Pride of plates

The ninth Hong Kong/Macao edition of the famed dining guide highlights an array of restaurants where chefs have special gifts, Mike Peters reports.

What does it take to earn a Michelin star - or three? "Exceptional cooking", the 2017 Michelin Guide for Hong Kong and Macao says succinctly, then adding: "When awarding one, two or three Michelin stars, there are a number of factors we consider: the quality and compatibility of the ingredients, the technical skill and flair that goes into the preparation, the clarity and combination of flavors, the value for money, and above all, the taste. Ambience and history can impress diners, but the anonymous judges are focused on the food, so we did, too. China Daily presents a selection of signature dishes from some of the most talked-about restaurants in the guide.

Superior pottage with shredded chicken (HK$ 310, or $40)

Restaurant: Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hotel, HK

Chef: Chan Yan Tak

Chef says: "Hong Kong is an incredibly exciting place to be a chef. When I go to the wet market to buy some fish or vegetables, I know that I will always see the same faces and be served by the same people who've worked there for 20 or 30 years."

Michelin says: Three stars, the first Cantonese restaurant in the world to be so honored. "It's not just Chef Chan Yak Tak's dim sum that's gaining legendary status - every dish is delicately crafted and enticingly presented, and the quality of the ingredients is of the highest order."

4/F, 8 Finance Street, Central. 852-3196-8880.

Poularde from Bresse, braised savoy cabbage with chanterelle mushroom, Alba white truffle (HK$980)

Restaurant: 8? Otto e Mezzo Bombana, HK

Chef: Umberto Bombana

Chef's technique: Bombana, who has been helming a kitchen in Hong Kong since 1993, says he is inspired by the freshest ingredients. He is famously a champion of seasonal white truffles from the Alba area of Italy: He was named Worldwide Ambassador of the White Truffle in 2006 by the Piedmontese regional Enoteca Cavour (Italy).

Michelin says: Three stars. "(An) exquisitely framed and cleverly lit space with a chic, urban feel: Check out the ageing cellar for hams and cheeses. The Italian food is equally appealing: pappardelle with lamb and mushroom ragout; blue lobster and sea urchin with gnocchi; Tajima beef tongue with cheek braised in red wine; and, to finish, limoncello souffle."

2/F, Alexandra House, 18 Chater Road, Central. 852-2537-8859.

Double-boiled chicken soup with fish maw in baby coconut (HK$399)

Restaurant: Tin Lung Heen at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, HK

Chef: Paul Lau

Chef's technique: Soup is deeply rooted in Cantonese dining culture. For this soup, Lau uses coconuts from Thailand as the coconut water is fresh and sweet. The homemade chicken soup is first simmered for three hours; Lau then removes the oil on the surface, adds coconut water and brings it to a simmer for another hour in a coconut shell. In the soup there's fish maw of yellow croaker, which is a good source of collagen. Lau also puts freshly steamed chicken meat in the soup for more diverse texture and intense flavor.

Michelin says: Two stars. "'Dragon in the sky' is a very apposite name ... The vast windows bring in plenty of daylight at lunch and make it a good spot from which to watch the sun go down."

102/F, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui. 852-2263-2270.

Kacinkoa 85% chocolata, ganache, fisherman's friend dust, peppermint & white chocolate sorbet (HK$180)

Restaurant: Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, HK

Chef: Richard Ekkebus

Chef says: "I did not learn to cook in France," says the Dutch-born Ekkebus of his formative years in the kitchen, "What I developed there was a deep appreciation for French peoples' pride in their fertile land and what they farm or raise." In August 2015, he was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Merite by French.

Michelin says: Two stars. "Service is detailed and courteous yet never overbearing, but it is the adventurous and creative French cuisine, based on classical techniques, which attracts diners to these plush surroundings. Try Hokkaido sea urchin in a lobster Jell-O or charcoal-grilled Bresse pigeon - and don't miss the chocolate souffle.

7/F, 15 Queen's Road, Central; www.amberhongkong.com. 852-2132-0066.

Shredded chicken with crispy skin and pomelo in honey flavored with lime sauce (half-chicken MOP$220, or $28)

Restaurant: The 8, Grand Lisboa, Macao

Chef: Tse Kam Chung

Chef's technique: Diners can choose from over 40 kinds of dim sum at lunch and experience classic dining with an elegant and creative touch. The restaurant also shares a wine cellar with over 16,800 labels between 13 other restaurants in the Lisboa Hotels.

Michelin says: Three stars. "The cuisine is a mix of Cantonese and Huaiyang, but the kitchen also adds its own innovative touches to some dishes. Specialties include steamed crab claw with ginger and Chinese wine, and stir-fried lobster with egg, minced pork and black bean."

2/F, Grand Lisboa Hotel, Avenida da Lisboa; www.grandlisboahotel.com. 853-8803-7788.

Prime-cut barbecue Iberico pork pluma (MOP$268)

Restaurant: Jade Dragon at City of Dreams, Macao

Chef: Tam Kwok Fung

Chef's technique: Quality natural organic and farm-fresh ingredients from around the world. Adding a healthy dimension, an exclusive range of Chinese herbal soups are specially prepared by professional Chinese herbal practitioners through an exclusive collaboration with the Chinese medicine research team from the Macao University of Science and Technology.

Michelin says: Two stars. "Traditional Chinese art, ebony, crystal, gold and silver converge with modern design to form this stunning and eminently comfortable Cantonese restaurant. ... Specialties to look out for are goose grilled over lychee wood and barbecued Iberico pork."

2/F, The Boulevard, City of Dreams, Cotai. 853-8868-2822.

Sea urchin tempura

Restaurant: Mizumi at Wynn Macao

Chef: Tsutomu Shimamiya

Chef's technique: The sushi master chef from Hokkaido is one of three consultants here. His signature tempura is made with carefully selected shiso leafs from Aichi and deliciously fresh sea urchin. His innovation: The leaves are deep-fried on only one side and the fresh sea urchin is placed on top. Another chef makes sea urchin as sushi, he's careful with the math - the ratio between the sea urchin and the rice needs to be a strict 3:1.

Michelin says: "The fish comes from Tsukiji market in Tokyo; the beef from a private ranch on Ishigaki Island, south of Okinawa. Go for the Taste of Mizumi."

G/F, Wynn Hotel, Rua Cidade de Sintra, Macao. 853-8986-3663.

Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn