Last week, I had another Michelin-starred encounter. This time it was with Chef Alvin Leung whose Hong Kong restaurant Bo Innovation holds three if those coveted symbols of creativity, consistency and culinary excellence.
While the dinner by the 4XFOUR pop-up at the JW Marriott Juhu wasn’t as crazy as I had expected it would be (read the review here), it was quite an interesting experience to meet the chef who has modernised Chinese cuisine in much the same way that many of our Indian chefs abroad and locally have created a neo-Indian style.
Here are excerpts from the chat…
On his nickname: It’s not that others called me that because I shout in the kitchen (although on the first night in a new kitchen that’s inevitable!). I decided to call myself Demon Chef. It comes from the Greek word ‘daemon’ that means a ‘playful spirit’. I want to always be playful with my food.
On myths around chefs: It sounds good to say but it’s not always true that we visit the local markets when we travel to create menus. There are perfectly good teams that do the sourcing for us!
On the local ingredients that inspire him in Mumbai: I’ve used a lot of local produce for this meal, including the lobster. But I’m excited by the Bombay Duck. There’s a similar fish in Hong Kong but it’s much smaller there. I would love to use the Bombay Duck in a menu some day.
