Michelin Guide Hong Kong and Macau 2022: Singaporean chef Barry Quek wins his first Michelin star for Whey
It's the one day in the agenda when information technology's probably best not to volume dinner in a top restaurant as the chef will either be out celebrating – or peradventure drowning their sorrows.
The announcement of the Hong Kong and Macau Michelin Guide 2022 on Wednesday (Jan nineteen) highlighted some of the SAR'southward most heady new places to eat, revealing 2 new ii-star restaurants and nine new one-star joints – i ncluding Whey by Singapore's own Barry Quek.
Quek, from Pasir Ris, won the star for his cuisine just eight months after opening in the metropolis's Sheung Wan commune. Quek was typically pocket-size, only clearly delighted, telling CNA Luxury that winning a Michelin star is "a dream come true!"
"It is a large encouragement for all the hard work and attempt our whole team take put in, especially during this tough time of the dinner ban. We are very grateful to the support from our guests, who take been coming over for luncheon or ordering our special takeaway menus. The whole squad and I couldn't believe that we could receive such an honourable laurels merely inside eight months of our opening," Quek said.
The affable and popular Hokkien chef has created and crafted dishes that have wowed the urban center's gourmands, notably his Maoshan Wang durian ice cream with caviar and stunning accept on Bak Kut Teh, where he infuses pork from Hong Kong's New Territories with white pepper, to impart all the aromas and notes of the love porky broth.
As to what Whey's success means for Singaporean cuisine, he explained: "When creating nutrient at Whey, I don't have a reference bespeak as this is an original and unique concept. I always wanted to run across how far I can reach with Singaporean-influenced European cuisine. With such a recognition, I will strive my best to push the creative boundaries and accept our guests on a unique experience with my hometown Singaporean flavours."
The question that everyone wanted to ask was how did he intend to gloat the accolade? "A few bottles of champagne! I volition also make some of my favourite Singaporean food for the whole team like beefiness rendang, hokkien mee, bak chor mee and laksa!"
Elizabeth Chu, chairlady of ZS Hospitality Group, the owner of Whey, and a long-time fan of Quek'due south cooking, said: "I have known Barry since his previous eating place Beet and the opportunity came when Barry shifted from European style cooking to Singaporean bell-ringer food in early 2020. With his Singaporean roots and culinary experiences across globally renowned kitchens, I believe Barry's talent can button gastronomic boundaries fifty-fifty further.
"With passion to introduce the diversity of Singaporean food culture to a wider audience, he confirmed that Hong Kong was an ideal place for him to accomplish this aspiration. We then aligned our vision of elevating and promoting Southeast Asian cuisine, and came up with this interesting concept of Whey, presenting mod European cuisine reimagined with Singaporean flavours."
The virtual Michelin awards anniversary, broadcast for the 2nd year running on YouTube with chefs joining via Zoom, comes at a time when all restaurants in Hong Kong have to shut at 6pm. It also marks a two-year stretch of the toughest fourth dimension the industry has ever seen.
No new three-star restaurants made the coveted listing this year, but two new restaurants were awarded 2 stars, namely Italian spot Octavium from chef Bjoern Alexander, equally well as Cantonese eatery Yan Toh Heen.
Since 1900, the Michelin Guide has directed diners to the finest places to eat – but e'er with occasional doses of controversy.
One surprising omission this year – at least for many in the Hong Kong industry – came in the lack of star recognition for some other Singaporean chef, Aven Lau at the highly-rated Batard, a spot which still needs to be booked at least two months in advance.
Lau'southward technical perfection and prowess in French cuisine delivers plates of scenic beauty, always comforting simply elegant. Batard was, even so, listed as Michelin Recommended, while Lau's reaction spoke volumes about his dedication and vision.
"We are getting better every twenty-four hours at Batard, as a squad in the kitchen and the front of firm. Being listed in the Michelin Guide is already a practiced kickoff and very encouraging for the unabridged team. A restaurant is a marathon race – it'due south non a 100m sprint," he said.
With an approach similar that, it's worth watching next year's Michelin announcement in Hong Kong more than closely than ever.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/experiences/hong-kong-michelin-guide-2022-singaporean-chefs-299121
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