GOOD TASTE

While flavours and taste are always a priority, pastry chefs in Hong Kong draw on art and design in the inspiration and articulation of their desserts

香港名廚以藝術和設計演譯甜品，完美滿足視覺與味蕾的享受

"To me, pastry making is an art form," says Chef Vicky Lau of Poem Patisserie. "But it is also a combination of art, craft and science." Poem Patisserie creates striking, intricate pastries, including bite-sized delights and cakes made for sharing, each one inspired by the tastes of Lau’s Hong Kong childhood. "Extraordinary flavours in the most beautiful designs" is what the patisserie strives for – and delivers just that in treats such as its miniature Hong Kong Style Egg Waffle and the Bahibe Chocolate Mousse with Chai Masala. Lau’s design process involves pen and paper before produce and pastry brush. "The first step for me is to draw it out so that I can visualise how it will look, and then we begin the process of creating the cake and [examining] the feasibility of it," says Lau, who incorporates traditional French pastry techniques in her creations.

While taste comes first, Lau says, "looks are also very important because that is what triggers the initial attraction." But of the utmost value? “All the different textures, and that the pastries have been created with love and care."

For Nicolas Lambert, pastry chef at Caprice in Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, "everything done with passion is considered art. It is not up to you to decide if you are an artist, it is the recognition given by others."

That recognition recently came to Lambert when he was named Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2018 at the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards in March. "His delicate desserts reveal his meticulous attention to detail, his passion for perfection and his innate mastery of flavour combinations," said William Drew, Group Editor of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Lambert’s inspirational creations certainly look the part. Artistic by virtue of his dedication to the craft, they are nevertheless primarily a pleasure for the palate. "Taste is always the priority," says Lambert. "I start my creation process with great fruits and seasonal produce. I also like to play with three or four textures. Once I have the textures and the flavours right, I think about presentation."

That being said, appearance is still a key consideration. "Presentation is important because people enjoy taking food images. With the rise of social media, everybody can be exposed to your dessert online. But I always make sure I get the flavours and textures right before moving onto designing the presentation."

Anne Cheung of Jouer Patisserie agrees. "I always prioritise taste over appearance. That said, I do realise that the visual aspect of food is becoming more pivotal with the 'camera eats first' culture now."

Hailing from the art world prior to founding her patisserie, Cheung’s creations have a definite artistic bent. "I usually build on flavours first, instead of the look and structure. I would be inspired by a seasonal ingredient or theme, and experiment with different flavour combinations within that. It was art month in Hong Kong in March so I took inspiration from one of my favourite Japanese contemporary artists, Yayoi Kusama, and paid homage to her most iconic work, the kabocha [pumpkin]. To echo the flavours of the typical braised pumpkin dish found in Japanese izakayas, we made a macaron filling out of pumpkin purée cooked with dashi and Japanese mirin. Finally, we garnished the yellow macaron shells with round, dark chocolate dots to mimic Kusama’s signature motif."

Cheung has also been crafting matching pastries and tableware to create context for her desserts. "If I were to describe my work in contemporary art terms, I would compare it to installation art. It is the overall visual effect that I strive to create." Recently she has developed ceramics, including teapots, teacups and coffee cups, made with an organic marble pattern. "I also created a layered cake masked in the same exterior to go with the collection as a set," she says. "One of our goals this year is to design and develop more lifestyle products to complement our food creations." One thing's for sure, pastry chefs are blending art with their craft in all sorts of appealing ways.

