BO Innovation     廚魔  

Tina Cellar a Hong Kong wine importer, spoke of her fondness for Xavier’s Chateauneuf du Pape wines when she first experienced it a decade ago by chance. The measure she has taken to finally convince and secure Xavier’s commitment from their tiny French village is a moving story to be told. Fast forward to 2013 and Tina is now their exclusive wine distributor in Hong Kong! Mr Xavier himself is a wine consultant for many big French wineries but his own Xavier Branded CdP are cropped from the best of old vines and recently got awarded 96 Points by Robert Parker Jr for one of his blended GSM wines. He has now collaborated with Michelin 2 Starred Alvin Leung’s Bo Innovation restaurant to blend a MSG (word play on GSM, Grenache Syrah Mourvedre) wine to pair with Alvin’s Asian fusion dishes.

.Starter Wines -
Before the Wine Blending session with Bo's foods.

.Canapes to Start with -
Jamon Iberico and Vermicelli .
Langoustine with Mustard and Saffron Froth.

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When you try things with no expectations of what to expect, the outcome can most certainly be surprising. No? This was the mindset I had when Mr. C kept our dinner destination a 'secret' on Saturday night (mid November) and did not reveal where we were dining until an hour before. I do like surprises don't get me wrong, but I am the type of person to pour over reviews and the menu online deciding what I want to eat even though the dinner date is still a week away which always makes me anticipate hence expect. This time, I had no time to research so when he revealed that we were going to Bo Innovation, I was quite intrigued.

Needing to take an elevator (or stairs if you prefer) up to Bo Innovation it opens up into the alfresco dining area and you are greeted by the hostess just outside the glass doors into the restaurant. Mr. C had specially requested seats at the bar table, so we could see the action inside the open kitchen. The open kitchen was quite small and seemed even more cramped with the amount of cooks and helpers bustling about. Among them, with his hair dyed a vivid red and wearing shades was the demon chef himself, Alvin Leung. Ruling the kitchen of this two Michelin star establishment he specialises in extreme Chinese cuisine, where he takes traditional Chinese dishes and uses innovative ways to tweak them into something different and exciting for his guests. I have to admit, I am not very keen on fusion, but remember no expectations.

Dining at the bar that night meant that we were automatically served the Chef's table menu, but for other guests they also have the choice of the Chef Menu or Tasting Menu. Instead of serving bread, they played with Hong Kong's culture of street food, by serving 'gai dan zai' complete with their own paper bag. Filled with cheese and iberico ham, the sweetness of the batter was pleasant with the savoury filling. It was quite addictve, both of us could not stop eating it, but I wish they served it hotter.

First to arrive was a single oyster on a bed of seaweed jelly, topped with a lime and spring onion sauce, and sprinkled with ginger snow. The oyster was fresh, slightly crunchy and had been steeped in 'xiaoshing' wine for two minutes prior to serving. So after the mild burn from the ginger snow had passed the fragrance of the wine still lingered on the tongue.

Next, a crispy taro nest basket cradling a quail's egg topped with Chinese caviar was placed in front of Mr. C, while for me since I do not enjoy fried food, I had a spoonful of vermicielli braised in a soy and morel sauce topped with chopped morel mushrooms. The vermicielli was nicely chewy and the earthy yet heady flavour from the mushrooms invaded the senses. It was a little too salty, but otherwise I quite liked it, while Mr. C said his tasted like the taro puffs you can eat at yum cha, but the caviar was quite good.

Since I was previously complaining about the lack of exciting, truly innovative restaurants in town, I decided to try out Bo Innovation, the Michelin two-starred east-west-fusion restaurant with a little bit of molecular cooking here and there.

Fusion cuisine is often tricky, and when not done properly, often results in dishes that are peculiar and confusing. The reason I have been postponing my trip to Bo Innovation was that a lot of my friends have complained that the tasting menu was way overpriced, and that the portions were small. I decided to go easy and try out their Lunch Menu - this meant that I did not get to sample some of the signature items such as the molecular xiao long bao, but I guess you can’t have everything!

The Lunch Menu priced at $268 (+10%) per head will allow you to order two dim sums and one main course from the menu. The majority of the dim sums were delicious, and the infusion of Western ingredients into classic Chinese dishes enabled me to catch glimpses of Alvin Leung’s creativity at work.

(1) Our first dim sum was a “har gau” black truffle XO. The wrapper was chewy and gelatinous, and the shrimps were fresh and supple – the creative addition to this classic Chinese gar gau was the truffle shavings on top of it, and they worked perfectly!(2) The foie gras potsticker was another traditional dim sum with an inventive edge. The potsticker was delightful, with a wrapper which was attractively thick and crunchy, and dipped in a sweet, alluring sauce. The addition of foie gras was well-received, but I wish the taste of it was stronger.(3) Our third dim sum was a deep fried cuttlefish. The cuttlefish ball was beautifully deep fried and was served with a refreshing kaffir lime sauce, which tasted a bit like lemongrass and was in a pretty, playful apple-green colour.(4) We were then presented with a chicken, pesto bamboo shoot spring roll. This dish scored high aesthetically, with edible flowers adorning the plate. The spring roll was impressively crunchy and scrumptious, even though the pesto taste was barely noticeable.(5) For me, the cod ball was a real winner. Decadently soft and tender, the cod ball was dipped in extra virgin olive oil, which was not only harmonious with the cod fish but also gave a soothing, lingering aftertaste.(6) The black truffle “cheung fun” was magnificently thin and delicate, and showed off the kitchen’s ability to make master classic Cantonese dim sums. The black truffle taste was strong and alluring; my only complaint was that it was a tad too salty.(7) The first main course we tried was a slow cooked suckling pig, in Chinese vinegar. This was perhaps the weakest course of our meal. Even though the braised meat was thoroughly cooked to a perfect, soft texture, but the Chinese vinegar sauce was a bit peculiar – it was not sour at all, and was strangely bitter. Fortunately, the egg yolk, which was a solid ball that was still runny on the inside, was not only adorable to look at but also tasted scrumptious, and completely lifted our spirits!(8) The langoustine, preserved duck egg, english mustard, cauliflower was accomplished. The langoustine was firm and fresh, and the dish embodied a layering of different tastes and textures which worked together harmoniously. I particularly admired how the foam was still warm when this was served!(9) The french quail “beggar style” was a quail stuffed with lentil and served with wolfberry chutney. The quail was tender and sensuous, and the wolfberry chutney added a bright, delicious note to the dish.(10) Since many people have complained that they left Bo Innovation feeling hungry (even for those who tried their Tasting Menus ranging from $880 to $1880), this “Starch” seemed to serve the sole purpose of filling diners up. Having said that, the rice had an attractive, chewy texture and the seasoning was spot on.(11) The set lunch came with a Dessert du jour, which was a Mango cake with lychee sorbet. The fruitiness of the lychee sorbet was invigorating, and the mango mousse cake was soft, sweet and creamy, with a delicious biscuit base.SPOILER ALERT – PLEASE DO NOT SCROLL DOWN IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE WHAT “SEX ON THE BEACH” LOOKS LIKE!

