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With the results now in for&nbsp;Asia&#8217;s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2018&nbsp;sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, it seems as though Bangkok-based Gaggan – “a progressive Indian restaurant” – surprised pretty much no-one by taking the top prize for the fourth time in a row. Closer to home, though, competition was a little more intense, with nine eateries jostling to take the Hong Kong Top Nosh Slot…
Number nine on the Hong Kong list (number 46 overall) was Caprice, the Four Seasons’ contemporary French restaurant. Headed by Chef Guillaume Galliot, it beguiled judges with its selection of bold French dishes, including beef-oyster tartare and caviar, crab laksa with confit egg, leeks, coriander, hazelnut and sudachi lime, and roasted pigeon with confit legs, beetroot and port wine sauce. Its award-winning desserts were also acknowledged as enhancing the French experience, with the restaurant’s very own Nicolas Lambert hailed as 2018’s Best Pastry Chef in Asia. (<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/nicolas-lambert-asias-best-pastry-chef/">Read full interview with Chef Nicolas here</a>.)
Standout dish: Beef-oyster tartare and caviar
<figure id="attachment_35489" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35489" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-35489 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Flower-Crab-from-Ronin_opt.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Flower-Crab-from-Ronin_opt.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Flower-Crab-from-Ronin_opt-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Flower-Crab-from-Ronin_opt-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Flower-Crab-from-Ronin_opt-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Flower-Crab-from-Ronin_opt-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Flower-Crab-from-Ronin_opt-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Flower-Crab-from-Ronin_opt-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-35489" class="wp-caption-text">Flower Crab from Ronin</figcaption></figure>
Ronin, number eight in Hong Kong (number 41 overall), won due to its informal Japanese pub-style appeal, thanks to its twin specialties of seafood and Japanese whiskey. Chef Matt Abergel was particularly commended for a number of his standout dishes, most notably crab shells with crab meat, mitsuba (wild parsley) and iwashi sardine and clams with kimchi, kabu and sake. The drinks selection also won plaudits for its choice of more than 100 Japanese whiskies, not to mention umeshu, shochu and sake.
Standout dish: Flower crab, Hokkaido uni, mitsuba
Belon, led by Chef Daniel Calvert, takes the Hong Kong seven (40) slot. Describing itself as a “dynamic neo-Parisian bistro with an eye on the classics”, Belon impressed with its fusion of local Hong Kong bistro-style French cooking techniques. From an entrée of pork and pistachio terrine with Dijon mustard to a main course of pigeon pithivier with fig and amaretto, the chef sums up the experience as “inherently excellent”. Thankfully, the judges agreed.
Standout dish: Pigeon pithivier with fig and amaretto
Neighborhood, the Hong Kong number six (32), made its debut on the list this year, thanks to its widely-praised French-Italian fare. A new offering from David Lai, that serial restaurateur, Neighborhood is blatantly minimimalist, with the food apparently left to do all the talking. Thankfully its unique combination of flavours, at once delicious and down-to-earth, clearly spoke to the judges. To keep things interesting, Lai is continually changing the menu, with recent highlights including wild boar garganelli, bone marrow and kale risotto, and bouchot mussels in green curry.
Standout dish: Local chicken rice, aged yellow wine sauce
<figure id="attachment_35492" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35492" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-35492 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700-Baked-abalone-puff-from-Lung-King-Heen_opt.jpg" alt="" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700-Baked-abalone-puff-from-Lung-King-Heen_opt.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700-Baked-abalone-puff-from-Lung-King-Heen_opt-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700-Baked-abalone-puff-from-Lung-King-Heen_opt-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700-Baked-abalone-puff-from-Lung-King-Heen_opt-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700-Baked-abalone-puff-from-Lung-King-Heen_opt-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-35492" class="wp-caption-text">Baked abalone puff from Lung King Heen</figcaption></figure>
It came as a bit of a shock to the Four Season’s team that its authentic Canto restaurant, Lung King Heen, dropped five places to number 24 overall this year. It can take some comfort, however, from the fact that it is rated as the fifth best place to eat in Hong Kong. This, of course, is largely down to the sterling work of Chef Chan Yan-tak, who continues to provide the very finest Cantonese cuisine, including barbecued suckling pig, braised goose webs with Chinese mushrooms in casserole and crispy scallops with fresh pea.
