已。」他神秘的笑容让人起疑，但金箔纸里面真的包着一颗圆形的巧克力，看起来就像外层覆满榛果的金莎巧克力一样。温主厨漫不经心地站着，等我们的舌头揭开这个把戏，他才要出声解答。原来是猪皮包鹅肝！另一道美味的炖挪威三文鱼，吃起来软嫩多汁、香气四溢，搭配朝鲜蓟泥与煎朝鲜蓟。乍看之下这道菜是在传统中发挥新意，用单一食材做出不同的形式与口感变化。但别被传统误导了，等饕客不疑有他，一口咬下盘子左右放的去皮白葡萄，会发现原来这是温主厨著名的泡泡葡萄，剥了皮后浸渍在充满气泡的香槟酒中。常有人说，做菜的厨师如果不高兴，从他煮的菜里可以吃出来；从温主厨的泡泡葡萄里，则可以吃出他洋溢的热情。如果饕客意犹未尽，温主厨有时会在最后追加一道点心，称为「祥龙献瑞」。他把新鲜草莓浸入液态氮中，然后直接丢进客人的嘴里。草莓变得很酥脆，还有让人难忘的视觉效果。客人纷纷嚼着嘴里的草莓，然后环顾四周的人从鼻孔里喷出白烟。温主厨淘气地笑起来，仿佛代表整个高银团队在说：「你没想到会在天津看到这个吧？」

TK 团队在天津期间，承天津环亚国际马球会大酒店招待豪华客房与美味餐点。感谢天津环亚国际马球会大酒店全体同仁的盛情款待。 ↑ The Black Olive One of Chef Voon's delightful "Snacks": an elegantly simple fried Lyon black olive with lime and mayonnaise 温主厨其中一道赏心悦目的「小食」：里昂黑橄榄佐以青柠和美乃滋酱 ← Lobster with Gold Caviar A base of lobster tartar topped with lobster jus made into caviar 龙虾佐黄金鱼子酱：龙虾他他淋上加入龙虾汁的鱼子酱

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presented by wenjun

优雅的调和

an elegant blend At the Wenjun Distillery in Qionglai, Sichuan, China, TK learned how Wen jun’s Master Blender Madame Wu Xiaoping relies on experience, discipline and an artist’s instinct to make her potent and famously fragrant baijiu. § TK来到四川

成都邛崃市，进入文君酒厂向调酒大师吴晓萍女士讨教，了解她如何凭借经验、纪律和艺术天赋，酿出醇厚浓

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

烈、馥郁驰名的白酒。

What sort of path did you follow to arrive at your current position? What are the key qualities that contribute to a master blender’s success? I knew from a young age that I wanted to do something difficult, something that not everyone could do. I knew that it would either be in a technical or an artistic field. I’ve been making baijiu for thirty-eight years now. Making a beautiful spirit obviously has a technical element, but even more important are the experience and intuition of the blender. For a long time my focus was on refining the elements of production, but after so many years the technical aspects of my work have become second nature, and the artistic element has come to the forefront. To create a beautiful spirit you need inspiration and you need to nurture your higher emotions. I’ve never been an actress, a singer, or a dancer, but producing a bottle of Wenjun or Tian Xian gives me the chance to be an artist and to share beautiful experiences and memories. Wenjun is famous for its complex and layered fragrance. What are the key aromas that give Wenjun its identity?

Master Blender Madame Wu 调酒大师吴晓萍女士

是什么样的经历让您有今天的成就？作为调酒大师，成功的关键因素为何？我年轻时就知道自己想做困难的事，做不是每个人能胜任的事，心想那应该是在技术或是艺术领域。如今我做白酒已有三十八年，要调配好酒，当然需要技术层面的支持，但更重要的是调酒师的经验与直觉。一直以来，我都专注在让酒于各方面更完美精致，但过了这么多年，调酒技术已成为我的第二天性，艺术层面的地位就变得更重要。要调配好酒需要灵感，必须培养更崇高的情感。我从没做过演员、歌

手或舞者，但调配文君或天弦让我有机会当艺术家，分享美好的经验和回忆。

文君酒蕴含众香、层次繁富而远近驰名，其中最重要的独特香气是什么？蒸馏酒中百分之九十八是酒精和水，另外百分之二则包含数百种微量元素，造就了文君独特的香气。我们可以辨认出大约五百种香味，包括粮香、曲香、果香、花香、草本香、甜香等等，但其实每瓶酒中都有超过一千种不同的香气成分。传统讲求浓郁香气，而文君特别之处是蕴含过去没有的优雅花果香。 icons of the empire

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Four Joys in Spring. Many brands of baijiu don’t pair well with sweet dishes – they tend to make them taste bitter – but with desserts like White Jade Golden Pumpkin and Four Joys in Spring, a Wenjun pairing draws out the sweetness of the pumpkin while also accentuating the sweet and elegant notes in the spirit itself. 四喜争春（财喜，家喜，人喜，事喜）许多牌子的白酒会让甜点尝起来有苦味，因此不适合搭配甜点，但文君酒可以搭配白玉金瓜四喜争春这道甜点，不仅引出南瓜的甜味，也凸显了酒本身的甜润幽雅。

Do your blends vary over time in response to consumer tastes and according to your own evolving preferences? Wenjun is constantly evolving and its quality has improved dramatically over the past decade. The commitment to

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您调酒时，是否会配合消费者口味以及您自身喜好而变化？文君一直在演变，过去十年来品质更显著改善。要改善品质，首先要变化的就是制造过程。现在发酵时间从六十天延长到九十天，品评也更严格了。我们蒸馏出来的酒中，只保留其中百分之二十来调配文君。调配文君最关键的步骤为何？所有的文君酒都放在宜兴瓷缸里陈年，文君储放三年，更顶级的天弦储放五年。不过过程中最关键的一步就是调配，酒陈年后，会在原本的头酒中加入不同香味与味道的调味酒。文君用的调味酒有些陈放高达四十年，天弦的调味酒则达五十年。我们会调配多达两三百种不同的调味酒，创造出完美的酒体，不过这些酒都很浓烈，所以需要的量都很少，在最后调配出的酒

液中，调味酒只占万分之一。调配时会参考配方，但我也会凭着自己的经验和直觉，判断每瓶酒要调入何种香气，比例又该如何。

您怎么安排每天的工作？我每天工作很规律，早睡早起、定时吃三餐。重点是努力工作、永不放弃，任何工作想做好，每一步都要聚精会神，这样才能获得肯定，也才能留住客人。您每天要品尝多少文君酒？我会品尝一百种不同的酒，每天大约会喝 150 毫升的文君酒。品尝的时候，每年大概有一两次会发现非常特别的酒，我会把酒留下来，限量推出。我不擦口红、腮红、指甲油或香水，白酒是我唯一的化妆品，这些年来它一直让我的脸颊自然明亮、白里透红。

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

Ninety-eight percent of the distilled liquid is made up of alcohol and water. The other two percent is made up of hundreds of microelements that give Wenjun its fragrance and aroma. We can identify around five hundred aromas – grains, yeast, fruits, flowers, herbs, caramel and so on – but in fact there are over a thousand different fragrance elements in each bottle. A rich fragrance is considered traditional, but Wenjun is unique in that one can also find elegant new layers of fruity and floral notes.

presented by wenjun

The Dragon Fish Awakens the Spring. Pairing Wenjun with this spicy Sichuan dish balances the fiery flavors and emphasizes the freshness of the ingredients. 龙鱼闹春. 文君酒搭配辛辣的四川菜，能中和火辣口感，提引食材的新鲜。

presented by wenjun

quality starts with the production process. We extended the fermentation period from sixty days to ninety and have become even more discerning. Of all the spirits we distill, only a fifth are kept to create Wenjun. When does the key moment come in creating a blend of Wenjun? All Wenjun spirits are aged in Yi Xin ceramic vats. Wenjun is aged for three years, while our ultra premium Tian Xian is aged for five years. But the crucial step in the process is the blending, when older, more fragrant and flavorful Essential Spirits are blended with the Original Spirits. For Wenjun, some of these Essential Spirits are as old as forty years, and for Tian Xian as old as fifty years. We will blend as many as two or three hundred different Essential Spirits to create the perfect blend. However, since they are so powerful, only small amounts are needed. The Essential Spirits used for flavoring typically make up only one tenthousandth of the final blend. We consult a recipe during the blending process, but I also rely on my experience and intuition in deciding which fragrance elements to introduce to each blend and in what proportion.

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

What’s your daily routine like? I keep a regular schedule. I go to bed early and get up early and eat meals at regular times. The key is to work hard and never give up. Concentrate on every step of the process. Only then can you win recognition and the loyalty of your customers. How much Wenjun do you drink every day? I taste one hundred different spirits and in total drink around 150 milliliters of Wenjun every day. Sometimes during my tastings, maybe once every year or two, I will discover a spirit that is so special that I set it aside to become a limited edition release. I don’t use lipstick, blush, nail polish, or perfume. The baijiu is my only makeup and over all these years it has kept my cheeks naturally bright and rosy.

Colors of Spring Spirit. Wenjun draws out the flowery notes in this dish and they blend effortlessly with the floral character of the spirit. 翠色嫣红. 文君酒能引出菜肴的花香，与自身酒体的花香结合，让酒菜香气自然融为一体。 ← Three Treasures Welcome the Spring. Wenjun helps to articulate the pure water freshness of this dish and the pairing highlights the spirit’s crisp liveliness. 三宝迎春. 文君引出菜肴的纯净如水，也带出酒的爽口活泼。

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THE CHINESE HAVE BEEN MAKING BAIJIU for more than

中国酿造白酒已有五千年的历史，

five thousand years. Wenjun has been popular for two

自从卓文君用自家井里打上来的井

millennia, ever since Zhuo Wenjun made the first sweet

水，酿出第一批甜美芳醇的酒以来，

and mellow batch with water from her well. Today’s spirit makers draw on their craft’s ancient traditions as well as modern techniques developed during more recent times. They work with a sophistication belied by

以她为名的文君酒便流传开来，至今已有两千年。现代的酿酒厂则运用古法酿造工艺，结合近期发展出的现代技术，在朴实的工作环境中，以精密复杂的程序酿酒；他们明白

their surroundings, and with the knowledge that the

如此制出的精酿，会随时光显露真

years will reveal the quality of their work.

正的价值。

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愈陈愈香

Ref i n e d by T i m e At the Wenjun Distillery in Qionglai, China, humble elements such as rice, wheat, and corn are transformed by toil, talent and time into one of the world’s most distinctive premium spirits. Photo essay by David Hartung.

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The creation of Wenjun starts with five Sichuan grains: sorghum, rice, wheat, corn and glutinous rice. Placed in covered pits, the grains are left to quietly ferment, aided by starter cakes that are handmade with grain, mold and bacteria following a method dating back four centuries to the Ming dynasty. After ninety days, some fermented grains are moved into stainless steel distillers. A portion ferments for another ninety days, to be distilled later into a smoother, richer baijiu. These Essential Spirits are used years or decades later during the blending process. 文君酒庄至今仍沿用「寇氏烧坊」的蒸馏入窖法和「曾氏曲房」的全手工制曲法等古法原酿。酿造文君酒，首先采用四川的高粱、大米、小麦、玉米和糯米等五谷，置入窖池，让谷类在窖池中静静发酵。九十天后，将酒醅移置不锈钢蒸馏器中蒸馏。部分酒醅会继续再发酵九十天，以蒸馏出更顺口醇厚的白酒。这些调味酒将在数年或数十年后用来调配新酒。

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The remaining ingredients are removed from the distillers, cooled and mixed together with a fresh batch of grains and distiller’s yeast before returning to start the fermentation cycle anew. Only twenty percent of the finest grade distilled spirits are selected to become Wenjun. 未蒸馏的原料从蒸馏器取出冷却后，和一批新的五谷及酒麴混合，再重新发酵。蒸馏出的酒中，只有最顶级的20%会留下调配为文君酒。

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movers & shakers

宫廷飨宴

welcome to the feast West Lake Restaurant in Changsha, China has over 5,000 seats and is the world’s largest Chinese restaurant. Mark Hammons spoke with founder Qin Lingzhi about making it happen with borrowed money, talent and confidence. Photography by David Hartung.

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“Half of our visitors are from Hunan and half come from across China. Two hundred thousand visitors came last year with tour groups. During our busiest period during a convention we once had seven thousand guests a day for both lunch and dinner. We’ve hosted as many as eleven weddings on one day. Everyone enjoys the festive environment and the stage performances. I’m a happy person and so I create a good mood.” 「我们的客人一半是湖南人，一半来自中国各地。去年团体客就有二十万人，最忙的时候是在会议期间，有一天午餐和晚餐共接待了七千位客人，另外有一次还在一天内做了十一场婚宴。每个人都喜欢这儿富丽堂皇的环境和和舞台表演。我是个快乐的人，所以我乐衷于制造快乐。」

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in Changsha because there weren’t any good Liuyang restaurants there. And so after two years I opened my second restaurant, which had 150 tables and 1,500 seats. Where did the idea for a five thousand seat, 88,000-square-foot palace come from? My dream was always to build an imperial palace-style restaurant. Most people don’t have the chance to go to Beijing very often, but everyone wants to feel like an emperor. Now they have an imperial palace right here in Changsha. They can come and eat, experience a beautiful environment, and get treated like royalty, all at the same time. Diners want something new every day and they can get that here. We have more than 2,000 different dishes that can be made to order, covering all of China’s eight major regional cuisines. How did you do it? Restaurants are a tough business, with notoriously thin profit margins. What gave you the courage to start? I was thirty-nine years old and working at a hospital in Liuyang at the time. My friends all said that I was the best cook in the area and they encouraged me to open a restaurant. Thirty-three friends each loaned me RMB10,000. I returned their investment within the first year and made RMB600,000 profit. At first I didn’t understand anything about the restaurant business. Service, staff management, accounting – it was all new to me. I created some specialty dishes that you couldn’t find anywhere else and business just took off. Can you tell us the story of your expansion? Did you always imagine an operation this big, or did it surprise you by growing and growing and growing? In our first restaurant in Liuyang we had 40 tables and 400 seats. Every day we had people traveling over from Changsha to try the food. Everything was nutritious, quick and healthy. They told me I would be a hit

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“We have 174 chefs in seven kitchens who prepare meals for 108 different dining rooms. Each week we use 1,200 kilograms of lamb, 1,400 kilograms of pork, 1,400 chickens, 6,000 eggs, 1,500 kilograms of vegetables, 1,000 kilograms of peppers, 200 snakes, and three tons of fish. We source all of our wild ducks from Dong Ting Lake in Hunan, around 200 a day.”

