Thursday 26 May 2011

Red, White and The Blues...



Photography: Douglas Pieterse
Art Director and Producer: P.Ramakrishnan
Stylist: Reema Khanna
Hair, make-up and tattoo art: Karen Yiu
Model: David O at Models International
Locatoin: Courtesy of Tree at Horizon Plaza, special thanks to Ms Anna M






Shoot for Kee magazine's special issue dedicated to Japan. Editor/Publisher Ann Tsang did an incredible issue and we - Reema, Douglas, David, karen, m'self - are so proud to be a part of it.

See earlier link, The Making of... Red, white and The Blues.


Saturday 14 May 2011

A Matter of Taste



Even for France’s history of fine chefs, Pierre Gagnaire has made a special name for himself. Crave meets the culinary legend and learns how his global reach has not altered how he judges good food.

Text by P.Ramakrishnan, images courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

I am sitting with the legendary French chef Pierre Gagnaire at the bar in his restaurant Pierre at the Mandarin Oriental hours before the first customers arrive. Outside the rain is pelting down and Hong Kong is not looking its best. But Gagnaire, ever the gentleman, is speaking generously of the city.

Aside from his restaurant in Tokyo, this is his only establishment in Asia and he clearly has an affection for this city.

“It was the right time, and the right place,” he says of his decision to open a restaurant here. “There was another restaurant at the top floor of the Mandarin before. It was great, so I never thought I would open here but the right opportunity arose. In my career, the right timing has always come along.”

With his suave good looks and gallant demeanour, one feels Gagnaire, 60, could have cut it as a movie star had he turned his hand to acting. Fortunately for the culinary world, he applied his immense gifts to cooking and his story is one of almost unblemished success.

Born in Apinac, in France’s Loire Valley, by the age of 18, he was already a commis chef and within two years he was a cook admiral on the French submarine Surcouf. During the 1970s, he travelled the world, returning to France to work at Clos Fleury, a restaurant run by his father near Saint Etienne. He was honoured with his first Michelin star in 1977, which enabled him to go solo and open a restaurant in the centre of Saint Etienne. In 1986, a second Michelin star followed for a different restaurant, and in 1993, the coveted third star.

Now he is the holder of multiple Michelin stars and has restaurants all over the world (Paris, London, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Seoul, Dubai and Hong Kong). Such is his reputation internationally, the French government bestowed him the grand title of Commandeur des Arts & Lettres.

But ask him to recall his early days and there are no misty-eyed recollections. “I absolutely hated working in the kitchen when I was young,” he tells me.

“The restaurant business is a terrible business. Everyone worked from dawn to late night – early morning, in fact. Everyone was busy running here and there. And then the restaurant failed.” His venture in Saint Etiene eventually closed despite glowing reviews.

“I wasn’t planning a career in cooking,” he recalls. “The chef’s life was not good before. A lot of stress. The ambience was not good. You never see your family. No, I certainly didn’t like it at all.”

But while he might not have liked it, the French public most certainly liked his cooking. Besides the Michelin stars, he was asked to cook for a heads of state summit lunch at the Arche de la Défense during François Mitterrand’s presidency.

“I remember very well why the first restaurant failed – the city was too small,” he says of the Saint Etienne debacle. “The people were not ready for such high-end cuisine. I learned a lot from the closing of the first restaurant. This was more than 40 years ago. The customers were not there for fine dining. Yes, I do think we learn from our mistakes more than our successes.”

Gagnaire’s career took a turn for the better when he began a fruitful partnership with Hervé This, Collège de France professor and father of Molecular Gastronomy, in 2001.

It was during this period that Gagnaire really developed his culinary philosophy, which he describes as “mixing the old with the new, traditional cooking style with modern sophistication”. Hervé This helped him understand how the basic chemical compounds in food affects taste and how to develop a harmony of flavours.

A good example to be found on the menu at Pierre at the Mandarin Oriental is red mullet poached with garlic and lemon. This signature dish wasn’t just thrown at the wall to see if it would stick. There’s a refined science behind it: every element – from taste and texture, aroma and flavour – has been calculated right down to the harmony of the colours on the plate.

