It is for this beautiful harbour view that I chose this Tsim Sha Tsui location for Spoon,' Alain Ducasse says as he gazes through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the restaurant. The chef, whose name is synonymous with French haute cuisine, selected the InterContinental in Tsim Sha Tsui to open the Hong Kong branch of Spoon back in 2003 because, 'This hotel always focuses on food lovers. It's great to partner with someone who understands my vision - that's how I made my decision.' Last year, Ducasse decided it was time for a change. The interior was refurbished, tableware and uniforms were changed and the menu evolved to turn Spoon into what he calls 'today's restaurant'. 'After six years, the market has changed,' he says. 'Previously, we served international ethnic cuisine but now the food is more contemporary French. We can't do the Paris version [of Spoon] in Hong Kong because it simply doesn't work. It remains a Spoon concept - just spinning off in distinctive variations. Essentially, Spoon is adapting itself to ever-changing consumption patterns and the guests' actual expectations.' Down the road from the InterContinental, the hotel formerly known as the Miramar also underwent a metamorphosis. Henderson Land's Martin Lee Ka-shing took over and hired Hollywood lifestyle guru Colin Cowie to transform the ageing Miramar into The Mira. Award-winning Singaporean chef Justin Quek was invited to open Whisk on the hotel's fifth floor. 'I know Martin Lee,' he says. 'He tried my food in Taipei and asked me to help in his hotel here.' The chef, who sold his three restaurants in Shanghai and has two eateries in Taipei, is a consultant for Whisk as well as the French Window at the IFC in Central. Whisk, which opened in September, has already become known among food lovers for dishes such as suckling pig with red wine and spice sauce and baked miso-marinated cod, and the chef is happy to customise menus for private parties. Quek is classically trained in French cuisine, but says he cannot be compared with other French chefs. 'I am different from Ducasse and [Pierre] Gagnaire,' he says. 'I am Asian and don't like to use too much butter and cream.' Another new Tsim Sha Tsui fine-dining hot spot is the colonial 1881 Heritage building, near the Star Ferry. Businessman Francis Yip Chi-hung opened DG Cafe and Wine Cuisine in the former marine police headquarters. 'The 1881 Heritage management team contacted me after trying my first DG wine cellar at a private club in Jardine's Lookout,' Yip says. Although he's new to the food and beverage trade, Yip says he was encouraged by wealthy friends to open the space for people to enjoy fine wines. The restaurant serves mostly Italian food, but also Asian dishes as a nod to the sailors who used to dine in the space. Above DG Cafe is Hullett House, run by the Aqua Restaurant Group. Named after 19th century English scholar Richmond William Hullett, the space was transformed by Aqua founder David Yeo into five restaurants and bars, a souvenir shop and a 13-suite boutique hotel. General manager Phil Oakden says: 'Our concept is to match the expectations of Hong Kong people - everyone can go to Hullett House, although we know we can't be all things to all people. Stables Grill is for casual dining. St George is for an extravagant romantic dining experience, whereas Mariners' Rest exemplifies a British pub serving food like fish and chips and beer. Loong Toh Yuen has an outdoor courtyard which we see as the perfect place to put a Chinese restaurant. The Parlour is an all-day concept serving English breakfast, elegant high tea and dinner.' Philippe Orrico, a protege of Gagnaire and former chef at Pierre at the Mandarin Oriental, was hired as executive chef at St George. 'I decided to do a menu that's not too French but more open to world cuisines full of modern flavours,' he says. 'Sweets are the only traditional items. I combine ingredients from my Parisian suppliers with interesting local produce. I try to find a balance between classic and modern French.' The chef hopes diners will be enticed by the novel dishes. 'My tasting menu changes according to the seasons,' he says. 'Dishes are partly Gagnaire influences and partly my ideas.' Although these Tsim Sha Tsui restaurants evince a gastronomic evolution, one of the oldest fine-dining spots - Gaddi's, at the Peninsula Hotel - is changing more discreetly. The restaurant opened in 1953 and still retains its opulent old-fashioned French interior. But British chef David Goodridge, who has been at Gaddi's since 2005, has been transforming the menu into his private gourmet fantasy. 'To sit down and create an entirely new menu is almost impossible, so every six weeks we change the items or update the ? la carte dishes with seasonal ingredients,' says Goodridge. 'We stick to European food, import all ingredients from Europe and work in accordance with European seasons. Produce and fresh seafood come in live every day.' Goodridge, who worked with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons, says he has a more personalised cooking style, rather than having signature dishes. 'My fundamental cooking method stays the same but my dishes change,' he says. 'My sole signature dish on the Gaddi's menu is the marinated goose liver confit with candied rhubarb and hazelnut dressing. Good taste is my mantra - most important is flavour, followed by texture and techniques leading to the end result. I start with a basic French technique but how I adapt it marks my character as a chef.' As Goodridge looks at all the new fine-dining restaurants opening near The Peninsula, he is confident that Gaddi's will retain its top ranking. 'It's great to have competition because it makes us perform,' he says. 'Complacency is not good. Instead, my challenge is to entice new guests [across the harbour] from Hong Kong Island. More restaurants will draw more people, so there will be more vibrancy in Tsim Sha Tsui. We need to look forward. The Peninsula has an amazing history and we will try to generate the next generation of regulars for the next 20 years. Our philosophy is not about volume - our guarantee to offer the finest quality is what sets us apart.' Foodies are already anticipating the resurrection of Hugo's, at the Hyatt Regency on Nathan Road, that closed in 2006. The hotel reopened in October on Hanoi Road and it will be fascinating to see whether Hugo's will stay true to its original blueprint or get a makeover. Dine with the stars - a guide to top-nosh tables Hullett House 2A Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, hulletthouse.com The Parlour - all-day dining and bar, tel: 3988 0101 Stables Grill - casual dining, tel: 3988 0104 Loong Toh Yuen - Cantonese food, tel: 3988 0107 Mariners' Rest - British pub, tel: 3988 0103 St George (right) - modern European fine dining, tel: 3988 0220 DG Cafe and Wine Cuisine Shop 208, Level 2, 1881 Heritage, 2A Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2604 1881, dgcafe.com Whisk 5/F The Mira hotel Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2315 5999, themirahotel.com Gaddi's 1/F, The Peninsula, Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2315 3171 Spoon by Alain Ducasse Lobby Level, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2313 2256
