香港美食图景中的新秀.docx

香港美食图景中的新秀.docx

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香港美食图景中的新秀

香港美食图景中的新秀

IgotoRomeandIknowthattherewillbeprosciuttoinmydays,bucatiniinmynights.IgotoLisbonwithanuncontestableagendaoftheshellfishandthesausagethatthePortuguesecooksoenviably.

IgotoHongKongwithnoforegoneconclusions,justablankmenutobefilledanynumberofways.That’swhatIloveaboutit.

Technically,HongKong’scuisineisCantonese,andyoushouldfitsomedimsumintoyourdining.Butwhatreallydistinguishesthiselectrifyingcityisitsalmostunrivaledculinaryinternationalism.It’snotjustaglobalcrossroadsforbusiness.It’saglobalcrossroadsforfood,oneofahandfulofcommercialcapitals,likeNewYorkandLondon,thathavenoparticularconcentrationofambitious,accomplishedrestaurantsinanyonegenre.Themostappealingandimportantplacescutacrossalltraditions.

That’sthecaseinHongKongpartlybecauseit’sasettingwheremanyofthebest-knownchefsfromothercountriesestablishoutposts,sometimesevenexportingversionsoftheenterprisesthatmadethemfamous.SushisuperstarsfromTokyohaveplantedflagshere.AsinManhattan,there’saMotorinoforNeapolitanpizzaloversandaCarboneforfansofItalian-Americancooking.AsinParis,there’saL’AtelierdeJoëlRobuchon.

DuringavisitImadetoHongKongin2013,twoofthenewspotsdrawingthemostchatterwereaMexicanrestaurant,Brickhouse,andaJapaneseyakitori,Yardbird.

WhenIreturnedrecentlyandtookafreshinventoryofnewcomersthathadgeneratedsignificantenthusiasm,thelistincludedmanyrestaurantswithMediterraneanmoorings—Spanish,French,Italianoranamalgamofthose.OnerestaurantadvertisedameldingofItalianandJapanese.AspotspecializinginupscaleAmericanhamburgerswasabighit,aswasonespecializinginJapanesecurry.

Andthat’snotcountingthefivestandoutsdescribedinmoredetailbelow.Sufficeittosaythatinthisonepolyglotcityacrossonehungryweek,Iatethewholewideworld.

Nur

ThemaindiningroomopenstoaterraceseveralstoriesabovethestreetsofcentralHongKong,andonthenightwhenIdinedhere,agentlebreezeblewin.

Butthatwasn’tallthattheterraceprovided.Timeandagain,regardingdishafterdish,ourservernotedthatsomeleaf,shootorblossomhadcomefromthegreeneryoutthere,merestridesaway.Forgetfarm-to-table,thiswaspatio-to-table—andavividillustrationofNur’sstatedcommitmenttolocalproducts.

Ihadsatdowntomydinnerherewithsomedoubts.Therestaurant’snamerecognizesthefirstsyllableofthechef’s（NurdinTopham）aswellastheArabicwordfor“light.”ItswebsitelaysoutbothMr.Topham’sbeliefinarestrained,healthfuldisciplinehecalls“nourishinggastronomy”andhispastinvolvementin“asomewhatunorthodoxproject—thedeliciousnessofinsects.”Ibracedforpreciousnessandstrangecritters.Ineedn’thave.

TherearetracesofmoleculargastronomyinsomeofMr.Topham’sartfullycomposeddishes,whichreducecertainingredientstoconcentratedpastesorbrothsofintenseflavor.Andthere’savigorousnodtotheCopenhagenculinarytempleNoma,whereMr.Tophambrieflyworked,andtoitslocavoreethos.Forthatreason,NurhassometimesbeencalledaNewNordicrestaurant.

Butit’smoreoriginalthanthat.Withascrupulousemphasisonthebestvegetables,fishandmeatavailableandwithabsolutelyflawlesscooking,atleastwhenIvisited,Mr.Tophamproducesfoodthat’ssensationallyrobustwithoutbeingtheleastbitrich.It’salmostoxymoronic,packingalightwallop,withaclearnessandpurityofeffectthatI’veseldomencountered.Andit’sbug-free!

Ifthisisnourishinggastronomy,putmedownforceaselessgastronomicnourishment.

Nurdoesn’tgiveyouanychoices.Itservesjustonetastingmenuofninecoursesincludingdessert,andtheycameinrapidenoughsuccessionandsensibleenoughmeasurethatIneverfeltimpatientoroverwhelmed（though,bytheend,Ifeltamplyfilled）.

Therewereorbsofheirloomtomatowithatexturealmostlikesorbetandapooloftomatowateraroundthem.Asubsequentdishcombinedsalmoneggswithwalnutsandhorseradishyogurt.Squid,pairedwithcharredonionsandlemonbasil,wasexquisitelysuppleandsweet,anddessertwasafitting,fetchingcaptoamealwithsuchavegetal,herbaceousbent:

icecreamthattastedlikeFrenchonionsoup.

Althoughthatterraceaccommodatesafewdiners,Isatataspaciousandrelativelyquiettablejustinside,withinviewofanopenkitchenmorefullyandpleasantlyintegratedintothediningroomthansuchstagesoftenare.AndIhadaglassofwhiteBurgundy,followedbyaglassofBarolo,fromawinelistthatcoveredmanyofEurope’shighlights.

Nur,1LyndhurstTerrace,ThirdFloor,Central;nur.hk.Dinnerfortwo,withoutdrinksortip,comestoabout2,375HongKongdollars,or$315,at7.50HongKongdollarstotheU.S.dollar.

