German chef Bjoern Alexander on his new Hong Kong open-fire restaurant Charcoal Bar, and getting over a ‘very bad’ injury

After Bjoern Alexander made his name serving creative cuisine at Hong Kong restaurant Whisk! he suffered a life-changing accident, but he’s kept on working

At his new restaurant Charcoal Bar, the German chef offers indulgent ingredients, such as grilled oysters, eel and steak, in an open-fire experience

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Bjoern Alexander at his new Hong Kong restaurant Charcoal Bar, an open-fire concept where his creativity shines through in reasonably priced dishes. Photo: Charcoal Bar

Published: 12:45pm, 23 May 2024Updated: 3:19pm, 23 May 2024

Those familiar with Hong Kong’s dining scene in the 2010s will remember Bjoern Alexander of Whisk!, the restaurant on the fifth floor of The Mira Hong Kong hotel in the city’s Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood.

The restaurant has undergone a few changes since then, including getting rid of the exclamation mark in its name.

Between 2012 and 2015, with Alexander at the helm, Whisk! was known for serving creative dishes such as king crab with sansho pepper, finger lime and meringue, as well as a savoury green pepper macaron with foie gras.

The restaurant was on the crest of the French-Japanese dining wave alongside industry big guns such as Amber at Hong Kong’s Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel and Ta Vie at The Pottinger, both in Central on Hong Kong Island.

Alexander worked at Hong Kong restaurant Whisk from 2012 to 2015, where he was known for his creative dishes. Photo: Charcoal Bar

After leaving The Mira, Alexander took his innovative cuisine across Victoria Harbour to Twenty Six by Liberty, in Central, and it was then that some challenging times began for the chef.