As part of my Hong Kong food safari, Bo Innovation was on top of my list of go-to's. Not only is Alvin Leung the creator of the infamous molecular gastronomical "xiao long bao", but he is labelled the Demon Chef and fuses molecular gastronomy with chinese cuisine which is a rarity in itself. oooo. With a name like this, his claim of "Xtreme Chinese Cuisine" and a One Michelin Star behind his belt, you know you are in for a treat.
This restaurant is hidden in Wan Chai in a narrow street on the 2nd floor. Alvin's tattooed arm greets you even before you enter the door. Dont be afraid to witness the tattoo artist at work =D
I ordered the set menu. for $228 (+ 10% surcharge) you chose 2 Dim Sims or Bo dishes, plus a main course, starch (rice) and dessert du jour.
Unfortunately the set lunch did not include the "xiao long bao" and so i ordered this separately.
For a tiny little ball for HKD$80, this is what it looks like:
Arriving on a spoon, this sphere of flavour bursted on impact - a lava of "xiao long bao" flavours (think pork, shallots, ginger) runs out of the thin membrane. The thin strip of pickled ginger gives it that final touch. It is literally a "xiao long bao" in liquid form without the flour dough. Clever and amazingly executed, it may be one of the best molecular gastronmy creation i have tasted. Do i think its worth $80? maybe not, but i would rather pay than regret never having ordered it.
For my first small dish, i chose the Black truffle 'cheung fun', which is a modification of the traditional chinese rice noodles. This 'cheung fun' has been coated in soy sauce and generously wrapped truffle pieces, then pan fried. It was not only extremely fragrant with truffles but the texture was smooth, delicate and not overly oily. A great suggestion by the attending staff.
My next small dish was the "har gao" black truffle XO. Yes, more truffle!
It had the traditional makings of a prawn dumpling layered on top with black truffle, dried japanese ebi (prawn) shavings and finely diced shallots. The truffle was not as prominent in this dish as the ebi flavour was quite strong and slightly marred by the chunky prawn from the dumpling. A wonderfully executed dish though lacks some wow factor.
The main chosen was the french qual "begger style" with chinese lentil and wolfberry chutney. I adored this dish!
The quail was juicy soft and moist, sitting on a bed of slightly grainy lentil mash. What i loved about this dish was the puree. I have never tried wolfberry puree accompanying a main meal as it is quite a traditional chinese ingredient. It worked perfectly to provide that concentrated sweetness. There were also swirls of chinese vegetable juice which i could not really taste. When i asked the waiting staff what these were, she kindly showed me the dried vegetable in a bag (although i don't know the english name for it). 10/10 for service!
To provide some sustenance to the lunch, a bowl of rice came and sat quietly at my table. When you look at the grains with copious amounts of tiny caviar clinging to it, you can just imagine how this would be on the palate. The caviar popped as you ate the rice, to the very last grain. It goes to show how much thought has been placed on each dish to make sure not only that the right balance in textures and flavours are achieved, but it is immaculately presented.
Onto dessert! A plate with coconut sorbet on a bed of red bean was accompanied by a rather chinese dessert of coconut pudding with red bean pieces. The sorbet was refreshing and oozed in coconut flavour, whilst the pudding was not overly sweet and was more bland to give the dish its contrast.
Bo Innovation has definitely impressed and earned its one Michelin star- They think outside the box and redefines chinese cuisine. In my opinion, this restaurant matched (if not exceed) those of the top Sydney hatted restaurants in terms of innovation, quality and perfection.
Bo Innovation60 Johnston Road
Wan Chai
Hong Kong
Tel - 852 2850 8371
