Tag: French-Japanese cuisine

Ankoma Chameleon: Intimate bistro meets refined izakaya at the fine-dining counter manned by local chef Frankie Wong

Exceptional chefs are like chameleons. They may be acknowledged for their mastery of a certain dish or their own cooking style, but what really distinguishes them from their contemporaries is their capacity to transfer and modify their refined method from one culinary endeavour to the next. A range of vast and varied experiences is also often necessary, as well as humility, patience and innate talent. Such is the case for Hong Kong’s very own culinary rising star, Chef Frankie Wong, who is making a breakthrough performance via Ankôma.

“My inspiration comes from all channels – sometimes it is through suppliers explaining ingredients, or me casually browsing on Instagram, and sometimes in my dreams!” laughs Wong of his French-Japanese cuisine. “Each creation goes through much trial and error and many versions.”

A juxtaposition if ever there was one, the fact that fine-dining haven Ankôma is located in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui’s bustle has amplified just how versatile Wong is and has pronounced the range in his unrestrained perspective. Unlike the busy scenes on the streets below, the fifth-floor restaurant’s eight-seat marble counter, elegantly set with linen napkins, handsome wine glasses and no-fuss flatware, looks into a modern kitchen of the latest chef’s toys and gadgets. The scene is complemented by Wong’s fabulous talent and a menu focusing on local ingredients.

“Fine dining usually has an image of being very proper, not very commonly accessible and can be quite intimidating for some guests,” says the chef. “In Ankôma, guests can enjoy fine-dining-quality dishes but in a casual environment, like a bistro or izakaya. For those who frequent fine-dining restaurants, it can be a change of scene, a different and refreshing experience from what they are used to.”

Each plate is easy on the eye and tasty on the palate. As Wong personally explains each dish – an essential component of the Ankôma experience – diners will discover that the restraint and simplicity which appear to be the defining characteristics of his cuisine may be more colourful and complex than they first thought.

Our tasting parade begins with zuwaigani, a snow crab tartlet with sherry vinegar sheet and battera kombu floss. The unagi course showcases smoked eel with foie-gras mousse on brioche French toast, while saba, a fatty mackerel cured with apple cider vinegar, kombu and mirin, is complemented by a zesty green apple and jellyfish salad, finished with a kick of wasabi emulsion. 

The seasonal hokkigai, a lightly torched surf clam with homemade fish cake, is accompanied by ratatouille consommé, chipolata sausage and coriander. The scallop dish consisting of a buttery pan-fried Hokkaido scallop paired with a cool French bean purée, eggplant purée and vadouvan sauce is the chef’s French take on Indian masala. 

The standout dish comes in the form of a roasted piece of the most tender three yellow chicken. Inspired by his Hong Kong upbringing, the local poultry is artistically served with bannonegi (scallion), ikura (salmon roe), creamy vin jaune (yellow wine) sauce and Hokkaido Nanatsuboshi rice.

Other revelations of this tasting menu include how well angel hair pasta pairs with wakame, shiso blossoms and caviar when it has been flavoured with white truffle paste. The next dish presents butter-aged lobster tails cooked over lava stones and topped with daikon oden (simmered radish stew), handmade chilli oil and a sauce of sakura-ebi (shrimp) and kabocha (winter squash). 

The dessert of pistachio almond crunch, ganache, mochi and ice cream, as well as offerings of seasonal fruit, make the perfect ending to this sumptuous dinner.

 Ankôma’s tasteful contemporary French-Japanese approach proves that striking a balance between revolutionising traditional cuisine and creating an inviting restaurant is a worthwhile pursuit. A collaboration among generations helps heaps, but it’s a collective passion for serving a unique, delicious experience that lights the match. 

Ankoma, 5/F, Kam Lung Commercial Centre, 2 Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Photos: Ankoma  Video: Jack Fontanilla  

Restaurant review: Bibo, where style meets substance

If there were a restaurant equivalent of a speakeasy, Bibo would fit the bill perfectly. Tucked away in Sheung Wan opposite Man Mo temple, it would take a fair bit of investigative skills to firstly locate the restaurant and then to actually get the door open – if one is given to flights of fancy, the experience may seem something like entering Ali Baba’s cave from Arabian Nights.

Renowned street artist Invader’s work displayed at Bibo

Once you’ve successfully crossed the initial hurdles, there’s one more to go: there are two staircases, one going up, another going down – which one do you choose? We followed our instincts and took the path oft travelled and that led us – wonder of wonders – to the right destination, a cosy restaurant and a well-stocked bar – a welcome sight, indeed!