How do you motivate your chefs? I make sure that our chefs get out of the kitchen. I like to take them out to the countryside to learn and explore. We search for the best local dishes from across the region and then we adapt them, giving them a new twist. Family-style dishes have lasting potential

movers & shakers

我一直梦想建一家宫殿式的餐厅。大多数人都没有机会常去北京，但每个人都想尝尝当皇帝的滋味，现在长沙就有了一座宫殿。客人能来这儿用餐、欣赏优美的环境，像个皇帝般被伺候，全都一起搞定。客人每天都想要新花样，我们就给他新花样。餐厅有两千道菜让客人点，涵盖中国八大地方菜系。

您怎么激励餐厅的厨师？我会让厨师走出厨房，还喜欢带他们到乡下学习探索，搜寻长沙这儿最好的当地菜肴，然后做点变化，加入我们的菜单。家常菜的魅力会一直流传下去，大家是吃家常菜长大的，也会因为家常菜一再回来光顾。每个厨师至少都专精一项特色菜，我们会找出他们擅长什么，让他们不断改良，直到能端出优秀的成品。

Clockwise from left: Dried Asparagus with Sauce; Stir-fried Eggplant and Green Beans; Family-style Tofu 酱汁脆筍, 长豆角炒茄子, 家常豆腐

您怎么做到的？大家都知道餐厅经营不易，利润特别微薄，您开店的勇气从何而来？那时我三十九岁，在浏阳市一家医院工作，朋友都说我是浏阳最好的厨子，鼓励我开餐厅。我三十三个朋友每人借我一万元（人民币，下同），第一年我就把他们的钱都还清了，还赚了六十万。

「我们有7间厨房、174位厨师，替 108间包厢准备餐点。每星期我们要用掉1,200公斤羊肉、1,400公斤猪肉、1,400只鸡，6,000个蛋、1,500 公斤蔬菜、1,000公斤辣椒、200条蛇，还有三吨的鱼。我们的野鸭都是从洞庭湖来的，一天要用200只。」

您怎么处理销售不好的菜色？有一天我发现，我们的豆腐一天只卖出大概十盘，说实话，这是因为那时的豆腐不好吃。所以我让团队来到浏阳，浏阳做豆腐是出名的。我们和当地最好的师傅学习，发现做豆腐的关键在水。现在我们做豆腐的水都从浏阳外的山里运来，也在西湖开了自家的豆腐坊。现在家常豆腐是我们最热门的菜色，每天都卖几百道。

什么原因让您的生意发展这么快？一开始我对餐饮业一窍不通，服务、员工管理、会计，我都没碰过。我发明了几道创意菜，别的地方找不到，生意就火红起来了。能告诉我们您生意怎么扩展的吗？您是原本就想经营这么大规模的事业，还是您看到它不断发展也很意外？我们第一家餐厅在浏阳，有 40 张桌子、 400 个席位，每天都有客人从长沙来捧场。我们道道菜都很营养健康，上菜速度也快。他们说我会在长沙一炮而红，因为那儿没有什么好的浏阳餐厅。所以两年后，我第二家餐厅开张了，有 150 张桌子，1,500 个席位。您怎么会想到要盖这样一座有 5,000 个席位、占地 88,000 平方英尺的宫殿？

Shrimp Balls with Plum Sauce 梅果虾球

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– that’s what people grow up with and what they will come back to again and again. Each chef has at least one specialty dish. We find out what they excel at and then let them refine that dish until it is outstanding. How do you handle dishes that just flop? At one point I realized that we were only selling around ten tofu dishes a day. To be honest it was because our tofu wasn’t very tasty. And so I took our team to Liuyang, which is famous for its tofu. We studied with the best chefs there and we discovered that the quality of the water is key. We now bring all of our water for making tofu in from the hillside outside Liuyang, and we have created our own tofu factory at West Lake. Our family-style tofu is now one of our most popular dishes and we sell hundreds of them every day. If you could order your favorite meal at West Lake, what would it be? My three favorite dishes are also our most

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popular. I would order green bean sheet with lamb. It’s made with black lamb from Liuyang and handmade bean sheets. It’s very nutritious and has mild tonifying qualities. Then I would order our dried asparagus, which is crispy and delicious and you can eat it with beer or all by itself. Finally I would order a plate of our family-style tofu. It’s not expensive, only RMB20, and it’s very nutritious – everyone young and old loves it. Do you have a special training program for new employees and new chefs? It was a real challenge learning how to manage so many people, and I predicted at the beginning that it would take a decade for us to establish the right systems and become efficient. At one point we had more than eight hundred staff but as labor costs have gone up we’ve learned to get by with fewer, and now one person does the work of two. We train all of our staff for three months before they start, but there’s always turnover and so the training process is never-ending.

Does running a business of this size in Changsha involve political work? When you’re one of the largest employers in the area you can’t avoid politics. But you can’t succeed in the restaurant business by relying on relationships – the foundation of success is in the quality of the food.… A team of farmer-artists spent six months to hand-paint all of the artwork on the ceilings and we have a half dozen different performances on stage every day at lunch and dinner. But in the end it always comes back to the food. When guests come here they can get quality food at a reasonable price and that’s why they like West Lake. What’s next? We will open a new restaurant in Liu yang later this year. It won’t be on this scale. It will be in a residential neighborhood. I also have my eyes on Macau. It’s easy to open a restaurant but it’s hard to open a good one.

movers & shakers

如果您在西湖楼吃饭，最喜欢点哪几道菜？我最爱吃的三道菜也是我们最受欢迎的三道，我会点粉皮羊肉，这道菜用的是浏阳黑山羊和手工制作的粉皮，非常有营养，对肾脏有温补功效。再来我会点酱汁脆笋，吃起来香脆可口，可以配啤酒也可以单吃。最后我会点一道家常豆腐，这道不贵，一盘只要二十元，又非常有营养，老少咸宜。您对新进员工和厨师有特别的培训计划吗？

学着管理这么多人真的很困难，一开始我估计，建立好的系统、运作流畅大概要花十年时间。一度我们有八百位员工，但随着劳动力成本水涨船高，我们学会用比较少的员工应付工作，现在一个人可以做两个人事。所有员工上工前都会培训三个月，但员工总会流动，所以培训会一直持续。

在长沙经营这种规模的事业，是否会涉及政治工作？如果你在长沙雇用这么多员工，很难不牵涉到政治。不过光靠关系没办法经营

餐饮业，餐饮的品质是成功之本。我们请了几位农民艺术家花了半年时间，手绘餐厅天花板所有艺术创作，每天午晚餐舞台上还有六种不同的表演，但归结到最后还是回到食物。客人来这儿能以合理的价位吃到美味的料理，所以他们喜欢西湖楼。

下一步有什么计画？今年稍晚我们会在浏阳开家新餐厅，规模不会这么大，比较像是邻家餐馆。我在澳门也有计画。开餐厅不难，难在要经营得好。

kitchen conversation

荟萃川粤

southern blend Michael Liang is Chinese Executive Chef at the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu. He found his way in the kitchen after overcoming early doubts and a detour through a hair dye factory. He spoke with TK about his training and about how, at the hotel’s Li Xuan Restaurant, he decides when to honor tradition and when to meld the Guangdong and Sichuan approaches he has mastered. § 梁桂鸿师傅当上成都富

力丽思卡尔顿酒店的中餐行政主厨前，曾经历年少彷徨，到染发剂工厂转了一个大弯，幸而最终发现自己的天赋领域是在厨房。梁师傅与TK分享自己的习技经过，细述在他掌勺的丽轩中餐厅，怎么决定何时该遵循传统，何时调和他精通的粤菜与川菜风格。

What was the turning point? How did you achieve your breakthrough? I’m good at learning new techniques and approaches. I constantly absorbed new ideas, both in kitchens across China where I worked and also online. At one point I worked under a chef from Hong Kong who had been trained at Lei Garden. Mainland chefs tend

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是什么引发您最初对烹饪的热爱？在家里烹饪向来很重要，我父亲和爷爷都爱下厨，我有个叔叔在澳洲当大厨，所以我第一份工作很自然是在厨房里。我在厨房工作了两年，心里开始彷徨，看着其他师傅做出了不起的菜，自己却学不来，不禁觉得很挫折。所以我辞了工作，在染发剂工厂做了三个月，把头发弄成夸张的发型，染成古怪的颜色，但感觉怎么都不对。后来我明白，如果能尽心尽力去做，自己肯定能做得和其他师傅一样好。于是我回到厨房，开始学习。这事已经是十年前了。当时的转折点是什么？您怎么突破自己？我很善于学习新的技巧和方法，在中国各地餐厅工作或在网路上，我也会不断吸收新的知识。有一段时间，我跟一个香港来的师傅工作，他是在利苑受的训练。中国内地的厨子多半按自己的步调工作，但香港师傅非常讲求效率，到了毫不留情的地步。那位香港师傅会把人骂得狗血淋头，但也教我怎样掌管厨房；之前我总是低头做自己的事，但他教我要抬起头，注意整个过程，事先预想接下来几个步骤。后来我自己也在广州利苑任职，这两份经验给我的厨艺打下重要基础。

DAVID HARTUNG

What triggered your initial fascination with cooking? Cooking has always been important to my family. My father and my grandfather loved to cook and I had an uncle who was a successful chef in Australia, so my first job was naturally in a kitchen. I worked for two years but then started to have doubts. I saw other chefs making these amazing dishes that I couldn’t duplicate and I got frustrated. I quit my job and for three months I worked in a factory that made hair dye. I styled my hair into some crazy shapes and with some crazy colors, but it never felt right. I decided that if I put my mind to it I could cook as well as anyone, and so I went back into the kitchen to learn how. That was ten years ago.

Chinese Executive Chef Michael Liang 中餐行政主厨梁桂鸿

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Hot and Spicy American Lobster Casserole 麻辣波士顿龙虾香锅

kitchen conversations

to work at their own pace, but Hong Kong chefs are ruthlessly efficient. That chef could curse like there was no tomorrow, but he also taught me how to manage a kitchen. Before then I always had my head down and was focused on my own task, but he taught me to look up and to see the whole process, to think several steps ahead. Later I worked at Lei Garden in Guangzhou myself and those two experiences helped lay an important culinary foundation. Do you draw on your knowledge of various cuisines to create hybrid dishes? Or is it more important to carefully honor the different time-tested traditions of each cuisine? For the classic Sichuan dishes that everyone knows, you need to prepare them in the classic way or you might start a riot. But I also create hybrid dishes and give them new names so that customers know they will be getting something different. I’ll do things like take a traditional Cantonese seafood noodle soup and add a layer of Sichuan pepper oil on top to give it more of a kick. Guests seem to really enjoy it.

烈焰竹炭和牛肋

你做菜时会运用对不同菜系的了解，融合各家所长，还是更注重个别菜系历史悠久的传统？如果是家喻户晓的四川名菜，就必须做得道地，不然问题就大了。不过我也会做创新的融合菜肴，取个新名字，让客人知道待会上的是不一样的东西，譬如我会在传统的粤式海鲜汤面上头淋一层四川花椒油，让风味更有劲道，客人好像都很喜欢。丽思卡尔顿酒店的客人口味广泛，这如何影响丽轩的菜色？像「口水鸡」这道四川菜，传统上是把整只鸡切块上桌，但外国客人和女客人

通常不喜欢挑这么多骨头。我做的口水鸡会先去骨，然后用锡箔纸包成卷、定型，再拿去蒸。通常这道菜会搭配鲍鱼，不过我换成干贝，因为我觉得干贝更适合搭配辣油。

对当地吃过各式各样四川菜的客人，您如何让他们耳目一新？麻辣砂锅在四川一直很受欢迎。传统上用鸡和河鱼做这道菜，但随着生活水准提高，食材品质也提升了，很多餐厅现在会在砂锅里用上干贝、鱿鱼和明虾。但为了做年菜我们决定更进一步，选用了波士顿龙虾菜里的龙虾、香料，所有材料都是吉利喜气的红色。为了让龙虾口感和外观

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

Guests with widely varying tastes come to an international hotel like the RitzCarlton. How does this shape the menu offerings at Li Xuan? Sichuan dishes like “mouth-watering chicken” are traditionally served with the different parts of the bird intact, but foreign and female guests typically don’t like to deal with so many bones. In my version I remove the bones and create neatly formed chicken rolls, which I wrap in aluminum foil to hold

Marinated Beef Short Ribs in Burning Bamboo Charcoal

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Sichuan-Style Spiced Chicken with Scallops

Li Xuan at The Ritz Carlton Chengdu

口水玉带鸡

成都丽思卡尔顿酒店丽轩餐厅

How do you give local guests who have tasted the entire Sichuan repertoire something new? Casseroles made with the spicy and numbing ma-la sauce have always been popular in Sichuan. They were traditionally made with ingredients like chicken and river fish, but as the standard of living has evolved so has the quality of ingredients used. Lots of restaurants now use scallops and squid and prawns in the casserole, but for the Chinese New Year we decided to take it one step further and use Boston Lobster – the

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lobster, the spices, all the ingredients are an auspicious red. To make the lobster taste as good as it looks, I incorporate some Cantonese stir-frying techniques. In Cantonese cooking we pay a lot of attention to the temperature of the oil, and by using hotter oil I can ensure that the lobster meat stays moist and juicy. What’s your most popular dish? It would have to be my marinated beef short ribs. The ribs are stuffed inside a cylinder of bamboo charcoal, corked on one end with a plug of sea salt. I light the dish on fire right at the table. In Chinese culture, fire symbolizes prosperity, and when guests see their dish burning right in front of them they know they are going to have a lucky year.

