Off Menu, the latest and greatest addition to T. Dining’s repertoire of inventive dining experiences, unveils its line-up for the highly anticipated three-day gastronomic festival. Held between 15-17 November at The Peak Galleria, Off Menu is a celebration of Hong Kong’s dining scene and those who have shaped it.
“At T.Dining, we’ve always believed in championing Hong Kong’s dining scene in unconventional ways, creating experiences for our community of food lovers that go beyond the expected,” says Charmaine Mok, Editorial Director for T.Dining.” Celebrating local talent and traditions in fresh new formats is at the core of our events, and we designed Off Menu to break the mould of the traditional food festival with truly imaginative food and drink offerings set in an iconic location—and give those in the hospitality industry a chance to do something entirely off-piste and fun. During difficult times in Hong Kong, we’re excited to present this festival as a way to spotlight our culinary heroes as well as forge relationships with international talent, who will see just how incredible our local dining scene is.”
Off Menu will showcase local flavours reimagined in unexpected new ways by the world’s most innovative chefs, mixologists and tastemakers. The event will be anchored by chef collaborations between Hong Kong and Macau’s culinary heavyweights and their international counterparts to create twelve one-off dishes using local ingredients. Representing Hong Kong are Richard Ekkebus of Amber, Palash Mitra of Rajasthan Rifles, May Chow of Little Bao Diner, Vicky Cheng of VEA, Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room, Uwe Opocensky of Petrus, and Tam Kwok Fung of Wing Lei Palace. These trailblazers will be joined by Richie Lin of Mume (Taipei), Jordy Navarra of Toyo Eatery (Manila), Hisato Hamada of Wagyumafia (Tokyo), Nobu Namiki of Kermis (Tokyo) and Simon Rogan of L’Enclume (Cumbria, UK) and Roganic who will be flying in especially for Off Menu.
These collaborations are centered on a simple premise: local ingredients spotlighted by two chefs with distinct culinary styles who will be working together for the very first time. One such pairing is Richard Ekkebus and Jordy Navarra who will create two brand new dishes together. “From traditional dining establishments, casual eateries to the upper echelons of fine dining, Hong Kong’s culinary scene is dynamic and ever-evolving with its own unique signature,” explains Jordy, “Richard is not just a good friend; he inspires me and my team. So when he reached out to me for Off Menu, it was an easy YES!”
“And I admire what he does,” Richard concurs, “Toyo Eatery has such an amazing energy, with interesting flavourful food and disarming hospitality. Manila’s food scene is emerging, I feel they deserve way more recognition than they get and Off Menu provides that opportunity for Hong Kong diners to sit up and take notice.”
Mitsuhiro Araki, of soon-to-open The Araki that will be taking up an exclusive residency at heritage hotel House 1881 this winter, will also make a special appearance. The acclaimed master of Edomae-style sushi will be showcasing his tuna cutting skills and share some special treats with event-goers.
Off Menu also takes pride in championing the next generation of rising culinary stars, Stephanie Wong of Roots, Joanna Yuen of Nobu and Eleven Madison Park alum Leonard Cheung. “There is so much opportunity in Hong Kong, however, it takes constant experimentation and brain power to thrive in this city” says Chef Stephanie, “Off Menu is a rare opportunity, where we as chefs are able to push our boundaries and also learn from all these collaborations.”
These up-and-comers will draw on their deep-rooted connections to Hong Kong to create a selection of canapés that highlights local heritage ingredients. Each chef’s chosen ingredient embodies a personal story and represents quintessentially Hong Kong flavours. For Stephanie, it is dried salted fish, a humble ingredient found in most Cantonese pantries, one that she has grown up with and carried with her through her culinary career. Professing it to be “the anchovy of the Canto World”, she uses salted fish in French-Cantonese cuisine to accentuate dishes with its complex umami flavours. At Off Menu, the salted fish will star in the sauce for a fried abalone dish.
Taking the bar scene to new heights, Hong Kong’s top mixologists will also be shaking up creative cocktails inspired by the flavours and vibrancy of the city. Each mixologist is assigned one base spirit to work with and tasked to spotlight local ingredients in their creation. The line-up of award-winning mixologists include Agung Prabowo of The Old Man, Sandeep Hathiramani and Gagan Gurung of Tell Camellia, and Victoria Chow of The Woods Nomadic.
Additional beverages will continue to quench the thirst of eventgoers, with an exclusive presentation by Baijiu Society of their east-meets-west craft offering, Baijiu Beer, and by local champions Josh and Caleb Ng of Interval Coffee Bar who will be serving up hand-drip coffee and natural wines.
To add to the all-immersive experience, Off Menu will showcase the best of Hong Kong’s music scene with a line-up of local music legends and indie stars. Spinning great tunes on-stage will be Mukzi & The Island (Hong Kong) and world-class DJ KULU, one of the most recognised faces in the city’s club scene.
Tickets are available for purchase at HK$1,800 per person. The single-day ticket will grant diners access to sample 12 distinct dishes, experience a variety of bespoke alcoholic beverages, and taste thoughtful canapés. Tickets can be purchased at offmenuhk.com.
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