Bibo
Chef Nicholas Chew

But the surprise was not yet over. In a city where every eatery is desperate to outbid others by bolder, glitzier, more glamorous decor, Bibo goes on a different path altogether. With contemporary art lining literally every surface – from street artist Invader’s ‘notorious’ pixel art to American artist Kaws’ iconic cross-eyed installations, every nook and corner has a cool chic vibe, perfect for an urban crowd ready to forsake ostentatiousness.

At the helm of this urban cuisinary is new executive chef, Nicholas Chew, who gives the classic French menu at Bibo an Asian makeover. The result in an French-Asian fusion cuisine with a modern flair, that tips its hat to French techniques, while exploring its Asian roots through premium indigenous ingredients.

Squid cheong fun

The first dish itself – squid cheong fun – lays testimony to Chef Nick’s vision. The humble rice noodle rolls have been replaced with squid, that has been lightly steamed to simulate the consistency of the traditional cheong fun. To be fair, it’s a dish that’s perhaps more to be applauded for its inventiveness than its actual flavours, but it sets the tone for the next course which is a sustainably sourced Hamachi yellowtail with apple ceviche. The fish was fresh, buttery, but nothing extraordinary; it is the citrusy apple jus, however, that convinced us of the chef’s skills. The citric – yet mildly sweet – flavours of the jus bound every element of the dish into a surprisingly harmonious creation.

Bibo
Hamachi yellowtail paired with apple ceviche

However, we were in for another surprise as we took the first spoonful of the celeriac risotto. The name should have been a giveaway but we didn’t fully appreciate its aptness until we realised that traditional rice has been replaced by finely chopped celeriac, giving the dish a refreshing acidic bite. Coupled with mango and truffles, this is an item that one can gorge on, without feeling guilty about calorie intake. The next course that greeted us was Wagyu Miyazaki. With Wagyu beef, it’s difficult to go wrong and in the hands of the talented chef, it reached a poetic perfection. The succulent meat – tender on the inside, crisp on the outside – was paired perfectly with scallops, chanterelles and cherries, and was as impeccable a creation as any. Our only grouch? It finished too soon!

Bibo
Celeriac risotto

With our expectations already sky-high, it was time to dig into the desserts duo – strawberry dacquoise and passion fruit cream. However, maybe because we were expecting nothing short of maverick genius by this time, the desserts left something to be desired.  

Well, if the desserts fell slightly short, the wine pairings more than made up for it. Throughout the tasting, we were treated to one liquid gem after the other from the vineyards of Italy and France. Special kudos to the sommelier at Bibo, for his extensive – yet carefully handpicked – wine collection that could easily be the envy of any bar in the city.

With a winning combination of French-Asian cuisine, extensive wine selection and artsy interiors, Bibo brings the best of both worlds – fine arts and fine dining – into one creative space. At the end of the day, it’s a mighty fine experience, we say!

Reservations: www.bibo.hk
Address: 163 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Phone: +852 2956 3188

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Takumi by Daisuke Mori plates up well-finessed Franco-Japanese cuisine

It’s no secret that every Wan Chai eatery is desperate to snaffle passing trade by being bolder, glitzier and more in-your-face than its neighbouring rivals. Should such one-uppery and ostentation leave you with no appetite, then one of the district’s more discreet dineries – Takumi by Daisuke Mori, a bastion of well-finessed Franco-Japanese cuisine – should maybe loom large on your ‘to nosh’ list.

Takumi by Daisuke Mori is an intimate dining experience
The 12-seat Takumi by Daisuke Mori offers an intimate omakase experience

Set squarely at the less-travelled end of Wood Road, this craftily-concealed cuisinery is fronted by an unassuming, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it access point. Once home to Wagyu Takumi, Chef Daisuke Mori now holds sway here, with his new restaurant having won a Michelin star of its own for two successive years. 

Maintaining that it’s his experience on the global gourmand trail that gives him his edge, he says: “I’ve worked in many places across the world and that really opened my eyes, making me willing to experiment with different ingredients and cooking styles. At Takumi, though, we’re solely focussed on fusing Japanese simplicity with a typically French aplomb, while using only the finest produce both countries have to offer.”

Homemade pasta with Japanese sugar tomato, “mi-cuit” Aori Ika
Homemade pasta with Japanese sugar tomato, “mi-cuit” Aori Ika

Keen to see if his philosophy truly delivered, our chef-selected tasting menu opened with Homemade pasta with Japanese sugar tomato, “mi-cuit” Aori Ika. The mi-cuit (a French technique that outwardly sears an ingredient while leaving it tender within) Aori Ika squid was perfectly complemented by the tender sweet tomatoes, with a judicious basil oil reduction neatly binding the dish. 