一样诱人，我运用粤菜的煸炒技巧。做广东菜我们特别注意油温，用高温油来炒能让龙虾保持湿润多汁。

最受客人欢迎的一道菜是什么？我想是烈焰竹炭和牛肋。我把牛肋塞入竹炭筒，一端用海盐塞子塞住，上桌时在菜底下点火。中国文化里火代表旺，客人看到面前的菜点起来，也就预示自己这一年会顺顺利利。

The Ritz-Carlton provided the TK team with magnificent rooms and delicious food during their stay in Chengdu. Thanks to the entire RitzCarlton team for their incomparable hospitality. TK 团队在成都期间，承富力丽思卡尔顿酒店招待豪华客房与美味餐点。感谢富力丽思卡尔顿酒店全体同仁的盛情款待。

DAVID HARTUNG (3)

them together during steaming. The dish would usually be served with abalone, but I’ve substituted scallops as I think they pair even better with the spicy sauce.

Marinated Chinese Stem Lettuce with Sichuan Peppercorn 花椒排叉窝笋

登峰造极粤味鲜

better and better To achieve true happiness and excellence, Ying Restaurant Chef de Cuisine Loi Ka Cheong follows one simple but challenging rule: never stop getting better. It’s working.

Chef de Cuisine Loi Ka Cheong

Stir-fried Fillet of Garoupa with Crispy Rice, Cucumber and Crab Roe

总厨吕家祥

蟹皇脆米龙须鱼

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Stir-fried Wagyu Beef with Eggplant and Crispy Rice

DAVID HARTUNG (3)

脆米茄子和牛丁

ALTIRA MACAU’S YING RESTAURANT Chef de Cuisine Loi Ka Cheong is a man who loves what he does. He moves around his kitchen with a broad smile and the energy and enthusiasm of a chef who has been in this tough and demanding game for three years rather than thirty. The secret to his happiness and success seems to be that he never allows himself to be wholly satisfied. “My motto is that nothing is the best,” he says. “There is always better. There’s better than yesterday and better than the day before. I try and better myself every day.” Chef Loi’s determination to keep learning leads to ambitious, always evolving, tremendously satisfying results on the plate. With foundations in Cantonese cuisine, the dishes on the Ying menu incorporate top quality international ingredients and the innovative touches that result from Loi’s restless improvements. One of his habits is to travel regularly into China to learn more about regional cooking styles and the tastes of the great variety

of Chinese visitors who come to Macau. “I enjoy exchanges with fellow chefs about what they do,” he says. “I like watching other chefs cook so I can absorb and learn from them.” Last year he spent time in various Chinese provinces and this April he will go to Shanghai with the specific aim of learning more about the preparation of hairy crab. In October, he’s planning to add a special new crab dish to the Ying menu. Loi says he most enjoys cooking with seafood and this passion is vividly apparent in his stir-fried fillet of garoupa with crispy rice, cucumber and crab roe. The fish must be carefully cut into very fine strips, and the stir-frying has to be precise. It’s tricky, but Chef Loi says he loves a challenging dish. He pulls this one off with aplomb, drawing out the sea-nurtured flavors of the fish and roe and combining textures to memorable effect. One of the most popular offerings at Ying is Loi’s stir-fried prawn served on crispy rice. He describes the artful dish as Shanghai

澳门新濠锋帝影楼总厨吕家祥对工作乐在其中。只见他在厨房里四处走动，脸上挂着灿烂的笑容、充满着活力与热情，如同他投身辛苦繁重的厨艺殿堂只有三年，而不是三十年。他快乐成功的秘诀，似乎就是从不志得意满。他说：「我的座右铭是 : 没有最好，只有更好；我们永远都可以做得比昨天、前天更好。我就这样每天驱策自己不断进步。」正由于吕总厨决心不断学习，使他充满抱负、持续进步，烹制的菜肴才能让人吃得心满意足。帝影楼搜罗各国上乘食材，以粤菜为主，再由精益求精的吕总厨施展创意，巧手烹制。吕总厨习惯定期到中国游历，深入认识当地菜系，了解中国各地来访澳门的顾客的多种口味。他说：「我喜欢和厨师切磋交流，了解他们怎么做。我喜欢看别人做菜，让我从中吸收学习。」去年他造访中国诸多省份，今年四月则将远赴上海，钻研大闸蟹的烹制方式。十月时，他计画为帝影楼的菜色新添一道独特的蟹类料理。吕总厨说自己最喜欢烹调海鲜，这种对海鲜的热情在「蟹黄脆米龙须鱼」这 ICONS OF THE EMPIRE | TK |

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“There is always better. There’s better than yesterday and better than the day before. I try and better myself every day. 没有最好，只有更好；我们永远都可以做得比昨天、前天更好。我就这样每天驱策自己不断进步。” Ying is plush and comfortable, with ornate Chinese décor and famous panoramic views of the Macau skyline and the South China Sea.

meets Peking, and it showcases his talent for drawing inspiration from China’s regional culinary traditions. “The sauce is Peking style – spicy, sweet and sour – and the crispy rice brings more texture to the dish. This is very rare in Canton cuisine and it makes dishes more interesting,” he says. Loi also uses the crispy rice to add crunch to another Ying classic: stir-fried Wagyu beef with eggplant. Contrasting with the rice, the cubes of meat are melt-in-your-mouth tender. The eggplant tastes just slightly smoky, exactly how cooked eggplant should, but rarely does, taste. “I pan-fry it over slow heat, without oil unlike most places,” says Loi. “This brings out the real taste of the eggplant.” A secretrecipe BBQ sauce contributes a tangy edge to the delicious ensemble. Great chefs need great ambition, great curiosity and great energy – the energy to never stop learning and growing. Chef Loi has the energy. He never allows himself to be totally satisfied with his work, yet knows exactly how to deliver complete satisfaction to his guests. “I cook from the heart and get so much satisfaction out of the challenge of cooking for the many different tastes of the people who come to Macau. I really enjoy what I do here.”

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道菜中表露无遗。这道菜的龙须鱼得切成极细的细丝，干烧程度必须恰到好处，处理起来很棘手，但吕总厨说他喜欢有挑战性的菜式。他沉着地完成这道菜，提引出龙须鱼与蟹黄的天然海洋鲜味，并集多种口感于一锅，让人一试便回味无穷。吕总厨的「干烧大明虾配上海锅巴」更是帝影楼的明星菜式。据他形容，这道特色料理是「上海遇上北京」的心血结晶，充分展露总厨从中国传统地方菜系汲取灵感的天赋。他表示：「辣、甜、酸的汤汁是京式的，锅巴又为这道菜添上口感，这在粤式料理中非常罕见，让菜肴更新鲜有趣。」吕总厨在帝影楼另一道经典菜式「脆米茄子和牛丁」中也用上锅巴，相较于锅巴的脆，和牛丁则是口感软嫩，一尝即化。茄子吃来只微带烟熏味，这正是茄子煮后该有的风味，但很多地方都吃不到。吕总厨说：「我用小火干煎茄子，不加油，这点和很多餐厅不同。其实这样才能带出茄子真正的风味。」最后加上秘制烧烤酱汁，以浓烈的风味让整道佳肴更形完满。要成为了不起的厨师，必须有远大的抱负、丰富的好奇心，以及充沛的活力，也就是不停学习成长的活力。吕总厨就拥有这种活力。他从不自满，知道该怎么施展身手，满足顾客。「我用心做菜，虽然来澳旅客有各种不同口味，这是一项挑战，但过程带给我很大的满足。我真的很享受这里的工作。」

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

帝影楼餐厅奢华舒适，中式装潢精致考究，还能饱览澳门著名城市天际线，并远眺南海风光。

Stir-fried Prawns Served with Crispy Rice 干烧大明虾球配上海锅巴

tasting notes

自由翱翔

flying free Chengdu is the best place in the world to eat fiery Sichuan food. The dishes at Jingli, one of the city’s top private kitchens, offer a multi-course spice education. By Mark Hammons. Photography by David Hartung.

HANGING ON A WALL at Jingli Private Kitchen in Chengdu is a painting of two birds in a cage. The birds have beautiful red and yellow and green feathers, sharp beaks and alert eyes ringed by patches of black. But what makes the artwork most original is that the cage is real – a half cylinder of latticed copper wire rises from the surface of the painting, imprisoning the birds. Jingli co-founder Laura Liu bought the painting in a local market. She keeps it as a daily reminder of why she is here. The restaurant was her escape. “I grew up on a farm outside a town called Lezhi, which means ‘happiness arrives’,” says Liu. “But I worried that for me it never would. I had to do farm work early every morning, and sometimes I had extra chores that made me late to school. I studied hard so that one day I could fly away from there, like the birds I saw above in the sky.” Liu was a top student and went on to study tourism as an undergraduate in Xinan and then as a master’s student in Chengdu. After working as a teacher in Sanya, Hainan, she decided she needed a fresh challenge. She returned to Chengdu to work for a wine importer. It was there that the idea for Jingli was hatched. “We wanted to have a restaurant where we could promote our wines

小景私房菜馆墙上有幅画，画里有两只笼中鸟，鸟儿有红、黄、绿的鲜艳羽色，鸟喙锐利，眼神机灵，眼眶四周还环绕着黑色斑纹。但这幅画最特别的地方，在于关鸟的笼子是真的铜线编成的半圆形格子 , 鸟笼就罩在画上，关住里头的两只鸟。菜馆创办人 Laura Liu 在当地市场买了这幅画，挂在餐厅里，天天提醒着自己为什么经营这家餐厅。正是餐厅，让她飞向了更广阔的天空。 Laura Liu 说：「我从小生长在乐至县外的一座农场，乐至就是快乐降临，但我怀疑属于我的快乐永远不会降临。每天早上我都要做农场活，有时杂务多了，上学就得迟到。我认真学习，希望有天能像天上的鸟一样，远远飞离这里。」她成绩顶尖，在西安的大学读观光，接着到成都念硕士，毕业后先是在海南岛的三亚教书，后来决心寻找新的挑战，于是回到成都，替葡萄酒进口商工作。这份工作让她孕育出开「小景私房菜」的想法，她说：「我们想开家餐厅，能推销我们的葡萄酒，用中国名菜搭配西方特色葡萄酒。」过去几年，游客在成都用餐想尝鲜，常会抱持惴惴不安的心情，走进某一家「苍蝇馆子」，这种餐馆或许没那么清洁卫生，但以供应烤兔头、麻婆脑花、葱油腰花等各式道地四川菜闻名。如今愈发蓬勃的私房菜馆提供了新的选择。 Laura 说：「大约五年前，私房菜馆开

Mixed Mu-er with Red and Green Chilies 巧拌木耳

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tasting notes

Sliced Meat in Hot Chili Oil 水煮肉片

– classic Chinese dishes paired with interesting Western wines.” In years past, visitors seeking an unforgettable dining experience in Chengdu tended to venture nervously into one of the city’s “fly restaurants,” as infamous for their dubious hygiene as they are famous for distinctive local dishes like roast rabbit head, mápó tòfu with pig brain, and pork kidneys with spring onions. Today, a growing crop of private kitchens provides new options. “Around five years ago, private kitchens began to appear in Chengdu,” says Liu. “They’ve become increasingly popular. Now there are nearly two hundred in Chengdu,

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each with its own style and theme.” For Jingli’s chef, Liu hired family friend Zhang Chao – everyone calls him by his nickname: Uncle Number Five. When he joins the conversation, the topic quickly turns from the pursuit of happiness to the specifics of Sichuan spice. When crafting their dishes, Sichuan chefs pay careful attention not only to the degree of heat, but also, and more importantly, to its quality. They have their own vocabulary to describe the various permutations of spicy heat that appear in their cuisine, which they traditionally divide into five categories.

