Ta Vie
Matisse’s iconic and distinct “Dance” served as inspiration for Chef Hideaki Sato, the vibrant painting born anew at Ta Vie. The classic French dessert Fraisier was recreated with a single strawberry encased in a swirling translucent sugar shell, while ribbons of pink and white sugared candy extend from the base, evoking a sense of frivolous merriment similar to that of “Dance”. The dish is then augmented with strawberry cookie and topped with vanilla ice cream, for additional textural play and heightened flavours. “The dish is inspired by Matisse’s “Dance” not only in appearance, but also in taste and flavour that dances in the mouth between each bite.” Chef Sato has always been inspired by the Fauvism movement in art, especially when beginning his culinary journey, reminding him of time spent in the South of France.
2/F, The Pottinger Hong Kong, 74 Queen’s Road Central; tavie.com.hk
Silencio
Chef Sato Kiyoshi of Silencio seeks to redefine beauty with his dish “Black On White”, inspired by Franklin Park Theater, “Rashomon” 1950, by Hiroshi Sugimoto, a contemporary Japanese photographer whose practices explore memory and time. “The emotions brought on by Hiroshi Sugimoto’s “Rashomon”, is what I look for in artworks that are moving. It encapsulates the essence of “ugly beautiful”, a paradoxical concept that I try to express in the food served at Silencio.” Chef Kiyoshi’s innovative dish seeks to evoke the same curiosity provoked by Sugimoto’s works. Composed of wagyu beef, makomotake, black garlic, white garlic, garlic chives and lily bulbs, this carefully conceived dish parallels Sugimoto’s Rashomon with its monochromatic palette and minimalistic composition, while the potent and flavourful ingredients create a stir of emotions when exploding on the palate.
6/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central; silencio.hk
Takumi by Daisuke Mori
Chef Daisuke was inspired by the passion, fear, elegance and limitless potential of Jiro Yoshihara’s “Red Circle” from the Gutai art movement. “The work looks simple and abstract, yet incites a myriad of emotions and a sense of infinite possibility. Cooking as a concept is quite similar: how you wish to display your work, what technique you use, the ingredients and colours you select. There are also infinite possibilities.” Chef Daisuke seeks to contrast perfection with the very human beauty of imperfection, as shown in his dish, “Colour Expression”. The dish sees an arrangement of vibrant red ingredients including tomato, carrot, blue lobster (when cooked becoming bright red in colour), red bell pepper and more. The contrast of the red against the black Japanese ceramic and the imperfect circle of tomato puree meeting the red lobster symbolises the ever shifting tides of perfection and imperfection, while reflecting the artwork it was inspired by, as seen through Chef Daisuke’s artistic culinary lens.
Shop 1, G/F, The Oakhill, 16 Wood Road, Wan Chai; takumibymori.com
Photography by Samantha Sin with styling by Ella Wong
Editor
Carina Fischer
