Two-star Michelin Chef Alvin Leung of Hong Kong’s BO INNOVATION
October, 2009
I was invited to an extraordinary food/wine/music event last month and was clueless of what I was getting into. PAPILLON VIII (Appreciate the Music; Respect for Food - a Respect for Life; Taste the Wine) was held at the gorgeous Robert Mondavi Winery (www.robertmondaviwinery.com) and featured the French Laundry’s Chef de Cuisine Timothy Hollingsworth, “Demon Chef” Alvin Leung, Jr. and award-winning jazz trumpeter Chris Botti. After doing some ‘homework’ online it was clear that this was definitely not-to-be-missed. Driving up to the wine country mid-week in rush hour traffic suddenly seemed to be the right thing to do!
Meeting Chef Alvin Leung of BO INNOVATION: this amazing chef from Hong Kong walks around easily, quite relaxed, speaking almost in a soft tone. He dresses in all black, his sleeveless shirt showcases tattoos. He removes his dark glasses occasionally. His style of cooking is edgy, bold, forceful, innovative (thus the name of his restaurant) and best of all: delicious.
“Demon Chef” Alvin Leung
Part One of PAPILLON VIII consisted of a VIP Tasting of Opus One and Robert Mondavi Winery Pairing and Tasting Menu presented by the French Laundry. I got there in time for the Part Two: the Grand Tasting Menu presented by BO INNOVATION, Chef Alvin Leung’s restaurant in Hong Kong.
On this perfectly warm Tuesday evening, the Robert Mondavi Winery glowed in its glory. I was touched to see Margrit (Mrs. Robert) Mondavi nearby and visited with her. She and I have fond memories of our friend Julia Child. Master chef Julia Child had a dinner party in her home in Cambridge, MA and we were guests along with the fine folks of JORDAN Winery. I was in Boston as a guest chef at the Mirabelle restaurant on Newbury cooking with Chef German Lam. I was honored to dine with Boston’s top female chefs and of course, the one and only Julia Child.
At the magnificent Robert Mondavi winery, there were six elaborately set up food stations throughout an expansive and comfortable room. It was never crowded as we moved from station to station. There were representatives from Robert Mondavi Winery, which include Stags Leap and Opus One, pouring generously to pair exquisite wine with the exceptional food. Oh, what a night!
Chef Alvin mingled with the crowd and popped back into the kitchen to work with the chefs as his creations came to life for the guests. I saw my friend Chef Robert Lam of BUTTERFLY restaurant in San Francisco and chefs from KOI PALACE of Daly City, teamed up to assist Chef Alvin in making the PAPILLON VIII event a huge success.
In Hong Kong since 2003, BO INNOVATION (www.boinnovation.com) has become a phenomenon as Chef Alvin spends hours developing Asian-western fusion dishes, “X-treme Chinese.”
As with many other well-known chefs, Alvin Leung’s career started elsewhere. Born in London, Alvin moved to Hong Kong to open an acoustic engineering company which developed into three factories with over 300 employees. Busy as one would think that kept him, Chef Alvin’s unending passion for food and cooking led him down the path to his amazing life today - lucky for us. He is a self-taught chef with a keen eye and gift for cooking. He constantly comes up new ideas and is determined to use the freshest and finest products and ingredients.
Chef Alvin uses techniques that I started to hear about on the popular reality show, TOP CHEF: “foam” and “molecular treatment.” His Molecular “Xiao Long Bao” is a big hit. It is such a unique application to a popular and traditional dim sum where you pierce the dumpling ever so gently and swoop in the delicate broth within. Here, the xiao long bao simply melts in your mouth, and perfectly paired with Robert Mondavi’s 2007 Pinot Noir Reserve.
The cooking of xiao long baos:
To whet your appetite for future visits to BO INNOVATION in Hong Kong or to attend the next PAPILLON event, here are some of my favorites at the recent gathering:
Trio of Sashimi “Chinois”
Dan Dan Mein, Grilled Salmon Roe, Mixed Herbs
The above were paired with Robert Mondavi’s 2007 Fume Blanc Reserve.
Pan-fried Foie Gras, Sichuan Sauce, Crispy Woba, fresh peas, pea shoot
enhanced with Robert Mondavi’s 2006 Chardonnay Reserve.
Iberico Ham, Morel Braised Vermicelli, Saffron Onion Foam
Ocean Trout, Fermented Black Beans and Honey Miso.
Both dishes paired nicely with 2005 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cheung Fun, Black Truffle, Shangri-La Yak’s Milk Cheese.. I went back for seconds or was it thirds… reminded me of another of my favorites, Mac & Cheese. This fabulous dish was paired with 2005 Opus One. 
*Hoping to share a Bo Innovation Cheung Fun recipe here soon.