(12) Having heard many things about the provocative dessert, “Sex on the Beach”, I was truly excited to be able to finally try it. The dessert does not come with any set menu, and has to be ordered separately for $68, but it is worth a mention that it is a racy dessert for a good cause – the proceeds will be donated to Hong Kong Aids Foundation. As for the taste, the dessert was supposed to recreate the feeling of a beach on a summery day, and chef Alvin Leung thought that stepping on hot sand gave a stinging feeling to your feet, therefore, the crumbles were mixed with Sichuan peppers which produce a tingling sensation and a numbing aftertaste. The pink pouch was made of gelatin (which tasted a bit bland and was rather rubbery), and contained condensed milk inside. The bottom of the plate was layered with apricot jam, and there was a piece of sea shell made of white chocolate, which provided extra sweetness to the dessert; this was a dessert in which Alvin Leung’s restless creativity and thoughtfulness really shone through.Dining at Bo Innovation was not only about the food, it was about the experience. Chef Alvin Leung took a bold step in combining old and new techniques and giving classic Chinese cooking a nudge forward, making Bo Innovation the place to go for a culinary adventure to tease and tantalize your taste buds.

We liked the food, inventive, tasty (even if sometimes too much taste kills the taste), beautiful. The dessert would deserve a little bit more attention.
BUT... either you are a great restaurant, or a cheap one, but you can't be both !
We were proposed to seat at the bar to have dinner, because it was raining and there was no more place available. I've booked one week before and said it was for a birthday, we were well dressed, so no, we are not sitting at the bar !
The freezing temperature in the restaurant, the drops falling from the airco straight on the tables/clothes/plates, the wet towels in a little plastic bag, the waitress throwing the fork at my husband because she was too lazy to turn around the table, the waiter with dark roten teeth, waiting to get into the ladies toilets to see a man getting out of here, the even more freezing toilets... that's cheap.

I finally got a chance to try this restaurant I have heard so much about. Previous info gathering gave me the impression that this is a private kitchen (speakeasy) which means a little bit of secrecy and mystery. I arrived and realized it was very much an open public restaurant, which was perfectly fine with me as the setting was trendy and hip.

The first course was supposed to be oyster but we substituted with morel mushroom since neither me or my friend cared for raw oysters. The scallion ginger puree at the bottom was a deliberate touch of Hong Kong (finely chopped ginger and scallion that typically accompanies 燒味 ).We then had the vermicelli wrapped in a spring roll skin and deep fried which was alright, and then the foie gras served with Chinese mustard green 梅菜 puree. The foie gras was tasty but with 梅菜? I would have liked the traditional western way of using a slice of bread that goes so well with foie gras. The Har Mi is actually a lo mein with 辣蝦米油, nothing special. But the fresh shrimp sashimi from Spain was delightful Then came the tomato marinated in 八珍甜醋，and another type of tomato served with pickled olive cream (欖角慕絲)The Xiao Long Bao and Lobster were what I considered the highlights of the evening. The BO Innovation's 小籠飽 takes molecular cuisine to a new height - truly amazing! And the lobster topped with sea urchin were also a pleasant combination and gratifying.

Because the 小籠飽和海膽龍蝦配 were so satisfying, everything that followed were sort of an anti-climax The bresse chicken and Pineapple Bun (molecular style) were pretty good.

Didn't care for the Pineapple with peppers which I though was weird,and the Petit Dim Sum were just so so although the presentation was spectacular.But as in all molecular dining, so much effort goes into the preparation and presentation that often times the temperature hence 鑊氣 (or taste) is compromised. As we all know, we Chinese, who take so much pride in our wonderful and superb Chinese cuisine, place a lot of weight on 鑊氣 flavours. The feeling I got from my dining experience at BO is that all the beautiful dishes were prepared from a westerner's standpoint and taste.

And one more thing, although each waiter is very attentive and takes time in introducing each dish, but some of them need to speak clearer and be more articulate in introducing each dish if they want the customers to be sold/convinced on what they offer.

All and all it was a very memorable experience and worthy of a special occasion. I can see why this restaurant gets such high praises..

Having heard a lot about this place and being it the 64th best restaurant in the world, we were really excited to finally be able to go here on a Saturday night. When we got there, the place was still rather quiet and since it was too cold, we decided that sitting inside would probably be the best option.

We were served by a bunch of really well mannered servers and all of them were very attentive. In fact, we came to a conclusion that they spoke way too much. If the food was that good, the food would actually be able to show off itself; instead of having the waiters explain a whole story to us.

We were told that the whole table should go for the same menu, as it would be easier to make and avoid any allergies if there was any. So we all stuck to the ‘tasting menu’ ($880 per person). As for the mains, you had to add an extra $500 or $800 for the kobe beef, for a 4oz or 8oz, respectively.
I decided to go with the pigeon and another friend went with the kobe. The other two guys went with the suckling pig, which turned out to be a regular ‘siu yuk’ from the market…but I wouldn’t deny that it tasted twice as good! However, the skin was not as thick and crispy compared to a traditional one we got at a normal ‘siu mei’ restaurant.

First up for the appetizers were a set of tomatoes, eaten in 3 ways. First was a very juicy red tomato, second was a tomato wrapped in fried ‘wonton’ wrap and third was tomato puree made in a foamy/ cotton way – very smart indeed!