The first and most famous is málà, the numbing heat that comes from Sichuan peppercorns, in Chinese known literally as “flower peppers.” The spice parade continues with su nlà (sour heat), tiánlà (sweet heat), xi nglà (fragrant heat), and x nlà (fresh heat). Chef Zhang refers to one more, húlà (peppery heat), and hints that there may be others still. His description of the meal he has prepared for the evening revolves around the spices chosen for each dish and their character. He prepares mù r – wood-ear, an edible ear-shaped fungus that grows on wood – with a classic Sichuan mix of baby chili peppers

Laura Liu , Jingli Co-founder 小景私房菜馆创办人

始在成都冒出头，接着愈来愈流行。现在成都有近两百家私房菜馆，每家各有自己的风格和主题。」 Laura 请了一位家里认识的朋友张超来当主厨，张超人称五叔，他和大家热络起来，话题很快从追求快乐转到四川香料的具体细节。四川厨师煮菜不仅非常注意油温，更重视香料的不同风味。厨师描述菜色中的香辣风味时有自己的术语，传统上可分为五辣。首先最有名的辣是「麻辣」，这种辣味来自四川的花椒。接着还有酸辣、甜辣、香辣和辛辣。张师傅提到还有一种胡辣，也就是胡椒的辣，他也认为辣还能细分成更多种。张师傅接着介绍自己为晚餐准备

的菜色，提及为各道菜安排的香料与这些香料的特色。有道菜选用木耳，拌上了充满道地四川风味的剁朝天椒与青辣椒碎。中菜常用木耳，辣椒则让菜肴吃来爽口火辣，十分刺激。另一道菜是风车黄瓜，黄瓜和红萝卜铺排精致、五彩缤纷，让人看得目不暇给。这道菜芳香中带点辣，主要是给还不习惯吃辣的舌头稍作休息，准备迎接新的火辣攻击。只见一道装在不起眼的白色小饭碗中的菜，里头盛着辣子乌鸡，用干辣椒和四川花椒煸炒，吃的人舌头发麻，感觉刺激又呛辣，定能让人念念不忘。最后一道是水煮肉片，配上葱、姜和蒜。吃到这道菜时，张师傅对客人吃辣的

勇气与能力已经了然于心，会配合客人调整香料运用，判断该选择比较温和的绿辣椒，还是辣度爆表的四川干辣椒。一眼望去，随处可见 Laura 布置的舒适温馨的用餐环境，气氛轻松惬意，难怪荣列成都的高人气私房餐厅。但她认为餐厅之所以成功，要归功于张师傅的四川菜道地又美味，让人吃得过瘾。闲时张师傅除了和朋友学习，还会研究食谱，经过长时间练习，才磨得一身好手艺。张师傅在厨房忙活一晚，即使走出厨房，还想着四川美食为什么能打动人心：「我太太做饭的手艺没有我好，但辛苦忙了一天，没有什么比在家里吃的那顿饭更美味了。」

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Sweet and Sour Cucumber and Carrot 风车黄瓜

tasting notes

and green chilies. Wood-ear is a common Chinese ingredient; the peppers give it a fresh, fiery kick. The elegant, kaleidoscopically colorful dish of sweet and sour cucumber and carrot that follows is fragrantly spicy, but it’s designed primarily to give amateur tongues a short rest before the next assault, which appears in a small, unassuming white rice bowl. Inside is spicy black chicken that has been stir-fried with dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, delivering a deeply numbing and peppery spice experience that will be profoundly remembered for days. The final dish is sliced meat in hot chili oil, garnished with ginger, onion and garlic. By this stage of the meal, Zhang has a good sense of a diner’s courage and fitness and will customize his spice workout to match, with choices ranging from a mild green pepper to one of the fiercest Sichuan dried red chilies. Laura Liu’s skill at creating a cozy, friends-and-family feeling is immediately apparent, and the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere at Jingli make it one of Chengdu’s most appealing private kitchens. But she attributes her restaurant’s success to Zhang’s deliciously classic Sichuan comfort dishes, learned from friends and by reading books, and mastered through long experience. As he heads out the door after a hardworking evening in the kitchen, Chef Zhang is still thinking about tasty Sichuan comfort food: “My wife can’t cook quite as well as I can, but after a long day nothing tastes better than a meal at home.” Chef Zhang Chao 主厨張超

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Head Chef Au Kwok Keung 主厨欧国强

福运时转飨客来

fortune favors the hungry At The Eight in Macau, Chef Au Kwok Keung lets his creative energy flow freely, and hungry diners reap the rewards. By Inara Sim

Steamed Dumplings with Abalone and Pork 原只鲍鱼烧卖皇

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tasting notes

Braised Lamb Brisket in The-8 Style

DAVID HARTUNG (3)

京式烧羊腩

AT THE EIGHT, the Grand Lisboa’s threeMichelin-starred Chinese restaurant, symbols of wealth, good fortune and good energy are everywhere. Goldfish are projected onto the floor of the entryway and mirrored in aquatic silk murals on the walls. Chandeliers of jade pendants in the shape of figure eights dangle above semi-circular dining booths. And all this good energy flows right into the contemporary Cantonese food served up by Head Chef Au Kwok Keung. “To make a dish go from good to extraordinary, you have to let your creative energy run free,” he says. “You have to think about how you can surprise guests and do something really different.” When creating his dishes, Chef Au concerns himself with five elements: the color, the aroma, the flavor, the presentation, and the dish in which it will be served. Taking all of these elements into account, he does

have a talent for making ordinary Cantonese dishes extraordinary. Sometimes the touches are subtly delightful. The fifty kinds of dim sum on offer at lunch include classic steamed pork dumplings that have been wrapped in spinach-flavored skins and topped with abalone. For a stronger flavor and more texture Chef Au fills his puff pastry tarts with abalone, morel mushroom and diced chicken. Other times, as with The Eight’s signature stir-fried Australian lobster with egg, minced pork and black beans, the effects are bold and dramatic: “The lobster makes it fresh, the egg gives a softness, pork gives it texture, and the black beans … well, we do something special to the black beans, but it’s a trade secret!” says Chef Au. His Braised Lamb Brisket in The-8 Style is a dish that can be served all year round. Lighter than traditional lamb dishes, the

新葡京酒店 8 餐厅的中式料理，获得米其林三星的肯定，餐厅里四处充满象徵着财富、好运与正面能量的摆设。入口的走道投影了许多金鱼，丝绸墙面上也映照着金鱼，串串玉珮编成 8 字型的玉帘吊灯，垂吊在半圆型的用餐雅座上方。这些正面的能量都帮了主厨欧国强一臂之力，让他创作出一道道现代精致粤菜。「菜色要精益求精，就得自由发挥创意，思考怎么让客人惊艳，做出让人耳目一新的料理。」主厨说道。欧主厨构想菜色时，会全盘考虑色、香、味、摆盘和配菜五个元素，继而发挥天赋，让一盘普通的粤菜摇身变得出类拔萃。有时欧主厨的妙手精巧讨喜，例如中午供应的五十款点心，将经典小笼包换上菠菜风味面皮，上头再点缀鲍鱼；酥皮挞则填入鲍鱼、羊肚菌与鸡丁，吃来更是风味浓厚、口感十足。另一方面，8 餐厅的招牌菜广东式炒澳洲龙虾，将龙虾与鸡蛋、猪肉丁及豆鼓 icons of the empire

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Stir-fried Australian Lobster with Egg, Minced Pork and Black Beans 广东式炒澳洲龙虾

brisket is crispy on both sides with tender melt-in-your-mouth meat on the inside. “This is traditionally only cooked crispy on one side,” he says. “This wasn’t good enough for me – I knew I could make it better.” A master of Cantonese cuisine, Chef Au also has some Huaiyang skills under his belt. “To be a true master of Huaiyang, you need at least seven years of training,” he says. “Some of the chefs in my kitchen have had more than ten years.” The foremost cuisine of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Huaiyang dishes are slightly sweet, with an emphasis placed on the quality of the ingredients, rather than quantity. Chefs who are expert in the style have ultrafine knife skills and can turn ordinary food into works of art. Precision is key. A Huaiyang chef is judged on his ability to slice silken tofu into strands as thin as hair or to turn a zucchini into a delicate lotus flower. Although The Eight’s extensive menu

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features mostly Cantonese delicacies, a number of Huaiyang dishes also make an appearance. “We’ve picked only the best and most popular of Huaiyang dishes to serve here,” says Chef Au. Probably the most famous is the Double-boiled Minced Pork in Supreme Broth with Bird’s Nest, more commonly known as lion’s head meatballs. A truly traditional Huaiyang dish, The Eight’s version is a more sophisticated affair, using softer meat, more ingredients and better techniques. “Traditionally the meatballs in this dish are quite hard,” says Chef Au. “We use the softest part of the pork belly and hand chop the meat to make it much more tender. Bird’s nest gives the meatballs texture without having to rely on fatty cuts of meat.” The soup is double boiled, a technique used when cooking very delicate and luxurious ingredients. Steaming in a double boiler for eight hours ensures that all the

ingredients remain moist and retain their true essence. Whether Chef Au is preparing Cantonese or Huaiyang cuisine, he maintains that in order to create the best dishes, it all comes down to ingredients and technique. “They really go hand in hand,” says Au. “Without the right ingredients, you can’t deliver the absolute best. But if you don’t have the skills and techniques to get the best from those ingredients, then they are useless. I am very lucky – I have the freedom to source the best ingredients from around the world to make the best dishes that I can.” Au says to become a successful chef you must believe in yourself, have faith in what you’re cooking and remember that there is always room for improvement. “There is a Chinese saying: ‘Learn how your competitors work and then you will know how to improve yourself.’ I’ll never stop improving.”

tasting notes Top: Double-boiled Minced Pork in Supreme Broth with Bird’s Nest 燕窝狮子头 Bottom: Puff Pastry with Abalone, Morel Mushroom and Diced Chicken

DAVID HARTUNG (3)

原只鲍鱼羊肚菌鸡粒酥

同炒，滋味奔放，风味十足，欧主厨说：「龙虾鲜、鸡蛋嫩，猪肉有咬劲，而豆鼓是经过特别烹制的，不过这是商业机密呢！」他的京式烧羊腩更是餐厅的常驻菜色，风味比传统的羊肉料理清爽，羊腩外侧两面酥脆，内里柔嫩，入口即化。主厨说：「传统作法只有一侧是酥的，但对我来说这样不够，我知道我能做得更出色。」欧主厨专精粤菜，对淮扬菜也颇有研究。「精通淮扬菜至少要训练七年，我厨房里有些厨师都有十多年经验了。」淮扬菜是长江下游的代表菜系，味道偏甜，食材讲究，重质不重量。淮扬菜师傅刀工十分精细，能把普通的食物变成艺术品。精致细密是刀工的关键，技术高超的淮扬师傅能把绢丝豆腐切成缕缕发丝般细，还能把栉瓜雕成一朵精巧的莲花。虽然 8 餐厅众多菜色以精致粤菜为主，但也包含一些淮扬菜色。欧主厨说：「我们这里只挑最顶级和受欢迎的淮扬菜供应。」其中最出名的应是上汤炖猪绞肉丸，这道菜常称狮子头，是传统淮扬名菜，不过 8 餐厅作法更精致复杂，用了更柔软的绞肉、更多的食材和更出色的厨技。欧主厨说：「传统上这道菜的肉丸相当不容易做，我们选择五花肉最柔嫩的部分，手工剁肉，让肉质更加柔软，还加了燕窝赋予肉丸柔滑口感，所以不用依赖肥肉。」汤汁用炖的，这种方法通常用来烹调非常纤细或名贵的食材。食材放在炖盅里隔水蒸上八小时，食材的水分与湿润度不会流失，也能留住营养精华。无论欧主厨做的是粤菜或淮扬菜，他认为，想创造最精致的菜肴，最后还是要看食材和厨艺。欧主厨说：「这两个条件真的都要互相配合。没有好食材，就做不出最顶级的滋味，但相反如果没有好的技巧厨艺来引出食材菁华，那空有食材也没有用。我很幸运，能尽情搜罗世界各地顶级食材，竭尽所能做出最顶级的菜肴。」欧主厨也认为，要做个好厨师，必须相信自己，对自己做的菜有信心；并且记住，永远有进步空间。「中国有句话说：『截人所长，补己所短』，我也会努力进取，永不停歇。」 icons of the empire

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港点大观园

dim sumptuous

DAVID HARTUNG (3)

Has dim sum finished evolving? Adele Wong visits Lung King Heen and finds that Executive Chef Chan Yan-tak doesn’t think so.

MANY PEOPLE CONSIDER traditional dim sum to be an art form that has evolved into its final, perfect state. Their attitude is: don’t mess with the dim sum. “These people think a har gow is a har gow and a siu mai is a siu mai,” says Lung King Heen Executive Chef Chan Yan-tak, referring to the classic prawn and pork dumplings served in cylindrical bamboo steamers at cha lau (tea houses) around the world. Chan has been running the prestigious three-Michelin-starred Cantonese kitchen at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong since it opened in 2005. “Some people won’t agree that they’ve had dim sum until they’ve had a proper char siu bao,” he continues, emphasizing the importance of the steamed barbecue pork buns that some equate with the very act of yum cha (literally: to drink tea) itself. For the rest, there’s Lung King Heen. A gathering ground for serious foodies and big spenders alike, Lung King Heen isn’t your typical dim sum institution. There are no elderly ladies in uniforms pushing trolleys full of bamboo steamers, and no rowdy customers racing to get the freshest dish to their table. Instead, the celebrated venue is defined by spotless white tablecloths, flawless service, and meticulously prepared morsels that look as delectable as they taste. Chef Chan’s dim sum, needless to say, isn’t your run-of-the-mill variety. His barbecue pork buns are baked rather than steamed. They’re made with a sweet, yellow, egg-based pastry called bau lau bao in place of the traditional white and fluffy mantou bread. His version of the siu mai is a decadent dumpling stuffed with lobster, scallop, garoupa and fresh crabmeat, and topped with prawn. He’s also been known to use

许多人认为传统港式饮茶是一门已臻完美境界的艺术，绝无再变的空间，想在港点上求新求变根本是自寻死路。「这些人觉得虾饺就是虾饺、烧卖就是烧卖。」龙景轩行政主厨陈恩德说道。他指的是用圆柱状竹蒸笼盛装、以虾肉与猪肉馅包成的饺子，是一道世界各地茶楼都会供应的港点。自龙景轩于 2005 年在香港四季酒店开幕以来，这家荣获米其林三星殊荣的粤菜餐厅便是由陈主厨领军。「有些人觉得没吃到正宗叉烧包就不算吃过饮茶。」他又说，强调叉烧包这种用蒸的叉烧猪肉包十分重要，几乎有人将其与饮茶画上等号。但是呢，龙景轩就是与众不同。老饕和豪客云集的龙景轩不是一般的茶餐厅，没有穿着制服的大婶推着摆满蒸笼的点心车，没有喧闹的顾客争先恐后抢拿刚出炉的料理。享誉盛名的龙景轩有的是洁白无瑕的桌巾，无懈可击的服务，一丝不苟的烹调和色香味俱全的精致点心。想当然耳，陈主厨烹调的饮茶亦独树一帜。他的叉烧包是用烤的而不是蒸的，以黄色、带甜味与蛋香的菠萝包取代传统

