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2012-07-02
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As Wong Chuk Hang is fast becoming the "South SoHo" of HK Island (probably not right now but hopefully in a few years when the new MTR line finally reaches here), trendy establishments like hotels, galleries and select shops have opened up in this middle-of-nowhere place which used to have nearly only industrial buildings.So now even industrial buildings are under transformation. Chef Studio is one of the pioneers in this area, nestled in an industrial building unit. It is relatively easily acce
So now even industrial buildings are under transformation. Chef Studio is one of the pioneers in this area, nestled in an industrial building unit. It is relatively easily accesible as the building is just next to a bus stop, and fingers crossed, in time there will be an MTR station next to this building.
The surroundings may be unappealing, but once you push open the doors to Chef Studio you quickly find yourself comfortable. Yes the place has maintained its industrialistic minimalism (as seen in the shiny professional open kitchen) but quite a few delightful touches such as the warm wooden tables and the bird cage decor make guests feel welcomed.
I came here one evening for a tasting dinner, so the menu was already made known beforehand - unless you have special dietary needs or preferences, whcich you'd better tell him when you call to book the table - Chef Eddy Leung will put on a culinary magic show with his best shots.
Chef Eddy Leung, chef owner of Chef Studio, opened Poison Ivy, the well-acclaimed French restaurant more than a decade ago, subsequently moving on to become executive chef of Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, The Mira and also East Hotel in Tai Koo. And now that he has his own place, we were about to see and taste the "Best Of's" dishes Chef Leung has under his belt. Before everything else, there was this absolutely delish foccacia bread made on the house.
Moist, soft and fragrant with the smell of olive oil, olives and dried tomato (oh yeah they make their own dried tomatoes too!), it was not surprising to see it all go within minutes!
~ Crabmeat & Avocado Salad with Salmon CaviarThe appetizer was a fine reflection of Chef Leung being in touch with current dining trends even he is a very experienced chef. He uses locally grown and sourced vegetables in his dishes, such as the rocket leaves here. It was not just following the trend (LOHAS, farm-to-fork, whatever), but indeed the leaves tasted much sweeter and fresher than most flown-in organic stuff. The crabmeat was briny and matched well with the avocado purée. The only minor bump was that the salmon caviar aka salmon roe was a little too salty.
~ Tomato & Quail ConsomméServing it in a teacup is too cliche even nowadays, but who cares as long as it tastes good? This applied to the consommé; even though it was a bit richer and tasted more intense than what people used to think of consommés, it was still relatively light on the palate. As an authentic Cantonese Chinese growing up on doubleor even triple-boiled soups, I liked this one. Just that the piece of wonton with ?quail meat and silvers of carrots was kind of a disappointment - the closing end of the "wonton skin" was too thick and hard. It would have been as fine if I had been given just the consommé, or maybe the wonton could be shaped into a 水饺 instead?
Coming up next would be a signature dish by Chef Leung, made with the sous-vide (slow-cooking) machine shown above.
~ Salmon Confit on Pommery Mustard Sauce. The pink succulent salmon was a result of lots of TLC devoted to slow-cooking the fish in goose fat for hours. (Sorry Chef, I wasn't paying attention to your explanation of the technical details, but all I knew was that it was DELICIOUS!) The mustard sauce was creamy and tickling on the tastebuds.
~ 12 hours Braised Wagyu Cheek with Sous Vide Short Ribs was the highlight of the evening. As we gathered around the kitchen counter snapping off Chef Leung and his sous chef, as they worked in perfect harmony assembling the dish for the 20-odd strong eager audience. That alone was spectacular. The Wagyu cheek sat on a bed of mashed potatoes, the meat was intense in its beefiness, tender yet having a bit of gelatinous texture. What was even better was the sous vide short ribs served in its jus. The melt-in-your-mouth meat and fat was just...divine.
~ Signature Dessert: Salted Caramel Mousse Crumble from Black n White
For this particular meal the dessert was supplied supplied by Black n White, a reknowned dessert joint founded by celebrity dessert chef Jeffrey Koo. This dessert was very complex in its structure and flavours, featuring Chef Koo's signature white "chocolate sphere". I particularly liked the salted caramel mousse. This was a nice ending to a wonderful meal, and a valuable collaboration between two master chefs.
Finally Chef Leung invited us to visit the collection of herbs he grew on the balcony outside the unit. What an enchanted evening we had, please give a big hand to Chef Leung and his team fo giving us a great time!
张贴
