Cakewalk

The last few years has seen the drastic increase in prominence of the pastry chef in the local dining scene. Not only are there an ever-growing number of bakeries cropping up around town, an increasing number of restaurants are also scrambling to enlist pastry chefs.

But the industry didn’t always work this way. Cafe Epöch’s newly appointed head pastry chef, Etienne Irazoqui, recalls how disappointed he was at the lack of excitement with pastries in Hong Kong when he first arrived in the city as a consultant for Valronha Chocolate in 2007. Irazoqui attributes the evolution of the pastry market in Hong Kong to the opening of places such as Joël de Robuchon, Agnés b. and Sift. “These places brought a different touch and they’ve let Hong Kong customers know how good pastries and desserts can and should be,” he says. And with the heightened demand for artisan desserts comes the inevitable heightened demand for experienced pastry chefs; as Irazoqui puts it, “in the past three, four years, restaurateurs have realized that they can’t do without a pastry chef.”

Indeed, the city’s newest restaurants have been paying a lot more attention to their pastry team. Case in point is Aqua Restaurant Group, who have enlisted acclaimed pastry chef Alexis Watrin to overlook all the dessert menus at their latest extravagant dining venture, Hullett House at 1881 Heritage. Watrin’s resume includes stints at various Michelin-starred restaurants, including the Alain Ducasse restaurant, and he has also worked at the renowned Dorchester Hotel in London.

Similarly, recently opened New York-Italian comfort food restaurant Posto Pubblico has been listing their pastry chef, AJ Bellarosa, as one of their main culinary weapons, and rightfully so too. After all, Bellarosa’s culinary background is more than impressive, having worked his pastry magic in the kitchens of New York’s Jean-Georges and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. In fact, the popularity of the pastry chef has become such that even Asian restaurants are jumping onto the bandwagon. Miramar Plaza’s new modern Korean cuisine addition, ChumChumMi is using their dessert menu as one of the restaurant’s big selling points. And though the restaurant’s desserts read like a familiar list of Western classics, every item has been carefully reinterpreted by experienced pastry chef Lim Ji-Hae and her team, and tweaked to suit Asian tastes. The hazelnut cake has a layer of deliciously creamy, nutty mousse without being cloyingly sweet or heavy; the strawberry tart is dainty and cute, topped with whipped cream, red berries and an anime-like chocolate flower.

In other words, restaurateurs and customers nowadays are more aware that the pastry chef plays a separate and—more importantly—equally indispensable restaurant role as that of the cook. “We are very different from kitchen chefs,” Bellarosa emphasizes—a point which Irazoqui agrees on, adding that “a lot of feeling and impromptu mood goes into cooking,” while pastry making is structured and involves organized prep work, with little left until the last minute. In fact, Bellarosa and his pastry team arrive at Posto Pubblico before the regular kitchen team every morning to get an early start on the restaurant’s homemade ciabatta bread. The same goes for the pastry team at ChumChumMi, who are also responsible for making the restaurant’s breads every day, including their popular charcoal-colored squid ink bread roll.

The ways in which pastries are viewed have also changed over the last few years. Baked and sweet components of the meal are also no longer viewed solely as the end, but rather, as part and parcel of the whole dining experience. “I want my desserts to end the meal on a positive note and to complement the rest of the menu,” says Bellarosa as he introduces his dessert of strawberry Chantilly shortcake with basil and frozen yogurt, all of which was made with completely natural ingredients sourced from local farms. By keeping his desserts on the refreshingly palate-cleansing side and by using only “clean” ingredients, Bellarosa makes his part of the menu as enjoyable and memorable as the mains. The same rings true for the desserts at Hullett House, where chef Watrin is given the creative freedom to concoct a menu of English-based desserts with his own unique, artistic twist. Think toffee apple and pecan pie served with homemade milk ice cream, or his sophisticated take on the classic tipsy trifle. And for the boutique hotel’s fine dining restaurant, St. George, Watrin pulls out all the stops with creatively extravagant desserts such as his signature fondant chocolate with rocket salad, olive oil and caramelized pistachio, which hold their own against executive chef Philippe Orrico’s impressive savory menu.