It’s been a while that I haven’t updated my blog. One chef restarts it: Tom Aikens. When I heard about that he is going to open a restaurant in HK, I was exalted. You have “celebrity” chefs opening restaurants here and there in HK these days, but you don't always have them actually cooking in the kitchen. When I knew that he would be cooking during the soft opening, nothing can stop me from giving it a go!
The original "old Hong Kong" interior decor of the Pawn is revitalised by a clever use of potted plants, colourful features, and sleek furniture. The bar is turned into a stylish yet relaxing space, a venue worthy of the best afternoon tea.
When I went up to the restaurant, I could not believe what I saw: Chef Tom Aikens, whom I saw on the BBC last week, stood in front of me inside the open kitchen! I couldn’t help staring at him during the whole night, at the expense of becoming a laughing stock of my half-witted husband who failed to understand my excitement and possibly many others. I managed to go back to the menu and ordered some traditional dishes and innovative combinations of ingredients, not without considerable struggle. I was kindly assisted by Karen the waitress, the manager, and other staff members who helped us to pick the best dishes and matching wine. They also explained the dishes to us clearly and interacted with us with a healthy dose of humour - a rare gift these days.
While waiting for the appetisers, I lost no time to get closer to the open kitchen and observe Chef Aikens. He was busy preparing food like a surgeon tending a full camp of wounded soldiers. I know it is not the most appetising parable but his seriousness really made me think of that.
Back to the food. The house-made ricotta was silky smooth and bursting with a
distinctive milky favour. The lightness of ricotta and the sweetness of
balsamic was a perfect combination for an appetiser. This can be an awesome
filling for cannoli too. Another appetiser was one of our favourite dishes that
night. Usually I could not resist Duck liver parfait, but I always find it hard
to finish one by myself. This one was exceptional. The creamy parfait was well
seasoned, and was filled with duck meat and crispy skin. You just cannot get
enough of it. My husband usually refuses to eat duck livers but he succumbed
that night and finished half of the dish.
The main dishes came from another open kitchen. My truffle mac and cheese was so aromatic that even the diners next to us couldn’t help staring. Little could go wrong if you can manage to make a dish that aromatic. The macaroni was chewy and the cheese sauce was just right. It was a simple dish, but could easily go wrong. They nailed it. Completely.
I always tell my husband not to order seared scallop when eating outside as I
too can manage that at home. However, I suggested him to order the Scallop,
celeriac puree and black pudding crumb at the Pawn. Because the dish was a lot
more than perfectly seared scallops; it was a combination of matching
ingredients that offers a sensational experience. When the dish was served, we
were instantly impressed by the elegant plating. A lot was going on, but you
can see the careful construction and the considerable amount of thought behind
it. I particularly liked the lard and celeriac puree - a rather
"yin-yang" combination that raised the dish to another level. The
scallops were of course perfectly seared, cooked with down-to-seconds
precision.
We also picked one traditional and one innovative dessert. The sticky toffee
pudding was expectedly good. British puddings pose a constant dilemma to me. It
is succulent and comforting but is also sinfully sweet. Tom’s version was a
rather classical one. The prune ice-cream did justice of the pudding by
enhancing the fruit flavour. All were good, but I slightly
prefer the lighter version at Bread Street Kitchen (by none other British chef
but the legendary Gordon Ramsay) another night.
Chef Aikens' interpretation of panna cotta with lime leaf and basil was mind-blowing to me. I could hardly
resist basil-infused dessert. This one was more than that. The lime and sweet basil ganache inside the panna
cotta was amazing. There was so much going on in my mouth. Milky panna cotta,
aromatic and rustic sweet basil, sweet and acidic berry sorbet and a little
salty black olives were all there - it was a challenging yet satisfying
experience. That was exactly my impression about Chef Aikens when I watched the
Great British Menu.
From my observation, Chef Aikens never stopped working except perhaps during a few moments of lull. His attention to detail was admirable. It's not rocket science or brain surgery: one can tell the difference between a chef who did not attend his restaurant’s opening and one who spend the entire night working on most, if not all, of the dishes passing in front of him. He had all my respect after that night.
There was something more after the glorious desserts - the staff kindly asked Chef Aikens if he could take a picture with me and he agreed! That was extraordinary.
It seems to me that the Pawn experienced something a lot more than a mere renovation. From chic decor to exemplary staff members to impeccable food, we witnessed a revolution there. One thing still grinds my mind, though: I wrote about the Pawn long ago and noted the gap between the place and the surrounding community. That did not change much, except the fact that more ridiculously priced properties are being built there.
The Pawn
62 Johnston Road, Wan Chai
Food: wwwwwwwww
Service:wwwwwwwww
Environment: wwwwwwww
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