Dumplings are an integral part of dim sum culture. Lung King Heen offers the delicacy in many shapes and sizes, including a green-skinned variety stuffed with steamed scallop and silver fish (far left), and one filled with shredded beef and black pepper (bottom right). Chef Chan Yantak’s innovative crispy taro dumplings (top right) are filled with vegetables and mayo rather than the traditional ground pork. 饺子是饮茶文化不可或缺的一环。龙景轩的饺子形状各异，花样多变，连包银鱼蒜香带子饺（左图）的绿色饺子都有, 还有黑椒牛柳棵（右下）。主厨陈恩德充满创意的白汁素芋角包（右上) 包的不是传统用的猪绞肉，而是蔬菜和美乃滋。

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foie gras as an occasional ingredient. “Our clients like that,” says Chan. “We have lots of customers from all over the world, so we need to cater to all palates.” Lung King Heen’s most popular dim sum is an abalone puff pastry dish that didn’t exist before Chan dreamt it up. Now it is replicated at establishments across the city. Chan’s recipe calls for abalone pieces from South Africa, mixed with diced chicken meat and served in a delicately layered pastry shell. “Lots of restaurants try to copy the dish,” Chan chuckles. “If they copied correctly, I’d be happy. But I’ve tried them at other restaurants – some don’t have enough sauce in them and some have abalone pieces that get stuck in your teeth.” Although Chan chooses to be creative with his dim sum, he pays due respect to the predecessors from whom he’s been learning since he entered the industry at age thirteen. “Dim sum chefs [like myself] base our techniques on the traditional masters from the past,” he explains. “There might be slight variations after all these years, but the basic techniques have been consistently passed on from generation to generation.” Besides Chan’s evolutionary inclinations, there are also practical reasons for why the chef steers clear of some of the dramatically traditional dim sum dishes. “A foreign female customer at [my former restaurant] once started screaming after she scooped up a chicken’s foot from her bowl of soup,” he says. Chan hasn’t had chicken feet in his soups ever since. He also tries to stay away from bones or ingredients that require extra work to eat. And then there’s the question of taste. According to Chan, a formerly popular dim sum dish called gum chin gai (gold coin chicken) – chicken liver and pork pressed between two sheets of steamed mantou – is no longer in vogue because pork has generally gotten much too lean over the years. “In the old days, pork was full of flavor. Now, the pigs on the Chinese farms are fed differently and the fat-to-meat ratio is not the same. Pork today is so bland.” The result? No gum chin

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gai at Lung King Heen or most other modern-day dim sum restaurants, because today’s pork simply wouldn’t do the dish justice. In the meantime, Lung King Heen diners will just have to be content with Chef Chan’s oversized lobster dumplings and gorgeous abalone pastry puffs. Complaints are not likely. Adele Wong is HK Magazine’s resident food columnist.

The baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken is Chef Chan’s original creation. He came up with the dish for the launch of Lung King Heen in 2005. 原只鲍鱼鸡粒酥为陈主厨于2005年龙景轩开幕时推出的自创料理。

“ We have lots of customers from all over the world, so we need to cater to all palates. 我们的顾客来自世界各地，我们要迎合他们的口味。”

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

EXECUTIVE CHEF CHAN YAN-TAK 行政主厨陈恩德

白色蓬松的馒头；他的烧卖走奢华颓废风，饺子内馅包的是龙虾、干贝 / 带子、石斑鱼和新鲜的蟹肉，上头再放个大虾，有时连鹅肝都入馅。「顾客喜欢吃这种的。」陈主厨说。「我们的顾客来自世界各地，我们要迎合他们的口味。」龙景轩最受欢迎的点心是陈主厨独门自创的鲍鱼酥，将运自南非的鲍鱼与鸡肉丁混合成内馅，包在层次分明的细致饼皮里，现已成为香港各大茶楼争相仿效且固定供应的料理。

「很多餐厅想模仿这道菜。」陈主厨喀喀笑着说。「如果他们模仿正确，我会很开心。但我在其他餐厅吃过，有些里面包的酱汁根本不够，有的鲍鱼块太大，会塞牙缝。」尽管陈主厨在点心上求新求变，他仍将这样的成就归功自他 1 3 岁踏入这一行便带领他的前辈们。「像我一样的点心师傅都是从老师傅那里学手艺的。」他说。「多年下来或许有些改变，但基本的技巧仍靠代代相传。」

陈主厨不仅追求创新，他刻意避开某些传统点心也是有实际理由的。「我在前一家餐厅工作时，有位外国女性一看到她汤里舀起的鸡脚就开始尖叫。」他说。从此他再也不在汤里放鸡脚，也避免采用带骨的或需要顾客费工拆解的食材。当然还有味道的问题。陈主厨说，有一道以前大受好评的点心叫金钱鸡，是将鸡肝和猪肉夹在两片蒸馒头皮中间，现在已不再流行，原因是猪肉变得越来越精瘦。「以前的猪肉很香的。如今中国农场养殖猪的方式变了，肥肉和瘦肉的比例也就变了。现在的猪肉没什么味道。」结果呢？现在在龙景轩或任何茶餐厅都已不见金钱鸡的踪影，因为现在的猪肉已经做不出金钱鸡的好味道。不过来龙景轩，光是品味陈主厨特制的超大虾饺和美味鲍鱼酥就心满意足了，夫复何求？ icons of the empire

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蓝天绿地顶级牛

WITH MEAT AS WITH WINE, provenance is

everything. Endowed with an abundance of fresh water and wide-open spaces, Canada makes an ideal home for the cattle that graze its prairie grasses, and also for the grain they feed on. The result is top quality beef with uniquely Canadian flavor. Every province in the huge country raises beef, but Alberta and Saskatchewan are home to the majority of Canada’s cattle. “We are pretty blessed to live here,” says Shaunere Lane, who, with her husband Brian, runs Brown Creek Ranch in Alberta. “It’s a beautiful spot with rolling hills, green grass and cattle.”

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More than 68,500 farms and ranches dot the landscape, the majority of which, like the Lane’s, are family operations. Every ranch, big or small, follows strict protocols for cattle management and safety assurance. Each animal in every herd is tagged with a radio frequency tracker so it can be traced throughout its life. In spring, summer and fall, Canadian cattle spend their days grazing on prairie grasses. Canada is also a grain-growing country and as cattle reach maturity, they are fed a mixed diet of grasses and locally grown grains such as corn, barley or wheat. It’s a twist on the old adage: if it

grows together, it goes together. Experts in cattle nutrition work with ranchers and farmers to develop diets that maximize growth and deliver beef that is well marbled, tender and flavorful. Breeding is also important. Canadian stock includes famous names like Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Simmental and Limousin, hearty breeds that thrive in cooler climates. There are some pure breeds, but crossbreeding is also used to combine the best characteristics from different animals for healthy, robust cattle that deliver the best in beef quality.

COURTESY OF CANADIAN BEEF

Drawing on generations of family farming experience and working land uniquely suited for cattle grazing, Canadian ranchers produce some of the world’s best beef. 牛肉就像红酒一样，也非常讲究出身。加拿大坐拥源源不绝的纯净水质及广大空间，牛只除了食用谷物饲料，也在大草原怡然吃草，造就出味道独一无二的顶级加拿大牛肉。加拿大幅员辽阔 ( 世界第二大国 )，每一省均出产牛肉，其中以 Alberta 及 Saskatchewan 两处为加拿大牛的主要生产地。「住在这边真的很幸福，有群峰层叠、翠绿牧草和牛只相伴。」Shaunere Lane 笑说，她和丈夫 Brian 在 Alberta 当地经营名为「Brown Creek( 棕溪 )」的牧场，言

谈中处处流露他们对这里的热爱。当地农场及牧场星罗棋布，超过 68,500 家，大部分都像 Lane 一样是家族经营。无论规模大小，每间牧场均须遵循严格的牛只饲养及安全管理规定。另外，牧场亦会为牛只装上无线射频监测器，方便追踪及识别牛只身份。加拿大幼牛时期以放养为主，每年春夏秋季，牛只会在草原上自由吃草。不过加拿大也是谷类出产大国，牛只成年后便会转以草混合玉米、大麦或小麦等当地生产的谷物作为主要饲料，也算是对「同产

一地，效果最佳」这句老话的当代新解。牛肉营养学家和牧场及农场联手，共同打造最佳配方，除了提升产量，也确保牛肉肉味浓郁，油花丰富，肉质鲜嫩。另外，品种也非常重要。著名的 Angus、Charolais、Hereford、Simmental 及 Limousin 等所有适合于凉爽气候生长的 bos taurus 牛种在加拿大可说全员到齐。除了纯种牛，加拿大也通过杂交育种技术，生产集结不同牛种优点的混种牛，使出产的牛只更为健康、体格更为健壮，美味的程度也自不待言。 icons of the empire

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canadian beef “What’s so satisfying about a great steak?” asks Shore Executive Chef

“ 牛排有何魔力让人大呼过瘾？ ”「Shore」行政总厨

Anthony Fletcher. “Beef just tastes good. And top quality beef tastes

Anthony Fletcher 说，“ 我个人觉得牛肉相当好吃，碰到

amazing .”

品质好的牛肉更是让人惊艳。”

There is nothing neutral about beef: never just another ingredient,

赋予如此美味，牛排永远都是餐桌上的主角。总厨

it is always the star of the show. Chef Fletcher likes to serve Sterling

Fletcher 很喜欢选用顶级加拿大 Sterling Silver 前腰脊肉。

Silver Canadian strip loin, a cut with a bolder flavor than tenderloin.

这是沿着牛脊骨横切的高级部位，牛肉味道较浓。

Great beef like this doesn’t happen by chance. The quality of

成功从来没有侥幸之说。牛排的品质反映其产地的

the beef reflects the quality of the land it is from and the qualities of

风土及饲养员的心思，这亦印证了加拿大结合其非凡土

the people who raise it. It is a product of the extraordinary Canadian

壤，优质牧场，广阔草原，顶级谷物，对牛群的用心饲

terroir and accomplished ranchers, great pasture and top-quality grain,

养及最高规格的分切标准，才能最终成就这等美味的牛

careful feeding and care of the cattle, and high butchery and aging

肉。

standards. “Beef that goes through that whole process is an art form,” says Fletcher. “It’s not just amazing, it’s truly spectacular.”

“ 光是走过以上所说的流程就已经是种艺术了，”Fletcher 说，“ 惊艳二字还不足以形容其美味，简直是无懈可击。”

His approach adeptly combines modern and primitive cooking

在烹调上，他采取新旧料理方式并用的手法，先用

techniques. The beef is cooked sous vide to lock in moisture, and then

真空低温烹调锁住牛肉的湿度，再过以炭火，配合新鲜

charred over coal with wood chips for a great, smoky beef flavor.

木屑逼出牛排的极佳烟熏味。

“Very simple,” he says. “And very delicious.”

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“ 就这么简单，成就如此美味。”

DAVID HARTUNG (2)

Shore Executive Chef Anthony Fletcher

美味千里香槟牵

�umm at the R itz A special menu set to debut at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, pairs dishes from two great cuisines, French and Cantonese, with a carefully chosen selection of G.H. Mumm Champagnes.

DAVID HARTUNG (3)

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WHAT DO CANTONESE and French cuisines have in common? A great affinity with Champagne. TK is teaming up with G.H. Mumm and The Chef ’s Table at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, to create an exclusive menu of French and Cantonese dishes, to be paired with bottles from the renowned Champagne house. The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong Executive Chef Peter Find and his staff collaborated with Tin Lung Heen sommelier Benson Yan to create the menu. Champagne, Chef Find says, poses particular challenges to a cook: “With red wine, you have this flavor palette that can go more spicy, that can go really deep,” he says. “With white wine you have very fruity wines and wines that are a little bit dry. You have this repertoire in terms of products that makes things much easier." G.H. Mumm Champagnes balance sparkling freshness and elegance with the kind of Pinot Noir-powered intensity and complexity that make them ideal for pairing with food – subtle, but not easily overpowered. “Usually you only see Champagne with western food,” says Find. “So we wanted to bring an interesting twist, and rely on Benson and his knowledge as a sommelier.” Mr. Yan describes the process like this: “Tasting, tasting. Discuss, discuss.” The result of that back-and-forth is six courses of gorgeous Eastern and Western dishes that marry perfectly with the bubbly. Just don’t call it fusion, says Mr. Yan. “It’s a crossover,” he says. And Champagne bridges the gap. The meal begins with a trio of Cantonese starters: Tin Lung Heen’s signature barbecued Iberian pork with honey; a steamed pork and shrimp dumpling with caviar; and a crispy spring roll with lobster, paired with NV G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge, which is itself quite crisp. “I really like to put Champagne with spring rolls,” says Mr. Yan. “They’re crunchy, and then when you taste the Champagne, the flavor of the lobster comes out. It’s very special.”

