I am fully prepared for a long (and satisfying) evening when I sat down at Amber for a taste of their 2-day collaboration event between Chef Richard Ekkebus and the Dutch-Indonesian guest chef Syrco Bakker in late October.
Amber being Amber is always a pleasant place to be, especially when Chef Richard is in residence. The special menu was arranged so that each chef would take turns to present their own dishes which were created especially for the event, and in Chef Syrco’s case, a preview of what is to come for his soon-to-be-opened restaurant called Syrco Base in Bali. No surprise both chefs opted for dishes focusing on seafood and Asian herbs and spices. We began with a pair of cold appetizers – first coconut rice and tuna by Chef Syrco, then ribbons of razor clams, cucumber and celtus ganished with shiso and Szechuan pepper oil by Chef Richard. Both were salivating, especially the latter with the nice peppery kick plus the shiso aroma.
Both chefs were on hand to welcome us when we were then led into the kitchen studio at the back for our next course. In front of us was the bowl with raw prawn (and the head deep-fried) and it’s served with crustacean tea infusion and soursop espuma – love the intense umami flavor balanced by a hint of acidity. Then it was oyster and caviar served with a vichyssoise like espuma on the side, with potatoes, leek, wakame and horseradish that went in to the soft and creamy sauce.
We continued with a few more seafood dishes. I like the couple of courses by Chef Richard, first with the Spanish mackerel fillet seared skin-on with sake lees-wakame sauce, pickled winter melon and Japanese mustard and Tonkin flower as garnishes. I like this combination of ingredients, paying tribute to the traditional Cantonese winter melon soup. The second dish I like was the abalone with matsutake, served in a bowl with the rich Ping Yuen chicken essence and scallions. It’s rich yet comforting.
For main courses, first it was Chef Richard’s seared pigeon served with maqaw mountain pepper and pumpkins on the side, then “Nasi Goreng” by Chef Syrco, with rice seasoned with sambal and seared wagyu beef served with pickled condiments on a separate plate. It must be my first time eating Nasi Goreng at a Michelin 2-starred restaurant and it was tasty. We finished with 2 more dessert courses plus the gingerbread madeleine.
I was impressed by the wine pairing selection with some unusual choices. The 2009 Dom Perignon certainly set the right tone for the evening and my favorite was the Chassagne Montrachet rouge, light, mostly red fruits with a nice touch of acidity, working well with the abalone course.
The meal took almost 4 hours but it’s well worth our time.
More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72177720312267021/
When? October 24 2023
Where? Amber, Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Matsutake, Abalone, Ping Yuen Chicken Essence and Fat, Negi
Drinks?
2009 Champagne Dom Perigon Brut
2017 Didier Dagueneau Les Jardins de Babylone Juracon Sec
2018 Domaine Jules Desjourneys Pouill Vinzelles Longeays
2019 Domaine Fleurot Larose Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru "Abbaye de Morgeot"
2019 Raymond Usseglio "La Genese" Vin de France Rouge, Rhone
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