Page 34 - Hong_Kong_&_Macau's_Best_Restaurants_English_edition

SAVOUR FEATURE

PARTICIPATING CHEFS
John Javier and May Chow
(Happy Paradise), Taku
Sekine, Daniel Calvert (Belon),
Jowett Yu (Ho Lee Fook), and
Bao La (Le Garçon Saigon)

different schedules, but we try to find a common time every of our guests learning more about Hong Kong, we get to
now and then for a special night out—a sort of event-of- revisit these places and have a good time, too.”
the-month where Jowett, Daniel and I, sometimes with It’s time to hit the second spot. From the bustling hotspot
Yardbird’s Jeff Claudio,” explains Bao. “We’re in a favourite of Happy Paradise, we head to a pseudo-secret Japanese
hangout marathon, starting with dai pai dong, followed izakaya, located in a commercial building in Causeway
by karaoke and Ichiran ramen to end the night.” “Oh yes, Bay. The dimly lit lift takes us up and we enter through
karaoke is definitely in our blood,” interjects Daniel. “When a wooden door partially covered with a noren (door
we go out, we go out—we normally forget about restaurant curtain). The entrance reveals a modest restaurant, with
matters. This is the only time we can hang out and forget a Japanese wooden bar in the centre and an open kitchen
about the duties that give us stress. When we de-stress, we lined with sakes and whiskies. This is Hidden, best known
forget all about work.” for highballs and kushiage (deep-fried skewers). Hidden is
Chefs like these three have become ambassadors of the also a favourite hangout among the city’s fine-dining chefs,
younger generation of F&B. As frequently happens, when including the likes of Neighborhood’s David Lai and Ta Vie’s
out-of-town chefs visit Hong Kong, they look for the trio— Hideaki Sato. On any given night, there’s at least a chef or
together with May Chow of Happy Paradise, Little Bao and two sitting along the bar, chatting over beers—and on the
Second Draft—for a wild night of fun eating. “When chefs evening of our visit, we spotted five: Vea’s Vicky Cheng,
visit Hong Kong, of course they’ll plan their own meals. Cô Thành’s Son Pham, Haku’s Agustin Balbi, Frantzén’s
They visit Amber, Mott 32 and Lung King Heen, and even Kitchen’s Jim Löfdahl and Petrus’ Ricardo Chaneton.
Yardbird—the kind of restaurants that have made it big Before Hidden’s skewer set menu commences, the chefs are
internationally,” says Jowett. “What we can do, on top of delighted to open up about their late-night hangout stories.
their fine-dining experiences, is show them what kind of “We sure don’t look like a group of chefs who would
city Hong Kong is according to how we experience it. It hang out together,” admits Son Pham. “I work in a
isn’t often that outsiders get to see the more local side of Vietnamese noodle shop, Ricardo at a hotel, and the rest of
Hong Kong in terms of food. We could go to an old place them are on the finer side of cuisine. I usually finish work
like Luk Yu or Lin Heung teahouse for yum cha, or the quite early—I’m done at around 9 or 10 in the evening—
noodle shops in Sham Shui Po. There are places you can but these guys sometimes don’t finish until midnight
only do in the wee hours of the evening. And in the process or even later.” The five chefs all know each other from

32 | T .DINING 2018