Standout dishes: Baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken
While Lung King Heen fell this year, another Hong Kong Cantonese restaurant, The Chairman, impressed by rising 25 places to take the number 22 spot overall (number four in Hong Kong). Clearly more than pleased with the restaurant’s performance, owner Danny Yip said: “We didn’t expect anything – we were actually surprised we were on the list again.”
Standout dish: Steamed flowery crab with aged Chinese wine and rice noodles
Ta Vie was another noshery clearly on the up, surging from no. 33 last year, to no. 16 this year, while also being voted into the Hong Kong Top Three. With a name that means ‘your life’ in French and ‘journey’ in Japanese, it’s an apt epithet for an establishment that blends the very best from two countries that, between them, epitomise the finest European and Asian culinary traditions, all under the skillful supervision of Chef Hideaki Sato. Particularly commended here are the homemade pasta with fresh Aonori seaweed sauce and uni and the sweet-corn puffed mousse with shrimp and shrimp jelly.
Standout dish: Civet braised abalone with abalone shell
<figure id="attachment_35494" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35494" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-35494 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Baby-lamb-from-Aveyron_opt.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Baby-lamb-from-Aveyron_opt.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Baby-lamb-from-Aveyron_opt-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Baby-lamb-from-Aveyron_opt-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Baby-lamb-from-Aveyron_opt-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Baby-lamb-from-Aveyron_opt-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Baby-lamb-from-Aveyron_opt-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Baby-lamb-from-Aveyron_opt-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-35494" class="wp-caption-text">Baby lamb from Aveyron</figcaption></figure>
Nobody expects anything but the very best from award-winning chef Umberto Bombana, a man rightly hailed as the King of White Truffles, so it was something of a surprise that his critically-acclaimed three-Michelin star establishment 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana dropped from fourth place overall last year to 13th this year (number two in Hong Kong). It has rightly won plaudits for a tasting menu that starts with confit abalone carpaccio, continues with black truffle risotto, blue lobster and baby lamb, before concluding with limoncello soufflé, grand cru chocolate five styles or marinated wild strawberries.
<figure id="attachment_35496" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35496" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-35496 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700Miyazaki-Wagyu-beef-strip-loin-from-Amber_opt.jpg" alt="" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700Miyazaki-Wagyu-beef-strip-loin-from-Amber_opt.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700Miyazaki-Wagyu-beef-strip-loin-from-Amber_opt-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700Miyazaki-Wagyu-beef-strip-loin-from-Amber_opt-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700Miyazaki-Wagyu-beef-strip-loin-from-Amber_opt-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/466x700Miyazaki-Wagyu-beef-strip-loin-from-Amber_opt-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-35496" class="wp-caption-text">Miyazaki Wagyu beef strip loin from Amber</figcaption></figure>
Standout dish: Baby lamb from Aveyron, aromatic herbs, black olive, barley and vegetables
While Amber, The Landmark, Mandarin Oriental’s French restaurant, dropped four places this year, down to seventh on the list overall, it is still the most highly-ranked Hong Kong eatery, as well as – for a stunning eighth consecutive year – the best restaurant in China. Revealing the secret of its success, chef-director Richard Ekkebus said: “We are a genuinely collective force, with our best days still ahead of us.” In another claim to fame, Amber’s signature dish – Miyazaki Wagyu beef strip loin with dulse and red cabbage slaw with oxalis, horseradish and pepper berry emulsion – is often cited as the most Instagrammed dish in Hong Kong.
