Hong Kong restaurant news: The Young Chef Young Waiter competition crowns HK winners, Racines welcomes Guillaume Galliot of Caprice, and more

Following a kick-off event last week, Hyatt Hotels has launched a time-limited series of menus across its Hong Kong and Macau portfolio that showcases the delicacies of Black Pearl-awarded Hyatt restaurants from across China. Centred around the seasonal hairy crab as the star ingredient, these menus are available at One Harbour Road in Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, which has been paired with the Black Pearl one-diamond-rated Dining Room at Park Hyatt Shanghai; Sha Tin 18 in Hyatt Regency Sha Tin with two-diamond-rated Hua Chi 88 at Hyatt Regency Suzhou; The Chinese Restaurant at Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui with one-diamond-rated Yue Jing Xuan at Park Hyatt Guangzhou; and Beijing Kitchen at Grand Hyatt Macau with one-diamond-rated #8 Hotpot Chinese Restaurant at Grand Hyatt Chengdu. 

Stop by Zuma's sixth-floor lounge for its new à-la-carte skewers and highball menu, perfect for happy hour from 6.30pm onwards or late night snacking and drinking. The 10 skewers range from chicken yakitori with baby leek to chicken tsukune with onsen tamago, and glazed pork belly with apple miso mustard; washed down with four new highballs and two canned sakes, it's a quick and easy yakitori fix. 

The Young Chef Young Waiter competition has concluded its first Hong Kong edition and its winners have been crowned. Originally founded in 1979 in the UK, the finals of the Hong Kong edition took place at More Good and saw four chef-waiter pairs all under the age of 28 from establishments like Censu, Mr & Mrs Fox, Amber and Mr Wolf participate. Over the course of the day, they designed, prepped and cooked custom menus, as well as set up for service and complete interviews and a multiple-choice quiz.

After a period of deliberation, the judging panel—comprising of Shane Osborn, Richard Ekkebus, Caleb Ng, Yenn Wong, Lindsay Jang, The Upper House's Kristina Snaith-Lense, and LPM restaurant manager Chili Ma—recognised Belon's Ardy Ferguson and The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong's Teddy Tso as the young chef and young waiter winners respectively. Ferguson and Tso will represent Hong Kong at the world finals, to be hosted at Monaco in November of this year.

Andō is hosting a unique seven-course wine dinner (Priced at HK$3,888 per person) on November 2, curated by their wine director Carlito Chiu and Asia's best sommelier, as recognised by Asia's 50 Best, Della Tang of Ensue in Shenzhen. Chiu, known for his innovative pairing styles, and Tang, with her exclusive wine lists and award-winning pairings, will bring the diversity and complexity of wines from Austria and Germany's wine regions to the table. Inspired by their recent travels, the first half of the degustation will feature two glasses of wine per course, one selected by each expert, while the second half showcases a collaborative pairing per course. Highlights include wines such as the crisp Grüner Veltliners and the famed Rieslings of the Mosel region, served with dishes such as caviar with aonori (finely chopped dry seaweed) cream, Yunnan potato with manchego and white truffle, and Suzuki (Japanese Sea Bass) with chestnut pumpkin and criolla sauce. 

See also: Ensue’s head sommelier, Della Tang, on the wine that was a revelation

Italian cicchetti eatery Posso is marking its second anniversary with a “Birthday Week” of special lunch and dinner menus from October 23 to 28. Lunch-goers can enjoy a two-course menu at HK$150 per person, featuring choices like baccalà croquette and tagliatelle in spicy sausage ragu, while the evening offers a six-course dinner experience at HK$350 per person, with dishes such as slow-cooked duck crostini and lamb with a miso glaze. Diners can also make the most of a 25% discount on bottled wines and a 15% off lunch coupon for future visits.

Taking the celebrations a notch higher, Posso is also introducing pasta workshops, run by chef Max Wong. Priced at HK$950 per person, these workshops, launching in November, will take place from 12pm to 3pm and 4pm to 7pm. The experience combines the joy of crafting cappelletti with free-flowing wines and Italian delicacies. Attendees not only hone their pasta-making skills but also take home handmade pasta and special Posso goodies. Early birds for the first 10 classes will receive an additional 15% off lunch coupon. 

Posso
Address: G/F, 12 Kau U Fong, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Created by chefs Vicky Lau and Fai Choi to spotlight the versatility of soy, Mora has launched its new Characters of Soy tasting menu for lunch (five courses for HK$680) and dinner (six courses for HK$1,080). The menu boasts imaginative dishes including the delicate bean curd skin tart with soy cauliflower cream and smoked eel; the intricate chrysanthemum tofu, available exclusively on the dinner menu; the duet of local duck breast marinated in bean paste, alongside confit duck leg, roasted pumpkin and yellow bean sabayon; and black rice soy milk ice cream paired with fermented pineapple and green tea yoghurt meringue. 

See also: Tatler Dining’s Chef of the Year, Vicky Lau, shares her thoughts on soy and spirituality

To commemorate its first anniversary, Racines’ chef-owners Romain Dupeyre and Adrien Castillo (formerly of Caprice), are hosting a culinary collaboration with chef Guillaume Galliot of Caprice on November 5. The seven-course tasting menu will feature classic French gastronomy at its best, with signature dishes such as the Kristal caviar kaviari paired with smoked eel, cauliflower bavaroise, and bergamot. Another highlight is the meticulously prepared duck, marinated with spices, sous-vide cooked, roasted, and complemented by persimmon pureé and rich duck jus. This dining experience is available at HK$2,688 per person.

Racines
Address: 22 Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

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