One of the most impressive dishes was the Centurian egg- this came in a form of a drink. It was as liquidy paste (with the taste of Centurian egg and vinegar) added with some dried ice. With this, bubbles formed and started foaming up. The way to eat it was to use the spoon and gently pick up the bubbles and put it in your mouth. It was apparently just to cleanse your mouth a bit.

One of the best appetizers was definitely the pan-fried scallop with fried seaweed. On the side, it came with some sweet mint sauce, sour sauce and a wasabi tomato puree sauce. With it, there were some grape jelly that was used to cleanse your pallet a little.

Finally with the mains: I ordered the pigeon which was cooked in a sous-vide way. It was cooked perfectly with the red colour still on the inside. However, it was a little hard to cut, but once chewed, it was really soft.
With the suckling pig – it was little of a disappointment. Didn’t look like the thing I would imagine it to be. Infact, it just seemed like a ‘siu mei’ that was picked up on the streets for $20. Not only that, but the stuff you get outside would prob be a lot more!
The kobe beef my friend had looked amazing. It came with 3 strips of beef (4oz) and 3 ‘cheung funs’ which had white truffle filling in it. (extra $500)

Desserts:
It was called a ‘Pineapple’ tart or something. I was imagining it to be a real tart made with pineapple. But to my disappointment…it was the a ‘bor lor bao’ look alike that we have for breakfast, sold at $5 a piece or $15-$20 for 3 pieces at yumcha/ Chinese dim sum places. Their pineapple tart had the top part of the ‘bor lor bao’ and beneath it was a scoop of thick ice cream/ cream cheese material. The taste was really good and ice cold. However, the top of the pineapple was a disappointment. I’d say that the normal $5 tasted much better than Bo Inno had.

Lastly, with the petit fours/ petit DIM SUM:
We were served with a basket of traditional Chinese goodies, which contained white rabbit candy, jelly candy and some iced gems.
In the other basket, it came with 3 different types of goodies, with a set of TWO. However, don’t forget there was 4 of us. This means that we couldn’t have tried out everything. I think they should really think carefully of the amount they give out to people. Although sharing is caring, but the chocolate is too small to share. I tried a chocolate that was ‘kum gwat’ flavor. Not my favorite, but it was something different. Beneath the goodies, was a bed of small biscuit chocolates that was irresistible.

Last thoughts:
We thought that the way they presented the food was far too detailed. With the price for the food, it can really shine and show off itself to the person who is eating it. In addition, rather than introducing the way the food is cooked, they can explain a little more detail of the Chinese history and why ‘rabbit’ candy is so famous.
We thought that the waiters were too attentive and spoke way too much!

Overall, the place was relaxing and definitely great for a first date and small gathering. It is prob a good place to visit if you’ve never been, but definitely not a place I’d go again.
In total, the price came to about $5000 for 4 people (we also ordered a bottle of white wine).

It all started some 3 years ago when the first HK Michelin Guide was released and I spotted this Michelin 2 stars restaurant right on! Molecular gastronomy was pretty new at that time and attracted much attention worldwide. I was really curious about this restaurant and wanted to try it so much. However, I reckon this is a fine dining and interesting experience that I really want to share with someone special who appreciates fine food and dining experience as much as I do. I was lucky enough to able to meet this someone and finally we had a delightful dinner here last night.

Bo Innovation is not like some other fine dining places which are notorious for being very difficult to book (e.g. Macau Robuchon, Tosca etc). We called to make a booking a few days ago and still managed to get a table at the prime dining time on a saturday night.

We ordered the tasting menu as this is the only set that comes with the Japanese wagyu beef which we would love to try. Important to mention is that their specialists explain each dish to us (how it was made and what it is made of) to enhance the experience.

The first appetizer is HK style pancake~ I have always had a special fondness for kai dan jai since I was a child. However, this kai dan jai is salty with bits of beacons inside. I think it's interesting although I would say HK style pancake is better sweet than salty. However, this is good enough as a supplement for bread.

The second appetizer is Tomato cooked in three ways - cherry tomato slow-cooked with pak chun sweet vinegar, crispy tomato with lam kok puree and tomato mashamellow with chinese parsley oil. The best is the cherry tomato, it was really fresh and when you bite it, the fresh tomato juice mixed with the sweet vinegar burst out and fill your mouth with freshness and sweetness with a hint of sourness. REally refreshing. the mashamellow is interesting... however the texture is actually more like a thick foam instead of the texture of the real candy mashamellow. it has weak tomato taste and strong parsley oil taste.The third one is Iberico 36 - italian boar ham preserved for 36 months, wrapping Korean vermicelli cooked in morel sauce. There is some foam on top of the whole thing but I forgot what it was made of. This is one of my favorite dish because the ham was really good. The saltiness and fatness is just right. And I liked that it is not very thin cut (unlike parma ham), so a bite size of the whole thing is already very satisfying. The vermicelli has mild morel (fungus) taste that compliments the saltiness of the ham. Very good!And then follows by Foie Gras - a must have in all fine dining menus and my all time favorite! The foie gras was cooked in the hk style bbq pork way with caramel in replacement of the bbq sauce. There is a mui choy (chinese preserved vegetables) ice-cream as side. I think the dish is great and daring. It is daring to mix mui choy with foie gras, who could have thought the two so remotely related food can mix together? I think the effect is good. We would not say foie gras goes better with mui choy than caramelised apple (which is typical side for foie gras in french cuisine). But I think the tastes of mui choy and foie gras do compliment each other. And of course the fact that the mui choy is ice cream helps to dilute the grease of the foie gras. For the foie gras, I do not think it tastes much different from pan fried foie gras. But the texture is quite "firm" - you can cut it into pieces without some tiny pieces lingering between (which normally happens for pan fried - as the sides are cooked but the interior are not as cooked). I like it!The fifth one is the Cod fish. I think this one is the least impressive. There is some fried seaweed on top, some edible flowers and some jelly (which I forgot the flavor) as sides. But the cod fish still taste like cod fish. It is tender, but I guess that's it. The presentation is lovely though.Then the Molecular (Xiao Long Bao) - they extracted essence from xiao long bao ingredients (pork, soup and pak choy) and wrapped the essence inside a transparent thin skin made from edible chemical. The pink thing on the top is a slice of ginger soaked in vinegar. It is of course interesting and is one of their most famous award winning dish. I must say xiao long bao's taste itself is not very distinctive (just think, a lot of shanghainese buns and dumplings actually have ingredients that taste like those of xiao long bao). So, if they do not specify the dish is related ot xiao long bao, I would not have associated the two things together. But with their introduction in mind, the "dumpling" does taste like xiao long bao made in an innovative dumpling skin. I appreciate the idea much. Again, its all about the idea. I bet a lot of people would find crystal jade's xiao long bao taste much better than this dish as xiao long bao. But I guess the point is not to make the most delicious xiao long bao. Also, the content inside the skin cannot be too hot such that the chemical skin would not burst. So cant really expect this dish to taste like a delicious xiao long bao with hot pork juice bursting out.

