Tonight We’re Gonna Party Like It’s 1929

April 28, 2017 / by Jasper Morris

Caveat Emptor

March 31, 2017 / by Philip Moulin

In December 2013, the foundations of the global fine wine market were rocked to the core when a young Indonesian-Chinese wine collector, Rudy Kurniawan (born Zhen Wang Huang), was sentenced by a New York courthouse to ten years in prison for what the US legal system described as “mail and wire fraud”. In short, his crime was the selling of an estimated US$100 million worth of counterfeit wine between 2002 and 2012, when he was ultimately arrested at his home in Los Angeles. 

Given that Kurniawan was essentially operating a cottage industry from his house, the scale of his crime is breathtaking. His fakes took several different forms, with the most basic technique involving the refills of genuine old bottles (often recovered from rubbish bins after grand tastings) with his own blends of cheaper wines, designed to mimic the real thing. As he became more confident, he took to counterfeiting labels of old, rare wines and sticking them on far inferior, younger bottles. 

Kurniawan’s early fakes, while initially convincing, were often prone to spelling mistakes or simple errors in labelling law, which made them stand out. As his own knowledge of the subject grew, however, his labels became harder to tell apart from the real thing. His main route to market was through high-profile wine auctions, the two largest of which sold more than 16,000 bottles in 2006, worth some US$22 million in total. 

If that one-man operation wasn’t scary enough, consider the potential scale of the fake wine problem in China. Between 2010 and 2014, an intrepid lawyer, Nick Bartman, travelled the length of the country to get an idea of the scale of counterfeit wine in what’s now the world’s fifth-largest wine importer. Bartman’s discoveries were remarkable, ranging from a PR company offering advice to counterfeiters on label reproduction to entire bottling plants churning out huge amounts of cheap swill that bore fake labels of more illustrious wines, usually from France. 

So how does the everyday buyer and consumer avoid falling prey to forgers? Much the same as what merchants must also do to avoid the same fate, it’s crucial to make certain, as far as you possibly can, exactly where your wine is coming from. Buying at auction is fine, but a little research is vital – and only trust the best auction houses. As a general rule, those merchants and auctioneers with the oldest names don’t want to jeopardise their long-held reputations for the sake of a quick buck. 

Trip to Tiramisu World

February 24, 2017 / by Wang Yuke

Caviar Creations

February 24, 2017

Springtime in the Kitchen

February 24, 2017 / by Louis-Marie Delmas

Is spring truly a time of anticipation for chefs?

Cooks always love springtime because it’s the season of new vegetables, herbs, flowers and the first mushrooms. 

What are the star foods of springtime and how do you prepare them? 

Asparagus, morel mushrooms and new ratte potatoes from Noirmoutier are the queens of springtime. Then there are the miniature leeks and miniature carrots – all those little things that are so tasty and so pretty, and that bring such colour and freshness to dishes. The three main asparagus varieties are green, white and purple. This year, we’re serving green asparagus with a piece of sea bream cooked slowly in citrus butter, and a salad made with fresh spring herbs like burnet, chervil, parsley and lemon balm. We also do a cream of Noirmoutier potatoes with a grapefruit reduction that we serve with poultry or fish. We cook morels in cream with all the new vegetables – it’s very refreshing. 

What are your criteria when selecting your ingredients? 

We’re a French restaurant, so we work only with small French producers we know, who respect the product and the environment. For example, we select asparagus from growers in Touraine or Pertuis, which are France’s asparagus capitals. The asparagus has a unique, delicately sweet taste. It’s important because most of the asparagus you find in supermarkets here is industrially produced – the quality is totally different.

Top Dollar

above illustration: © Berry Bros.

December 9, 2016 / by Jasper Morris / Illustration: Billy Wong

There have been quasi-academic studies that appear to prove
that most people can’t tell the difference between a cheap bottle of wine and an expensive one; indeed, they frequently prefer the less expensive option.

There’s a reason for that – and it’s most easily expressed as the difference between a branded wine and a destination. Branded wines are made to a specific price and style, and those responsible know what works in the market. There’s no need for wines of this sort to have any discernible link with a place of origin, though the imprint of a particular grape variety is usually required.