Standout dish: Miyazaki Wagyu beef strip loin
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Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay 
Image Courtesy: Asia&#8217;s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2018 sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, Four Seasons Hong Kong

Among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018, nine eateries from Hong Kong stood out

Nicholas Lambert, pastry chef of Four Seasons Hong Kong, may be just in his early 30s, but all the accolades showered on him so far (and all of which he so deserves) speak volumes about the talent of a man whose vision is well beyond his years. The latest trophy under his belt is the coveted Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2018 Award, sponsored by Valrhona, a title that he has just won at the highly prestigious Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards held in Wynn Palace Macau recently. We caught up with Nicolas Lambert just after the Awards Night to talk about all things sweet. &nbsp;&nbsp;
<figure id="attachment_34854" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34854" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-34854" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Chef-Nicolas-Lambert-Asias-Best-Pastry-Chef.jpg" alt="Nicolas Lambert" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Chef-Nicolas-Lambert-Asias-Best-Pastry-Chef.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Chef-Nicolas-Lambert-Asias-Best-Pastry-Chef-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Chef-Nicolas-Lambert-Asias-Best-Pastry-Chef-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Chef-Nicolas-Lambert-Asias-Best-Pastry-Chef-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Chef-Nicolas-Lambert-Asias-Best-Pastry-Chef-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-34854" class="wp-caption-text">Chef Nicolas Lambert, Asia&#8217;s Best Pastry Chef 2018</figcaption></figure>
Congratulations on winning the award for Asia’s Best Pastry Chef. How do you feel?
It came as a total surprise! Winning this award is such an emotional moment for me. I need to thank my wife, my family and my team at Caprice for all the support. After three years of working in Hong Kong with Four Seasons Hotel, I can easily say that this is the best achievement I could have got so far.
What were the challenges along the way?
The journey wasn’t exactly an easy ride. When I first arrived in Hong Kong, I didn’t speak English at all. But I am grateful for all the support that I have got from my colleagues, particularly from my pastry team at Caprice, all of whom who have been there for me since the very beginning.
<figure id="attachment_34855" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34855" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-34855" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Matcha-coconut-and-strawberries.jpg" alt="Nicolas Lambert" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Matcha-coconut-and-strawberries.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Matcha-coconut-and-strawberries-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Matcha-coconut-and-strawberries-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Matcha-coconut-and-strawberries-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Matcha-coconut-and-strawberries-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Matcha-coconut-and-strawberries-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Matcha-coconut-and-strawberries-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-34855" class="wp-caption-text">Chef Nicolas Lambert&#8217;s creation: Matcha, coconut and strawberries</figcaption></figure>
Do you have any mentor that you look up to?
Philippe Torti, my first boss, is a person I really look up to. He’s like a second father to me. He had mentored me through my first five years of learning how to make pastry.
What is the inspiration for your favourite dish? 
I love desserts with hazelnut. I can find inspiration everywhere – in a museum, in nature, while looking at a painting or anywhere else – but never in other pastry creations, because it is very important to have my own unique style and identity. I want my pastries to be shaped by my personality.
<figure id="attachment_34856" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-34856" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-34856" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/A-composition-of-raspberry-delicacies.jpg" alt="Nicolas Lambert" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/A-composition-of-raspberry-delicacies.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/A-composition-of-raspberry-delicacies-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/A-composition-of-raspberry-delicacies-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/A-composition-of-raspberry-delicacies-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/A-composition-of-raspberry-delicacies-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/A-composition-of-raspberry-delicacies-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/A-composition-of-raspberry-delicacies-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-34856" class="wp-caption-text">Chef Nicolas Lambert&#8217;s signature dish: A composition of raspberry delicacies</figcaption></figure>
You have achieved so much at a relatively young age. What’s next on the cards for you?
&nbsp;&nbsp;I am young in terms of age, but I started making pastries at the age of 15, so everything I have done in these 15 years has been a labour of love and passion. For me, going to work everyday is immensely enjoyable.
Moving on, I will continue to travel more and meet as much people new people as possible. I believe that when you open yourself to new experiences, anything can be possible. Working in the hospitality industry opens door to many countries – there are 100 or more Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to explore!
Thank you.
Interview by: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Sweet Talk: Gafencu interviews Nicolas Lambert, Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2018

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Among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018, nine eateries from Hong Kong stood out

Sweet Talk: Gafencu interviews Nicolas Lambert, Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2018