The seventh appetizer is the Scallop with lime leaf sauce (bitter), grape jelly (sweet), passionfruit juice (sour) and shichimi potato (spicy). The dish has the cheesy meaning of presenting the flavors of life (sweet sour bitter spicy). The scallop is very well cooked, the sides are crispy and the interior is still raw like sahimi. I certainly loved the grape jelly as I like sweet things. The lime leaf sauce is not bitter enough, but it is very refreshing. The presentation is alos very good with all the colours.This one is Century Egg - a very playful dish. We were forewarned that this dish is just for fun and not for taste. Haha basically there is nothing you could chew or drink. The bottom part is sauce made from preserved egg and ginger soaked in vinegar, they then put some dry ice into it such that bubbles formed from the carbon dioxide with the taste of the sauce - all you do is to spoon the bubbles and taste them. The bubbles kept forming and bursting - a very dynamic dish. And unlike the xiao long bao, preserved egg and vinegarised ginger do have a distinctive taste so I could easily recognise that even just taste the bubbles. It's fun!Finally, after eight dishes of appetizers, here comes the main. We chose the Saga-gyu Beef (the Japanese wagyu beef, grade 4) (HKD500 supplement) and the pigeon (HKD150 supplement). The beef is quite pricey but I do not think it is outrageous. The beef is very tender and soft (because of all the fat it has!) The beef itself is very good, so I do not think it is difficult to make a good dish from it. It comes with cheung fun (chinese vermicelli roll) in black truffle sauce. Yea cheung fun is nice. haha but the beef does trigger us to look for some fries after the dinner... Pigeon is nice, they chop it into sever pieces and bones removed. Again, pigeon is itself tasty, so not very difficult to make a good dish from it.

But yea both are very satisfying choices of main.The dessert is pineapple crust (the pineapple crust you can find in pineapple bun, but this one is much more crispy), with butter cream ice cream and three pieces of pineapples with different spices., and pineapple puree. It's delightful! but the most impressive thing is the yuen yeung drink (mix of milk tea and coffee) - they managed to keep the coffee cold on one side and the milk tea hot on the other, together in the cup! It's the best yuen yeung I have ever tried!!! We are so curious how this could be done (how the two liquids would not mix together) but of course it's trade secret!

Another dessert is banana ma lai go and some homemade chocolates and macroons and some traditional hk candies and biscuits. IT's interesting. Although I cant finish all, but I did take away the bak to candy (Big rabbit candy)... hehe remind me so much of my childhood!

In summary, it's a great experience that I would recommend anyone who is into dining to try. They use fine ingredients, cook well, in innovative ways and adopt a lot of hk style cuisine elements in designing the dish. This idea is good to local like me as it reminds me of my childhood and the hk cuisine elements they adopt are those a lof of hk people love. It is also good to foreigners, visitors as they could experience hk cuisine and molecular gastronomy - one stone 2 birds!

Since this was ranked as ** Michelin HK restaurant, I've always thinking of trying this interesting restuarant (it claimed itself X-treme Chinese restaurant but is actually providing molecular cuisine). Been there in a nice sunshine noon (pre-booking is needed as i didn't see any customer walk-in to get table, all pre-booked). The restaurant lay out is modern and stylish. All decorated in white makes people comfortable and refreshing in this crowded city.

Choose the Bo set lunch (chef lunch set is $680+10% too luxury for work-day lunch).

Starter, we choose below 4 dim sum/bo dish to share (each set can choose two)
1) ox tail "Xiao long bao" avruga caviar: very special and tasty
2) deep fried scallop balls- very delicious
3) Lap Mei Fan- although a bit too salty, it's really unexpected combination and carry the spirit of moculure dish
4) Black truffle " cheung fun" - the worst of four, no flavour

Main dish:
I choose cooked pork lasagna in Chinese Vinegar egg. - very good try, not oily at all,
friend choose bilottline of chiken beggar Style- he said it's good too and the portion is very generous.
The cold fried rice served with main dish makes me at loss. Looking at last night dinner left over
Dessert:
Mini ice-cream cone (ginger flavour) + Jiandui with chocolate, ice-cream is tasty and special (a bit spicy and salty but freshing). Jiandui is soso (friend doesn't like it at all).

Service: there's one waiter (maybe he's one in charge) very nice and patient to introduce most of dish's character/cooking process to us with his recommendation. very professional. But some waiters are cold in attitude and sometimes ignore our request.

But overall $200 for this special relaxing lunch in ** michelin restaurant is for sure worthwhile. I may consider try again with some other choices (there're around 12 starter and 6 main courses choices available but some of signal dish need supplement from $30-300 individually).

Only pity is that i forgot to take photos at this amazing lunch. Definitely another good reason to return again.

