Hong Kong – Bo Innovation Part I

Private kitchens are intimate eating places that have sprung up in people’s homes and have become, for locals and those in the know, some of the best places to eat on the island. Private kitchens started several years ago when some Hong Kongese, gastronomes and cooks with limited means, decided to set up one or two tables in their sitting rooms and offer a fixed-price multi-course menu of distinctive home-style dishes.

One of the most deservedly renowned of Hong Kong’s “private kitchens,” Bo Innovation serves a kind of Japanese-Chinese-French fusion. BO is Hong Kong chef Alvin Leung’s interpretation of innovative modern Chinese cooking, presented in a series of dishes that is intended to create a cascade of sensations .

The concept of private kitchens intrigued me as it has just started to take off here in Manila whereas there were countless ones opening their kitchen doors in Hong Kong. I was looking forward to trying this place to try out Chef Alvin’s take on Chinese fusion.

With three different tasting menus in our group, we were able to sample a lot of dishes. Part I is the more expensive of the degustation menus.

The menu

Duet of Oysters – The tofu with fish roe was excellent. The saltiness of the fish roe balances the smooth taste of the tofu. Unforgettable taste.

Smoked quail egg, taro crust, oscietra caviar

“Bo” sashimi – toro, snapper, hamachi – The meat was so sweet and melts in the mouth.

Foie gras potsticker – Dumpling with Foie Gras for the filling inside.

Crispy lobster, preserved duck egg wasabi foam – I loved this dish. The lobsters were crunchy and mixed well with the salted duck egg and extra bite from the wasabi.

Ox tail porcini “tong gau”, lobster essense

Slow cooked pork lasagna in chinese vinegar, pickled ginger in rose essence

Caesar in a cone, nicoise in a slice, waldorf in a glass – Interesting take on how salads can taste the same but look different. Without the familiar form of the dish served in front of you, you rely on your sense of taste to distinguish the salads. The nicoise comes in a slice of crispy chewy tuna flavored rectangle. Caesar has the salad and anchovy mashed into a paste and stuffed in a parmesan cone. The Waldorf comes chlled and tastes of an apple drink.

Organic angus striploin, black truffle “cheung fan” – Interesting how the common cheung fan (rice rolls) can be mixed with black truffle.

“bo” fried rice

“bo” dessert – Sticky rice ball with melted chocolate, passion fruit eggtart, chestnut pudding, white chocolate with caramel salted kumquiat

HKD $880 per person

(plus 10% service charge)

Technorati Tags: Bo Innovation,Molecular Cuisine,Chinese Fusion