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00:02This season I'm so excited to share my journey through one of the most exciting
00:08food cities in the world, Hong Kong. Oh my goodness. Here East meets West,
00:15traditional meets modern and every meal tells a story. From steaming baskets of
00:21dim sum, look at that aren't they beautiful, to sizzling walks on street
00:26corners. Smells amazing. I'm diving into centuries of
00:30culinary tradition. Yum cha is not complete without some tea. But I'm not
00:36just here to eat, I'm here to cook. On a hot summer's night in Hong Kong, this is the
00:42dish to have. So join me on a journey through culture and taste in this
00:47incredible city. This is Hong Kong right here. I love it.
01:00In Hong Kong, plenty of restaurants blend Cantonese and Western influences, but few do it as successfully
01:07as Hong Kong cuisine. The award-winning restaurant is headed up by Chef Silas Lee. He grew up in the
01:13UK
01:13working in his family's Chinese takeaway shop before training in French cuisine. He later traveled
01:19through China, learning directly from local chefs and producers. At Hong Kong cuisine, he brings it
01:26all together. Classic Cantonese flavors, refined technique and a modern touch.
01:38Silas, it's so great to be here to try your set menu. The dishes look wonderful. What have you got
01:45for me here?
01:45This is a salt-baked chicken leg stuffed with foie gras. That's my favorite.
01:51Thank you. I'm special occasion, of course.
01:52All right, so I'm going to... Wow.
01:56So it's the chicken legs that's been stuffed with the foie gras.
02:00And what we do, we have to stir-fried the actual salt first with some star anise, spicy salt pepper.
02:08I just love this technique of cooking because it's sort of keeping all of those flavors in there,
02:15and you just get a waft of it as soon as it opens. And what have you got over here?
02:20So basically, this is like a chicken tureen done with sand ginger. If you see the jelly on the top,
02:26this is actually a vinegar. Oh, is it? Using gelatine and chicken stock,
02:31combined together if you want to cut into it. And the green?
02:33Yeah, the green is a green piece puree. Oh, look at the texture of that. So it's almost mousse-like.
02:39And you've taken the bones out? We deboned it. After it's been deboned,
02:43we put the fargoa inside, wrap it with crispy paper, and after that, we put in the salt.
02:49Mmm. The tureen. Oh, that is, that is heaven. It's a taste of France. And then you've got
03:01all of those gorgeous aromatics, those Chinese aromatics. Do you find the Hong Kong dining scene
03:06like no other? Does it allow you to push the boundaries like you have here? Absolutely. Hong
03:12Kong is such a multicultural city in China, very deep in China. A lot of flavor is very,
03:18very classic. But this is what we love in Hong Kong, and this is what we do.
03:35What we have here is actually a pigeon. It's been deboned. We stop it with crocodile tail.
03:42Crocodile tail? Yep. Not because of you guys coming, but we do have it on the main.
03:50We cut into it. Right. You can see the crocodile tail inside. It's got some Chinese mushroom,
03:57it's got some dry shrimps. What does the crocodile tail do for the dish?
04:01It's the texture and the collagen, really. Right.
04:12The flavor is very strong, very intense. And you can really taste the finesse,
04:17it's elegant, and it's perfectly balanced, which is what you want when you come to a fine dining restaurant.
04:31Oh, that's a little puzzle. So this dish is a steamed black cod with a dried seafood sauce,
04:40nice. Which we make in hand. But a lot of people call it exo sauce. You smell the aroma of
04:47the fish.
04:48So the black cod with fish moor, and some dried shrimps, and some mentis prawns. It's a lot of dry
04:56compoy and all that flavor. All right, let's give that a go.
05:01The whole concept of this fish is almost like bringing a present to the customer,
05:07and having that wonderful smell from the kitchen. Once it's served, it's open immediately.
05:18Fish, of course, cooked to perfection. And for a lovely salty umami flavor,
05:24that's just quite balanced with everything else there. It's just delicious.
05:44This appetizer was created quite a few years ago, which I actually love myself.
05:50Basically, it's a deep fried quail egg. Once that's fried, we inject a smoked chicken
05:56soy sauce into it, and we serve it with a little bit of caviar as well.
06:01Of course, caviar. I wouldn't expect anything less from you.
06:07So all the smoky soy sauce chicken flavor kind of like explode in your mouth.
06:13Wow, so good. I love that. That's really good. Okay, four of those.
06:17So this is my version of pavlova.
06:21Again, a great choice of dessert.
06:25So it's, see the meringue is nice and fluffy. So we use a 30 years dry tangerine ice cream.
06:32Some fresh, usual dry tangerine. There's a lot of citrus in there.
06:38A little bit of the meringue, and the cream, and the ice cream in there.
