After an endless week of rain and a few close calls with feisty typhoons just before that, the sun’s finally out again. While I’m grateful for the gray-blue summery skies we’ve been blessed with these past weeks, I’m also super happy about the cooler temperatures that are staying with us post-shower-and-storm. So are the folks at the newly launched Le Chef (Mezzanine, Metropark Hotel, 41-49 Hennessy Rd., Wan Chai, 2863-7345), who’ve created a fall/winter menu to celebrate the occasion.
Le Chef serves a combination of western and Asian dishes, and this line-up is no exception. Chef Rick Kwan has selected the highly versatile ginger plant as his muse this season, fabricating an entire range of western treats and Asian delicacies based on this ingredient. From steamed rice paper rolls with fresh oyster dipped in homemade sesame ginger vinegar to US prime striploin with garlic and ginger soy sauce to crème brulee with lemon ginger and lemongrass, Kwan experiments with ginger in deliciously creative ways.
But I also have to tout another (gingerless) item on the new menu: Le Chef’s cream of black truffle and wild mushroom soup is simply one of the best I’ve had.