Went there for dinner a couple of years back. Interesting stuff. But it was not so much cuisine than novelty. How often can you come back for the same list of innovative dishes?
We came back here for lunch recently, and the quality of the cooking showed a great deal of improvement. The dishes had lingering after taste. I had expected the same novelty dishes with unimpressive taste, so we were pleasantly surprised. And this when Devil Chef Alvin himself is away in London tending to the opening of his new restaurant there.
Most of the dishes were not so much molecular than fresh ideas on how to combine taste, textures and ingredients. I had a dish of langoustines with a Chinese salty egg crust and a foam. I never really like the Shanghainese original made with prawns and that became popular some 15 years ago in Hong Kong. The salty egg coating is usually too overpowering to appreciate the taste of the prawns. The langoustine had a more subtle taste and texture (on account of them not being over cooked as well), and the crust was toned down to obtain a much better taste balance.
The troubles with ultra innovative dishes are many. Especially so with Chinese fusion dishes that re-interpret Chinese originals. It transforms the original to something else, but the diner may keep thinking, hum, this does not resemble the original. Well, of course, it is something else. But how do you prevent some diners from thinking like that? May be a maitre d' explaining the concept would help a lot. My friends told me the xiao long bao ravioli (skinless through dipping into alginate bath a la El Bulli), did not feel like the real McCoy.
We actually tried out many dishes, much more than on the lunch menu. I like it. There had been some new additions since my last visit two years ago. But how fast can they innovate? A scan through the dinner menu shows that the various set menus are essentially the same, with the more expensive ones offering an extra dish of expensive ingredients like caviar.
One problem though: very inadequate air conditioning. Apparently they lived with this problem for quite some time now but have not gotten around to have it fixed. Not great for the summer.
One of us had the beef which carried a $450 supplement but apparently enjoyed it. It was paired with the black truffle cheung fun, which is available as a choice for $40 and I would probably go elsewhere for plain beef.
Anyway, the set lunch menu allows you to choose a main course and two more appetizers. Additional appetizers go for $40 each, which is a great bargain. So just keep adding to make up your own tasting menu.

It took me almost 4 hours to finish all the dishes.....
The whole concept is good... but I don't think I will go there again.
Actually I think the restaurant is selling the cooker's idea, but not food which is the key point of a nice and good restaurant, since it is not an art center or designer house. The purpose of people to come is for munching but not... visiting...

Talk about the food....

My favorite is

Foie Gras,

Pineapple.

Let me just preface this by saying that I have never been a huge fan of molecular gastronomy. I believe that first and foremost a good chef should make sure the food actually tastes good before he does all sorts of crazy things to it. If he can't get the taste right, it doesn't really matter how creative he is.

We had the Tasting Menu (and we were glad we did because I don't think I would have been happy to pay anything more for above-average food), and ended up having to get a snack at 7-11 afterwards as the portions were quite tiny.

I will only mention the couple of dishes that I think are worth mentioning.

1. Foie Gras "Choy" - Lightly seared foie gras wrapped with lettuce and topped with bok choy marinated with vinegar and "mui choy" foam. The foie gras was really nicely seared so that it was still extremely creamy inside and it was a pleasant surprise to learn that "mui choy" works so well with foie gras. But give me a classic vinegrette sauce with that creamy foie gras and to me it would have tasted just as good.

2. Molecular xiao long bao - To be honest, maybe I was expecting too much from the raving reviews about this signature dish, I found that it was a bit of an anti-climax. I was really amazed by that vinegar ginger which gave off such an intense pang of flavours. But that xiao long bao yolk simply cannot replace the texture and fragrance of a traditional xiao long bao done well.

3. "Pea Shoot" - Pea sprout cappucino with deep fried (九肚魚) and pine nuts. This was actually our favourite, as the pea sprout flavour was very subtle and the fish was very creamy as it was fried perfectly. I think this really shows I prefer traditional Chinese cuisine, as the fish was done pretty much just like how it's normally fried in Chinese restaurants.

I guess I wouldn't really come back, because it's really more of a novelty thing. The food didn't leave me wanting more (actually it did only because the portions were so small), which is really want restaurants should try to achieve right?

This was one of the most unforgettable dining experiences I've ever ha . I don’t think I’ve ever experienced so many flavours in one sitting.

Bo Innovation is the Chinese version of El Bulli and Fat Duck. It’s Asian molecular cuisine. And there was definitely a wide variety of intense flavours tasted throughout dinner.

The menu choice was pretty limited. Which is expected. 3 choices for Dinner: Tasting Menu, Chefs Menu, Chefs Table Menu. We all ordered Chefs Table Menu as the entire table has to order it if one wants it.

It was a 15 Course Meal. It was insane. We sat down at 7pm, took a while to decide what to eat and our first dish probably came out at about 7:45 and we left the place at around 11:30pm. It was a nice long dinner.

The service was definitely great, the waiter was extremely friendly and helpful and he walked us through the menu to let us know how the meal was going to work. Before every course he explained what was in each dish, the idea behind the dish and how to eat it. The waiter had a business card. That was a first. And he’s only worked there for a year.

First dish. Oyster with Spring onion, lime and ginger snow. Thing is. I don’t like raw oysters. However. After we decided which menu to have, he asked whether there was anything each of us didn’t like or were allergic to, and I didn’t like raw oysters and so he said he’ll have a replacement course for me. And he did! The Chef made me a “dead garden” which was morel, dried caterpillar fungus, green onion and lime.
#2: Caviar, Smoked quail egg, crispy taro. This was good too. The smoked quail egg tasted like “fun dan”
#3: Taro, Demon riesling, Black truffle. They actually came to our table with a cart and had these plates of tiny soup then this server came and explained this dish and how this company deliberately created this wine for their restaurant and they use it in this soup. And then grates the black truffle right in front of us. It was very yummy =) I could definitely taste everything they say they have in the dish. I could taste the taro in the soup, the truffles obviously and the wine.
#4 Har Mi [蝦米] This dish is apparently award winning and after I ate that dish I knew why. A dish serving har mi noodle, carabinero, capellini, chilli and sage. It was the best combination of flavours and foods ever. It was funny it reminded me of eating in a cha chan teng because that’s usually when I eat my food with chilli oil. But the prawn was perfectly seared so it was medium rare, the noodles were the perfect texture, and everything all mixed together was just delicious.
#5 Bamboo, baby shoot, pith, foie gras. The smell of the dish was very… interesting. The strong smell of the bamboo made all of us wonder what this dish was going to taste like and whether it would ruin the foie gras but it didn’t even affect the taste of the dish. This was another dish that was just perfectly prepared. The foie gras was suvi’d… I didn’t know how else to phrase how the foie gras was cooked. And the pith wrapped around it created the perfect combination of textures to eat it with. AND with the red peppercorn sauce. mmmm….
#6: Scallop, kaffir lime, kyoho grapes, sea urchin, mango, shichimi, potato.