「甜品製作是一種藝術形式，同時也是藝術、手藝、科學三種精神的融合。」這是Poem Patisserie主廚劉韻棋對創作甜品的看法。法式甜品店Poem Patisserie以主廚在香港的童年回憶作為靈感，提供迷你和標準尺寸蛋糕迎合客人不同的喜好。她表示：「對糕點廚師來說，味道和外觀同樣重要。迷你格仔餅蛋糕和加入印度奶茶的Bahibe朱古力慕絲正符合完美效果。」每次動手製作前，她先會筆錄構思一番。「我會描繪腦海中的概念，再考慮融合傳統法式經典技巧糕點的製作過程和可行性。」「甜品的味道必然是首要考慮，而受人矚目的第一印象同樣重要。」她認為：「在作品中呈現不同質感和元素，以及凝聚熱愛與細緻的製作過程才是最大關鍵。」

SWEET NOSTALGIA Chef Vicky Lau takes inspiration from her Hong Kong childhood for the intricate pastries and delicate desserts she crafts for Poem Patisserie. 甜美回憶主廚劉韻棋以細味本地情懷為主題，設計一系列喚起集體回憶的創意甜點。

香港四季酒店法國餐廳Caprice甜品主廚Nicolas Lambert認為：「每一件藝術品都滿載熱情，而眾人的認可就是成功藝術家的最佳佐證。」他於本年三月獲頒授2018亞洲50最佳餐廳的亞洲最佳糕點師獎。全球50最佳餐廳集團編輯William Drew指：「精緻的糕點體現出他對細節的一絲不苟、對完美的熱切追求，以及巧妙味道配搭的非凡技藝。」Nicolas Lambert的革新創作極具啟發性，專業手藝打造的糕點為食客的味蕾帶來喜悅。他認為：「味道是最重要的一環。我喜愛採用時令水果和食材製作糕點並呈現三至四款質感。當質感和味道均能完美配合，下一步就是構思糕點的造型。」除了追求色香味美，食物賣相亦不能忽視。「在社交媒體影響下，人們既愛吃也愛拍各式美食。精緻奪目的造型雖然重要，但食物風味和質感才是首要考慮。」

FLAVOUR OVER FORM While texture and taste always come first for award-winning pastry chef Nicolas Lambert, his sensational sweet treats always look the part. 味道主導得獎主廚 Nicolas Lambert依循質感和味道為先的原則，製作精美糕點。

甜品店Jouer Patisserie店主張文婷有相同的看法。「對比食物的外 觀，我更著重本身的味道。然而，考慮到現行相機先食的潮流，吸引賣相亦變得日趨普遍和重要。」擁有藝術背景的店主有自己一套美學的概念。「我一向以食物味道作為基礎，隨後再探究外型和結構。當造食材和時尚主題是靈感的來源，從而可以延伸不同的味道組合。今年三月是香港藝術月，我受到當代藝術家草間彌生啟發，並希望向她的標誌作品圓點大南瓜致敬。為響應日式居酒屋的傳統南瓜菜式，本店創作了特色的馬卡龍，餡料是日式高湯和日

ART'S PART Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama recently inspired Anne Cheung's kabocha macarons, while art also influences her marbled tableware and dessert sets. 藝術元素受日本藝術家草間彌生風格影響，張文婷創出南瓜馬克龍和配搭糕點的大理石餐桌用具。

本味醂烹調的南瓜蓉，而亮麗的黃色表面配合黑朱古力圓點則能生動演譯她神韻和特徵。」店主同時親手打造與糕點互相匹配的餐具，為甜品加添深度。「假如要以現代藝術形式為我的作品歸類，我認為裝置藝術是最貼切的表達作品。」近來，她創作出不同的陶藝品，包括天然大理石紋理的茶壼、茶杯和咖啡杯。「我最近創出了外型能完美配合餐具系列的多層蛋糕，而設計和創作多款豐富的生活用品是我們本年的一個目標。」糕點廚師以各款精彩絕倫的方式融合藝術與手藝，為你締造誘人甜蜜可口的感覺。// STYLISH SPREADS At Jouer Patisserie, the delectable pastry and dessert offerings are more akin to installation art than individual works. 時尚氣息甜品店Jouer Patisserie提供的可口糕點並不僅是一件普通作品，也是呈現出富有連繫的裝置藝術。