06:49Mmm. It's so good. Thank you.
06:51The tangerine. It's so special. You can taste that, aren't you?
06:53Oh, and I just love the sensation of the cold ice cream in there, and then everything else is
06:58like cloud-like with that cream. Mmm. What's underneath it? More cream.
07:04Creme champagne. Mmm. So good. Thank you.
07:07What made you want to create a restaurant like this in Hong Kong?
07:12It's not about trophies or any medal or anything like that. It's really passing my knowledge to the
07:18next generation before I retire. This is my goal, and this is why this restaurant is happening here.
07:24You really see that throughout your food. Dish after dish, you see the care and the love.
07:30It's the true passion behind it, and that's why this is such a special restaurant that I just think
07:34everyone needs to come to when they come to Hong Kong. Silas, thank you so much for having me.
07:39Thank you. I'll be back for sure, especially for this dessert. Oh my gosh.
07:54Whether you're having dim sum or sitting at a Dai Pai Dong here in Hong Kong,
07:57what I've noticed is they always have a tray of delicious condiments. Condiments like crispy chili
08:04oil, peanut sauce, and hoisin. So I'm going to put all of those flavors together to make a really
08:10speedy dinner. These are my rice noodles served with peanut and hoisin sauce. For the first component
08:16of the sauce, you'll need hoisin sauce into a bowl. Hoisin sauce is like a Chinese barbecue sauce.
08:22It's a combination of fermented soybean paste and salted soybeans, and it's also got lots of sugar
08:29in it too. So that's the basis of it. Into this, I'm going to add a splash of soy sauce,
08:37a little bit more sugar, and one of my favorite ingredients to use in Chinese cooking,
08:42some black vinegar. We just want to cut through the sweetness of it, so a little bit of acidity is
08:47great for this. I'm also going to add just a little splash of hot water to that, just to loosen
08:53it up.
08:53Give it another mix, and pop that to the side. Okay, peanut butter. Good old peanut butter. You can
09:01use crunchy or smooth. For this, I'm going to add a little bit of that hoisin sauce, just to give
09:09it
09:09that savory flavor. So you want it to be a saucy consistency. So give it a mix, and if it's
09:14still a
09:15little bit thick, which it is, add some water. This is a dish that I like to make at home
09:21for my little
09:22boy who loves peanut butter. It's a great way to make a very fast, quick mid-week meal, and you
09:29can
09:29add all different types of vegetables. Okay, and a little bit more water. You might need to do this a
09:35few more times, just so we get this saucy consistency. See that? That's what we're after.
09:42All right, we'll pop that to one side, and we can heat up our noodles. These are fresh rice noodles,
09:47just into a spider or strainer like this. Plunge it into the water. While they're warming up,
09:52I'm just going to get my garnish ready. Just some spring onions that are finely chopped.
10:05Right, the noodles have only been warming up for a moment. Strain some of that liquid. It's okay if
10:11some of that liquid goes into our wok. It's just going to make it much easier to toss all together.
10:17In it goes. And to that, we're going to drizzle over our peanut sauce. There's a few versions of this
10:25where you could actually just put the noodles into the bowl and just dress it afterwards. But I actually
10:31like that peanut sauce all the way through this. Give it a toss. You can see because of a little
10:37bit
10:37of that water, just like Italian pasta, it's coating it nicely. Big bowl here. And we'll just pile that in
10:46the centre. Silky smooth noodles. Peanut butter. That sweetness from the hoisin. Fantastic.
10:53If you like, you can add another drizzle of the peanut sauce. And then I like to add my hoisin
11:00now,
11:00so we see the difference in it. That's going to give it that lovely savoury flavour. Some toasted
11:07sesame seeds for some crunch. And if you're obsessed with crispy chilli oil like I am,
11:15definitely add it here. It's got a little bit of szechuan in it, so it's got that lovely numbing
11:19sensation. And it's crunchy too. So we'll add that over the top. And to finish it off, some finely chopped
11:28spring onions. Can a dish get simpler than this? But it packs a punch with loads of flavour.