So this dish the server explained was supposed to represent all the flavours. Salty, bitter, sweet and sour. And I definitely tasted all 4 flavours in this dish. The entire dining experience was fun because we really got along with the server and he said if we could guess where each item of this course was on the dish then he was going to leave. But we couldn’t figure out where the sea urchin was. And the sea urchin was mixed with the mango sauce. Which made sense visually but I couldn’t really taste it even though my sister said she could. I don’t like sea urchin so that’s probably why I wasn’t familiar with identifying the taste. Shichimi is just 七味粉 which was mixed in with the potato. This was another great dish, you eat the scallop and potato together dip it with the lime sauce which reminds you of tom yum gung because of that strong lime taste. And then you eat the jelly grape with the mango sea urchin sauce. So salty with bitter, and sweet with sour.
After that. The following courses were good, but not dish can be outstanding:
#7: Iberico 36, morel, vermicelli, onion foam
#8: Molecular “xiao long bao”
in between they served us a palette cleanser: dragon fruit with ginseng sorbet. It was refreshing to eat and definitely helped cleanse the flavours out of our mouth to prepare us for the next course.
#9: Salmon, “fu yu”, spinach
#10: Squid, sweet bread, lettuce greens (served with soup) - this was really good.
#11: Black truffle, wagyu M9+, and “cheung fun” - SUPER GOOD.
#12: Sex on the beach….. this was a optional choice on the menu. It’s a dessert which I won’t elaborate on it but it was quite interesting aesthetically to look at… it was served in a martini glass with strawberries at the bottom, peppercorn cream (which I didn’t like. I would have preferred if it was mascarpone but then that would be too typical), served on top with maple flavoured crumbs. The supplementary fee goes to money that is donated to an AIDS organization.
Then we had 3 more courses of dessert:
#13: Sandalwood, almond, hawthorn. I did not like this dessert. This was the only thing I did not finish. It was panna cotta served in this glass jar and when you open the glass lid smoke comes out and it’s sandalwood which reminds you of incense. Which was the purpose of it… and the entire dessert tasted of this smoke as well, which I didn’t like about it.
#14: Shui Jing Fang, banana, vanilla, caramel, raisins. Shui Jing Fang, the server explained, is this 52% alcohol and is a special wine which they mixed into with the caramel sauce. I mixed it in with the ice ceam and it sure was really alcoholic. It was too alcoholic for me though. The only thing I liked about this dessert was the ice cream.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST. #15: Petit Dim-Sum - This last dessert was based on Petite Fours where it was served in a 2 level bird cage basket with little desserts like macaroons, “siu hau jo”, and also old candies like white rabbit!

And because my Aunt booked so early. The receptionist asked why she was booking 2 months in advance and explained it was to celebrate my sisters birthday… they baked a little treat for her!

The entire meal was paired with 2 drinks: Vilmart champagne, and Pinot Noir. The Champagne really matched the first half of the dinner and the Pinot Noir matched the second half especially because we had the wagyu beef.

Overall, I think Michelin should give them back the 2nd star. I believe a lot of effort was made to prepare each dish. And there were so many dishes! The entire experience was great. It’s definitely a place worth going if you have the money, an occasion to celebrate and a tongue palette that can appreciate such a meal.

I would definitely love to go again.

We started off with Dead Garden – enoki, morel, caterpillar foie gras, and green onion. It resembles something of a ‘plant’, the enoki being the roots and the first thing that you eat. It was crunchy and dry. The caterpillar foie gras and green onions are the dirt and plants – it tasted a little bit like pork floss and wasabi, which was extremely smooth and creamy. It was interesting to say the least – good concept but a little weird at the same time.

Next the molecular xiao long bau – not your typical xiao long bau, no flour skin, just the juice. It was suggested that you swallow the whole thing in one bite and as soon as you bite it, the perfectly rounded ginger-based soup explodes in your mouth, with a thin sliver of pickled ginger on top which gave it a nice finale. It was indeed very smart.

The air dried foie gras toro and raspberry was absolutely delightful. The toro was creamy and fresh, a little fatty but not sickly. It was absolutely tasty. The dried foei gras and raspberry gave it a nice touch. It was very light and refreshing. A favourite amongst the diners that’s for sure.

Unfortunately they ran out of the white asparagus, so our hunan ham was served with wild barramundi, compressed winter melon, honey, fennel. The fish was moist and tender, the hunan ham, salty and soft. The combination of it all was just incredible. I’m not usually a big fan of ‘foam’, but the honey foam really gave it a really nice touch.

Mac and Yak – cheung fan yak cheese, served on a hot plate dish was outstanding. It’s such a simple dish but yet so satisfying. Gooey oozy cheese with cheung fan – I utterly enjoyed this and could have eaten another serve!

Next came the foie gras, lettuce wrap, sauternes with miso. The foie gras was slightly pan fried, it was rich, buttery and delicate. Topped with a dollop of miso, the foei gras was smooth and absolutely amazing.

Lastly, the Wagyu M9+, served with wasabi sugar snap peas was mouth watering. The wagyu was so tender and succulent. It was definitely the highlight of the meal.

The ‘starch’ was actually fried rice with caviar. I thought this was quite ordinary. The mixture of rice and caviar was nice, however, it was nothing special.

Last but not least, chestnut and chocolate cake with pistachio was deliciously yummy. It wasn’t as moist as I have hoped but it was still tasty. The pistachio gave it a nice texture and the chestnut was a great compliment. It was a great way to end a delicious molecular meal.

read rest of review here: http://gastronomous.wordpress.com/2010/06/29/bo-innovatio/

Having been recently blessed with a bouncing baby boy, my wife and I find it tough these days – well nigh impossible in fact – to go out for dinner. That said, the little tyke mercifully tends to nap for an hour or more after his midday feed, which leaves lunch as a viable option. I’d wanted to experience the food at Bo Innovation for some time, having sampled the delights at The Fat Duck shortly before moving to Hong Kong two-and-a-half years ago. Recently, we finally took the plunge and headed across the harbour for a 12:30 reservation.