At this point, wine is an alcoholic beverage performing a social function; it may or may not be a pleasure in its own right. Psychologically, once we start paying more for a bottle of wine, we should expect something more in return – a flavour profile that drives a specific sense of enjoyment and perhaps a link to a particular place. It’s not just that we have discovered over the years that great pinot noir and chardonnay are made in Burgundy, cabernet and merlot blends in Bordeaux, shiraz in Barossa, sauvignon blanc in Marlborough and so on – when we taste one of these excellent wines, there’s that magical sense of recognition when it delivers exactly what we expect.

So the elegant red fruit notes combined with violets is not just a delightful taste, but the essence of Chambolle-Musigny in Burgundy. Cedarwood and cigar boxes have been the olfactory triggers for the wines of Bordeaux’s Pauillac for generations of drinkers. As soon as you put your nose in the glass, you start to smile.

However, this all depends on drinking the wine at the right time. The inexpensive branded bottle is going to be purchased and drunk within days (or possibly hours) of going on sale, shortly after bottling – either way, it’ll be ready for its fate. 

But a finely crafted bottle from a famous region needs time in bottle for its full expression to mature, for the tannins or acidity to fade, for the complexity of its bouquet and the nuances of texture to emerge. These are the things we really care about. Great vintages often take longer to come round than lesser ones, so a fine wine drunk at the wrong time can certainly disappoint.

Bubbling Over

December 9, 2016 / by Pierre Godeau

Serving as a sommelier from the age of 19, Nicolas Deneux worked in some of the finest restaurants in Paris (including La Tour d’Argent,
Le Meurice and Plaza Athénée) before coming to Hong Kong in 2009. Today, he’s the director of wine at Nomad Dining and a partner in the group. One of the city’s top sommeliers, he has worked ceaselessly to promote champagnes produced by the winegrowers themselves – known as “champagnes de vignerons”. At age 31, he has also launched an eponymous champagne brand.

As his mother lived just 45 minutes from the first-growth vineyards of Champagne, Deneux frequently explored the region, ultimately falling in love with its champagnes de vignerons. “I’m not the kind of sommelier who learns everything from books,” he explains. “My idea was to go out to the vineyards as often as possible – and the Parisian establishments where I worked were closed on weekends, so I used the opportunity to explore.”

Hired in 2009 as the chief sommelier at Spoon by Alain Ducasse in the InterContinental Hong Kong, Deneux quickly added champagnes de vignerons by the glass to the menu. “Eight years ago, champagne was a taboo subject,” he recalls. “Only a few big brands were known and when I served obscure brands, customers reacted badly because there was still a need for label recognition. However, today, it’s exactly the opposite.” 

Lovely Log

December 9, 2016 / by Philippe Dova / Photo: Roy Liu

It may seem like a rather odd name for a cake – the “logs” on which the French feast at Christmas are not produced by lumberjacks, but there is a connection. Starting in the Middle Ages and continuing down the centuries, it was customary to light a big fruitwood log in the family fireplace on Christmas Eve and let it burn very slowly until New Year’s Day, in the belief that this would guarantee good harvests in the year ahead. Traditional fireplaces were gradually replaced by cast-iron stoves in the 19th century and then by central heating in the 20th century, so the custom died out.

The first edible incarnation of the bûche de Noël was created in 1879 by pastry chef Antoine Charabot, but the bûche we know today – a rolled sponge cake filled with chocolate, coffee, vanilla or Grand Marnier-flavoured buttercream, covered with more buttercream, and embellished with sweets and decorative objects – did not make its appearance in pastry shop windows until 1945. Today this iconic pastry has evolved to include ice cream and fruit mousse variations, and has become popular around the world.

“I remember when I was a child, there were bûches de Noël in all of the Hong Kong pastry shops,” recalls Tracy Chow. The owner of Pomme in Wan Chai, she holds a diploma from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. This year, Tracy has created two traditional bûches and an unusually flavoured Christmas cake. “Because chocolate is always popular, I wanted to make one [pictured above]. I’m using Valrhona dark chocolate – for me it’s the best for baking. As for chestnut, you don’t see many logs made from that and winter is certainly the season for it. Besides the logs, I also wanted to have a festive cake, so I made a green-tea Christmas tree cake.”