Sommelier Benson Yan 侍酒师甄伟成

Executive Chef Peter Find 行政总厨范秉达

要说广东菜和法国料理有何相似之处，大概就是和香槟相得益彰的契合度吧。 TK 本次特别和法国知名香槟品牌 G.H. Mumm 及香港丽思卡尔顿酒店「厨师之桌 (The Chef ’s Table)」合作，融合法式及广式料理之长，打造独一无二的精致菜色，席间并搭配 G.H.Mumm 顶级佳酿一起享用。每道菜都是香港丽思卡尔顿行政总厨范秉达旗下团队和酒店粤菜餐厅「天龙轩」侍酒师甄伟成相互激荡的美味成果。料理搭配香槟，对厨师而言可是一大

挑战，范总厨特别为我们说明：「搭配红酒，料理味道变得更为呛辣，走得又深又远；白酒的话，果味很重、甜度较低，处理起来其实容易多了。」 G.H. Mumm Champagnes 拥有黑比诺葡萄般严谨的结构和丰厚的口感，入口味道清新雅致，与美食共享能带出微妙而不会有喧宾夺主的感觉。总厨继续说道：「香槟通常是用来搭配西餐，所以我们想说来点不一样的，借重伟成侍酒多年的专业知识给饕客带来惊喜。」 icons of the empire

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And what of pairing bubbles with char siu? “This is not normal char siu! This one uses Iberico pork, so the fat is very marbled. The Champagne’s acidity can cut the fat, and it has enough body for the meat,” he explains. Next, we go full-on Gallic with a golden pan-fried dover sole with pea purée, sautéed peas and cress, and a bold streak of lemon powder. It’s a vernal dish through and through, with the buttery fish balanced by bright green notes. “We fiddled around in terms of the season,” says Chef Find. “This menu will be more of a spring menu.” A very special bottle is paired with the sole: The Mumm de Cramant, a single-vineyard blanc de blancs that is full-bodied and elegant with floral and citrus flavor notes and bubbles that melt to cream on the tongue. We return to China for a steamed crab claw with egg white and Champagne- lobster foam. Paired with the G.H. Mumm Millésimé 2006, this dish mimics the texture of the Champagne itself, with a silky, clean egg white, sweetness from the lobster foam, which is ephemeral in texture but as rich in flavor as a bisque. “It’s very simple,” says Mr. Yan. “Egg white, crab, foam. The magic is from Chef.” Another Chinese dish follows, also paired with the Millésimé 2006: braised bamboo pith with spinach and sautéed scallops. While scallops and Champagne make an obvious match, the combination of bamboo pith and Champagne was something new for Mr. Yan. “Bamboo pith has white color and a not very strong flavor, but it’s very special. And with the bubbles, it has a special mouth-feel. This was a new discovery.” Comfort food achieves great heights with the final savory course of roasted natural chicken served with a Perigord truffle and potato ragout, and a few perfectly pared young carrots and beets. Roast chicken can be served with red or white wine. “But what kind of red wine?" asks Mr. Yan. "Maybe Beaujolais, which is light, but so-so. White wine? Not enough body.” He says the Brut Rosé from G.H. Mumm,

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Braised Bamboo Pith with Spinach and Sautéed Scallops 上汤竹菠菜卷伴带子

which has extra structure from exposure to the skins, is perfect. The Mumm Brut Rosé is also served with a dessert of poached peach, vanilla gelée and powdered peach sorbet. The peach halves are slowly cooked in their own juices with spices, almost like a confit. The gelée and the disc of ice cream below are packed with vanilla beans that add a fine texture, popping almost like caviar. The sorbet is blasted

with liquid nitrogen to give it a dry, crumbly appearance, but it melts in the mouth, while the vanilla flavor lingers. Chef Find is very fond of this pairing: “With peach, the flavor is more flowery, longer lasting, not too bright. A raspberry is very strong, but a peach is very mellow.” “It stays long, the flavor is softer,” he says. And that sounds a lot like a taste of great Champagne.

Steamed Crab Claw with Egg White and Lobster-Champagne Foam 蛋白蒸蟹拑伴香槟龙虾泡沫

Pan-fried Dover Sole Served with Pea Puree, Sautéed Peas and Cress

DAVID HARTUNG (3)

香煎龙脷配三式青豆

期间脑力激荡的过程，伟成形容：「就是不断试吃、不断讨论。」六道风味独具的东西方美馔便在双方一来一往间应运而生，各自与香槟搭配的天衣无缝。伟成强调，这不叫融合菜，而是跨界料理，香槟便是两者间的完美桥梁。特色菜单以广东前菜三式揭开序幕：天龙轩的招牌蜜烧西班牙黑豚肉叉烧、鱼籽酱大虾烧卖及香炸龙虾脆春卷，搭配 G.H.Mumm 酸度恰到好处的无年份「NV-

G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge」享用颇具加乘效果。伟成解释：「香槟和春卷很搭，都带有酥脆口感，香槟入口后，龙虾的味道也跟着爬上味蕾，真的是非常特别的滋味。」那香槟又要如何与叉烧搭配？伟成继续说道：「这是顶级的伊比利猪肉，肉花非常均匀漂亮。香槟带酸，让人吃来不会油腻，酒体厚实，可与叉烧相互匹配。」再来则是原汁原味的法国菜，煎至金

Chef’s Table Mumm at the Ritz Pairing Menu Available throughout March and April Book two weeks in advance 餐单于三月和四月供应享用需提前两星期预订 +852 2263 2270

黄的龙佐以豌豆泥、香煎豆类及水芹，最后大胆洒上一道柠檬粉上桌。鱼肉的奶油香气与相佐的明快绿色基调完美协调，带来春天的气息。范总厨表示：「我们也算以季节为主题去发想，这次尝试比较像是春季菜单吧。」龙搭配的香槟非常特别：出产自单一葡萄园、仅用白葡萄酿制的「The Mumm de Cramant」，味道浓郁、带有高雅的花香及柑橘韵味，入口后泡沫于舌尖化开，绵密口感叫人难忘。接着又换中菜出场，上桌的是蛋白蒸蟹拑伴香槟龙虾泡沫，搭配「G.H.Mumm Millésimé 2006 」佳酿。这道菜模仿香槟入口的质感，有如丝般滑稠、纯净的蛋白、鲜甜龙虾肉以及稍纵即逝、味道却如浓汤般醇厚的泡沫，可说维妙维肖。伟成也赞叹不已：「作法很简单，就蛋白、蟹肉和泡沫而已。总厨一施展魔法，整道菜式都鲜活起来了。」下一道中菜上汤竹菠菜卷伴带子也可配着「 G.H.Mumm Millésimé 2006 」一起享用。扇贝与香槟味道之搭毋庸置疑，但竹笙和香槟的组合对伟成来说可就新鲜了：「竹笙呈白色、味道也偏淡，但真的是很特殊的食材。和着香槟泡沫会有奇妙的口感，对我而言是全新的发现。」最后一道美味主菜烤纯天然饲养走地鸡佐 Perigord 松露、炖马铃薯，再加上嫩萝卜及甜菜根有如神来之笔，又替味蕾带来新的高潮。伟成说，烤鸡和红酒或白酒都搭，「问题在要挑哪一种红酒？ Beaujolais 吗，味道清淡，但不甚特别；白酒的话，好像酒体又不够重。」因此他推荐「G.H.Mumm Brut Rosé」玫瑰香槟，因酿制过程中与果皮接触时间长结构较厚，搭配烤鸡再适合不过。甜点烤蜜桃、香草冻及蜜桃粉冰糕也可和「Mumm Brut Rosé」一起享用。蜜桃切半后只加香料、靠自身的蜜汁文火慢煎，与低温油封的作法如出一辙。下方的香草冻及画成圆形的冰淇淋则放入香草籽，吃起来像鱼子酱一样，在口中跃然而出。冰糕打上氮气，看起来更干更脆，入口后旋即化开，搭配香草余韵久久不消。范总厨对这道甜点也非常满意：「蜜桃带来一丝花香、让味道持久。像覆盆子气味很强，蜜桃则是相当温醇。」他强调：「香气恒久不散、味道较为轻柔。」听起来简直与顶级香槟入口的质地没两样。 icons of the empire

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优质肉品登港

the pig has landed

Jean-Paul Gauci’s sage and onion pork Osso Bucco with roots, peas and saffron tomatoes 洋葱炖制猪膝和鼠尾草，佐以菜根、豌豆与番红花蕃茄酱

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THANKS TO INNOVATIVE UK farmer Mark Hayward, pigs do fly. Recently a rather large porker was jetted into Hong Kong for a quirky restaurant promotion aimed at introducing Hayward’s Dingley Dell brand of meat to Asian diners. Dingley Dell is a 100-acre pig farm near Woodbridge in the Deben Valley of Suffolk that specializes in producing welfare-friendly pork. A member of the Freedom Food scheme created by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Dingley Dell breeds, rears and grows pigs for retail and restaurant markets. The farm’s prized pork is produced by crossing a female Duroc/Landrace sow with a Large White boar. The Duroc introduces marbling to the meat and gives it a fuller flavor. “The breeding sows roam the farm in groups and are fed a natural, cereal-based diet,” says Hayward. “Each pig has its own insulated hut in which to farrow. . . . Piglets are weaned slightly later than usual at five weeks old and moved to an outdoor nursery where they are able to be happy and healthy and can grow in all types of weather conditions.” Nowadays in the UK, Dingley Dell pork is prized by many of London’s top restaurants and by some of the world’s most famed chefs, including Jason Atherton and Tom Kerridge. In 2011, Kettridge won the Great British

幸好有创意满点的英国猪农 Mark Hayward，猪真的会飞喔！最近有一只相当庞大的猪仔飞抵香港，参与一场别开生面的餐厅促销活动，以引进 Hayward 所生产的 Dingley Dell 品牌猪肉给亚洲的饕客。 Dingley Dell 是一座面积约 100 英亩的养猪农场，位于英格兰萨福克郡的德本谷，靠近伍德布里奇，专门生产符合动物福利标准的走地猪肉。 Dingley Dell 遵循英国防治虐待动物皇家学会所创办的自由食物认证制度，为零售业和餐饮业供应高品质的养殖猪。这座农场获奖无数的猪只是杜洛克 / 蓝瑞斯种母猪和大白公猪杂交而成的后代，杜洛克品种赋予肉质美丽的花纹，并且让风味更饱满。 Hayward 表示：「我们的种母猪成群在农场上漫步，饮食以天然谷物为主。每只母猪都有自己的棚屋，因此生养不会受其他猪只的干扰。小猪到五周大断奶，时间比一般猪只稍晚，之后就会移到户外的哺育室，让它们健康快乐地在各种天气状况下成长。」在英国，许多伦敦顶级餐厅和 Jason Atherton、Tom Kerridge 等世界知名大厨皆已采用 Dingley Dell 的猪肉。 2011 年， Kettridge 在英国的实境厨艺竞赛节目 Great British Menu 获奖，用的正是 Dingley Dell 的猪肉。许多大厨甚至慕名前来这座养猪场，为的就是深入了解他们使用的食材。现在 Hayward 感到时机已成熟，是时候透过 Dingley Dell Flying Visits 巡回展示计画，将 Dingley Dell 的猪肉介绍给亚洲星级大厨。于是他选择了香港中环这间主打从

JOSEPHINE ROZMAN (2)

England’s Dingley Dell pork makes its Hong Kong debut at Wildgrass restaurant in a dinner cooked by an all-star team of chefs. Jo Mckinnon reports.

UK Master Butcher Kevin Burrows

Jaakko Sorsa’s terrine of smoked pork chump with smoked eggplant and celeriac puree

Menu award using Dingley Dell produce. Many chefs have made special visits to the farm to better appreciate the pork and how it is produced. Hayward felt that now was the time, with his “Dingley Dell Flying Visit” program, to show some of Asia’s star chefs what they have been missing. He chose Central’s Wildgrass restaurant, which specializes in organic nose-to-tail dining, as the Hong Kong venue to launch his prized meat. An all-star cast of chefs from Hong Kong and Macau were brought in and challenged to create dishes for a four-course pork menu. The Plat de Resistance was the slowcooked pork rack with beetroot, tatin-style apple and pork jus prepared by French chef Jeremy Biasiol. This dish sensationally showcased the rich flavor that has made Dingley Dell so unique and popular with UK chefs. Finnish chef Jaakko Sorsa of Finds, Hong Kong, absolutely mastered the terrine of smoked pork chump served with smoked

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eggplant and celeriac puree while Wildgrass head chef and the host of the evening, JeanPaul Gauci, presented a stunning sage and onion pork Osso Bucco with roots, peas and saffron tomatoes. Guillaume Galliot of The Tasting Room, Macau, was served with the biggest challenge of all and that was to prepare a dessert dish incorporating Dingley pork. He came up with what became the talking point of the night: a sweet and memorably unique burnt caramel mousse bar with dark chocolate feuilletine, cocoa crumble, maple bacon ice cream and candied bacon. “The whole idea was to create a pop-up restaurant type thing to show the passion and skill involved in the process of getting our pork to the plate,” said Hayward. And that is where master butcher Kevin Burrows played his vital part. On the night, the burly Burrows skillfully performed a butchery demonstration on a bacon pig that was flown out whole from Hayward’s farm

flat-packed on ice in a box coffin. “It’s the first time I have ever been involved in flying a pig across the world,” joked Burrows. He captivated guests as he sliced the pig into various cuts in just twenty minutes. Burrows owns a multi-species abattoir in the UK that specializes in a new, more humane method of slaughter that both reduces animal suffering and also helps to preserve the quality of Dingley Dell pork, ensuring that chefs have the best possible product. The results, already popular with discerning diners in England, may soon be appearing on plates in Asia.

JOSEPHINE ROZMAN (2)

烟熏猪肉冻佐以烟熏茄子与芹菜泥

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From the left: Jaakko Sorsa, Jeremy Biasiol, Kevin Burrows, Jean-Paul Gauci, Guillaume Galliot

头吃到尾的有机概念餐厅 Wildgrass，作为 Dingley Dell 在香港首次登场的舞台。他邀请了来自港澳的星级主厨，挑战用 Dingley Dell 的猪肉做出有四道料理的全猪盛宴。这席盛宴的主菜由法国厨师 Jeremy Biasiol 筹备，他用甜菜根、苹果塔与猪肉汁佐慢煮猪肋，色香味俱全的完美张力，充分传达出 Dingley Dell 之所以成为英国厨师界家喻户晓食材的浓郁风味。开胃菜是由香港 Finds 餐厅的芬兰主厨 Jaakko Sorsa 设计，他的烟熏猪肉冻佐以烟熏茄子与芹菜泥，着实美味得无懈可击。而 Wildgrass 的主厨与晚宴主办人 Jean-Paul Gauci 负责前菜，他以鼠尾草和洋葱炖制

猪膝，佐以菜根、豌豆与番红花蕃茄酱，可是一道让在场人士惊呼连连的佳馔。来自澳门御膳房的大厨 Guillaume Galliot 面临的最高挑战，得用 Dingley 的猪肉制作一道甜点，结果他的精心杰作成为当晚最为人津津乐道的话题：焦糖慕丝条搭配黑巧克力脆片、可可酥饼碎、枫糖培根冰淇淋和蜜饯熏肉，香甜可口又令人留下深刻的印象。「我们想创造一种出人意表、前所未有的餐厅秀，藉由选用我们生产的猪肉展现出料理中的热情与巧思。」Hayward 表示。说到这点，就得请屠肉大师 Kevin Burrow 来大展身手。当晚身型魁梧的 Burrows

使用一头腌制全猪，娴熟表演了屠夫俐落的刀法。那猪身可是置于冰上、装在箱子里，完整地从 Hayward 的农场空运来港的。「这是我有生以来第一次参与让猪只飞洋过海呢。」Burrows 开玩笑地说。在晚宴上，全场宾客目不转睛地看着他，仅花 20 分钟，就熟练地将一整头猪切成不同大小的肉块。 Burrows 在英国经营自己的屠宰场，专门使用一种新式、更人性化的方法来屠宰多种牲畜，不仅能减少动物的痛楚，又能保留 Dingley Dell 猪肉的美味，确保厨师拿到手的绝对是最上乘的肉质。如今，已满足英国饕客挑剔味蕾的佳肴也即将登上亚洲的餐桌，大家拭目以待吧！ icons of the empire

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TK" WHERE TO FIND TK Tasting Kitchen is available at more than 100 newsstands and bookshops across the region, and at all of the following fine resorts, hotels and restaurants.

