Q&A: Sebastian Escudero
The Sydney-based Chilean chef is on a mission to put his native cuisine on the Asian culinary map, writes Amanda Choong
"I learned from my grandmother. She taught me from when I was five or six years old. I have always loved food, not just eating it, but its preparation."
"There is a lot of French influence in Chilean food. For instance, we use butter in our cooking; I tend to use a lot of butter. We also use chorizo [spiced pork sausage], which has some Spanish influence, but we use the Chilean version."
"The menu is a mix of fusion and traditional. I wanted to keep it traditional, but I also wanted to make it innovative for the Hong Kong public since they are still not knowledge-able about Chilean cuisine. The ingredients can definitely be switched. Instead of ostrich medallions you can use beef. That is the beauty of food: you can switch things around. It's a matter of getting used to the palate of the people you cook for."
"We do not use ginger in traditional cooking. We might use just a little bit in pastries, or we might use dried ginger, but it is generally not an ingredient that is part of our culture. Here in Asia, though, all the food has ginger in it."
"Of course! I'd like to use coriander, which is a very Asian ingredient, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. I think that every ingredient you taste as a chef, if you love what you're doing, you will find ways to use them."
"My new friends at the [Jockey Club] brought me out to try traditional Hong Kong street food. I really like claypot rice and oyster cakes."