The showroom project turns a design atelier by day into a private kitchen by night
The smell of something smoky fills the air, raising eyebrows and making stomachs grumble in anticipation. Within minutes, fresh sourdough appears, hot out of the oven, followed by a jar of smoked brown butter. Once the lid pops open, the smoke slowly dissipates, adding soothing comfort to the already homey surroundings.
The minimalist space—complete with a dimly lit sitting corner and a tablescape with flowers and greenery carefully dispersed throughout—is the epitome of a welcoming home, fulfilling the exact vision Tiffany Kwan and Fred Sistelo had when creating Mesa.
Mesa was born out of a love for details, refinement, mutual trust and of course, a love for food. With Kwan’s past experience designing both residential and commercial spaces in New York and Sistelo’s numerous years as a chef (he was most recently at Rosewood’s Holt’s Cafe), the duo had every tool under their belt to create an innovative showroom concept that showcases Kwan’s design skills and Sistelo's cooking skills through a private dining experience.
The concept comes as a breath of fresh air in the current Hong Kong landscape. As the pandemic continues to take its toll on the city, the people of Hong Kong have turned to an emerging underground culinary scene. Dining at a private kitchen is comparable to having your friends over and having a talented chef cook for you. It’s intimate, it’s exclusive and, more importantly, it’s something new and different in a time when a change of scenery is most welcome.
Through his shared-plate approach, Sistelo aims to push himself creatively while offering international food with a heavy influence from Portugal, his home country. Depending on what’s in season or available at the market, you might find anything from grilled octopus with creamy potato espuma and smoked paprika, to steak tartare with cured duck yolk, duck rice with chorizo or sea bass with sun-dried tomato micas (a Portuguese/Spanish dish made with bread). And the dinner wouldn’t be complete without the rabanada dessert, a Portuguese toast with flavours of cinnamon served with spiced berries and vanilla ice cream—which will be accompanied by Sistelo’s voice echoing out of the kitchen insisting that “It is not French toast”.
We speak to the star duo about their serendipitous business partnership and their inspiration behind the design-meets-gastronomy showroom concept:
