WhatsApp to the rescue for chefs creating new restaurant’s menu 9,000km apart because of coronavirus travel curbs
- London-based chef Jun Tanaka took a job leading the kitchen at soon- to-open Hong Kong restaurant Salisterra
- Kept apart by pandemic travel restrictions, Tanaka and chef Chris Czerwinski developed the entire menu online and tested dishes on staff
Fans of Cafe Gray Deluxe were sad to learn that the restaurant on the top floor of The Upper House in Hong Kong’s Admiralty neighbourhood was closing at the end of 2020. But there’s no need to despair – the stunning panoramic city views are still there, and in its place is Salisterra, a name combining the Latin words salis meaning “salt”, and terra, for “earth”.
Architect Andre Fu, who designed Cafe Gray, was enlisted again to revamp the interiors, though the configuration of the restaurant is pretty much the same. Gone is the neutral palette, replaced with green, terracotta, amber and sky blue.
The reception desk is gone too, and the entrance has an art deco-like frame. Salisterra is divided into five sections: one private and two semi-private dining rooms, a high-table area where diners can watch the action in the open kitchen, and a forest-green bar lounge.
The culinary brains behind Salisterra is Jun Tanaka, who was born in New York, spent his early years in Japan and then moved to the UK when he was seven years old. His kitchen pedigree includes working at Le Gavroche, Restaurant Marco Pierre White, Les Saveurs, and The Square, all in London.
Tanaka opened his own restaurant, The Ninth, in London in 2015 and was awarded a Michelin star two years later. When he was invited to try out for the job of helming Salisterra, Tanaka had never been to Hong Kong. However, before the coronavirus pandemic he and his Thai-born wife made yearly trips to Thailand, so after their 2019 sojourn there, he stopped over in Hong Kong and visited The Upper House, where he was impressed by the service and food. That visit motivated him to clinch the deal.