It’s been almost 4.5 years since I visited Bo Innovation, while it was still in Wanchai. This Michelin 2-star restaurant has since then moved to its current location in H Code, and today, we return to see what Chef Alvin Leung has prepared in his latest menu.
Once stepping out from the elevator on the left is the kitchen and bar, and on the right is the reception leading into the dining area, with a nice backdrop of Lions Rock depicting in a contemporary fashion.
Seated at a table at the corner to enjoy good privacy and a glimpse of the street view, with also nice murals on the window, the décor has retained the fun and local elements, like the dense building landscape represented by pai gow, and the ‘red-white-blue’ design walls.
The theme of the tasting menu is Family Meal ($1,280 each), and I also order a bottle of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs ($950) to pair with the food. The mark-up on the wine is very reasonable. The champagne has a ripe citrus and brioche nose with good acidity.
Starting with Home Favourites 家的最愛, the chef has reimagined three local dishes that are common at home to make some appetizers. The first is 豆豉鯪魚油麥菜, with a small ladyfish coated with Douchi powder before deep-frying to resemble Dace, season with some shichimi, to enjoy together with Chinese Lettuce puree plus Puning bean paste foam on top. The flavours are amazingly similar.
The second one is Mui Choy Kau Yuk 梅菜扣肉. The crispy cone holds the ice-cream made with mui choy, or preserved vegetable, with some pickled mustard greens on top, sandwiched with a foam made with bacon for a savoury taste. Refreshing with complex flavours. Interesting.
Served on a rotating plate with a lantern in the middle showing the photo of Chef Alvin in his youth having a meal is the third one 豬油撈飯. Inside the crispy Woba, there is a sou vide Egg yolk, seasoned with goat cheese and Soy. On top is a piece of Pork Fat, with a touch of ponzu to give a bit of yuzu citrus to balance.
Next comes Beef, Leek in a Shell 蔥爆牛肉. From the bottom, it is oyster sauce mousse and a layer of jam from beef extracts, plus the green avocado and spring onion cream. With some dried beef crumbs on top, and two pieces of leek, one pickled in kimchi style and one baked to crispness, offering nice fragrance. Complex in flavours and delicious.
The third course is H2 Egg. It is a Chawanmushi, but the chef has used the French beurre blanc sauce to mix with the egg to prepare for the steamed custard. Inside the chef has added some conpoy for umami taste and then scooped a large teaspoon of caviar on top. Another interesting feature is that the cutleries are kept inside the drawer of the table, like that of a mahjong table.
The Precious 3 煎釀三寶 includes three pieces. The first one is chu-toro tartare, wrapped in a nori sheet and a red pepper crisp. The second features tofu prepared using fish soup, soy milk and Chinese marinade sauce, with some salmon roes and fennel on top. The third is crispy potato ball mixed with mashed eggplant and white anchovy to enhance the savoury taste, plus mango chutney on top.
Coming to the fifth course, Fish the Good Old Way 古法蒸魚, the chef has used the three elements of the traditional dish, shredded pork, aged mandarin peel, and shiitake, to create a completely new concept. With turbot fish noodle serving as the anchor, the shredded pork is replaced with Nuodeng ham from Yunnan and lightly grilled with a brush of honey and aged mandarin peel for more flavours. A stock made with matsutake, porcini and morels is then poured on top, with the chef deliberately making it darker in colour to resemble soy sauce. Very creative.
A traditional paper bag holds the next course Char Siu 叉燒, like how in the old days the family would bring home as additional dish. Putting it in a contemporary Western style, the BBQ pork is served on a baguette with some Mee Chun Pickles, rather like a submarine sandwich. The sourness of the pickles helps to balance the fattiness of the pork well, but the baguette is not crisp enough which is a bit of letdown.
We have ordered an additional Xiao Long Bao ($90 each), the signature of Chef Alvin. The pinkish orange casing is infused with the essence of the pork and soup in the traditional delicacy, with a small white paste on top, which encompasses the flavours of ginger and Zhejiang vinegar, provides a full experience of xiao long bao in a totally unrecognizable format. It is the dish that won Chef Alvin his accolade of introducing molecular gastronomy to HK.
The seventh course is Fungi Chicken 冬菇蒸雞. Removing the bone in the chicken wing, the chef has stuffed with some finely chopped matsutake mushroom before putting it to steam. Once that is done, hot oil is continuously poured onto the chicken wing to give colour and a bit of crispness. The chicken is moist and not over-seasoned so the original taste can be better appreciated, true to the concept of the original.
For the main course we have both opted for Elevated Shrimp Omelette 蝦仁炒蛋. The langoustine is grilled well, tender and with a sweet taste. The chef has prepared different sauces to complement, including the orangish sabayon sauce, the red beetroot sauce, and the green spring onion oil. On the side is the ceps and the chives, stir-fried to give nice fragrance.
Coming to dessert, the lighter version is Home Sweet de Night 其樂融融, featuring some small, diced kiwi at the bottom, gingko nut foam on top, plus some deep-fried rice crisp to give extra texture. The sauce used is a condensed beancurd and egg vanilla sauce to integrate all the flavours together.
The final course is Sweet Potato Tong Yuen 團團圓圓. At the bottom is the apple almond compote, with the Paris-Brest, made with mochi powder and milk, sitting on top, having a nice chewy bite. Together with sweet potato ice-cream and crisps, on the side is a sweet sauce made from stem ginger. It is a filling dessert which ensures our stomach do not feel empty leaving.
The Petits Fours include Muy Choi Macaron, Indian Lettuce Marshmallow, and Lard Residue Crème Brulee. All very interesting with unique flavours, and personally I like the macaron the most, as the muy choi flavours are forward and apparent.
Finally, the staff brings us a traditional wedding basket which contains lots of traditional sweets for us to pick and take home. The bill on the night is $4,147. There are many wow factors in the dishes, but I still like the menu from prior visits more. It is truly amazing to see the creativity and innovation how Chef Alvin and his team can go, and in particular we like the showcase of local flavours and stories, which made it unique and resonate.
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