THE FOOD ITINERARY

Hong Kong-based chef UWE OPOCENSKY savours honest grub and Germany’s New Cooking in Frankfurt, his hometown. Introduction by MARK JONES

Kicking off a new itineraries section, UWE OPOCENSKY takes us on a Frankfurt food tour

美食之旅

名廚Uwe Opocensky為新設的特色行程專欄打響頭炮，帶領我們到法蘭克福作一趟嚐味之行

香港名廚Uwe Opocensky介紹他的家鄉德國實而不華的美食和嶄新的烹飪風並格， 由Mark Jones撰言寫引

FOR MANY YEARS, Uwe Opocensky held the Hong Kong restaurant world’s most highprofile positon as executive chef at the Mandarin Oriental. He brought a new level of creativity and playfulness to that venerable institution (remember the flowerpot?) before moving to the Beef & Liberty group and now establishing his own eponymous fine dining restaurant. For this food itinerary, he chose to return to his birthplace: Frankfurt, Germany.

Germany is rarely seen as one of Europe’s great culinary destinations. Maybe it’s time for a reappraisal.

‘Germany offers a huge variety of regional cuisines,’ he says. ‘ Through traditional dishes like dumplings, wurst, pastries as well as beer, Germany often seems the worst place to eat healthily, but in reality, restaurants offer foreign cuisine and neue küche (modern cuisine).’ In fact, Germany has the most three-Michelin-starred restaurants after France and Japan.

Opocensky adds: ‘Besides food, German wine is special because of its natural lightness and delicate balance of sweetness and acidity. Most vineyards flourish on steep hillsides, protected from harsh winds by wooded neighbouring hills, especially on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle rivers.

‘German cuisine is well-rounded and is very good at preserving traditions, but also at creating some of the most creative and inspiring neue küche.’ Uwe Opocensky是香港餐飲業界紅，人 曾於聲名顯赫的文華酒東方 店擔任行政總廚多年，為酒店構思的菜式充滿創意和玩味，包括如狀 花盆的蔬菜律沙。他其後加盟Beef & Liberty集團，更現時 準備開設以他本人名字命名的高級食府。這趟美食之旅Uwe選擇升回其出生地國德法蘭克福，回味家鄉菜的風味。

談到歐洲的美食天堂，德國絕少上榜 有名，或許現在是時候對德國菜作重新評價。了

Uwe說「： 許多人都不知道德國擁有多姿多采的方食地 美 。傳統菜式如馬鈴薯丸、德國香腸、糕點和啤酒等，令人以為國德 飲食並不健康。但事實上，這裡的餐廳亦會供應外國和新派菜。」事實上，德國米的 芝蓮三星餐廳數目位居全球第二，僅次榜於首的法國和日本。

他又補充說：「除了美，食德國的葡萄酒亦別具一格，口感天然輕盈，果味和丹寧均衡圓。融 大部分葡萄園都位陡於 峭山坡上，尤其是萊茵河和莫澤河兩岸，受毗鄰的山林保護，可受風免強吹襲。」

「總括而言德， 國菜包羅萬有，既保留昔日的烹飪傳統，又創造出別出心裁的新派菜式。」

DISCOVER BEEF & LIBERTY

Beef & Liberty has just opened at Hong Kong International Airport, and during April it’s offering Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon passengers 15 per cent off their bill. All you have to do is show your boarding pass

前往Beef & Liberty餐廳大快朵頤

Beef & Liberty餐廳剛於香港國際機場開幕，4月期間國泰航空及國港航泰 龍 空的乘客在餐廳用餐，需只 出示登機證即可獲得85折優惠