Chef Giorgio Longo (from Sicily to Hong Kong)
Chef Giorgio Longo (Sicily)
Sicily is a destination loved by diners the world over for its impeccable produce, rustic recipes and full-on flavours, all of which will be in abundance at the next Test Kitchen pop-up featuring a hugely-talented young European chef, Giorgio Longo.
His pop-up combines relaxed family-style plates and individual servings of classic Sicilian dishes such as pane cunzato, panelle and arancini before swordfish, innovative pastas and traditional desserts add to the epicurean journey. Drinks will be exciting as well, from Taragon Profumed Gin and Italian Chinotto Lemonade to start, to Italian Wines and finishing with a cocktail inspired by coffee martinis, we simply want to bring the best of what Giorgio and his Sicilian vibes over to TK!
As Giorgio explains, he couldn’t be more excited at the Test Kitchen pop-up:
“Hong Kong is such an iconic destination and I’m really excited to bring true Sicilian dishes, flavours and culture to the city’s diners. My dishes are in between classic restaurant and family style, so some are shared, some are individual. The tradition and techniques used are wholly from my home of Sicily, but there will be some surprises along the way too! You’re going to love it.”
Vincent Mui, founder and owner of Test Kitchen, couldn’t be happier having Sicilian cuisine on the menu: “After so many successful pop-ups, it’s surprising that we’ve never hosted Italian chefs at Test Kitchen and it doesn’t get more gutsy or delicious than Sicilian cuisine. This will make for a brilliant dining experience for our guests in Hong Kong as classic family recipes sit alongside more contemporary takes. From the traditional street snacks onwards, this is a menu which jumps off the page and asks to be eaten!”
About our chef:
Chef Giovanni Giorgio Longo has more than 15 years’ experience cooking in some of the world’s finest kitchens, from the legendary three-starred Michel Bras in southwest France, Alain Ducasse’s Bastide de Moustiers and a stage at NOMA in Copenhagen. When you then add locations like London’s renowned Gauthier restaurant, Quintessence and also a position as Chef de Partie at the award-winning Relais & Chateaux Lodge at Kauri Cliffs Hotel in New Zealand, it’s clear that he represents one of the most experienced and sought-after chefs.
Chef Giorgio will be joined in the pop-up by Delphine Worms, an experienced restaurant front-of-house and his partner in the forthcoming restaurant launch of their first solo restaurant, ArriKiiati in Belgium in 2018.
ArriKiiati comes from the Sicilian dialect and is used to speak about food, essentially meaning: Take Pleasure Eating!! A restaurant that is very personal to them, utilizing fresh local ingredients combined with food that resonates from Giorgio’s childhood, it is set to be homey, comfortable but refined and attributing to their skills and experience.
As we are planning out our drinks pairings, here’s a sneak peak of our prototype menu:
Traditional street food Snacks:
Arancini – rice stuffed with ragú and deep fried
Panelle – chickpea flour cooked like polenta, seasoned with lemon and herbs
‘Explosive olives’ – a surprise!
Mama’s egg: – a traditional, secret family recipe served with pane cunzato: homemade traditional Sicilian bread filled with tomato, olives, parmesan, Sicilian cheese and anchovies
Kohlrabeach: – a dish inspired by a traditional Sicilian salad using cold kohlrabi, olive oil and anchovies
Pizza topped with Burrata stracciatella cheese, sea urchin and water cress
Local Catch: charcoal-grilled fish with salmoriglio sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, water and dry oregano
From Catania to Hong Kong: Steamed gyoza stuffed with traditional pasta sauce from Catania made with eggplant, tomato and ricotta
Sicilia: – almond milk ice cream, coffee and chocolate crumble, confit orange
Mignardise: a unique three-layered chocolate representing all the flavours of Sicily
Chef Giorgio Longo
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