The Ambassador: Gregory Alexandre
Gregory Alexandre cooked up a storm for the French consulate general in Hong Kong before deciding to share his tasty cooking with the public.
Born in Paris in 1979, Gregory Alexandre grew up on quintessential Parisian classics such as croissants, baguettes, and the ultimate French snack: crepes. At 15, Alexandre decided to follow in the culinary footsteps of his father, who was a baker, and enrolled in a French cooking school in Santos Dumont. A testament to his dedication and talent, Gregory was one of three students to ultimately attain chef status after the lengthy five-year course. His training included learning to wait tables, being a kitchen hand, and making pastries and traiteurs (canapés) for formal functions. Before his permanent relocation to Hong Kong in 2003 to be the chef de cuisine for the French consulate general, Alexandre earned his scouts’ honors perfecting his technique in Michelin-starred kitchens such as La Reserve de Beaulieu, Le Faucher and the Grand Hotel du Cap-ferrat.
Like so many expats before him, Gregory fell in love with this city, its lifestyle and the local food—especially char sui buns and wonton noodles. What was meant to be a one-year fling turned out to be an eight-year relationship, culminating in the opening of Fleur de Sel, a private kitchen-style creperie, last year. Alexandre found the location for Fleur while still living as a tenant upstairs.
Whereas French cuisine is often touted as the epitome of fine dining, and can be somewhat of a fanfare in Hong Kong, Fleur de Sel offers an intimate, leisurely and non-pretentious eating experience that welcomes both seasoned gourmands and the newly initiated. Gregory wanted the opportunity to mingle with his guests and share his passion for hearty French ingredients. While Fleur is far from the pressure cooker environment of Gregory’s previous job, this boutique kitchen still maintains a touch of class. Enter via a dome-shaped corridor to a brightly lit cream-and-black room of plushy chairs and long benches. Behind the open kitchen, you’ll see a row of Trebec buckwheat flour and two top-of-the-range Krampouz crepe machines from Brittany.
Ever popular on the menu are the classic ham, cheese and egg galette (La Complete); a decadent smoked salmon, spinach and double cream galette (La Terre-neuve) and the chef’s personal favorite, La Sarladaise, which is a stylized savory galette with confit of duck. Gregory hopes to make Fleur a long-term French establishment in Causeway Bay, and hopefully open up another branch in the future.
Fleur de Sel: 2/F, Unit J in Po Foo Building, Foo Ming St., Causeway Bay, 2805-6678.