Latest news with #ShunSato
South China Morning Post
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
For Hong Kong restaurants, art is more than just decorative
Using art to create focal points and atmosphere in restaurants is hardly groundbreaking. But some of Hong Kong's best restaurants go above and beyond when it comes to decorating their walls. Rather than being an afterthought, the works displayed are the result of a cohesive effort from restaurant owners, designers and curators to create a multisensory experience encompassing food, drink and the visual arts. But what does it take to curate these collections? The art-filled interiors at recently opened Central, Hong Kong, restaurant Golden Gip. Photo: Handout First: purpose. At Golden Gip – a new restaurant in Central serving up Korean-influenced Asian fare – everything is designed to engage all five senses. 'The art serves as a visual feast that complements the culinary offerings,' says chef-founder Shun Sato. As for one-Michelin-star Cantonese stalwart Duddell's, in the same neighbourhood, co-founder Alan Lo says the vision was 'to create a place where people can eat, drink, socialise and learn about art', adding, 'It's about showcasing the best curator and artistic practices.' Naturally, visual works take centre stage. Advertisement Art is so intrinsic to experiencing these restaurants that it's often discussed early in the design process. 'Artwork was a central consideration from the outset,' continues Sato. 'It was essential to integrate art and design in a way that reflects our philosophy and enhances the overall atmosphere from the very beginning.' But what do restaurants look for when choosing works to display? At Golden Gip, art was selected to help create a welcoming, homely environment, with thought given to colour, texture and emotional impact. Art is featured all year round at LPM in Hong Kong. Photo: Hangout At La Petite Maison (LPM) in Central, David d'Almada and Jade Aquilina of London-based interior design firm Sagrada chose pieces to reflect the establishment's roots in the Cote d'Azur. '[The artworks] evoke the colour and vibrancy of the South of France,' notes Nicolas Budzynski, LPM's CEO. The restaurant also works with a resident artist to create compositions in line with the designers' vision, draws on favourite artists from LPM's global locations, and includes a bronze statuette that can be found at all of the restaurant's outlets. Location can also influence a restaurant's art. 'Given [Hue's] location within the Hong Kong Museum of Art, we knew that art would play a central role in creating the ambience we wanted,' says Bronwyn Cheung, co-founder of Woolly Pig Hong Kong, the restaurant group behind Hue. 'Artwork was considered early in our design process – the specific artworks [at the restaurant] were chosen to complement our modern Australian cuisine and our stunning location [on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront].' Many restaurants that take their visual appeal seriously look to experts to find pieces that will create precisely the desired ambience and emotional resonance. Advertisement Hue relies on London-based Tanya Baxter Contemporary to source the right works, drawing on the gallery and advisory firm's over 25 years of experience in the field of postmodern, modern British and contemporary art. 'We wanted pieces that would resonate with our international clientele while also reflecting Hong Kong's unique position,' Cheung explains. Hue's current displays include works by Pip Todd Warmoth, Damien Hirst and David Hockney.
South China Morning Post
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Dish in Focus: Fxxking Paella
Paella may seem an odd choice of signature dish at a Japanese restaurant but it perfectly reflects the journey of Censu's founder, chef Shun Sato. Advertisement Born and raised in Japan – where he developed a particular affection for his grandmother's house in Sendai, which inspired the interior design at Censu – Sato leveraged his culinary career to travel the world. After stints at prestigious restaurants in Tokyo, he spent seven years in Sydney before moving to London to lead the team at Aqua Kyoto for two years. It's an unusually global resume for a top Japanese chef, and Sato has channelled his international influences into the menu at Censu. No one dish represents this more completely than the Fxxking Paella. Censu's Fxxking Paella is a spin on traditional Hainan chicken rice. Photo: Nicholas Wong 'The main flavours and textures of the dish can be likened to traditional Hainan chicken rice, but with a twist,' explains Sato, who reveals that instead of cooking the rice in chicken broth, he infuses it with a scallop dashi, which imparts a subtle sweetness. The use of two different kinds of Japanese rice creates a delightful combination of textures as well as a divine socarrat (the crunchy, charred layer of rice at the bottom of a paella), further enabling the dish to stand out from the mass of similar dishes in Hong Kong. Inspiration came from a staff lunch, before Censu launched in 2021. 'The team prepared Hainan chicken rice and I found it incredibly enjoyable,' recalls Sato, who was excited by the idea of marrying the characteristics of such an Asian dish with his own international sensibilities. The most pressing question was what kind of chicken to use. Having worked under Daniel Calvert during the British chef's stint at Belon, Sato was familiar with the three yellow chicken dish that helped put SoHo's Belon on the map. Such experience was 'invaluable' in creating the Fxxking Paella. Censu's founder, chef Shun Sato. Photo: Handout 'The key ingredient is definitely the three yellow chicken ,' Sato says. 'This breed is known for its rich flavour and tender texture due to a higher fat content under the skin. It's typically slaughtered at an older age, which contributes to its superior taste and succulence when cooked. I've tried various types of chicken from around the world but the three yellow chicken stands out as the best.'
South China Morning Post
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
The hottest new openings in Hong Kong, January 26-February 1
'Gip' translates to 'home' in Korean. Photo: Golden Gip What first opened last summer as a three-month Sai Wan Ho pop-up by Shun Sato, chef-founder of contemporary Japanese restaurant Censu, and his head chef, Nigel Kim, is now a permanent venue in Central. The menu features Japanese and Korean-inspired dishes such as Haha Toast, a cross between Hong Kong-style shrimp toast and okonomiyaki, and whole crab mapo tofu, which pairs a flower crab with egg custard and tteokbokki. 1/F, 17-19 Wellington Street, Central Ciak Ciak is famous for its freshly made pizzas. Photo: Ciak This celebrated Italian trattoria has relocated to within the Prohibition Grill House at the Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel, following an 11-year run at Landmark in Central. Established by chef Umberto Bombana and having made the Top 10 in Asia by 50 Top Pizza in 2021, Ciak has lightly revamped its menu of freshly made pizzas with options such as the prosciutto and formaggi and the five formaggi, a boon for cheese lovers. Prohibition Grill House & Cocktail Bar, G/F, Club Wing, Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel, 180 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen Monocle Monocle's refreshed Hong Kong boutique features more retail space for books, magazines and sundries. Photo: Monocle First opened in 2010, the Hong Kong boutique of international affairs and lifestyle magazine Monocle has emerged from a long-awaited refurbishment, in Wan Chai's hip enclave of St Francis Yard. Now sporting double the retail space, the refreshed interior holds more books, magazines, collaborative items and prints while a new balcony out back will host drinks receptions during the cooler months.