Now, to get the most out of the experience of a restaurant like Bo, I really believe you need to ‘buy into’ the concept. If you want a good steak, there are many decent steak houses. If you want classic French cuisine, I hear that Caprice is magnifique! What Bo offers is innovative cooking techniques combined with unique flavour and texture combinations that are intended to challenge your taste buds and your perception of Chinese food. Some dishes may narrowly miss the mark. Some will blow you away. All should put a smile on your face.

Forgive the preamble … but it’s not without reason. If, like me, you’re one of those kids that couldn’t help taking a sneak peak at the presents under the Christmas tree, read on. However, half the fun of a Chef’s tasting menu is the element of surprise. So I urge you to stop reading now if you want to avoid the spoilers. And just know that I think this restaurant is very good indeed.

Onto the food …

The First course was the Dead Garden. It looked stunning – dried enochi mushrooms on a layer of soil (freeze dried morel) in a bed of grass (green onion and lime mousse). The enochi were satisfyingly ‘mushroomy’ and the flavour of the earthy morel with onion and sharp lime was well balanced – and worked. But for me, this dish didn’t quite stack up. The texture of the mousse and grainy morel was a little uncomfortable in my mouth. And the advertised caterpillar fungus was regrettably absent due to lack of availability. It’s worth noting that, while interesting and beautiful to look at, this was the one and only dish that failed to excite me.

Next was the molecular xiao long bau – which came with a bonus course of lap chong (Chinese cured sausage) ice cream. The xiao long bau (one of my all-time favourite things) tasted exactly how I hoped it would. The faithful flavour of any good xiao long bau I’ve eaten, but with a molecular makeover that made me smile ear-to-ear. The lap chong ice cream was interesting. The iciness just about tempered the saltiness, but it wasn’t really possible to eat the course in the one mouthful that was intended (and I have a fairly big mouth). As a result, the second bite was less appealing than the first.

Next – another bonus course of the prized toro. This was accompanied by freeze dried foie gras and raspberry powder. Although the fatty tuna belly was less ‘melty’ than the last time I sampled this delicacy (from the now closed Megu in Elements), the foie gras, when rehydrated by the fish, made each mouthful delectably rich, and the very subtle sharp raspberry note complimented it perfectly.

Fourth course was one of my wife’s favourites – and a real stand out course for me. A single succulent Spanish gamba carabinero prawn on a bed of vermicelli with chilli, sage, and a sprinkling of concentrated dehydrated shrimp powder. The balance of flavours worked perfectly and there was just enough to keep me wanting more.

Next up was another bold flavour pairing. A single scallop on a potato Rösti with two separate coulis – pungent spicy kaffir lime and sweet passion fruit with a delightful Kyoho grape jelly that tasted a little boozy. This dish offered two contrasting flavours but was utterly compelling taken one after the other (spicy first, followed by sweet).

My favourite course of the meal came next. Vermicelli wrapped in 36 month aged Iberico ham with onion foam. The sweet onion acidity of the foam was the perfect foil for the rich salty ham. What I loved about this dish is, despite its (relative) simplicity, it delivered an extraordinary flavour punch. The fantastic Iberico ham really shone through. I could have happily eaten a lot more.

A fun dish next that was just a little too rich for my wife (which meant double helpings for me). A lettuce wrap of fois gras with sauternes white miso. Now fois gras is what it is. However, this was served sans cutlery (hopefully intentionally) and we were instructed by our waiter to ‘use our fingers’. I loved the fact that I was eating fois gras as finger food. Even more, I loved the fact that the well dressed diners sitting close by struggled for several minutes trying to manoeuvre it into their mouths with chopsticks before eventually succumbing and shovelling in the lot in one satisfying bite.

Wagyu with rice noodle rolls was the last savoury course of the lunch – with lashings of truffle. The beef had fantastic depth of flavour that carried the earthy truffle (which didn’t have quite the intense flavour I was expecting). The beef was as tender and succulent as you’d hope from such a quality piece of meat that was cooked to perfection.

Pud was a little run-of-the-mill in all honesty. I chocolate mousse cake that, while nice enough – rich, chocolaty – didn’t really enthuse me. Now, I’ve never been much of a fan of dessert, so arguably I’m not a particularly good person to judge. My wife, however, is a card carrying member of the pudding party, and when asked to describe it in one word, the response was “mediocre”. Don’t get me wrong, it was an accomplished sweet, just not amazing.

Well gosh, there we have it. There are many good restaurants out there that survive by recreating classic dishes extremely well. But there are relatively few that push the boundaries, challenge perceptions and, frankly, innovate. Bo does exactly what it says on the tin. And does it rather well.

It's been more than a year since my last meal there, although I've been a fan of Alvin Leung's cuisine for almost 6 years now. I still think that for a serious foodie visiting Hong Kong, Bo Innovation provides a one-of-a-kind experience that is hard to come by elsewhere.

Chef's Menu:

Oyster : spring onion, lime, ginger snow - we start off with something I had last year. The oyster was Kumamoto, which is normally sweet and creamy. This time I thought the ginger and spring onion flavors kinda overpowered the oyster, which is a shame... Ginger + spring onion is such a classic combination in Chinese cuisine, used to neutralize the "fishy" smell of seafood.

Har mi : red prawn, capellini, chilli, sage - the prawn was a Spanish gamba carabinero, which was perfectly fresh, succulent and delicious. The tobiko (とびっ子) on top was clearly a Japanese influence, but the whole dish was overpowered by the sprinkle of prawn powder. The intense flavors from the powder was great, and reminiscent of the Cantonese prawn roe noodles (蝦籽撈麵) that one finds in local noodle shops. However, there is good reason why there is usually nothing else on the plate of those noodles other than prawn roe... Very yummy, but need to carefully extract and enjoy the carabinero before your taste buds get overloaded by the powder.

True- 8 vinegar : tomato, foie gras, ginger - what a coincidence! The inspiration from this dish comes from pig trotters braised in vinegar and ginger (豬腳薑), which is eaten after the birth of a child. I'd just had some of that last night, since I'm still celebrating the birth of my godson. The "true-8", as I suspected, is a play on the name 八珍 - a famous local brand of condiments where they also offer the trotters. The cherry tomato was pretty big, but delicious to eat in one bite. We tasted spices such as cinnamon and star anise along with the vinegar, which also went really well with the perfectly pan-seared foie.

