Dining Awards 2010: Star Chef/Creativity
Winner
Que Vinh Dang, chef/owner, TBLS
It’s difficult to classify the cooking style of Viet-born, US-raised, French-trained Que Vinh Dang. It’s not European, it’s not fusion, it’s not high-end and it’s definitely not low-brow. Instead, it’s a unique sort of cuisine that speaks of Dang’s personal background and inspirations. At TBLS, Dang’s first self-owned venture in Hong Kong, he turns out a monthly-changing, multi-course menu of “comfort cuisine.” The quirky and fun menus are so popular, the restaurant is already completely booked out until the end of the year. One month, Dang made dishes inspired by the supermarket products he grew up with back in the States. In another menu, he paid homage to the Creole culture of some old family friends with blue swimmer crab gumbo and shrimp cake sandwiches. “Every dish I do has a meaning or a back story,” Dang explains. And it’s exactly this charming cooking philosophy that defines him as a star chef in our books. 7/F, 31 Hollywood Rd, Central, 2544 3433; www.tbls-kitchenstudio.com.
Almost Famous
Richard Ekkebus of Amber never ceases to amaze us with his artistic culinary concoctions. 7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen’s Rd Central, 2132 0066; www.amberhongkong.com.
Readers’ choice
Molecular xiao long bao, toro paper, a dish named “sex on the beach”… these are just some of the things you can expect from the “demon chef”, Alvin Leung of Bo Innovation. 2/F, J Residence, 60 Johnston Rd, Wan Chai, 2850 8371; www.boinnovation.com.
Check out our other Dining Award 2010 categories:
Star Chef/Creativity
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