The last dim sum

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We have an alumnus back in town for a few days, and since our beloved Metropol Restaurant (名都酒樓) is closing its doors in 2 days, our friend requested that we do lunch there today. We are grateful that Mamo grabbed a table for the three of us, because we would have had to wait a pretty long time for a table!

Our friend apparently brought a ferocious appetite with him, so he was out grabbing anything and everything - ignoring the fact that there were only three mouths at the table... and one of them was at half capacity.

Steamed spare rib in black bean sauce (豉汁蒸排骨)

Spicy typhoon dinner

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Some of us have been lucky enough to follow the career of the Kitchen Nazi Man in White T-shirt for quite some time - since 2010 in my case - and watch him gain popularity and recognition over the years. His current restaurant Neighborhood first appeared on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2018, and he received the Inedit Damm Chef's Choice Award in 2022. Although we were never quite sure that he was gunning for it, friends were nevertheless ecstatic when Neighborhood was awarded its first macaron in 2023. Those in the know have been flocking to his restaurant for years, but truth be told, he remained relatively anonymous outside a relatively small culinary circle.

But things have completely changed this year. Somehow this seasoned chef stumbled onto the Chinese TV cooking competition show Chef of China (一饭封神) - as a contestant, no less!. After the show began airing, our friend became one of the most popular participants and gained millions of fans. Suddenly half of China wanted to come to Hong Kong and dine at Neighborhood. On my last visit, I witnessed first hand how first-time guests gushed in front of him and asked for cheffies. There were even people who didn't have a booking but simply wanted to come by the restaurant and get a look at this celebrity chef. Yes, our friend has turned into a celebrity in the most populated country on the planet.

One of the rounds of the competition involved our friend teaming up with two other chefs - Chef Zeng Huaijun (曾怀君) of Song (宋・川菜) in Guangzhou, and Chef Tiffany Tung (董嘉琪) - where they were asked to cook something spicy. Chef Zeng took the lead on creating the flavors (her restaurant serves Sichuan cuisine and does have a Michelin star), while The Man in White T-shirt made the call to confit the fish. This team received the most votes from the judges in this round of the competition, and soon there were 6-hands collaborations set up here and there.

So this is how we got here tonight... a collaboration of this team at Neighborhood. On a evening where the Hong Kong Observatory hoisted the Typhoon Signal 8 for Typhoon Ragasa. On a day where I was suffering from gastroenteritis... when the last thing I needed was putting spice into my digestive system. But I knew Foursheets really wanted to come because she really loves spicy food, and this was obviously one of the hottest tickets in town. So I sucked it up for her.

20 years of Caprice

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I've been privileged to have developed long-term relationships with a number of restaurants which have remained in business due to their delicious cuisines. It seems easy to take for granted that the restaurants we love will always be around, without realizing that - especially in a city like Hong Kong with its excruciatingly high cost of rent, among other things - it's quite something for them to achieve any sort of longevity. It is therefore really something that Caprice in the Four Seasons Hong Kong is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

I don't know exactly when I first visited Caprice, as it probably happened in 2006 - before I started being regular with recording restaurant visits in this here diary. I do remember that I became a fan very quickly, especially of Chef Thierry Vincent and maître d'hotel Jeremy Evrard. My friendships with them would carry on to their future posts and last until today, well beyond their long tenures at the restaurant.

I was ecstatic when news broke in 2017 that Hairy Legs would relocate to Hong Kong and takeover as the third chef of Caprice. I had been a fan since I first visited Tasting Room by Galliot in early 2014, and eventually got to meet him in a social setting thanks to Mrs. Hairy Legs. He was on a clear upward trajectory - having taken the restaurant from earning its first Michelin star in the first year of operation (and one of only seven restaurants with stars in Macau at the time), to being promoted to two stars in its third year. Meanwhile at Caprice, after its fourth year of being demoted to two stars, I could see why management was looking for someone to take over the kitchen... and Hairy Legs seemed like a good choice to me.

He accomplished the mission he was hired for - getting Caprice promoted back to three stars in his second year running the kitchen. I remember watching the awards ceremony live on my phone while waiting for the ferry to Macau so I could attend the gala dinner, and screen-capping a few moments - including when he pumped his fists in the air on stage and receiving the plaque. I was so happy for him.

I am grateful he considers me a friend, and I've never not had a great meal since he took over at Caprice. I am therefore so, so happy to come back to the restaurant during the period when they celebrated its 20th anniversary. I was especially happy that my old friend Vincent Thierry was invited to return to the kitchen for the festivities, so that's why I'm here tonight.

The Candidate had previously considered dropping out from tonight's dinner, but later realized it's such a hot ticket that there were hundreds of people on the waiting list. I'm happy she decided to join us.

For the occasion, Valrhona created a traditional junk out of chocolate. I hope the staff get to eat it when the celebrations are over.

9 courses in 90 minutes

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For a variety of reasons I have neglected Goldfinger this year, and that's not a nice way to treat a friend. Thankfully B Bestie extended an invitation to a dinner at Andō for their collaboration with the team from August in Jakarta, giving me the opportunity to at least show my face...

As friends sharing my table were late, I had some time to chat with Chef Hans Christian and partner Budi Cahyadi. I admitted that, amazingly, I have never made it to Jakarta... as I followed the advice of Indonesian friends to go elsewhere. I've transited through the capital city's airport on my way to more remote parts of the country, but not made my way through the infamous city traffic...

A few days ago, I discovered to my horror that I had a board meeting to attend tonight. I suggested to B Bestie that I would just pass up dinner as I would have to leave the restaurant early, but he promised that the kitchen could speed things up for me, and there was plenty of time as long as I started at the appointed time of 6:30 p.m. Well... some people were pretty late in getting to the restaurant, and by 7 p.m. I decided I needed to start without them.

This "welcome drink" was apparently a "cold brew tea" based on lemongrass and ginger along with some grapefruit juice. Unfortunately I didn't like it... as it tasted medicinal.

Then came four snacks:

No meat

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It's been some time since my friendly neighborhood prime broker took me out to lunch, and I was pleasantly surprised when they booked us a table at Arcane. I had only visited the restaurant once for lunch, and that was many years ago. For some reason the place just isn't on my radar screen, even though once in a while I'll rememeber that it exists and make a mental note to find time to visit. Well, here's my chance!

I decided to forgo ordering à la carte and stuck to the three-course lunch set. I sometimes do this when others are paying, and try to see if I would consider the set as offering good value. Since I had returned from a week-long eating fest in Seoul with lots of beef and pork, today I chose dishes without any meat in them.

Salad of pickled plum, radicchio and chayote with burrata, sherry vinegar dressing - there's plenty of acidity in them pickled plums, which was somewhat tempered by the burrata's creaminess.