Food & Drink
Hidden messages in Chinese names of Britain’s Chinese restaurants
A testament to the Chinese love of clever wordplay, Chinese restaurants in Britain often have witty or pun-tastic Chinese names that are like encoded in-jokes for the diaspora.
‘I want a Michelin star’: Germany-based Vietnamese chef The Duc Ngo
Having fled to Hong Kong from Vietnam in the 1970s, Berlin-based chef The Duc Ngo has gone on to redefine Asian fusion cuisine in restaurants in Berlin and Frankfurt, Germany.
Profile | Switzerland has 1 Michelin-star Chinese restaurant. Meet its chef
Having blazed a trail across China, chef Frank Xu left for Europe, where he gives guests at Switzerland’s only Michelin-star Chinese restaurant, Le Tsé Fung, an authentic taste of his homeland.
Butter chicken wars: who does New Delhi’s signature dish best?
Delhi is a city of endless squabbles – over who makes the best version of the Indian capital’s signature dish. We look at some of the restaurants vying for butter chicken supremacy, and how to make it best.
Reflections | Move over, soba. After oodles of udon on a trip to Japan, I’m a convert
Soba and soumen wheat noodles are my preferred Japanese varieties, but after eating udon on a visit to Kagawa in Shikoku, especially the local Sanuki udon, I was won over by their chewiness.
The millennial dumpling makers spreading the word about a Chinese staple
The Chinese dumpling is being made more accessible to Western diners by Chinese millennials, who are creating new fillings inspired by international cuisines and catering to non-meat eaters.
Vietnamese chefs are updating pho, without taking soup makeover too far
Pho is Vietnam’s national dish, a fragrant noodle soup with slices of rare beef, herbs and spices. Chefs are creating new versions, although the basic flavours remain true.
Gastronomy in the Instagram age: more conformist, or more diverse?
Social media’s influence on gastronomy is significant, with chefs sacrificing originality for likes, but is the Instagram age only bad for haute cuisine? Top chefs from around the world give their take.
The Heart Surgeon’s Cookbook challenges cooks and trainee surgeons’ skills
A cookbook by Swedish chef Fredrik Berselius doubles as an instruction manual for trainee surgeons but can be equally enjoyed by home chefs looking to sharpen their knife skills.
Not just chicken wings: how bar food has evolved with the times
Bar food meant chicken wings, fries and sliders until recently, but customers’ evolving demands have driven cocktail bars to up their food game with finer ingredients – and it makes economic sense.
Top Asian chefs unite on Japanese forest retreat to cook a unique feast
Deep in the forests of Japan’s Nagano prefecture, six of Asia’s best chefs came together. With fresh produce and new ideas, they made a special six-course dinner – and new friendships.
The sustainable fashion designers using fish skin leather, onion peel dyes
Hong Kong fashion designers describe how they use sustainable materials such as natural dyes made from foods like onion peel and pomegranates, and leather made from fish skin.
Bye bye, bird’s nest: young Chinese diners pivot to ‘quiet’ luxury food
Chinese epicures are moving away from ‘loud luxury’ ingredients such as abalone, shark fin and bird’s nest, and choosing sophistication over ostentation, while still dining auspiciously.
How Top Chef on TV changed the life of a Hong Kong Michelin restaurant chef
Barry Quek, head chef at Hong Kong Michelin-star restaurant Whey, talks about the impact cooking competition TV show Top Chef had on him, from teaching him techniques to the importance of ‘a plan B’.
Japan’s best ramen? Gourmet guide ranks nation’s top 100 ramen restaurants
Japan’s Hyakumeiten restaurant-ranking system means no one has to go without an excellent serving of their favourite dish. Post Magazine goes in search of the ramen to top all ramen.
Then & Now | How ‘army camp food’ became a staple of Hong Kong cafe menus
Humble roadside food stalls introduced hungry Hongkongers to spicy but affordable South Asian delicacies that originated in the British Army garrisons stationed across the New Territories.
How Chinese baijiu became cool, and part of a new ‘drinking language’
Baijiu, China’s ‘white spirit’, has long been seen as uncool by its young people, but hip cocktail bars specialising in the spirit, and a change in how it’s marketed, are altering that.
How Hong Kong’s cooked-food centres are the heart of city’s culinary scene
Selling high-quality, low-priced food, Hong Kong’s numerous cooked-food centres are the understated masters of the local culinary scene, but we must keep loving them, or risk losing them.
Home from Home | I watched Hong Kong become a wine hub. Now my UK home is doing similar
Kent is becoming the Wine Garden of England, with more and more vineyards offering tastings and tours. In Cliff Buddle’s early days in Hong Kong, a decent drop was hard to find – but worth the effort.
Jerk chicken chow mein? Jamaican-Chinese chef shares his fusion triumphs
Jamaican-Chinese Canadian chef Craig Wong explains the inspiration behind his unusual fusion restaurant, Patois in Toronto, Canada, where jerk chicken chow mein is a signature dish.