The new crown epidemic has entered the fifth wave, and the ban on dine-in at night has come into effect. At this time, the list of Michelin Hong Kong 2022 was announced today (19th).
Among the 9 newly-starred restaurants, Whey, a rare Singaporean dish mixed with continental elements, and Hansik Goo, a Korean restaurant, are new one-star restaurants of the same group, operating in Sheung Wan District.
Under the epidemic, all restaurants in Hong Kong have suspended dine-in during dinner time. Michelin restaurants that focus on dining experience, service and food quality are indeed difficult to maintain their standards.
A spokesman for the head office representing Whey said that under the epidemic, it took a certain amount of work to maintain the operation, and the takeaway must be maintained at a high level. The chef team spent a week trying to store the food for a period of time every day to experience the taste and appearance. Will there be too much difference, "try it every half an hour, after our experience, you can take it out of the street first." To ensure that the quality is maintained at a good level.
Whey, a continental-style Singaporean restaurant opened in August this year, is located in a building in Sheung Wan. The chef is a 33-year-old Singaporean chef who has worked in a Michelin restaurant in Singapore and has also lived in Europe for some time. Barry Quek.
In addition to him, other chefs, floor and staff of the restaurant are also relatively young. The spokesman said that this is the philosophy of the group when it operates, "The boss wants to pass on good food, so he mainly invites a group of young people to go there. In charge, a lot of staff have come to pick up people of different nationalities, and they have settled down to become a Michelin restaurant today.” Chef Barry said that under the epidemic, he has stayed in Hong Kong for more than two years, and he misses his hometown very much, knowing that it can be done It is not only a surprise but also a deep feeling to fully integrate the flavor of hometown into Hong Kong and become a new Michelin restaurant.
"I will not change all the Singaporean flavors, spicy flavors, and the seasonings I use. They are all incorporated into the food. I can get their approval and affirmation. I am very happy."
Dine-in ban hits high-end restaurants, takeaways must maintain food standards
Although foreign tourists cannot taste the food in Hong Kong due to the epidemic, Barry is still optimistic and continued: "I must be very happy to receive the recognition award, tourists will always come back, and Hong Kong people have the courage to try new food, we can do it all. It’s good to serve Hong Kong people, so it’s worth ordering.” The restaurant is difficult to operate under the epidemic, and Whey, who focuses on high-end dining experience, must have a certain level of dining experience, hospitality services, and food dishes.
Whey itself only operates the evening market. Under the current ban on dine-in dining in the evening market, the restaurant must immediately change its strategy and switch to the lunch market.
The business was really bad in the first few days. "At the worst time, I could only sit half of the seats, about 10 tables or less, and the Sheung Wan business district was busy with rework, so it was difficult to eat for a few hours, and the regular customers didn't know they had it. Open the door." After more than a week, business gradually recovered slightly, and further launch of evening market takeaway.
The restaurant said that as a restaurant that focuses on dining experience, it is also difficult to launch a dinner menu, and it is worried that it will be difficult to maintain the standard and taste, so it has put a lot of effort into it, "We have a special team, and the chef spends a week. Think about the ingredients, try to cook the food, put it aside and try it every half an hour, and finally come up with a feasible menu for the guests." I hope to find a new way out in this difficult adversity.
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Another newly-listed restaurant from the same group, Hansik Goo, a Korean restaurant that has been open for two years, said the spokesperson said that under the epidemic, it was indeed a big challenge. The chef discussed a feasible menu with a Korean chef consultant and tried again , launched a feasible dining experience, "We try not to use dry ingredients, most of them are stewed food, beef with sauce, etc. There must be a difference between take-out and home-based food, but it feels like It would be ideal.” In addition, he mentioned that Korean food focuses on sauces and sauces. In order to maintain the flavor, kimchi and sauces are all shipped from Korea to Hong Kong. The insistence on the quality of food may be one of the “plus points”.
