Alvin Leung dubbed himself ‘the Devil Chef’ and brought the concept of ‘molecular gastronomy’ into Hong Kong around six years ago. His 1-Michelin star restaurant, Bo Innovation, serves ‘X-treme Chinese fusion food’ and has since won many awards.
I had the pleasure to be taken to the restaurant for the first time on my birthday and was totally blown away by the experience. Compared to most restaurants that charge a similar price, the restaurant by no means looks glam or tasteful. I think they could do with a bit of help in this area, maybe put a few art pieces around rather than everything just being ‘monotone’.
We sat in the alcove between two groups of big families, whereas the few smaller tables in the larger room were empty. I wasn’t entirely happy with the arrangement but luckily the families were very conscious about the noise they made so we didn’t need to shout at each other.
The service was very good and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable about the food. It wasn’t hard to choose what to eat. They have three Tasting Menus starting at HK$850, which includes seven small courses, one main plus dessert. The other two menus serve 12 and 15 mini courses respectively. Most diners chose the Tasting Menu, so all those of us sitting at the three tables in the alcove were pretty much were served at the same time.
I have always found the ‘future’ food is a bit ‘theatrical’ and not very filling, but the richness of every small course really is taste-provoking. When you are served each course, the waiting staff will explain the ingredients used and how the dish should be enjoyed.
First course was a plate of different types of cherry tomatoes cooked in three different ways. One was injected with ‘Pak Chun’ dark vinegar (the type you use to make ginger, pork knuckles and eggs stew, which is traditionally consumed by postnatal women - it looks revolting and has an acquired taste); the second was an Italian green cherry tomato wrapped in a piece of very fine pastry with Chinese pickled olive sauce (lam kok). The blending of the carefully selected Asian and Western ingredients was harmonious and really complemented each other. I hate to think how many tomatoes were wasted before the perfect plate was created.
Second course was Iberico ham with vermicelli and gazpacho foam. This dish looks a bit like a snail vomiting but the taste was absolutely delicious. It was a very small portion but the aftertaste of the ham lingered for a while.
Third course was a bit 'controversial'. It was roast foie gras with vegetable pickle ice-cream (muay choi) and 'rice paddy herbs'. The 'rice paddy herbs' had a distinct flavour. Japanese often use the leaves of the plant to decorate sashimi dishes. Even though the dish was incredibly tasty, I am a bit ashamed that I finished it because I have vowed never to eat foie gras anymore. My only excuse was it was a small piece (a quarter of a normal serve).
Fourth course was pan-fried cod with seaweed. The fish was cooked to perfection, just wished it would be a bit bigger.
The presentation of the scallop dish was mesmerizing. Not only it was beautifully presented, the sweet, sour and spicy sauce to go with the scallop was sensational. My favourite was the bright green kaffir lime sauce.
The sixth course was 'xiao long bao' (steamed pork dumpling). It's actually a molecular dish. The minced meat and soup was replaced by a reduce essence and the intense flavour just exploded in my mouth! The seventh course, century egg with pickled ginger, was a fun dish (below). Another molecular dish. The essence really captured the flavour of the century egg and pickled ginger. The reduced liquid was poured above a small piece of dry ice which was placed at the bottom of the cocktail glass. When the liquid mixed with the dry ice, it created an eruption. I must admit it wasn't my favourite dish and would actually prefer the real ingredients but it was indeed a novelty dish.
My main was
slow-cooked suckling pig with apple and fresh sweet peas. The dish not only looked beautiful, it was a very fine dish. However I did find the apple a wee too sweet, the fresh sweet peas were gorgeous though.
My partner's dish was
langoustine with salty duck's egg, a dish recommended by the waiting staff and was indeed a very popular dish amongst the other diners.
Th dessert was a little bit disappointing, especially the 'ying-yang' (coffee and milk tea) which was actually a new creation. I don't think the restaurant should include this in the menu. The yellow bun ice-cream was a bit blend but the pineapples were very tasty. Shame there were only pathetically three tiny pieces.
Overall it was a great experience and I will definitely go back and try other dishes again.
