Pacific Rim cuisine HONG KONG >> At first glance, the fusion of Eastern and Western cooking that is Hawaiian Regional Cuisine would seem a natural for this city which bills itself as Asia's World City and promotes its diversity.
scores in Hong Kong
It took time for food critics to
embrace something differentBy Craig Gima
cgima@starbulletin.comBut when Bryan Nagao first came here after stints cooking at the Canoe House and Roy's restaurants in Honolulu and the Hyatt Hotel and Park Hyatt in San Francisco, he says it took food critics a while to warm up to the idea of mixing cuisines.
"In the beginning I had a lot of bad write ups because they just didn't understand it," he said. "Those journalists are the ones who just hang out in French restaurants, Italian restaurants."
But Nagao and other Hawaii chefs now in Hong Kong persevered and their Pacific Rim Fusion cooking, as its called here, is a hot commodity.
Nagao opened his own restaurant, Kokage, last month in an upscale building in the Wanchai section of Hong Kong.
The restaurant features Japanese fusion dishes and a sushi bar. He describes the food as "sort of like Nobu's but more Western."
The menu includes Ginger-Marinated Swordfish on Wasabi Potato, Crispy Roasted Squab with Gingko Nuts and Grilled Lobster with Okra and Spicy Carrot Juice.
But there are also dishes which reflect his roots in Hawaii -- Kalua Suckling Pig and Shimeji Mushroom Chawan Mushi and Diced Tuna Mixed with Green Onion, Chili and Yuzu-Soy Shallot Vinaigrette, which is Nagao's version of poke. He just can't call it that in Hong Kong because very few people would recognize the Hawaiian word.
Nagao came to Hong Kong to work at the Felix restaurant at the top of the famed Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon, across the bay from Hong Kong Island.
The hotel was looking for a contemporary cuisine to match the modern design of the restaurant, which commands a sweeping view of the Hong Kong skyline. They decided on Hawaii Regional Cuisine.
Hawaii chef David Abella, now at Roy's La Jolla, was the first chef. He hired Troy Guard as an assistant. Guard went on to open Roy's Restaurant in Hong Kong and is now at the Doc Cheng restaurant in the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
Nagao followed Abella as head chef at Felix and the Hawaii influence continues under new head chef Dee Ann Tsuruki, who replaced Nagao in September. Tsuruki was executive chef at Roy's Kahana restaurant on Maui.
Her menu at Felix includes such dishes as a wasabi-seasoned ahi appetizer served with lomi tomatoes and a beurre blanc flavored with lemon and furikake, and Mango-Glazed Huli Huli Chicken Lollipops with Spicy Citrus Slaw.
Both Abella, a Pearl City High School graduate, and Tsuruki, a Kalani graduate, say growing up in Hawaii was a key influence in their cooking styles.
"A lot of chefs out here don't understand the mixing of ingredients," Nagao said. "We grew up with mixed influences."
Being raised Japanese in Hawaii also means you already know how to use items such as miso, konbu and soy, he said. Nagao still uses his mother's teriyaki sauce.
In an email interview, Tsuruki agreed. "Island style foods prepared simply, without the conglomeration of too many confusing unnecessary ingredients (as now many restaurants unfortunately do) is a natural fusion," she wrote.
"I grew up with these cuisines, so it's only natural we cook and develop our menus this way. Thanksgiving dinner feasts with my family are like having dinner with the United Nations."
Both chefs also credit the pioneers of Hawaiian fusion cuisine with influencing their cooking styles.
Tsuruki mentions Roy's corporate chef Gordon Hopkins, while Nagao says Roy Yamaguchi taught him "how to pronounce your flavors. If he wants you to taste chilis, you will."
Alan Wong, he said, "really defines his food. It's precise." And from a short stint working part time with Russell Siu, Nagao says he learned to be firm.
Much of his cooking style also came from his time in California. He points to his lobster dish made with okra and carrot juice and his swordfish with mustard vinaigrette as more California than Hawaii.
In Hong Kong, Nagao said he is able to work with high quality ingredients difficult to obtain in Hawaii, such as goose liver, which he marinates raw in miso and mirin.
He also tries to bring in ingredients such as Hawaiian ginger. But he said it was difficult to get a regular supply of products such as ogo, so he had to discontinue some things.
While Nagao misses Hawaii with its beaches, golf and Ono's Hawaiian Food in Kapahulu, his family likes visiting him in Hong Kong.
"My mom loves coming out here ... to shop."
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