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Art Basel Hong Kong: Art on a Plate

Pierre Gagnaire - Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Hong KongWhen art inspires food, the result is a feast for the eyes and a party on the mouth

Stevie Emilia (The Jakarta Post)
Hong Kong
Fri, March 20, 2015

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Art Basel Hong Kong: Art on a Plate

Pierre Gagnaire - Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

When art inspires food, the result is a feast for the eyes and a party on the mouth.

Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire made it happen.

The chef created a seven-course set menu, inspired by some of the artworks in the UBS Art Collection at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong'€™s two-Michelin-starred restaurant Pierre, for the Hong Kong edition of Art Basel, Asia'€™s largest art fair.

Through his hands, the chef splashed the works of MadeIn Company, Lee Ufan, Cy Twombly and Sigmar Polke onto the plates.

Works from the treasure trove of the Swiss bank, which along with the hotel is one of the art fair'€™s partners, are also displayed at the restaurant to accompany the special menu.

The 64-year-old chef said the Pierre team paid tribute to the great artists displayed during the Art Basel show in Hong Kong through their menu, which is available until March 21.

'€œI am pleased to welcome such exquisite art pieces to the restaurant. The world of art, in which I include cooking, brings me joy and is a daily inspiration,'€ he says.

At the Mandarin'€™s Grill + Bar, chef Uwe Opocensky has created an art-inspired menu, with dishes like '€œjade'€, '€œterracotta warriors'€ and petit fours  '€” available until March 22.

Uwe Opocensky'€™s petit fours - JP/Stevie Emilia
Uwe Opocensky'€™s petit fours - JP/Stevie Emilia

The three-day Art Basel closed its doors on Tuesday after hosting more than 60,000 visitors but the creative displays go on across the city '€” beyond the confinement of galleries and exhibition halls '€” as Hong Kong, now the world'€™s third-largest art market by auction sales and number of galleries, has declared March Arts Month.

The arts month, which runs until March 31, has encouraged many of the city'€™s restaurants and bars to tap into the growing number of visitors wanting to feel they are taking part in the creative experience.

Art-inspired food is also on offer at other hotels, AFP reported. The Mira Hotel '€” which became famous after American whistleblower Edward Snowden used the place as his initial refuge following his explosive leak of National Security Agency documents '€” is serving drinks inspired by Andy Warhol and a dedicated Art Basel menu.

Gagnaire, who confessed to being obsessed with visual details in his dishes, said that when it came to cuisine, the creations had to be well-assembled, easy to understand and possess eccentricity.

'€œAnd of course, they have to be delicious,'€ said the chef, who was recently named the number one Michelin-star chef by 512 Michelin-star chefs from around the world in Le Chef Magazine.

And the results are picture perfect. He creates a red pepper '€œveil'€ that covers prawn and dominos of red mullet with spices and crafted meringue swirls on top of his lemony dessert.

Artistic fusion: Red pepper veil, carabineros and dominos of red mullet with spices. Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Artistic fusion: Red pepper veil, carabineros and dominos of red mullet with spices. Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

Through his creations, the chef, considered the doyen of innovative French gastronomy and one of today'€™s most original and artistic chefs, takes diners on a gustatory adventure through dishes that are exquisitely presented while being both delectable and unpretentious.

Nurtured in a family restaurant, he jokingly said that he became a chef because he had no other choice. It was something that his father, who was in the business, wanted him to do since he was five.

But he did not really start kitchen work until the age of 15, then, finding the work too hard and leaving him with no social life, he quit, but later had a change of heart after realizing that he could do something different and creative through food.

Gagnaire said that to fully understand his cuisine, one had to have what he called '€œintelligence of the senses'€ as well as curiosity and freedom of spirit, as his food constantly evolved '€” just like his passion and inspiration.

'€œI want to put emotion and intelligence into every one of my dishes.'€

Food for thought hong: Smoked water of Jerusalem artichoke slightly gelled: foie gras Chantilly, white chocolate leaves, button mushrooms - Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Food for thought hong: Smoked water of Jerusalem artichoke slightly gelled: foie gras Chantilly, white chocolate leaves, button mushrooms - Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

Ed Ruscha'€™s: Coiled Paper (1973) gunpowder on paper - Courtesy of UBS
Ed Ruscha'€™s: Coiled Paper (1973) gunpowder on paper - Courtesy of UBS

MadeIn Company'€™s: Make Up 001 (2009) acrylic on canvas - Courtesy of UBS
MadeIn Company'€™s: Make Up 001 (2009) acrylic on canvas - Courtesy of UBS

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