On the 25th floor of a new building in Hong Kong, Ama Ristorante commands an almost 360-degree view. For chef and owner Paolo Monti, this space on Johnston Road in Wan Chai is a dream come true. The 52-year-old recently left his role as executive chef at Gaia Ristorante, an Italian restaurant in Sheung Wan. It was a job he had held for two decades, working with well-known maitre d’ Pino Piano and serving mostly regular customers who have known them both for years. Monti felt now was the time – pandemic or not – to open his own restaurant. “It’s my last chance. If I wait any longer I’ll be too old,” he says. “You have to renew yourself and have the energy to do something new.” He is not the only top chef in Hong Kong to have chosen such a challenging time to open their own restaurant. Peter Find, who left his position as executive chef of the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong in January, also took the plunge with a fine-dining German restaurant in LKF Tower in Central. “I’m not getting younger. This is my last chance, otherwise I will regret it,” says the 56-year-old, who had been with the hotel in the ICC Tower in Kowloon since it opened in 2010. Find is hoping to change people’s perception of German food as being only Oktoberfest dishes like roasted pork knuckle and sausages. These items won’t be found at his restaurant, called Heimat, which means “homeland” in German. Five-star food at home: takeaways from top Hong Kong restaurants Hailing from Bersrod, a small village near Frankfurt, he says it’s time for people to try something new and interesting – German food from all over the country, elegantly presented, and of course delicious. Monti, on the other hand, has made Ama Ristorante a personal homage to his family, as his grandfather was a chef and his father a maitre d’. “When I was a kid, I helped my father in the restaurant he worked at, and he always had a dream to open his own place, but he had to retire early because of health issues,” says Monti. The seed for Ama was planted a year ago when Monti decided it was time for a change. However, the pandemic wave caused him to put the restaurant venture on hold until July 2021, when he secured this location. It helped that rents have dropped in some areas. Before he left Gaia, Monti began promoting his version of Amatriciana pasta – linguine, bucati or paccheri pasta with pork cheek, chilli, tomatoes and garlic, served in a large frying pan. “It tastes good, you never get tired of it and it’s comfortable. We have super fancy restaurants, but not a lot of classic ones, so I decided to do a Roman-based menu,” says Monti, who is from the Italian capital. Fans of Amatriciana will be able to eat it at Ama, as well as a Roman dish called vaccinara , a hearty dish of braised oxtail with pasta. “It’s usually the whole chunk of oxtail served with pasta on the side, but I stew the oxtail using the traditional recipe, then pull the meat out by hand and collect the sauce and make a fresh pasta wrapped around it,” says Monti. Another very well known ingredient is artichoke, which he deep-fries, but he also has Romanesco artichokes that can be shaved raw and are very tender to eat. “Artichokes are the DNA of Romans. They have been growing them in the Roman area for a long time,” he says. People who know me expect a minimum five-star experience. You put your name on [the restaurant], they want to make sure you will be around Peter Find, Heimat restaurant Heimat, which is expected to open in April, will start by offering a set tasting menu. Find has worked in various parts of Germany, including Bavaria, Rhineland, the Black Forest region near Heidelberg, even Sylt, a small island close to Denmark, and his dishes will reflect the culinary diversity of the country. In a media preview in December 2021, the starter was poached lobster with a poached egg and Frankfurter herb sauce, followed by chestnut soup inspired by the Black Forest. Next came the highlight: Königsberger klopse , or pork dumplings. Find describes them as similar to the Shanghainese lion’s head dish, though his dumplings are seasoned and textured with chopped capers and gherkins. This was followed by sea bass, goulash, beef sirloin, and then a dessert of pear vanilla compote topped with a light, refreshing sabayon made with Riesling wine. To finish the meal there were no chocolates or petit fours, but a gummy bear trolley, as the brand Haribo is from Germany. “Some people say it’s cheesy, but people will love it. It fits perfectly for Hong Kong people, and the idea is to have people discuss their gummy bear preferences,” says Find. “We will have eight to 10 different ones. We also have vegan and gluten-free ones, so they are guilt-free gummy bears, and there are special ones for adults with champagne or prosecco, with gin, or with chilli.” Having worked in Asia on and off since 1995 at hotels including The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, Wynn Macau and The Repulse Bay, Find has seen some restaurants succeed while others flame out quickly. “For me it’s how can we keep the quality at the beginning … I want to train the staff properly, first in service and the kitchen, and then when we think they can handle it, we will make the menu accordingly so we can do 40 to 50 covers a night with the same quality.” However, finding staff is still a challenge, even though Find has a reputation in the industry for being a good boss. “The current generation is different from my generation. Their attitude towards work is … they want to make a lot of money but do less work, they want to have quality of life, [so] to find young passionate chefs or waiters, it’s getting more difficult.” ‘Musk ox, it’s so so good’: Michelin-star restaurant moving to Greenland The German is currently looking for chefs who he can train to work independently in the kitchen while he is in the dining room talking to guests. “It’s not necessarily the skills but to find the people with the right attitude who want to learn something new, different and want to work for a good boss, right?” he says with a laugh. “I’m trying. It’s not easy to be a good boss, you need to be firm and fair. That’s why in the beginning I don’t want to make it too complicated, but simple sometimes can be difficult to do.” Nevertheless, Find believes having passion for his work will help him overcome many obstacles. And after having represented several hotels over the past three decades, he is ready to put his name on his own restaurant. “People who know me expect a minimum five-star experience. You put your name on [the restaurant], they want to make sure you will be around. Pressure is good – it makes you better, makes you perform better,” he says, even though he is only a few years from retirement. He is keen to open his restaurant and see what happens. For Monti, opening Ama has brought an injection of positive energy, not only for himself, but also for the Hong Kong restaurant scene, he believes. “We bring something different and I believe there’s a space for that,” he says. From opening 1,200 oysters a day to opening a restaurant, a chef’s journey “The restaurant was born with a lot of love,” he adds. “I just hope that everybody who comes here has a good experience and the word of mouth can bring other people.”