HONG KONG RESTAURANTS 1/5 nuevo 208 Duecento Otto 22 Ships 798 Unit & Co - JAR 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo – Bombana A Touch of Spice Adagio Agehan agnès b. café L.P.G. (Chung San House, Cityplaza, Devon House, Fashion Walk) agnès b. le pain grillé Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant Akita Al Bistro Mediterranean Restaurant & Bar - TST Al Dente (Great Eagle Centre, Jaffe Road, TST, SoHo) Al Molo Ristorante Italiano All Night Long Al's Diner Amante Amber Ambrosia Oyster Bar & Grill Amina Italian and Oyster Restaurant AMMO Amore Italian Restaurant ANA Oyster & Grill Angel's Share Another Fine Day An-Tico Enoteca • Pizzeria Antipasto Antique Patisserie Apgujeong Korean Tent Bar Applegreen CWB Applegreen TST Ayuthaiya Caffe Greco La Marmite Arima Teppanyaki Aropa Azure Baby Blue Cafe & Bar Bacar Bahama Mama's Caribbean Bar Banker Whisky and Wine Bar Barg Barista Jam Bella Vita Bellaria Berliner German Bar and Restaurant Bicho Biergarten Big Tree Pub Bistecca Italian Steak House Bistro Bamboo Bistrot Le Fauchon Bit Point Black stump Australian Grill & bar Bloom BLT Burger BLT Steak Blue Lemon café & wine bar Bo Innovation Bo-lo’gne Café & Bar Bo-Lo'gne Bombay Dreams Bonheur

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Bouchon Bistro Francais Bourbon Brasserie Le Fauchon Brat Bricklane Brivo Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant Brunch Club Bulldog's Bar & Grill Cafe by the Park Cafe Deco Cafe Elite Cafe Eos Club Cafe Gray Deluxe Café Iguana Café Locomotive Café Loisl Café Muse Cafe O Café on the 1st Cafe Rivoli Cafe TOO Cafe Zambra Cammino Caprice Carousel Fine Cake & Pastries Carpaccio Casa Fina Casa Lisboa Portuguese Restaurant & Bar Casablanca Oyster Steak Restaurant Cecconi's Italian Census Lounge Cepage C'est la B Chesa Chez Moi Chez Patrick Deli Chez Shibata Chikayaki Chilli Fagara Chocolate Chum Chum Mi CIN CIN Ristorante Circle Oyster Classified Mozzarella Bar Classified The Cheese Room Club Chow Club de Flavor Club Havana coast Cocky Bar Cova Café - Admiralty Cova Café - Lee Gardens Cova Pasticceria & Confetteria Cova Ristorante & Caffe Coyote Bar & Grill Craftsteak Cuisine Cuisine - IFC Cutty Sark Da Ping Huo Daddyos Dan Ryan's Chicago Grill Dap Modern European Restaurant Delaney's Wanchai Délifrance Devil's Advocate Divino Patio Divino Wine Bar & Restaurant Domani Ristorante Double Happiness Café Duetto Dynasty - Wanchai Eat Right edo & bibo Oyster & Steak House EL CID Spanish Restaurant

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El Pomposo Estudio F.A.B French - American Bistro Fandango Spanish Restaurant Fat Angelo's Felix FINDS Fish Bar & Grill Flame at Towngas Avenue Fleur de Sel Flute Bar Flutes Champagne and Cocktail Bar Fook Lam Moon - Wanchai Forum Restaurant Fresh Café & Bar Frites Belgium on Tap Fu Ho Restaurant - TST Fuel Espresso Full/half Gaddi's Gaia Ristorante Gaylord Indian Restaurant Gemini glo restaurant + lounge Goccia Restorante Bar Terrace Gokayama Gold By Harlan Goldstein Grand Central Bar & Grill Grappa's Ristorante Grecoπ Green Grill Cafe Handle Bar Harbour Restaurant Hard Rock Café Harlan's Harvey Nichols Fourth Floor Restaurant & Bar Hoi King Heen Hokkaido Dairy Farm Milk Restaurant Holly Brown Hong Kong University Alumni Association Hooray Bar & Restaurant HOUSE il meglio Ristorante di Venezla Il Moro iL Posto 97 Inn Side Out Island Seafood & Oyster Bar - Causeway Bay Island Seafood & Oyster Bar - TST Island Tang Isola Italian No.5 Iwanami Jaa Kitchen Japas Jashan Celebrating Indian Cuisine Jimmy's Kitchen Joe Bananas Joe's Billiards & Bar Joia Kaiko Teppanyaki Katte Shabushabu King Ludwig Beerhall (TST, Wanchai) Kitchen 65 Kitchen M Knutsford Steak Chop & Oyster Bar Kosyu Kowloon Tang KYOTO JOE L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

La Bodega La Bon Restaurant & Lounge La Bon’s Café la brezza café La Cantoche La Casa Chilean Oyster Bar LA Creperie La Cucina Italiana La Maison La Pampa La Parole La Serene Caffè La TASCA La Terrasse l'altro Lattitude 22⁰ LaVilla TST Lawry's the Prime Rib Le Café Le Gouter Bernardaud (ICC, IFC) Le Marron Le Mieux Bistro Le Monde d' Ulysse (Restaurant Galerie) Le Salon Restaurant et Croissanterie Le Souk Lei Garden - IFC Life Lil' Siam Limehouse Linguini Fini Lobby Lounge Louis' Steak House Lung King Heen LUPA LUX Bistro & Bar Magnolia Mangrove Bar & Restaurant Marlin Mask of Si Chuen McSorley's Ale House Merhaba Mes Amis Metropolitan Café Ming Court Mini Dans la Ville Mirror MiSet Restaurant Miyabi Japanese Fine Dining Moon Thai Mr. Steak Grill Ms B's Cakery Munch Myung Ga Korean Restaurant Nahm Vietnamese & Thai Nan Tei Nepal Nicholini's Nico's Oceanna Okaki Ole Spanish Restaurant Oliver's Super Sandwiches (Cheong Kong Centre, Hong Kong Station) Oliver's Super Sandwiches Melbourne Plaza One-Thirtyone Only Buonasera Oolaa Oolaa petite Orange Tree Restaurant Otto Restaurant & Bar OWL Our Wonderland Oysters Bar & Restaurant Papa Razzi Papi Pastis Bistro Francais Peace Square

Peak Café Bar Pearl on the Peak Peking Garden Restaurant Pepino Italian Restaurant Petrus Pier 7 Cafe & Bar Pierre PizzaExpress, Central PizzaExpress, Wanchai Pizzazaza Podium Cafe Portobello Posto Pubblico PRIME steakhouse Red Bar & Restaurant Red Rock Bar & Grill Rei Restoration Rex Caffe Roka Rouge Royal Feast Rustic Organic Pizza Kitchen Ruth's Chris Steak House Sabatini Ristorante Italiano Sabor Spanish Touch Private Kitchen Sahara Mezz Bar Sakaegawa Japanese Resaturant Sake Bar GINN Sashay Cafe & Wine Bar Scirocco Serenade Sevva Shanghai Fraternity Association Shanghai Jade Shanghai Lu Yang Cuo Shore Steak Shui Hu Ju Simplylife Bakery Cafe Simplylife Bread & Wine SML Social House Socialito SoHo Spice Vietnamese & Thai Solas Sole mlo Sorriso Italian Cuisine Spasso Italian bar SPICE Spicy Fingers Spoil Cafe Spoon by Alain Ducasse Spring Moon St.George Star Restaurant Starz Wine Bar Staunton's Wine Bar & Café Steik World Meats Stone's Stormies Studio City Studio Nineteen Su Casa Chilean Oyster Bar Summer Palace Sunning Restaurant Sushi Hiro Sushi Imamura Sushi Kuu Sushi Shin T2 Teppanyaki & Tapas Bar Tai Ping Koon Restaurant Tandoor T'ang Court Taste Tate Dining Room & Bar Teppanyaki Kaika Tequila Jack's Thai Orchids Café & Bar KLN Bay

Thai Orchids Café & Bar Mongkok The Box The Dutch Cheese and More The Fifties The Flying Pan The French Window The Globe The Great Indian Kebab Factory The Junk Pub The Lobby The Lotus The Parlour The Pawn The Peak Lookout The Press Room The Principal The Quarterdeck Club The Quarterdeck Hong Kong The Queen Victoria The Salted Pig The Square The Steak Kitchen Bar & Restaurant The Swiss Chalet The Wheel Tiffin Tim's Kitchen Tivo Tivoli Italian Restaurant Tonno Bar / Tonno Kitchen Trattoria Doppio Zero Tutto Bene Twyst Uno Duo Trio - Lana's Italian Home Cooking Up Va Bene Van Gogh Kitchen Via 28 Ristorante View 62 by Paco Roncero Vivo W28 Steak House Wabi Sabi Japanese Restaurant Wagyu Kaiseki Den Wagyu Lounge Wanya Japanese Restaurant Watson's Wine SoHo Weinstube Westwood Carvery Wildfire Wildfire pizzabar & Grill Wing's Kitchen Wooloomooloo Prime Wooloomooloo Steakhouse Wyndham the 4th Xi Yan Sweets Yan Toh Heen Yat Tung Heen - Wanchai Yi Pai Ya Yorkshire Pudding Yu Joy Chinese Restaurant Zelo Spanish Restaurant & Tapas Bar Zen Zentro Bar & Eatery ZOO Zummer 四合軒

CLUBHOUSES United Services Recreation Club Pacific club HK Bartender's & Sommelier's Association Aberdeen Marina Club American Club - Hong Kong Country Club American Club - Town Club

TK" WHERE TO FIND TK 《Tasting Kitchen》美食指南于各地上百个书报摊、书店及下列各大顶级度假村、酒店与餐厅皆能取得。

Asia Golf Club Caldecott Hill Chinese Recreation Club Continental Club Craigengower Cricket Club Discovery Bay Recreation Club Fairview Park Country Club Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry Gold Coast Resident's Club House Gold Coast Yacht and Country Club Harbour Front Club House Hebe Haven Yacht Club Hong Kong Country Club Hong Kong Cricket Club Hong Lok Yuen Country Club Kerry Property Management services Ltd (15 Homantin Hill, Belgravia, Branksome Grande & Branksome Crest, Century Tower I & II, November Tower I & II, SOHO 38, Tavistock II & Aigburth, Valverde) Kowloon Tong Club Macau Jockey Club Marina Club Discovery Bay Marina Cove Club Mariners' Club (The Narubers Club) Mission Hills Golf Club Orient Express No. 8 Club Bel Air Pacific Club Palais Monaco Premier Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Shek O Golf Country Club The Beverly Hills (Resident's Clubhouse) The China Club The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, HK The Cullinan The Ellipsis The Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong The Hong Kong Golf Club Deep Water Bay The Kowloon Club The Kowloon Cricket Club The Novemberfair The Palazzo Derby Three Bays Ville De Jardin's Clubhouse

WINE AND GOURMET SHOPS Vamorosso Fine Wines Ltd. Concord Fine Wines Limited Cottage Vineyards (International) Limited Delish Hong Kong Wine Vault Jiontek Fine Wines (Hong Kong) Limited - Admiralty, Wanchai, TST, Kwai Chung Limitless Holdings Limited Monsieur Chatté, Sheung Wan Monsieur Chatté, Elements Pan-Handler Portrait Winemakers & distillers Prime Cellar Wine Tasting Room Queensway Wine

Sino Vantage Asia Limited Valentino Chocolatier - Sai Kung Valentino Chocolatier Wanchai

HOTELS City Garden Hotel Conrad International Hong Kong Cosmopolitan Hotel Courtyard By Marriott Hong Kong Crowne Plaza HK CWB Hotel Eaton Hotel Hong Kong Eaton House Excelsior Hotel Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Harbour Grand Hong Kong Harbour Grand Kowloon Harbour Plaza North Point Holiday Inn Golden Mile Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel Hong Kong Marriott Hotel Hotel Icon Hotel Jen Hotel LKF by Rhombus Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui InterContinental Grand Standford InterContinental Hong Kong Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong Kowloon Shangri-La Lan Kwai Fong Hotel Langham Place, Mongkok, HK Lanson Place Hotel Le Meridien Cyberport L'hotel Island South Luk Kwok Hotel Mandarin Oriental Peninsula Hong Kong Regal Airport Hotel Regal Hong Kong Hotel Regal Hotels International Regal Kowloon Hotel Renaissance Harbour View Hotel, Hong Kong Rosedale on the Park HK Royal Garden Hotel Royal Pacific Hotel & Towers Royal Plaza Hotel Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers SkyCity Marriott Hotel The Kowloon Hotel The Landmark Mandarin Oriental The Luxe Manor The Park Lane Hong Kong The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