Ever modest, Gagnaire prefers to ignore such plaudits when we chat and says, “None of that matters; does it taste good? That’s all I essentially care about.”

Pierre
25/F, Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central
Tel: 2825 4001

My Favourite Things with Pierre Gagnaire

1. Fine dining is an art. Would you agree?

Yes, but to me, food is an emotion. For me, what I serve is an emotion. I put a lot of attention into what I’m making. I’m nourishing someone, I’m feeding someone, I care about what I make.

2. Does the trend for organic, vegetarian and healthy food affect your menu?

Yes. But I’m lucky that I’ve always worked with natural ingredients. I can make an entire menu that’s purely vegetarian. This was years ago, way before the trend for organic food. In France, everything was organic. We worked with what produce was available to us.

3. Do you change your menus in your restaurant around the world to match local tastes?

No. Fine dining here is the same as fine dining in London or Paris or Las Vegas. Well, with perhaps a little less spice.

4. Which Asian culinary traditions do you admire?

When I travelled to Japan years ago, the food presentation there changed my way of thinking. Presentation became very important and it still is. But it’s always absolutely about the taste. You must get pleasure when you eat. That comes from taste. Hong Kong has choices which I like and an elegance.

5. Is fine dining the way to woo a woman?

It can be. Of course!

6. Is that how you seduced your wife?

My wife? She likes Thai food. Curries. And you know what I do! It’s completely different. But I’m glad my wife isn’t in awe of me and the cooking. You can’t have a balanced married life if a partner is in awe of the other.

7. What do you like to make and eat?

It changes every day, depending on the city I am in, my mood, the ambience … what I feel. You know what I want right now more than anything in the world? A glass of water with a slice of lemon. I’m a simple man.

fantastics


Another day, another shoot. For New York based mag, fantastics.

Great to work with the ageless wonder Alexis. First shoot with Hong Kong based photographer Cheric Kwong.

It's hard to work with new photographers but if there's one thing I learned from Ann Tsang, the bril editor/publisher at antithesis and its series of publications, you gotta work with new people and mix things up.

The shoot did not go as planned but... well, it all worked out at the end!

Very grateful to James Nixon, editor, for helping us showcase our biz and shizz. =0)


R



Sunday 8 May 2011

Great Escapes: Travel like a movie star to these resorts, private islands and luxury vacation hot spots

Cast yourself in a role of the lifestyles of the rich and famous courtesy of these holidays from heaven, writes P.Ramakrishnan

When Tom Cruise landed in Hong Kong for the premier of Mission: Impossible II he arrived on a private jet that he piloted. From the airport, he was whisked by chopper to the rooftop of The Peninsula where a private elevator delivered him down to a press conference. Sound tempting? 

If you want a movie star experience then drop a line to Alan Rogers, of Red Carpet Enterprises (redcarpet.co.uk). The company specialises in holiday experiences that rival Hollywood jaunts. There is in fact a "Tom Cruise" package where you can fly to Cape Town, take private flight training lessons, choose a route before getting fitted for your own signature flight suit. With a pass to a military airspace in a Hawker Hunter fighter jet to thrust yourself skyward at speeds of 960km/h just 20m above the ground, you can grab the controls and try out all sorts of stomach-churning stunts. A weekend's high flying costs about HK$160,000. But that's the tip of the ice-berg. 

"A 10th birthday celebration saw us hiring a battleship where the inside was themed like a football pitch," says Rogers. "An ex-England footballer played five-a-side with the boys' friends, who then finally presented him with a signed shirt and ball from his favourite team. We choose very carefully the appropriate venues and hotels for each occasion. Our travels find us in some of the best villas, venues and hotels in the world, sometimes rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous." 

For a more children-centric experience, Red Carpet can provide a trip to Lapland. A visit to a reindeer farm, sled rides, races with huskies, snowmobile rides across frozen lakes and a stay in a private lodge. Let's call this the Marlon Brando experience. 