Part 2 of the dish saw the waiter drop a cube of flash-frozen ginger powder into the bowl, thereby completing the vinegar-ginger combination. The ginger powder was pretty tightly packed, and as I was "chewing" on bits of it I was somehow reminded of semifreddo, although this was definitely harder and doesn't simply melt away without assistance. I decided not to finish this part, as the ginger flavor became a little too much and I'd just had a big bowl of the same sauce last night...

Scallop : kaffir lime, kyoho grapes, sea urchin, mango, shichimi, potato - wow! The scallop was perfect, just lightly seared on the outside but raw and tender all the way through. I love kaffir lime and the coulis definitely worked with the scallop. The sea urchin and mango coulis was less impressive, and I did not mix the two different coulis as suggested by our waitress. I didn't find the shichimi (七味) flavor strong enough in the "rösti" below the scallop. The perfect end to the dish was the kyoho (巨峰) jelly, whose wobble oozed sexuality. Intensely flavored as the grape itself... wonderful.

Lotus leaf : carot, gnocchi, yaks milk - the yaks milk foam wasn't very strong, but the crunchy cheese crisp was not bad. The "gnocchi" was made with sweet carrot but filled with the same sauce as was laying at the bottom of the bowl, and oozed out of the agar shell once you cut into it. The lotus leaf flavor was intense and very enjoyable.

Iberico 36 : morel, vermicelli, onion foam - the onion foam covered the entire bowl, and I had to move some of it aside to reveal what was underneath - a slice of 36-month jamon iberico wrapped around some "vermicelli". The vermicelli was actually Japanese konnyaku (こんにゃく) cooked in morel sauce, with strong flavors that stood up against the salty ham. The foam was made from raw onions and had that kick... and I definitely need a breath mint after the meal...

Molecular : "xiao long bao" - another one of Alvin's classics and the essence of molecular gastronomy. The "filling" was a little more viscous than I remembered, and still tasted like a xiaolongbao (小籠包), but somehow I liked it better last year...

Hunan Ham : halibut, compressed winter melon, honey, fennel, shiitake, pine nuts - the foam was made with shiitake and pine nuts, with a thin layer of ham-flavored gelatin and some mushrooms. The halibut was very, very tender and juicy, which made me wonder if they had chosen to sous-vide it. The fennel agar was alright. The compressed winter melon was pretty hard, and the powder on top seemed to have crunch and fiber, which made us conclude it was ground ham, as opposed to powder made from ham broth. Winter melon and ham - a very classic Chinese combination.

Red dragon fruit and ginseng sorbet - very nicely done and definitely cleansed my palate! The American ginseng (花旗蔘) was good and helped cooled down the body in the summer.

Squid : sweet bread, lettuce greens - a little disappointed here... This was done as a "hotpot" with squid-flavored soup, but I didn't taste much squid in the soup - mostly oyster sauce actually... The tofu square was battered and fried like Japanese agedashi tofu (揚げ出し豆腐), while the fried sweetbread tasted like - of all things - a piece of General Tso's chicken (左宗堂雞)! Maybe my brain is still a little screwy thanks to my dinner with Witz on Monday...

Sichuan vanilla : apple, suckling pig, peas - OH-MY-GOD... this was really, really good. The sorbet was made with Sichuan flower pepper (花椒), vanilla and apple, and I thought it was better than the apple-cinnamon combo. The pig was slow-cooked for 20 hours (OK sous-vide monsters, you win...) and was very, very tender and delicious. The crackling was yummy. All the flavors from the fat were preserved - a perfect piece of pig. The sugar snap peas were infused with a smoky flavor, which made them especially interesting.

Sex on the beach - this was optional, with the additional cost being donated to AIDS Concern. I decided to add this extra dessert, but in the end I kinda regretted it. When it arrived I realized that it wasn't - as I had expected - to be a de-constructed version of the cocktail. I had missed the full vision imagery - which was not a pleasant one - until I was done with the dessert and overheard Alvin explaining it to the next table... The brown "sand" on top was made from Cantonese milk tea (奶茶), and was kinda crunchy and nice. There was jujube and cognac crème at the bottom, which was also not bad. A piece of sea shell with the red ribbon needs no further explanation. The pink agar? Well, I don't know why it didn't hit me earlier, but it's meant to be a condom made from agar, and there was a liquid coconut and white chocolate cream inside... and it oozed out after I took a bite... Sorry, but the thought of eating a representation of a used and discarded condom is just disgusting. Thanks a lot, Alvin! Now I know why our Resident Froggie passed on this one... she'd heard about it earlier.

Sandalwood : almond, hawthorn - I don't think the smoke smelled like sandalwood, as I expected it to be much more fragrant and pleasant. Instead it was just some type of pungent, woodsy smoke. The almond tofu (杏仁豆腐) was classic, but I didn't get the distinct hawthorn flavors underneath as it had blended with the overpowering almond extract.

Shui Jing Fang : banana, vanilla, caramel, raisins - my least favorite course, and I barely touched it. Somehow when I had it last year, it didn't seem so gross to me. That may be completely psychological, though, as I don't remember being shown the empty liquor bottle and smelling it. Anyway, the dessert is named after (and made with) a Chinese rice liquor called 水井坊 - which like all Chinese "white wine" (白酒) smells revolting to me. I just don't get the "fragrance"... because it was just so intensely artificial. I had the piece of banana and that was it. Surprisingly, the Froggie was quite happy with it. I think her boss should send her up to China and entertain some clients... 乾杯!!!

Petit dim-sum - finally we get to the petits fours. I found the white chocolate truffle interesting because the filling was preserved kumquat (金桔), and the sweet and salty mix was pretty cool. The kaffir lime macaron was alright on a technical level, but I didn't get the intensity that was unique to kaffir lime. The cream puff had strawberry preserve and basil-flavored pastry cream. Kinda interesting.

We were all pretty stuffed, and I think it was definitely a very interesting meal for both of my guests. Gotta come back during hairy crab season for the classic hairy crab soufflé, which was one of the dishes that first "wow'd" me back in 2004...

original blogpost with pictures and notes on wine: http://chi-he-wan-le.blogspot.com/2010/08/no-sex-on-beach-please.html