August 2014 Celebrated Living - page 75

savoryandgo fortheoverridingsweet. In
thiscase?Apineapplebun,which looks
andtastesnothing likeapineapple. It’s
actuallyawarmpastry, softandsweet
and loadedwithbutter—“Itmustbehot
enoughtowarmthebutterbutnotso
hotthat itmelts,”oersPui—toppedo
withaskimofcaramelizedsugar.
SEVERAL nights later,moreor less
recovered frommymaddescent into
chef-drivencuisine, Ireturntothescene
of thecrime:BoInnovation, therestaurant
ownedbyAlvinLeung,who initiallysetme
oonthis ideaofeating likeachef inHong
Kong.Thecrowd istonyandthe food is
outrébydesign.Sittingatadiningcounter
that looks intothekitchen, Iworkmyway
throughcombinationssuchas foiegras
withKoreanmisoandtorosashimiexplod-
ingwithumami.KnowingIwouldn’tbe
seeingLeungtonight, Icameequipped
withaCubancigarofmyown,figuring it’d
beperfect forapost-prandialstroll.
Three-quartersof thewaythroughdin-
ner,mywaiterhopsoverandhandsmea
cordlesstelephone. It’sLeung, calling from
Toronto. “Youenjoyyourmeal?Youhaving
agoodtime inHongKong?”heasks.
“Themeal’sgreat,”Itellhim. “AndHong
helpbutwonder how authentic an Italian restaurant inHongKong could really be.
Konghasbeenterrific. Itookyouradvice.”
I’mgreetedbysilenceontheotherendof
thephone line.
“IateatLungKingHeen, intheFour
Seasons,”Iexplain. “AndIaskedacouple
ofotherchefs fortheirrecommendations—
and followedthem.”
Leungstilldoesn’tseemtounderstand.
Butthat’sOK. Idon’tneedhimtoconfer
approvalonmydiningchoices. I justwish
hecouldhavebeenalong fortheride.
MICHAELKAPLAN isbased inBrooklyn,N.Y., andhaswrit-
ten for Wired and TheNewYorkTimes’ TMagazine ,among
other publications. In thewake of his Hong Kong food
odyssey, he’senjoyingaseriousobsessionwithXOsauce.
FROMLEFT: Lung
KingHeenat theFour
SeasonsHongKong is
known for being thebest
Cantonese restaurant in
the city, servingdishes
likepoached shrimpand
mushroomdumplings in
superior soup (pictured).
THE DETAILS
Bo Innovation
60JohnstonRoad,
WanChai
011-852-2850-8371
www.boinnovation.com
Yardbird
33BridgesSt., SheungWan
011-852-2547-9273
www.yardbird
restaurant.com
LungKingHeen
Four SeasonsHotel
HongKong
8FinanceSt., Central
011-852-3196-8880
www.fourseasons.com/
hongkong
TheChairman
18KauUFong, Central
011-852-2555-2202
www.thechairman
group.com
Chachawan
206HollywoodRoad,
SheungWan
011-852-2549-0020
www.chachawan.hk
SisterWah
13ElectricRoad,
TinHau
011-852-2807-0181
Fish&Chick
25NewPraya, Kennedy
Town, SaiWan
011-852-2974-0088
8 1/2OttoEMezzo
Bombana
18ChaterRoad, Central
011-852-2537-8859
www.ottoemezzo
bombana.com
TimHoWan
9-11 FukWingSt.,
ShamShui Po
011-852-2788-1226
www.timhowan.com
KwanKeeBamboo
Noodles
1-EWingLungSt.,
CheungShaWan
011-852-3484-9126
KamWahCafe
47ButeSt., Kowloon
011-852-2392-6830
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