Art Basel Hong Kong: restaurants celebrate with a month of yummy culinary art
- From the Mandarin Grill + Bar to Whisk at the Mira, restaurants are getting into the spirit with everything from bento sets to cocktails that taste as good as they look
Relishing the opportunity for creative freedom Hong Kong chefs have raised the bar this year with art-related menus that tie-in with the “month of art”, including Art Basel.
Because the menus often take their inspiration from existing art works, deciding which edible art to try may be as difficult as deciding on a favourite artist.
An annual favourite for its highly creative culinary art is the Mandarin Grill + Bar at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. The restaurant is again partnering with noted artist Konstantin Bessmertny and the consultancy Consigg Art Advisory to transform the space into an exclusive gallery, themed as Go East.
Guests find themselves surrounded by Bessmertny’s surreal, colourful and thought-provoking pieces, as well as a collection of contemporary Asian art. The four-course menu features premium ingredients, plus an indulgent caviar amuse bouche, and includes dishes that clearly reference the art that inspired them. Diners are also presented with cards inscribed with the inspirational art work and explanatory notes that heighten the connection between art and food, artist and chef. Playful, bold, and visually impressive, you can see and taste the fun that the chefs had in developing the enticing menu that is available until March 31.
Diners interested in purchasing art should know that the pieces displayed throughout the restaurant will be available for sale, as well as Konstantin’s “7 Deadly Sins” – dramatic show plates that grace the tables.
Plus, there will be a large installation by Konstantin, titled Ping Pong Theory Illustrated, outside the restaurant until March 31.
Also back this year is Whisk at The Mira Hong Kong, with its conceptual menu, offered from March 29 to April 27, which reflects on the street art of visual artist Szabotage whose pop-up exhibition “Reflections” will be presented at the restaurant’s wine lounge. “The Gallery of a Hong Kong Chef” is the title of the menu highlighting abstract art-inspired dishes that reference contemporary art, including pop and street art and the films of Wong Kar-wai via a mentally stimulating menu of curious creations.
A complete sensory experience awaits diners at Felix this year as The Peninsula Hong Kong celebrated Art Month with the launch of its “Art in Resonance” campaign yesterday, a global initiative featuring installations by contemporary artists.
Felix’s chef de cuisine Juan Gomez has crafted a “beguiling Felix Five Senses Art Experience”, with dishes designed to pleasure the senses. Paying tribute to both his Spanish roots and his quirky personality, the menu begins with surprise tapas that sets the scene for the multi-sensory experience to follow. Each dish highlights a sense. For example, the first course, semi-dried tomatoes and almond vanish ravioli with Jerusalem artichoke cream and Parmesan sablé, stimulates guests’ sense of sight through contrasting colours.
Unkai Japanese Cuisine at the Sheraton is combining what it calls a combination of art and sushi, until the end of March, with its “mosaic bento”. The exquisite seafood mosaic has been a big hit on social media, thanks to the knife skills needed to create the bento, which features a mix of fresh tuna, tuna belly, sea urchin, snapper, salmon, jumbo scallop, mantis shrimp, sweet shrimp and yellowtail.
For high art, Cé La Vi is presenting its Art March set menu that includes six contemporary Asian dishes, such as oyster and botan ebi, with yuzu soy and chive dressing, and grilled salmon with salted egg coconut cream, an Asian-inspired fish dish with local touches.
A visual highlight is the dessert, strawberry gelée, passion fruit sauce and strawberry ice cream accompanying the sweet beet and raspberry mousse with crushed Sichuan peppercorns. Diners can also feast their eyes on a selection of sculptures that will also be on display.
On the sipping side of art, Sevva’s tastemaker Bonnae Gokson has created a floral-themed gin and tonic. Adorned with pink flower petals with a dash of lemonade and champagne, this artsy G&T will be an instant Instagram hit. During March Sevva’s lounge will be reimagined by renowned Belgium interior designer Gert Voorjans.
It will feature furniture upholstered with Voorjans’ exotic, vibrant fabric collection in collaboration with Jim Thompson, to bring contrasting colour palettes, mesmerising patterns, and a touch of art to the space.
For edible artistry at home, meanwhile, Ms B’s Cakery has created Sweet Art, a cake described as “a vibrant mix of colours, a touch of contemporary art, and a plateful of enthralling flowers to celebrate creativity and imagination”.
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