It’s no longer enough to score advance reservations to the hottest private kitchens in Hong Kong. The next food-focused status symbol is to be in on one-time-only pop-up meals, especially those presented by up-and-coming international chefs.
That’s what took place at Sheung Wan’s Man Mo Café on Monday night, its usual rest day.
The underground dinner was put on by young New York-born chef Kwame Onwuachi. The 26 year-old American rising star, having already worked in top US kitchens like Per Se and Eleven Madison Park, is planning to open his first restaurant in Washington D.C. this fall.
But before that, he agreed to come to Asia to prepare this unique showcase meal.
Just over 20 lucky guests were invited to partake in the first ever pop-up concept by new food presenter, Test Kitchen, the brainchild of founder Vincent Mui.
“We want to bring in chefs from within Hong Kong or overseas and give them a platform to showcase their talents,” he said.
These types of guerrilla dining events have become popular in hip urban centres like New York, Portland and Chicago.
And now for the first time, emerging chefs can test their mettle in one of the world’s pickiest dining scenes before committing to a brick and mortar operation.
The five course selections with wine pairing certainly highlighted Onwuachi as a talent to watch.
One thing is very clear: it’s not easy to pinpoint his worldly influences. The Caribbean nuances, Asian flavours, Creole spices and contemporary French techniques melded together seamlessly for a pan-American taste fest.
Butternut Squash
From the opening course of young abalone, diced and served in its own shell with a corn masala, cashews and the slight bitterness of lily buds, it was a mix of ideas and traditions.
To be more descriptive it, it was like a fun mashup of a cold Macanese sauce and Indian Korma curry in a seafood salad.
This was followed by a Butternut Squash in a creamy soup with pickled bites.
Pompano Fish Fillet
Next up, guests were presented with a Pompano fish fillet and a cream of lapsang souchong (a black tea), sunchoke ecrase (a sort of mashed artichoke), red shiso leaf and burnt citrus juice, which diners applied for themselves using charred lemons that doubled as table decoration.
The main course was a juicy piece of A4 Wagyu beef accompanied by a fascinating combination of pickled quail egg, masala jus and tiny Shimeji mushrooms.
The fatty protein was balanced by the vinegar in the egg, while the yolk’s inherent richness delivered an extra level of luxury. It’s a bold and ballsy culinary move.
The dessert paid homage to the classic French Floating Island concept, but at the same time gave a nod to Chinese dessert soups with a toasted almond anglaise spiked with a punchy thyme meringue (acting as the island), plus bits of mangosteen and dragon fruit for freshness.
Floating Island
Guests got to enjoy wine and beverage courtesy of Vin D’elite and Deep Cove breweries as well. Not a bad way to spend a Monday evening.
Test Kitchen doesn’t have a fixed schedule of when they offer their pop-up dining events, but you can register on their website to be notified of such exclusive events. The cost of each with be detailed in their announcements.
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