11:35And should I mention this backdrop? That is Hong Kong Island behind me. I'm at Regent Hong Kong,
11:41and this place is just spectacular. I think this is one of the best views in Hong Kong. Perfect spot
11:47to
11:48eat my delicious noodles. Mmm. On a busy corner in Hong Kong, Fat Ki Konji is one of those places
12:07locals swear by. It's not fancy, but it doesn't need to be. Everyone comes here for one thing,
12:13congee done right. A humble dish, but a beloved comfort food across Asia. Warm, familiar and deeply
12:22rooted in everyday life. Whether it's breakfast or lunch, congee is a staple. And what I love about
12:31it is you start with the basic congee and then you add your different flavours. So congee is just rice
12:37and
12:38water and it's cooked for a really long time until it's got the consistency of porridge. It has to be
12:44soup-like, just like this. And look how it glistens. This is the ultimate comfort food right here,
12:51particularly when it's cold. And you can see in this restaurant there's many different toppings that you
12:56can choose from. I've gone with a really traditional congee that has pork through it and it's got century
13:01egg. I want to show you the century egg. There's a little bit of it there. It's essentially a fermented
13:08egg. And it really does give any dish, in particular this congee, a lovely umami savoury flavour. It's
13:14delicious. All right, I'm going to have a taste. It's so good. Perfect seasoning. And you can see that
13:23this is quite a large bowl. It is really, really filling. So if you've got a busy day, this is
13:28the dish to have.
13:32And it's not just congee they're known for. Their chung fun or rice noodle rolls are the perfect follow-up.
13:39Silky and delicate, each roll wraps around a crispy piece of fried dough, adding just the right amount of
13:46crunch to every bite. That looks so delicious. And you can eat it as is or to make it extra
13:54special,
13:54you can add a combination of peanut sauce. There's also chilli sauce and a bit of a sweet
14:00soy sauce. There's also some sesame seeds. So you can add that to the top too.
14:07Yeah, I'm going to try this.
14:13That is so good. I've actually never tried anything like this in Hong Kong before. It's actually a
14:19really great concept. So you've got the rice noodles on the outside. And that's pretty much
14:24the carrier or the little envelope, if you like, for that gorgeous dough. The dough tastes and almost
14:31has the same texture as choux pastry. And it's fantastic to dip in the sauce. It's going to absorb
14:37it all, which means it's going to taste even better. This place just got really popular in the last half
14:42now. And you can see why. It's comfort food at its absolute best. It's consistent. You know what
14:49you're going to get every single time. Love it.
15:00I've been staying at the magnificent Regent Hong Kong. And today I'm meeting up with Executive Pastry Chef
15:06Andy, who's going to show me how he and his team create the amazing desserts that are served in the
15:12lobby lounge and throughout the hotel. Andy, you look after every pastry in the hotel, from the
15:23breakfast buffet, which is amazing, by the way, all the way up to banquets. How do you manage all of
15:29the departments? That's a lot of pastries. We have a well trained team. So we are serving over a thousand
15:35people without desserts every day. Wow. You make hundreds of pastries every day. You still love
15:43eating pastries? Yes, I love it. What are some of your favourites? I love French pastries. But as well,
15:51I'm from Hong Kong, so I love egg waffles. Very traditional pastries we grow up with. Today, Andy and
15:59Andy's team are making a classic French pastry called Saint Honoré. It's a show-stopping dessert
16:04that blends multiple textures and techniques into one iconic creation. But here we've got a little bit
16:11of a Hong Kong twist. The centre is usually filled with a creme patissiere made with egg yolks, sugar,
16:17corn flour and butter. But what sets this version apart is the addition of milk tea, which is a famous
16:24and much loved drink here in Hong Kong. It's hard to believe that they make this and a whole range
16:30of spectacular desserts fresh every day. You can see the sheer detail involved when it comes to pastry
16:43creation. This takes years and years and years to master. And the different elements that are involved
16:50in different layers of flavours. This is not like your classic Saint Honoré, which is usually a large
16:56ghetto with big shrew pastries. This is a bit more refined. What's in that piping bag, Andy? This is a
17:03coffee almond panina. So you've got the tea element, you've got the coffee element. Pastry chefs are like
17:09artists. Chase, you've been whipping up some Chantilly cream, which has the cream and vanilla.
17:17Wow, Andy, Chase, that is a work of art. I love the little hint of gold leaf to finish it
17:24off to make
17:24it look extra luxurious. Fantastic. Do you want to take a sit at the lobby lunch there and join it?
17:29Yes, absolutely. Andy, thank you very much. And more sauce. What's a Saint Honoré without some caramel
17:47sauce, right? Thank you, Andy. It's beautiful. Yeah. Wow. What a cake. It really does look spectacular.
17:55And to be eating it here at the region Hong Kong with that view, it's just extra special.
18:01All right, better have a taste.
18:11It has all those classic flavours of a Saint Honoré ghetto with the shrew pastries. But what makes it
18:19really stand out is the hints and flavours of Hong Kong with that gorgeous milk tea that you get
18:26everywhere here in the cha-tan-tans, which is essentially a Hong Kong-style diner. I love the
18:32little twist that they make to their desserts here in the region Hong Kong. This one, though,
18:37is extra special.
