CHRISTOPHER HO & DEVON HOU PRESENT A FOUR-HANDS FESTIVE FEAST
TEST KITCHEN to feature a Four Hands Christmas Popup Series with chef Chris & Devon
Dates: 18-22 December, 2019 9-Course Tasting Menu: $1180$980 (early bird till 1st December)Wine Pairing: $480
Location: TEST KITCHEN Tickets: www.testkitchen.com.hk/hkxmas
Book Now A creative and contemporary Christmas feast is on the menu as chefs Christopher Ho and Devon Hou combine their skills and experience to deliver a stunning nine-course dinner. Christopher is an up-and-coming culinary name with experience working with chefs including Eric Räty from Hong Kong’s Arbor (1 Michelin Star), while Devon is Test Kitchen’s head chef with an impressive resume from Michelin-starred restaurants.
A mix of the familiar and unexpected in both ingredients and techniques, the playful but delicious partnership offers a refined tasting menu that reflects their backgrounds in both Hong Kong and London. They dug deep to create a stellar line-up of dishes featuring first class local and global produce. A barley risotto of Christmas stuffing, chicken liver and black truffle melds traditional Christmas flavours with the luxurious fragrance of Australian black truffle. Another dish could hardly be more festive, their take on the classic favourite mince pie, but here featuring slow-cooked oxtail, a mulled wine chutney and relish.
HLHS X DEVH FOUR HAND CHRISTMAS MENU
“Holly Wreath”
hokkaido scallop • carrot compressed pumpkin • pomegranate pops
“Mince Pie”
slow cook ox tail • mulled wine chutney • red wine relish • chinese sausage
“O Christmas Tree”
market greens dish
“F(el)ish Navidad”
local market fish • green herbs sauce • figs leaf oil • fennel
“Stuffing” black truffle • barley risotto • chicken liver
“Roast”
pigeon • black wolfberry • local mushroom • chestnut
“Santa’s Naughty List”
sticky toffee • gingerbread crumble • candied ginger
“Memories From Winter Wonderland”
almond • baileys • cinnamon
“Let It S-mochi”
warabi mochi • hojicha soy flour • brown sugar syrup
“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas”
tea • orange • clove
Desserts likewise show global influences such as the perfectly-executed sticky toffee pudding with a gingerbread crumble and candied ginger, channeling the food of Great Britain. But then a Hojicha warabi mochi with brown sugar syrup celebrates a Japanese favourite, while still balancing perfectly with the flow of the menu. ABOUT THE CHEFS
CHEF CHRISTOPHER HO: Christopher Ho is the first ever amateur chef to be invited to Test Kitchen, but his resume cooking with chefs from locations including Hong Kong’s Arbor and Bali’s Locavore clearly affirm his considerable culinary talent despite his lack of traditional culinary training. Brought up in Hong Kong, but having spent almost 10 years studying in the UK, Christopher’s creations reflect his upbringing and are influenced by both Chinese and Western culture. He incorporates local Chinese flavours and ingredients into his creations while another key influence is Japanese cuisine and the quality of Japanese produce, something which became the backbone of his signature dish “bui meen”, his playful and memorable rendition of the common cup noodle.
Christopher transitioned from home style cooking to fine-dining when he met Chef Eric Räty of Arbor (1 Michelin Star), whose fusion of Japanese and Scandinavian dishes Christopher credits as a major inspiration to his own creations. After apprenticing under chef Eric, the two have since become good friends and often exchange creative ideas. It is from Eric that Christopher learned that the essence of fine-dining was not pretentiousness, but instead creating elevated flavour profiles through unique combination of ingredients. This idea of refined playfulness has since become a cornerstone in Christopher’s cooking style which he strives to exemplify through his choice of plating and recipes. During his free time, Christopher runs a successful Instagram food blog “Ho La Ho Sik” (@ho_la_ho_sik), where he shares his creations as well as documents worthy restaurants that excite and inspires him from his travels. Through this blog, Christopher has connected with chefs around the world, obtaining knowledge and advice that has helped him develop further as a home chef. Over weekends, Christopher is almost always in the kitchen, whether at home or in a restaurant. To date, he has worked with Eric Räty of Arbor (1 Michelin Star), Eelke Plasmeijer of Locavore (Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016-2019), and Ben Spalding (ex-The Fat Duck and The Ledbury).
Chef Devon Hou: Chef Devon Hou’s 15-year culinary career started with three years at Amber in the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. She was a sous chef as part of the opening team at Tate Dining Room for nearly 4 years, during which time the restaurant received a Michelin star. She also worked in Michelin-starred restaurants including London’s famed Goring Hotel, Hong Kong’s L’Atelierde Joël Robuchon, Café Grey Deluxe and more. Further time in London as Chef de cuisine of renowned tapas restaurant Camino kindled her love for Spanish cuisine and ingredients, as did her travels around Europe. Currently she’s the head chef at TEST KITCHEN overseeing the kitchen operations and assisting visiting chefs from around the world. Another person that is key to chef Devon is Cris Tang, who has been an inspiration and a great support to Chef Devon. She is currently Devon’s manager and one of the key contributors to this pop up including the styling and decoration. Professionally she works as a stylist and has a great passion in gourmet.
Vincent Mui, founder of Test Kitchen, commented: “This festive four-hands is a really exciting way to celebrate Christmas thanks to its combination of traditional and creative flavours and ingredients across memorable dishes. Chris and Devon’s culturally diverse upbringing and training means that they have taken the best influences and inspirations before showcasing them here. At the end of the year, there’s no better excuse to gather family and friends to give thanks over memorable dishes and drink pairings.”
Chef CHRISTOPHER & DEVON (Hong Kong):
