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SCMP Reporter

Australians are doing it, Americans cannot get enough of it, and Asians are really getting into it.

 Known as fusion cuisine, the trendy culinary movement has not only attracted a healthy number of fans but also spawned a slew of names.

 In Hong Kong, where more Western restaurants are now serving Asian-inspired fare (and vice versa), it is also termed East-West, Pacific Rim, Californian or even nouvelle cuisine.

 The alternative names for fusion cuisine are so varied that even the savviest and most up-to-date gourmet would be confused. In a nutshell, however, fusion is a cross-cultural way of preparing food.

 While it encompasses other labels, it goes beyond these terms. Instead of limiting itself to influences within California or the countries on the Pacific Rim, fusion cooking can include ingredients and techniques from anywhere in the world.

 Fusion takes nouvelle cuisine, the culinary movement of the 1980s, one step further. Like nouvelle, fusion places importance on presentation and lighter food preparation.

 But, unlike its predecessor, it 'fuses' different flavours borrowed from far and wide.

 The cuisine has such appeal that some of the trendiest restaurants in town are serving it up. Recent openings include Top of the Town at The Excelsior hotel, Stix at the Park Lane, and, most recently, the Red Star Cafe on Elgin Street.

 The tried and true include Felix at The Peninsula, Roy's at New China Max, Napa's at the Kowloon Shangri-La, Cafe Deco and Joyce Cafe.

 Several more fusion restaurants are due to open this year, including Vong, successor to the old Pierrot restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

 To sample some of the most innovative fusion cuisine in Hong Kong, head to Felix, the Philippe Starck-designed rooftop restaurant at The Peninsula.

 Its futuristic design reflects the progressive cuisine that comes out of its kitchen, but opinions on the food are decidedly mixed.

 Fans rave about the wasabi mousse with osetra caviar. Surprisingly, the wasabi, with its strong kick, is understated and does not overpower the salty taste of the caviar but works with it to produce a wonderful combination of creamy, salty and slightly 'hot' flavours.

 Another successful mix is double-cured lamb chops served with star anise port sauce and dried fruit studded couscous. The ingredients in this dish marry the African base of couscous with an Asian spice, star anise, in a typically-Western dish of lamb chops with port wine sauce.

 Not all marriages are made in heaven, and the same can be said of some culinary combinations.

 Fusion usually attempts to make up for any discord in taste with stylish presentation, and this is certainly true at Felix, an internationally-famous restaurant.

 The artistically-arranged dishes are the tantalising result of years of experience in fusion restaurants in California and Hawaii by its head chef Bryan Nagao. The unassuming native Hawaiian, whose tanned, tall presence would not look out of place on the set of Baywatch, believes that fusion cuisine will become increasingly popular in Asia, and adduces the growing number of restaurants serving it as evidence. But fusion cooking is not created simply by throwing wasabi, ginger and soy sauce haphazardly into any Western dish.

 'You have to know the basics first,' said Mr Nagao.

 'You have to know how to prepare the classics and you have to be familiar with the ingredients and how they go together.'  A successful combination is one that takes into consideration flavours, textures and colours.

 Another chef with Californian and Hawaiian roots is Troy Guard, executive chef at Roy's at New China Max.

 A protege of fusion guru Roy Yamaguchi, Mr Guard was brought in almost two years ago to spice up China Max.

 'Fusion is definitely gaining in popularity here in Asia but it's a learning process,' he said.

 'Diners must understand what fusion chefs are trying to do. When customers are open to new ideas, fusion will really catch on.

 'Fusion doesn't have to be trendy. It can be a blend of ingredients from many different countries and it can be very simple,' Mr Guard said.

 On the trail of Californian fusion cuisine, one should not overlook the Marriott Hotel's J W's California, which has been offering fusion to Hong Kong diners since 1991.

 Its chef de cuisine, Damian McManamon, hails from Ireland. With his classical training, Mr McManamon serves up wonderful dishes with lots of height and colours in large, American-sized portions.

 If J W's California is representative of the popularity of fusion cuisine in Asia, it could be considered the culinary equivalent of the macarena dance craze.

 There are already three J W's - in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Bangkok - and others open soon in Seoul and Ho Chi Minh City.

 Unfortunately, fusion is the flavour of the month for many restaurateurs who want more diners to hop on the bandwagon.

 Some will disguise mediocre food with presentation and ambience and try to cash in on the popularity factor.

 One hopes there will be others who take food as we know it to new heights and offer gastronomic ecstasy with flavour combinations that whet our appetites for more. But perhaps that is asking a bit much.



Cuisine that crosses cultures