Alexandre Brusquet, head pastry chef at Pierre in Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental, set himself the challenge of creating a bûche that was light and not overly sweet – although it wasn’t on the Christmas menu at home when he was growing up. “I spent Christmases at my grandparents’ in Nîmes, and in the south of France the tradition on December 24 was a taste of 13 different desserts. There were mandarins, oranges, candied fruits, dates and chocolate truffles, and we would eat a bit of each, which was thought to bring good luck,” he reminisces.

Brusquet’s “Grand Dessert” for Pierre consists of six items – until December 26, it will also include an intricate bûche de Noël created by the chef. “I’m not a big fan of the traditional buttercream bûche, which I feel is much too heavy after a Christmas dinner,” he explains. “Every year, I try to make something that adds a fresh note. Last year it was an orange mousse bûche, but this year I wanted to do something exotic.”

Brusquet’s unique take on the bûche de Noël is a sponge filled with coconut mousse blended with white chocolate and Malibu liqueur, a passion-fruit meringue dacquoise, a Joconde almond biscuit, lemon marmalade and a centre of caramelised pear. The icing is made with passion fruit and the bûche is covered in dark chocolate “bark”, which is made by pouring 72% cocoa chocolate onto a cylinder to give it its shape. 

Runway Eats

October 28, 2016 / by Bei Li

Upper image: Thomas’s, Burberry, London

Fashion and food have always enjoyed a sophisticated friendship, from fashion-themed afternoon teas to luxury label chocolates. This year during the various Fashion Weeks, food pop-ups were all the rage. More permanently, fashion-branded restaurants around the world epitomise the essence of luxury – and are the perfect locations for you to showcase the current season’s leading looks. 

One of the most established luxury labels with a culinary arm is Armani. Giorgio Armani made his first foray into the world of food and beverage in 1989, and the brand now has restaurants and bars in key fashion cities including Tokyo, Milan and Dubai. In Hong Kong, there’s the restaurant Armani/Aqua as well as the Armani/Privé bar and club, which boasts stunning views of Central from its rooftop terrace; the brand also has a delicious chocolate line. 

Vivienne Westwood is another top brand with a culinary outlet in Hong Kong: the Vivienne Westwood Cafe in Harbour City, well known for its high-tea sets, is the brand’s second branch, the first being in the K11 mall in Shanghai. Also in Shanghai, discerning travellers can drop by 1921 Gucci – the world’s first Gucci restaurant, which also features a chocolate bar and a cafe.

For shoppers searching for a chic beach retreat with fashionable food to match, the Cavalli Ibiza Restaurant & Lounge is hard to beat, with Italian
cuisine and that signature Roberto Cavalli animal-print decor. Fans of bold prints can also rejoice (and imbibe) at the Vanitas restaurant, housed in the Palazzo Versace on Australia’s Gold Coast, while they enjoy lagoon views and a striking 13-metre painting depicting Gianni Versace’s life. 

Fashion brands are particularly keen on opening cafes in their flagship stores. Cafe Dior by Pierre Hermé is a chic spot in the brand’s Seoul flagship store in the upscale Cheongdam district, with macarons and pastries galore. Last year, Burberry opened its first café, housed in its Regent Street flagship store in London. Thomas’s is named after the brand’s founder, Thomas Burberry, and it serves distinctly British fare with ingredients sourced from local farmers. 

There’s a Ralph’s Coffee shop on the second floor of Ralph Lauren’s flagship store in New York City, with a vintage truck popping up around the city for New Yorkers to get their caffeine fix. Also a trailblazer on the fashion-meets-food front, the brand has gourmet outlets in several cities worldwide, including Ralph’s in Paris, the Polo Bar in New York City and the RL Restaurant in Chicago. 

Milan is home to several fashion-focused restaurants, such as Prada’s stunning Bar Luce, designed by fashion’s favourite film director, Wes Anderson. There’s also Ceresio 7 Pools & Restaurant, a glamourous Milanese rooftop location from Dean and Dan Caten, the identical-twin designers behind Dsquared2.