With Mori’s innovative East-meets-West flair immediately to the fore, the dish was served unexpectedly cold. Given the summer heat, this proved to be an unusual, yet wholly-refreshing, departure from the norm.

Pan-fried hairtail, baby corn and French green pea
Pan-fried hairtail, baby corn and French green pea

What else to follow but Pan-fried hairtail, baby corn and French green pea? Having never partaken of the hairtail fish, this was a revelatory introduction. Most memorably, the fish’s unusual ground sourdough crust gave each delicate bite that added crunch. Served with a kinome-miso sauce, the dish calls to an underwater garden. 

For the soup course, Chef Mori presented Black abalone with shiitake consommé, with Hong Kong’s most-loved mollusc proudly taking centre stage. Seared to secure a caramelised and slightly smoky texture before being be-brothed, these succulent sea snails were amply garnished with ginko nuts and black truffle shavings. 

Black abalone with shiitake consommé
Black abalone with shiitake consommé

Scarcely had the consommé been consumed than the Grilled Wagyu tenderloin made the grandest of entrances. This particular premium beef would quell the quibbles of even the most quarrelsome critics, even before its custom-picked condiments – including Salsifis puree, Aomori garlic confit and fresh wasabi – hoved into view. Arguably amounting to five different dishes in one serving, the only complaint – and, I suspect, a common one – might be that is there is not nearly enough on the plate to sate the inevitably-drooling diner.

Finally, it was dessert time, with Chef Mori unveiling his summer special Hokkaido melon with Sauternes wine and basil sorbet. Pitching symmetrical spheres of Hokkaido’s famous Yubari melon, marinated overnight in sweet Sauternes wine, against a cold melon soup, with a striking basil sorbet mediating between the two, this took us well into premium pudding territory. 

Hokkaido melon with Sauternes wine and basil sorbet
Hokkaido melon with Sauternes wine and basil sorbet

It was a fitting finale to a fantastic feast and an apt testament to the Chef’s finesse in subtly fusing Japan’s finest ingredients with weaponised French preparatory techniques. This dish, as with the entire menu and the establishment itself, proves that tactical, bold – but informed – blending is the gift that, in the right hands, just never stops giving.

Shop 1, G/F, The Oakhill, 16 Wood Road, Wan Chai. (852) 2574 1299. 

Text: Tenzing Thondup

Hidden Treasures: Yusuke Takada wows and challenges with Épure pop-up menu

French fine dining establishment Épure welcomed Chef Yusuke Takada from two Michelin star La Cime for a special pop-up event last weekend. For three nights, the Osaka-based chef devised an eight-course extravaganza designed to challenge preconceptions of French-Japanese cuisine.

Where most high-end restaurants plate dishes to show off whatever delicacy is on offer, Chef Takada’s creative offerings were more akin to a game of culinary hide-and-seek.

His Sea Urchin, Crab, Kobucha, Yuba was a prime example. Much like an iceberg, the layers of crab and yuba (tofu skin) were submerged under a kombucha-flavoured foam leaving just the sea urchin to peak through the top. The complexity of this multilayered appetiser was only revealed with the first bite.

Ditto the La Royale Oyster, Endive, Mojama, covered in a coating of surprisingly subtle goat cheese and walnut shavings, the Crevettes, a reinterpretation of prawn sushi using glutinous rice and hidden under a layer of amaranth leaves, and the beautifully plated Blue Lobster, cocooned in purple lettuce leaves and served with kumquats and squash.   

The main fish and meat courses were a more straightforward affair. The former was an Amadai fish steak topped with cockles and Jerusalem artichoke slices. The latter featured perfectly marbled melt-in-your-mouth A3 Kagoshima Wagyu Beef accompanied by taro and bresaola.

But lest anyone’s taste buds got too comfortable with conventional flavours, Chef Takada whipped up some truly eyebrow-raising desserts. The milder of the two was a blue cheese and caramel blend sandwiched by succulent pear slices. But the true stunner was the rather dubiously named Chestnut, Beer, Malt, featuring Guiness beer and malt whipped to a custard-like consistency paired with a whole chocolate-covered chestnut.

Chef Yusuke Takada showcased his legendary skills and creative culinary genius with his Épure tasting menu. Each course had hidden depths, both literally and figuratively, and featured non-traditional interplay of textures and flavours designed to challenge diners’ preconceived notions on French-Japanese cuisine. It comes as no surprise, then, that the three-day event at Épure sold out two months in advance.

Text: Tenzing Thondup