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Posts tagged ‘Jamie Oliver’

May 14

Star Chefs on the Rise in Hong Kong

PG in Central (mid res)

Pierre Gagniere in Central, Hong Kong

 

[UPDATE: Chef Pierre Gagnaire’s will visit his Hong Kong restaurant from October 24th to 30th 2019 to Hong Kong to launch his autumn tasting menu. The five-course menu will be available for lunch and dinner from 24 to 30 October 2018 at HKD1,998 per person.]

Hong Kong is set for another influx of Western celebrity chefs as Yannick Alleno’s long awaited bistro, Terroir Parisien, is slated to open in Central this summer, Bjorn Frantzen has opened Frantzen’s Kitchen and Jean-Georges Vongerichten has returned to the city with Mercato. David Thompson and Wolfgang Puck are also thought to be searching for sites here. But Asian expansion doesn’t mean guaranteed success: Mario Batali’s Carnenvino has closed in Hong Kong, Gordon Ramsay shut his restaurant in Tokyo and both Guy Savoy and Jason Atherton shipped out of Singapore. So what makes some international restaurants thrive in foreign markets while others falter?

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Apr 12

Is there a need for Best Female Chef awards?

Lanshu Chen at the pass

Asia’s Best Female Chef 2014 Lanshu Chen at Le Mout, Taiwan

[UPDATE: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017 have been announced amid the usual controversy. Not least because of the lack of female chefs at the helm of restaurants on the list. Highlighted by the fact that the restaurant run by The World’s Best Female Chef 2017, Ana Ros, doesn’t even make it onto the World’s 50 Best restaurants list. (Hisa Franko in Slovenia is number 69 on the “long list”).

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards are no better. Lanshu Chen of Le Mout in Taiwan remains the only recipient of the Asia’s Best Female Chef accolade to be (sole) head chef of a restaurant that’s also recognised as one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. While Bo.Lan in Bangkok which consistently makes the top 50 is helmed by another previous winner, Bo Songvisava, she does so with her husband Dylan Jones (the “Lan” in Bo.Lan).

This year’s Asia’s Best Female Chef May Chow’s eatery, Little Bao in Hong Kong, doesn’t feature in the top 50, neither did any of the restaurants overseen by last years’ winner Margarita Fores of the Philippines or the Tate Dining Room in Hong Kong run by Vicky Lau, Asia’s Best Female Chef 2015.

Which begs the question, is there any point in naming a Best Female Chef if their restaurants are not deemed good enough to be voted one of the Best 50 Restaurants? Or is it further proof that more spotlight on and awareness about female chefs is needed?]

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Jan 15

Taste of Hong Kong

Following success in London and 21 other cities, the Taste festival is coming to Hong Kong. If you don’t like to queue at no reservation restaurants, can’t get in to a hard to book venue or simply don’t have the cash for a blow out meal then this is great news.

A selection of the city’s top restaurants including Amber, Tin Lung Heen, Aberdeen Street Social, Arcane, Yardbird, Duddell’s, Serge et le Phoque and Tosca will present small plate signature dishes for the event in March.

 

 

These include Hokkaido scallops, sati jelly and avocado from Aberdeen Street Social (above left), Ebisu oyster with seaweed and shallots from Amber (below right), meatballs with egg yolk from Yardbird (above right), Barbecue Pork from Tin Lung Heen, Tiramisu with limoncello from Tosca (bottom left) and Dacquoise almond biscuit with vanilla cream at Serge et le Phoque (bottom right).

 

Expect to see star chefs including Richard Ekkebus from Amber, Shane Osborn of Arcane, Pino Lavarra from Tosca and Matt Abergel from Yardbird at the event. As well as an internationally acclaimed toque, chosen by the Hong Kong chefs, to be announced. Who will it be? Gordon Ramsay? Jamie Oliver? Nuno Mendez? The ubiquitous Ferran Adria? Watch this space.

Taste of Hong Kong will take place March 10th -13th. Tickets are on sale now.

http://www.hongkong.tastefestivals.com/

Jan 27

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Is A Woman’s Place in the Professional Kitchen?

 

 

Vicky Lau, Veuve Clicquot Asia's Best Female Chef 2015

Vicky Lau, Veuve Clicquot Asia’s Best Female Chef 2015

Asia’s Best Female Chef 2015 is Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room, Hong Kong. Lau becomes the third winner of the award and will be officially presented with it at the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony at the Capella Hotel in Singapore on March 9th.

“The aim is to promote and celebrate female talent in an industry that remains very male dominated,” says William Drew, spokesman for the award, sponsored by Veuve Clicquot – a drinks brand associated with a strong, woman boss. “We would love to reach a position where this award becomes unnecessary but I think we are some way off that situation yet, unfortunately.”

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