AIRLINE LOUNGES CNAC Lounge Dynasty Lounge Emirate Lounge Emirates Airlines-BKK Lounge Hong Kong Lounge Morning Calm ( Korean Air) Red Carpet Lounge (UA) Royal Orchid Lounge SQ Lounge (Silver Kris) The Traveller's Lounge EAST The Traveller's Lounge WEST

Virgin Clubhouse Hong Kong Jet Jet Aviation Buisness Jets Metrojet Limited BAA - Business Aviation Asia Ltd

VANGO Wanchai North Point Ho Man Tin Kwun Tong Lok Fu Shatin Tin Shui Wai Kwai Chung Chai Wan Kwun Tong TST Saigon Tuen Mun Happy Vally Lok Fu Tai Kok Tsui Tin Shui Wai Yuen Long Tai Po

BOOKSHOPS Mandarin Oriental Kiosk Bookazine (Discover Bay, Canton House, Ifc Mall, Harbor City, Kowloon, Prince Building, Central, Shui On) Dymocks (Peak, Ifc Mall, Lyndhurst Terrace, Harbor City, Kowloon, Bonham Road, Repulse Bay, Hopewell Centre, Citygate) Beachside Books Hits Media Center Kubrick Bookstore & Cafe Metrobook (Elements, Kowloon, Mikki, Langham Place) Nobletimes Jumbo Grade (City Plaza, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Wong Tai Sin) Swindon Book Co. Ltd. Cham Kee Tung Son Yung Kee Great Food Park N' Shop (Baguia Villa, Caine Road, Caribbean Coast, Citygate, Clearwater, Cyberport, East Point City, Forview Heights, Festival Walk, Happy Valley, Hong Lok Yuen, Horizon Suite Hotel, Jardine Lookout, Kennedy Town, Metroplaza, Metropolis, New Hopewell Centre, Peak Road, Shouson Hill, South Horizons, Stanley Plaza, Tai Tam, Tin Hau Temple)

MACAU HOTELS Altira Macau Crown Tower Galaxy Macau Galaxy Macau - Banyan Tree Macau

Galaxy Macau - Hotel Okura Grand Hyatt Grand Lapa Grand Lisboa Hard Rock Hotel Hotel Lisboa Hotel San Tiago Mandarin Oriental MGM Macau Pousada de Mong-Ha, IFT Sands Cotai Central Sofitel Macau StarWorld Hotel Wynn Macau

RESTAURANTS 11 Cafe 360° Café A Lorcha A Petisqueira ABA Bar Albergue 1601 Antica Trattoria Antonio Restaurant Aurora Aux Beaux Arts Bambu Bar Azul Bar Florian Beijing Kitchen Belcanção Belon Bene Cabana Café Bela Vista Café Deco Café Lan Café Litoral Café of 4 Cafe Ou Mun Café Panorama Café Siam Camoes Restaurant Cascades China Rouge City Café Clube Militar de Macau Conrad the Lounge Copa Steakhouse Cozinha Pinocchio Taipa Cuppacoffee Bakery and Coffeeshop Don Quijote Dynasty 8 EDO Japanese @ One Central Edo Japanese Restaurant Edo Japanese Restaurant EDO Japanese Restaurant EDO Japanese Restaurant COD Edo Restautant Festiva Fogosamba Fortune Inn Restaurant Ginza Kaiten Sushi Golden Court Gosto Grand Emperor Court Grand Imperial Court Henri's Gallery Hero Chinese Restaurant Holiday Inn Lobby Lounge Illy Coffee Imperial Court Inagiku Indian Garden Restaurant Irish Bar Jade Dragon Jade Garden Jin Yue Xuan Kam Lai Heen King of Kings

Kira Kwun Hoi Heen L'Arc Coffee Shop L'Arc Lounge L'Arc The Chinese Restaurant La Bonne Keure French Cuisine La Cucina La Gondola La Kaffa Café La Paloma Lan Laurel Laurel Lax Café Le Cesar Lei Garden Lemongrass Macau Thai Café Litoral Restaurant Lord's Stow Bakery Lua Azul Macallan Macau Dynasty Café Madeira Portuguese Majestic Robatayaki McSorley's Mezza 9 MGM Patisserie MGM Mistral MJ Café MO Lobby Lounge + Cake Shop Modern Thai Morton's Steakhouse Mugs Talk Myung Ga Korean Restaurant Naam Thai Nagomi O Porto Interior Restaurante Old Shanghai Old Taipa Tavern Osgatos Pacific Coffee Pacific Coffee COD Pacific Coffee Galaxy Pacific Coffee SCC Pak Lok Palms Pâtisserie, Lobby Lounge Pearl Lounge Petrus Pink Grill Pizzeria Toscana Prive R Bar Rendezvous Restaurante Fernando Rossio Royal Orchid Saffron Sakazuki Savory Crab Shanghainese 456 Singing Bean Sky 21 Spice Garden Square 8 Starworld Concierge Starworld Lobby VIP lounge Talay Thai Restaurant Tang's Cuisine Tenmasa Terrace Terrazza The Crystal Piano The Feast The Hotness The Roadhouse The Royal Kitchen The Tasting Room by Galliot Treasure Palace Tsui Wah

Varanda Vasco Vergnano Italian Vida Rica Bar Vida Rica Restaurant Wave Westin The Lounge Windows Restaurant Windsor Lounge Xin Yamazato Ying Zi Yat Heen

CLUBHOUSES Airport Priority pass lounge Caesars Golf Macau FIT Club French Wine Institute Kings Ville La Baie du Noble La Cite Lake View Tower L'Arc Macau Jockey Club Manhattan Mariott Vacation Club Asia Pacific Millennium Nova City Ocean Garden Clubhouse One Central The Buckingham The Pacifica Garden The Praia The Residencia TIS The International School of Macao Macau Golf & Country Club Qube - Venetian Qube - Sands Cotai Central

PRIVATE BANKING Bank of China BOC BNU ICBC Wing Hang Bank - Elite Banking

GOURMET SHOP & WINE SHOP Akasaka Ibéricos Fu Wan Commercial and Industrial Enterprise ltd. Gourmet Corner Jointek Macau Shop MBL Pacific Wine Mart Prestige Jewelry & Gift

SPAS Grand Lapa Spa Six Senses Spa MO The Spa Royal Thai Spa Malo Clinic Spa Four Seasons Spa Bodhi Spa Altira Spa Banyan Tree Spa Rock Spa Isala Spa Crown the Spa

TRANSIT Air Macau Jet Asia Macau Jet Burgeon Rent a car Avis Turbojet Xunlong

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$336 $252 for your first 6 issues Tasting Kitchen is a celebration of the Pearl River Delta’s finest restaurants, greatest chefs and most delicious food. Our mission is simple: to share our enthusiasm for all the great culinary experiences the region has to offer. Rate applicable to Hong Kong and Macau delivery only. Inquiries regarding overseas subscriptions should be sent to subscriptions@tasting-kitchen.com

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TK | ICONS OF THE EMPIRE

RESTAURANT LISTINGS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

Bo Innovation 厨魔 5

Chinese fusion Shop 13, 2/F, J Residence, 60 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, HongKong

香港湾仔庄士敦道60号嘉荟轩2楼13号铺 q +852 2850 8371

Mon to Fri: 12:00-14:30; 19:0000:00; Sat: 18:00-00:00 A Smart casual

Jin Yue Xuan 金悦轩

Shore

Chinese 101, 1/F, Galaxy Hotel Galaxy Macau 河™」综合渡假城「澳「河酒店™」1楼101 q +853 8883 2200 Mon to Fri: 11:00-15:00; 17:30-23:00; Sat, Sun & PH: 10:00-15:00; 17:30-23:00 MOP 101-150 A Casual Chic

Steak House 3rd and 4th floor, L Place. 139 Queen’s Road, Central, Hong Kong 中环皇后大道中139号L Place 3及4楼 q +852 2915 1638 Mon to Fri: 12:00 -15:00 Mon to Sun: 18:00–22:30 HKD151-300 Smart Casual

Laurel 丹桂轩 Chinese G02, G/F, West Promenade, Galaxy Hotel Macau 河™」综合渡假城地下「澳 G02 q +853 8883 2298 Mon to Fri: 11:00-23:00 Sat, Sun & PH: 10:00-23:00 MOP 301-500 A Casual Chic 5

Chef’s Table 厨师之桌 The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, Level 102, International Commerce Ctr. 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong 香港九龙柯士甸道西1号环球贸易广场，香港丽思卡尔顿酒店102楼 q +852 2263 2270

Mon to Sun: 18:00-22:30 A Smart Casual

Duck de Chine 全鸭季 1949 – The Hidden City, Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing 北京朝阳区工体北路, 邮编 100027 98 Jinbao Jie (inside 1949) Dongcheng District 北京东城区金宝街98号, 邮编 100005 q +86 10 6501 8881

+86 10 6521 2221 Daily 11:00-14:30, 17:30-22:30

Feast Hunan Flavours

Li Xuan 丽轩 Cantonese, Sichuanese No. 269 Shuncheng Avenue Qingyang District Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China 610017 中国成都市青羊区顺城大街269 q +86 28 8359 9288 Daily: 11:30 – 14:00; 17:30- 22:00 RMB 400 A Smart casual 5

Lung King Heen 龙景轩 Cantonese Lung King Heen, Podium 4, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong 香港中环金融街8号香港四季酒店4楼 Lunch: Mon to Sat: 12:00-14:30; Sun: 11:30-15:00 Dinner:Mon to Sun: 18:00-22:30 A Smart Casual 5

湘飨湖南餐厅 5

Chinese Sheraton Changsha Hotel

Yunda International Plaza 478 Furong Zhong Lu, Section 1 Changsha, Hunan 410005 长沙运达喜来登酒店运达国际广场芙蓉中路一段 478 号410005 q +86 731 8488 8798

Daily 11:00–01:00 A Business Casual

Ming Court 明阁 Cantonese 6/F, 555 Shanghai Street, Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong 旺角上海街555号香港旺角朗豪酒店6楼 q +852 3552 3300 Lunch: Mon to Fri: 11:00-14:30; Sat: 11:00-15:00 Dinner: Sun & PH: 10:30-15:00; Daily: 18:00-22:30 A Smart Casual 5

SPOON by Alain Ducasse French Lobby Level, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui 尖沙咀梳士巴利道18号香港洲际酒店大堂楼层 q +852 2313 2323 Tue to Sat: 18:00-23:00 Sun: 12:00-14:30; 18:00-23:00 Above HKD500 A Smart casual 5

The Eight 2/F Grand Lisboa Hotel, Avenida de Lisboa, Macau 澳门葡京路新葡京酒店2楼 q +853 8803 7788

Mon to Sat: 11:30 - 14:30 Sun & PH: 10:00 - 15:00 Daily: 18:30 -22:30

Contemporary 5th floor, Block C, Sea View Estate, No. 8 Watson Road, North Point, Hong Kong 北角屈臣道2-8号海景大厦C座5楼 q +852 2521 8121 Mon to Sat:19:30-00:00 For Lunch & Sunday, please Inquire. Above HKD500 A Casual Chic 5

Temptations 品味坊 Continental 16/F, StarWorld Macau 澳门星际酒店16楼 q +853 8290 8688 Daily: 12:00-14:30; 19:00-22:00 Semi lunch buffet: MOP168 Dinner 500 A Smart Casual 5

Lunch : MOP 300 - 1,000

Dinner: MOP 700 - 1,500

The Seasons季节 5

French G/F Block N, Macau University of Science and Technology,

Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau 澳门氹仔伟龙马路澳门科技大学 N座地面层 q +853 8897 1888

Mon to Fri: 12:00–14:30 ; 18:30 –21:30

Ta Pantry

A Smart casual

The Principal Modern European G/F, 9 Star Street, Wan Chai 湾仔星街9号地下 q +852 2563 3444 Mon to Fri : 12:00-15:00; 19:00 -00:00 Sat: 19:00pm -00:00 Sun: 11:30-15:00 Lunch: HKD300-450 Dinner: HKD900-1200 A Jacket and tie required

Chinese

West Lake Restaurant 西湖楼 5

Chinese Jinma Food City, Hongshan Tourism Zone, Changsha, China

湖南长沙市开福区马栏山金马美食城 q +86 731 8425 8188

Jingli Private Kitchen 小景私房菜 5

Sichuanese Room 902 Unit 2 Building 11, 2 Qi of Luofu Shijia, Gaoshengqiao Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu 610041

成都市武侯区高升桥罗浮世家二期11栋2单元902室 610041 q +86 18613219449

Daily 9:00-22:00

Ying 帝影楼 5

Chinese 11/F Altira Macau, Avenida de Kwong Tung, Taipa

氹仔广东大马路澳门新濠锋酒店 11楼 q +853 2886 8868

Mon to Sun: 11:00 - 22:30 MOP

101-150

A Smart Casual icons of the empire

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DAVID HARTUNG

dessert

In this romantic dessert created by Bo Innovation’s Demon Chef Alvin Leung, earthy notes from a deep red beetroot sorbet are balanced by the numbing heat of Sichuan peppercorn-infused strawberries. A crunchy maple syrup soil quiets the spice of the pepper for a sweetly complex mouthful. The dish is finished with a perfect sprig of delicate spring blossom. 由「厨魔」主厨梁经伦精心创作，充满浪漫气息。深红色甜菜根雪酪的一丝泥土气息，与四川花椒草莓的麻辣互相平衡，再来点模仿土壤的甜脆枫糖浆，中和花椒的热辣，在口中留下甜蜜而多层次的余韵。最后装饰上纤巧的春天鲜花，就完成了这道春光烂漫的甜点。

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TK | icons of the empire