19:00Well, Hong Kong really comes to life at night, as you can see here on Temple Street. The night markets
19:06are
19:06absolutely buzzing. Right here is the food stands and you can get absolutely anything you want. Further
19:14down, there's souvenirs and trinkets and even restaurants. If you really want to feel the energy
19:19of Hong Kong, this is the place to be. Right in the beating heart of Kowloon, Temple Street Market has
19:27a
19:27rich history dating back to the 1920s. It's grown from a small local bazaar to one of the most iconic
19:34night markets in Hong Kong. And it's a street food paradise. You'll find flaming hot bowls of clay pot
19:40rice, golden curry soaked fish balls, sizzling stir fried noodles, along with one of the street's hidden
19:47gems and three stuffed treasures. A trio of vegetables, each stuffed with a seasoned fish paste and pan fried
19:55until golden. Mmm. So good. Salty, spicy. It's deep fried goodness. I love this. Yum. Then there's the smoky,
20:09tender and aromatic grilled oysters. Look at these oysters. They are the size of my palm and they're not
20:16serving them the natural way. They're just grilling them on a hibachi and then serving it. From what I
20:22see, it's like a bit of a garlic paste with some spring onions and chilli. Smells amazing. Yum. But no
20:31Temple Street feast is complete without dessert. And in Hong Kong, there's one dessert that locals can't
20:37get enough of. Sweet soups. Served hot in the cooler months or chilled with ice when summer hits,
20:43these soups are usually made with ingredients like beans, sago pearls, grass, jelly, taro,
20:50coconut milk and other sweet ingredients.
20:56Oh, it's so good. It's actually quite refreshing. Really, really cold, which is what you want on
21:01a hot night just like this. And after you've had some fried food and some barbecue skewers and a lot
21:08of the savoury snacks, this is the perfect way to end it with something refreshing like that. I love
21:13the mango and I love the texture of these sago pearls. They're just delicious. Temple Street is more
21:20than just a night market. It's a huge part of Hong Kong culture. Whether you're here for the flavours,
21:26the energy or the atmosphere, one thing's for sure, you won't leave hungry.
21:41Soup dessert sounds a little unusual, but in fact, it's quite a traditional Chinese dessert.
21:47And here in Hong Kong, at night when you go to the night markets, you see these dessert soup stands
21:52everywhere and people lining up for it. There are many different flavours that you can do, including
21:58mung bean and black sesame seed. But I'm going to do one that I have absolutely loved here in Hong
22:04Kong,
22:04which is coconut and mango. So first you need to cook your tapioca pearls. And it's all about that
22:11lovely jelly-like consistency once it's cooked. And these are the tapioca pearls before they've been
22:17cooked. So you can see they're just firm little white balls. They need to be cooked in some rapidly boiling
22:22water for about 15 to 20 minutes until they're quite soft and translucent. After that, I've just chilled
22:29them under some cold running water, drained them, and here they are. Now the idea is to separate them
22:35slightly. So I'm going to use some coconut milk, just a few spoonfuls of the coconut milk in there,
22:41and then just mix that through. And you see, they're quite sturdy even when I'm pressing down on them.
22:49Okay, for the soup component. Now instead of making this quite liquidy, I want this to be
22:54almost like the consistency of a thick shake and super, super chilled. So I've got some frozen mango,
23:01and we'll pop that into a jug, along with some coconut milk, and for a hint of sweetness, it still
23:09is a
23:09dessert, some condensed milk. I like some acidity and freshness in this. So some lime juice.
23:20And I'm just going to use my trusty juicer just to squeeze that in.
23:25It's a juicy lime. And I'll give this a blend until it's smooth.
23:40All right, have a look at the consistency. See how thick that is? That's what we're after.
23:45Now for the fun part, which is assembling this. I'm going to give it a bit of a modern touch
23:50by serving
23:51it in a glass. So we'll start with our tapioca pearls on the bottom. And for our chilled mango
23:59and coconut mixture, we'll place that on top. And to finish it off, some more coconut.
24:06And ideally, you just want that to float on top of the mango.
24:11So some mango on top. And a little sprig of meat. A little bit different from the original,
24:22but I love this version where you can see the different textures and layers in this dessert.
24:29You've got creaminess from the coconut, chilled mango, and those little tapioca pearls down the
24:35bottom, which are lovely and bouncy. And I highly recommend a squeeze of lime just to finish it off.
24:41Chinese food. It's not just about the savoury ones. They do fantastic desserts too.
24:56After days of tasting, learning and cooking my way across Hong Kong, one thing's for sure.
25:02This city takes food seriously. From tucked away noodle stores to world-class kitchens,
25:08I've met the chefs, the masters, the families who have kept traditions alive,
25:13and those daring enough to reinvent them. I came for the food,
25:18but it's the passion behind it that'll stay with me.
25:21So
25:32you
25:33you
25:33you
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