Diner’s Diary | Chef Pierre Gagnaire tests Hong Kong brunch dishes for his Pierre restaurant at the Mandarin, even though he’s not a fan of the meal

Top chef Pierre Gagnaire doesn’t eat brunch. Nevertheless, the Frenchman was recently at his restaurant Pierre in the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong to create a brunch menu – something he’s never done before in any of his 15 restaurants around the world. There’s a first time for everything.

His team in Hong Kong, led by chef de cuisine Jacky Tauvry, is already hard at work when we drop by the kitchen to see how preparations are going. Not many kitchens in Hong Kong have windows, and this one on the 25th floor boasts one of the nicest views in the city, looking out over Victoria Harbour on a sunny day.

WATCH Pierre Gagnaire at work in the Pierre kitchen

Gagnaire says the brunch is “a way to show we are always here, that we have respect for the city and create a new link with the place”. Given he doesn’t eat brunch himself, he says he’s trying to find where to draw the line between brunch and lunch.

Pierre isn’t currently open on Sundays, a big day for brunch, and the Mandarin Oriental has until now only served brunch four times a year – New Year’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, and Boxing Day.

While the brunch menu will begin in January, a lot is still up in the air – prices, how often brunch will be available on Sundays, and the dishes, which are still a work in progress when we drop by.

We start off by sampling a pretty dish featuring tuna mixed with avocado and yogurt, garnished with slices of raw chestnut, radish and salmon roe.