London-Born Chef Gained Fame Through Hong Kong Restaurant Bo Innovation#
Twin Michelin-starred chef Alvin Leung, whose Hong Kong restaurant
Bo Innovation#
has gained accolades worldwide for its "X-treme" approach to Chinese cuisine, is set to expand into the city of his birth with the grand opening of Bo London next month. This will be Leung's first culinary foray outside of Hong Kong, with the launch to be supported by a London series of his popular television show "The Maverick Chef" (in which Leung goes on a foodie's tour of cities like Singapore and Jakarta.) As Leung told the drinks business this week, though he sees the London restaurant scene as "sophisticated" and home to "some of the best Chinese restaurants in Europe," he feels that chefs there are no longer pushing the extremes. Said Leung, "I’m going right to the boundary where you will get the excitement and the exotic.”
Though it will include some inspirations from British cuisine and culture, Leung said Bo London will be no "fusion" restaurant, but rather will fall back on his signature "X-treme" cooking: "exciting, extreme, exotic, experience, expensive." In trademark fashion, Leung remained coy about what we can expect to see on his new menu, saying, "There’ll be flavors you might have had in London, but I’m going beyond bok choi with ginger. There must be a bit of mystery to the dish.”
Leung added that Bo London -- like its Hong Kong counterpart -- will put a great deal of effort into its wine list, focusing mostly on restaurant-friendly wines like Pinot Noir rather than big Bordeaux Cabs. Said Leung, "If you have a wine that takes three hours to breathe, I don’t think that’s restaurant friendly.” In addition to a limited number of Chinese wines, Bo London will also stock Leung's private-label "The Demon" range, which includes a Bordeaux blend, Champagne and Riesling.
Bo London#
(Opening September 2012)
4 Mill Street, Mayfair, London W1S 2AU