TV chef Bobby Chinn back in Asia and leaning into the Egyptian side of his heritage at Hong Kong food festival
- Former World Café Asia and Middle East host and Anthony Bourdain go-to Bobby Chinn, who left the Asian food scene, is back for Hong Kong Egyptian Food Festival
- From September 12-16, the Chinese-Egyptian chef will explore his Middle Eastern roots with multi-course meals at two restaurants and a cooking masterclass
In the early 2000s, Chinese-Egyptian chef Bobby Chinn was an icon of the Discovery-owned American cable TV channel TLC.
He was the host of World Café, a travel and food show taking him across Asia and the Middle East to experience the region by seeing, smelling and tasting. Chinn also made his name in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, with eponymous restaurants serving contemporary Vietnamese cuisine.
With a quick wit and mischievous personality, Chinn became popular among his show business contemporaries, from Antony Worrall Thompson to Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain, who would reach out to him whenever their shows required a visit to Vietnam.
In 2012, Chinn relocated to London and virtually disappeared from the Asian food scene.
“I left around 2012 to open The House Of Ho, which was my authentic Vietnamese restaurant with modernistic techniques presentation,” Chinn says. “It’s since been sold to a major restaurateur. I decided to get out because [the concept] was going to get diluted.
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“I took a sabbatical after and decided that I needed to do more ‘personal development’. I became more vegetarian, got more involved in issues like overfishing and became an advocate towards greater awareness of our industrial food system which is failing many of us.”
That introspection included exploring the Middle Eastern side of his heritage. Chinn is now in Hong Kong for the inaugural Egyptian Food Festival organised by the Consulate General of Egypt and the Silver Oak hospitality group.
He will be serving a five-course menu at both The Bayside, in Hong Kong’s Hung Hom neighbourhood, and F.I.G.S Bistro Mediterranean, in Taikoo, from September 12 to 16.
I look at Egyptian food the same way as Chinese cuisine. It’s family style, to be shared
In addition, Chinn is offering an Egyptian cooking class with a four-course tasting on September 16 from 3-5pm at The Bayside. The dinners cost HK$498 and the cooking class and tasting costs HK$450.
“Egyptian cuisine has always been overshadowed by other cuisines of the region,” Chinn says. “There’s still a lot we don’t know about Egyptian cuisine’s history.
“It has gone through many dynasties, kingdoms influenced by Africa, Persians, Greeks, Romans, as well as the Ottomans, and it’s all interwoven. A lot of it was lost, especially during the Ottoman Empire.
“What people probably don’t know is Egyptians were the first to domesticate fowls for foie gras.
“We know there were a lot of ingredients available in the ancient kingdoms. We know what they grew and what they ate. There’s proof of it in burial chambers of the pharaohs. We just don’t know how they cooked a lot of it.”
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“I had a debate with social anthropologists who say [the pharaohs] probably didn’t have terrine. I thought, why not? The ancient Egyptians knew fermenting and preserving. They could preserve foie gras as far as I’m concerned.”
More traditional choices are the mains, which include hamam mahshi, pigeon stuffed with cracked wheat and herbs, and sharkaseya, shredded chicken in a walnut sauce.
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“I love sharkaseya, but it’s actually more Turkish Ottoman. It’s kind of a rich, heavy sauce, so with rice and chicken it’s really a wonderful combination,” Chinn says.
“The stuffed pigeon is more French in technique. Historically, Egyptians stuffed pigeon with bulgur, or cracked wheat. This is an absolute delicacy in Egypt.
“The bird is browned and braised. Before service, we’ll roast it so you get a crispy skin, and give it a bit of the glaze with some spices and sweetness too.”
Chinn doesn’t operate any restaurants currently, but he is still on TV, as a judge on Top Chef Middle East (“It’s a big show in its seventh season with, like, 58 million viewers a week and it got nominated for an international Emmy last year.”).
He is also active promoting eco-sustainability causes as they relate to food and hospitality. Chinn has also not given up on Asia.
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“It’s my way to reduce food waste and apply all my learnings towards creating a more equitable food system.
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“Other than that, I’m doing food promotions and food events, just broadening my horizons wherever I can. I am a seriously conflicted soul, a walking contradiction.”
To book, contact each restaurant directly.
The Bayside, One Harbourfront, 18 Tak Fung Street, Whampoa Garden, Hung Hom. Tel: 2123 2177
F.I.G.S Bistro Mediterranean, Shop 601, 6/F, 1111 King’s Road, Taikoo. Tel: 2126 7357
