Ordinary Gweilo

The Observer had an interesting piece yesterday about Alan Yau, someone from over here who’s doing rather well over there.  He’s from Hong Kong and he runs a London restaurant called Hakkasan, the first Cantonese restaurant to win a Michelin star (though I’m not sure this means anything – the further Michelin gets away from traditional French restaurants the less reliable it becomes, so I’m not sure I am interested in their views on a Chinese restaurant in the UK). 

They also report that "Yau has overturned one of Chinese-grub etiquette’s most annoying rules: he lets you eat dim sum in the evening [in his Yauatcha restaurant]."  Well, I’m not sure it’s exactly a rule – I’ve eaten dim sum in the evening in Shanghai, and I’m sure that place wasn’t even in the Michelin guide.

Anyway, I’m rather warming to this Yau bloke because he seems to be very sound on the subject of Cantonese desserts:

Yau has spent the past few days judging Hong Kong’s ‘Best of the Best’ food Oscars. Last night’s prize-giving controversy is still raging.  At the judging, Yau had said there shouldn’t be an award for desserts if it was to go to someone making the sugar-loaded fancies that pass for Chinese pud. The problem, Yau explains, is symptomatic of Hong Kong cuisine. ‘There’s no innovation and that’s because there’s no dessert tradition. In Chinese restaurants they come out of the dim sum kitchen. Hakkasan’s are done by a team of Italian guys. It’s going to take a long time to move the agenda on.’

Decent Chinese desserts?  Whatever next…