Souvla

Thewhitegranitetablesarerimmedinbrightred.Theboothsandbenchesareupholsteredindeeppurple.There’salong,longbarthatrestsatopalong,longrectangleofpalestonesheldtogetherbyameshcage.Asvisuallyarrestingasallofthisis,I’mnotsurewhatithastodowithGreece,whichisthecountrywhosecookingSouvlapaystributeto.

ButthemenuwouldbeinstantlyrecognizabletoanyAthenian.Thefoodwouldpassmusteraswell.Greeksliketothinkthattheyhavesomespecialsecretforoctopusthat’stendererthananywhereelse,butthey’dbehard-pressedtooutdothekitchenhere,whichsculptedandarrangedthethincolumnsofpalepinkfleshintoasortofpyramid.ItwasoctopusLegos.

I’manardentloveroftaramosalata,thatGreek（andTurkish）spreadofsmokedfishroeandoliveoil,andSouvla’sachievedtheperfectpitchofsaltiness,alongwithanetherealcreaminess.Itspreadlikeacloudacrosstrianglesoftoastedpitathatwereglossedwithoilandstillwarm.

Thosetwodishescametowardthestartofourmeal,andIfiguredthatthey’dbethehighpoints.Butthereweretallerpeaksahead.Onewasgemista,ahearty,earthycasseroleofpotatoes,tomatosauceandpeppersstuffedwithrice.Theotherwastheslow-cookedlamb,ribbonsofmeltinglysoftlegmeatplacednexttoaglitteringrelishofpomegranateandatinyglassbottlefilledwithatangyyogurtdressing.

AsIlookedattheartfulpresentationofthelambandthoughtbacktotheoctopus,thedécorsuddenlymadesense.ItwasanannouncementthatSouvlawouldrespectGreecebutreinterpretitwithfillipsallitsown.SowhileSouvlacoversthehoaryclassics—spanakopita,moussaka—itgivessomeofthemaface-lift,andittacksonalonglistofelaboratespecialtycocktails,thefocalpointofalivelybarscene.

Souvla,1/FHoLeeCommercialBuilding,40D’AguilarStreet,Central;conceptcreations.hk.Dinnerfortwo,withoutdrinksortip,averages1,150dollars.

Chachawan

WhileSouvlaandNuraretuckedaway,almostinvisibly,intallbuildings,Chachawanopenswidetothestreet,withthesidewalkalmostactingasitsvestibule.Thisbefitsitsairofscruffy,ragtaginformalityandamenuthat’sinspiredinpartbystreetfoodfromThailand,or,tobemorespecific,thenortheasternThaiprovinceofIsan.That’shownarrowlyfocusedthisrestaurantis,andthat’showethnicallyambitiousHongKongcanget.

WiththecookingofIsanyougetamplespice.Yougetseriousfire.Onedishalmostbroughtmetomyknees.Itlookedsoinnocent,sopretty,asaladwithabright,approachablemedleyofcolorsandtextures,courtesyofgreenpapaya,cherrytomatoes,driedshrimp,peanuts.Buttherewereafewsmallchileslurkinginthere,andtheysoonenoughregisteredtheirpresenceinmythroatandinmygut,whichwassuddenlyacaldron.Itseethedandbubbledforhourstocome.

Chachawanwasworththeburn.Noteverydishcarriedthatrisk,butnearlyeverydishhadtheinterplayofcontrastingeffectsthatareattheheartofSoutheastAsiancooking.Inthe“LarpMoo,”aloose,wetmixofchoppedpork,porkskin,shallotsandmintneededsomethingdryandfirm,soitgotthat,fromleavesofcrisp,coolicebergtobeusedaswraps.

Sweetandsour,sugarandspice,coldandhot:

Thesewerethecurrentsthatranthroughmostofthedishes,includingagarlicky,bonelesschickenthighonastick:

asupersizedsatay.Sweetandsaltyweretheplaymatesinanexcellentdessertofcoconutricedumplingsinasaltedcoconutcream.

Chachawanisroutinelythronged,butit’snotforeveryone.SituatedintheincreasinglytrendyneighborhoodofSheungWan,itdoesn’ttakereservations.Someofitsserversarebetteratstrikinghipsterposesthanseeingtoyourneeds.Theseatingisontheawkwardsideofsnug.

Butthere’snoarguingwiththefoodthatthechef,AdamCliff,produces.Andiftheself-consciouslyscruffysettingisn’texactlyrelaxing,youcanuseChachawan’svivid,creativecocktailsanditssmartinternationalselectionofbeerstounwind.

Chachawan,206HollywoodRoad,SheungWan;chachawan.hk.Dinnerfortwo,withoutdrinksortips,averages675dollars.

AberdeenStreetSocial

ThisrestaurantisaspolishedandrefinedasChachawanishectic.Itspreadsoutovertwostoriesthatincludeadownstairsbar,outdoorterracesandanupstairsdiningroomthat’sdominatedbydarkwoodsandbringstomindtheinsideofachestofdrawers.Theserversarenumerous,properandhovering.

Andthepricesreflectthis.EspeciallyifyouorderwinefromAberdeen’swidelyranginglist,thebillcanclimbhigh.

TherestaurantisaffiliatedwiththeEnglishchefJasonAtherton,aGordonRamsayprotégéwitharapidlygrowinginternationalroster,includingseveralpreviousplacesinHongKong.Hismenuherehasbeencalled“modernBritish,”aculinaryphrase