Part of the ...but the devil... staff (Leslie Scurry and I) showed up at Bo Innovation at it's new address (see below) after much research and anticipation. Expectations as well as the desire to be blown away (dining-wise) were high. And most if not all of those expectations were surpassed. It was truly one of the best overall food experiences I have ever had.

Since discovery is such a key part of dining, just walking down the list of the 16+ course Chef's menu to describe each dish in excruciating detail wouldn't leave anything to your imagination so only a few will be talked about here. The banter that the both of us had with Leung was just as interesting as his food and it's intricate preparation, that all the details will just kind of be all mixed. You can then fill in the gaps for yourself and maybe even go to Bo Innovation for your own experience.

The Chef's Table is an eight seat bar that faces the plating kitchen (there is a main but small kitchen squirreled away behind this) where all of your food is prepared literally right in front of you. There are regular tables inside and out on the porch/balcony but really, the Chef's Table is where all the action is. Everything is ultra-modern but kept simple, in easy-on-the-eyes greys, blacks and silvers. From minute one you are treated as if you're the only guest(s) in the house. And although you don't really need any knowledge of food preparation, techniques, or cooking to have a conversation with Leung, in our case we both learned so much more because we did.

molecular: xiao long bao (photo by leslie scurry)

Winding our way through Bo's menu, we hit upon a few dim sum memories with "molecular" xiao long bao (usually a steamed "bun" with a dense egg/custard inside), and a fried taro dumpling with a smoked quail egg and caviar.

The former was had just the internal part of the bao and a postage stamp-sized sheet of dark vinegar. (With traditional xiao long bao, the bao's sweetness is enhanced with a dab of vinegar...). The internal part of the bao looked like it was done using the sodium alginate "caviar" method, hence the "molecular" tag, only it was several times larger than the usual "caviar" produced with this method. (Leung actually said that he preferred making larger "caviar" as they were less time intensive and achieve that same effect). We were instructed to "put the vinegar sheet on your tongue" to let it dissolve then eat the xiao long bao. The internal part of the bao just exploded into that familiar xiao long bao flavor. This was my personal favorite of the entire meal.

taro and smoked quail egg with caviar (photo by leslie scurry)

The taro dumpling had so many things going on at once: crispy filigree, unctuous purple taro, smoky-hard yolk egg with the snap and brine of the caviar. Another delicious mouthful. Later on, a French-inspired "hairy" crab and crab roe souffle (with a cooling starfruit and pomelo salad) and a pan cooked cod with Hunan ham sauce and a novel toffee'd piece of salsify made their appearance. They were as interesting tasting as they sounded.

During the prep and presentation of one of the courses, a sheet of toro tuna with foie gras powder and freeze-dried raspberry, we got into a discussion about molecular gastronomy with Leung. He shared some of his thoughts about it and why he doesn't use much of that sort of technique in his dishes. He said that he wanted to bring out natural tastes with disparate ingredients rather then coax them into being with chemicals.

I described the "stunt cooking" definition I had been working with as the practice molecular solely for the sake of experimentation, as opposed to creating a thought-provoking food experience, and he seemed to agree. He also talked about his experiences with the cuisine of Spain's el Bulli and Ferran Adrià (the true master of molecular) and said that even Adrià was starting to move back to more traditional methods as the fad of molecular created a small raft pale imitators.

stunning: toro, foie gras powder and freeze-dried raspberry - note the tweezers to "roll" or "fold" the toro up before popping it into your mouth (photo by leslie scurry)

That said, the method for producing the foie gras powder for the toro course is an exercise in patience with a three-day drying period for lightly boiled foie gras in ~125°F degree ovens. You don't want to do this at home, he said, stating that although the smell of the foie gras might be good for the first hour, three days of it is a bit much. Therefore, he does his preparation of this in a kitchen offsite.

The results though, are stunning - a concentrated foie gras flavor that only gets stronger once it reconstitutes in your mouth. The dried raspberry fills in the fruit counterpoint to the foie's strength and the toro provides the buttery fat that makes this an outstanding dish in both concept and taste. And the tweezers give it a scientific feel.

oh that walnut soda! (photo by wm. christman)

The other dishes followed these filled out many components of a multi-course meal. Wagyu beef with truffle soy, fish and tofu soup with an anchovy crouton, a "very beefy" rice cooked only in the drippings of the Waygu beef. Dessert was a delightful four course on it's own with am amazing apple crumble har gow and a small glass of walnut soda. The walnut soda was exactly like drinking a mouthful of freshly cracked walnuts. This is something that I would want to drink everyday.

young ginger foam frozen with liquid nitrogen (photo by wm. christman)

Leung was also talkative about the other aspects of his restaurant: the new location ("I hated the other one"), wine, what's next for him (opening up a Bo Innovation in London) and the fact that he just received a supply of liquid nitrogen. He made a young ginger foam and proceeded to whip it with the super-cold liquid nitrogen to produce a merangue-like bonbon that was like the lightest but most ginger-flavoured ice cream. Leung walked around the entire restaurant making these for nearly everyone who wanted to try it.

What makes Bo Innovation such an exquisite experience is not only the food and their compelling takes on classic dishes but the sheer enthusiasm that Alvin Leung shows for the unique combination of diverse ingredients he uses, the pinpoint execution of each and every dish, and inviting his guests to walk into his world for a few hours. It's a world that I would gladly go back to again.

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Bo Innovation, Shop No. 13 on Second Floor of J Residence, No. 60 Johnston Rd (restaurant is on Ship Street off of Johnston Rd.) Wanchai, Hong Kong, ph. 2850 8371