For the last quarter of his life, the actor lived on a private island and rarely appeared beyond the confines of his tropical paradise. Before the terms "organic", and "going green" entered the vernacular, Brando was doing it all. For a private island fantasy, head to Ratua in Vanuatu (you can rent the island), a self-sufficient retreat with postcard views and luxurious villas. Dotted with a dozen Indonesian-style villas, made with 200-year-old teakwood, the private houses are furnished with natural material - the island has a no plastic policy. 

The former coconut plantation gets all its consumables purchased in Indonesia and then shipped to Ratua. Most of the food is produced on the island or purchased locally, the goal of this resort is to leave a minimum carbon footprint. Spend afternoons horseback riding or canoeing, or snorkeling in the azure blue waters. 

Having eaten, prayed and loved on screen for more than two decades, Julia Roberts has had many reasons to grin through an admirable career with hefty paycheques. She traipsed through Italy, India and Bali for her last film but it's hard to imagine Pretty Woman slumming it in Calcutta. Despite Roberts' legendary down-to-earth vibe, it seems impossible to envision that she stayed in a hut with nominal access to tap water. 

Sher Bagh in India would be the sort of earth-friendly, animal-reserve-meets-glamorous-getaway that would suit the highest-paid actress in the world - and for those of her ilk. It's got all the ingredients the film had, but in a capsule of bug-free comfort. Tented camps at Sher Bagh are as legendary as some of its VIP guests. Impeccable service, incredible food, a communal feel and one-ness with nature loom large. The tents are fitted with air-conditioning, a 24/7 butler service (fancy a gin-and-tonic at 4am?) and the sort of plush surroundings that reek of Passage to India cinematic charms and regalia. Early morning scheduled safari rides to see the magnificent creatures that roam about - there are indeed tigers lurking in the distance, as the name suggests ("tiger garden" is the literal translation to Sher Bagh). As the tiger population decreases with each passing year, this reserve is the last of its kind in Asia. Conspicuous consumption meets conservation, the moment your Canon catches a yawning tiger at sunset, it'll be the experience you'll bore proceeding generations with. Cantor and jeep rides that ferry guests to and from the resort run like clockwork. The running joke of 'IST' (Indian standard time, where things happen at their own pace) doesn't fit the whopping bill (this isn't a location for backpackers), as everything runs to precision. A cocoon of extreme comfort and luxury awaits upon your return from the safari rides in the otherwise sweltering heat of Rajasthan. 

Campfire meals and drinks, tales and folklore of prince and princes, epic love stories between Mughal Kings and a Rajput princess, it's live theatre with a Bollywood twist. Sunrise and sunsets in nearby parks (in particular the expansive Ranthambhore), it's all a bucolic and beautiful adventure. There are few people Oprah Winfrey would envy. With more than a billion dollars to spare, what could she possibly covet? 

Gwyneth Paltrow's holiday, apparently. When the Oscar winner last appeared on Oprah, she relayed her trip across Spain with celebrity chef Mario Batali as she ate her way through the country. "I would love to do that," said the talk-show host. And here's how you can. Foodies looking for an experience in Spain should head to La Maroma. Set on a private hilltop in Andalucia, La Maroma (akvillas.com) enjoys grand views over almond and olive groves and the estate's private vineyard. 

Expectedly, fresh olives, nuts and wine from the panoramic views that you see from your own rooms are brought in. The cortijo (a Spanish farmstead) has fused the rustic-chic style to provide modern luxuries (wi-fi, broadband, sub-terrain heating and air-conditioning) and comfort, but still maintains the traditional Andalusian architecture of its heritage (Spanish antiques and locally made hand-crafted furnishings litter the grounds). Hand-stitched Suzani tapestries above the beds, private indoor and outdoor lounges, terraces and pool that face different vistas that encircle the villa, it's the sort of place a star would seek respite from the paparazzi. But it's not just the scenic location that makes La Maroma stand out in a city teaming with grandiose holiday possibilities. It's the food. As you watch Batali and Paltrow go through an ever-changing and colourful menu, you can taste the sumptuous food shown on screen - but instead of schlepping from one location to another in the fetid heat, you can have it delivered to your table. 

Guests staying at La Maroma can enjoy the "Instant Unwind" package, which includes organic produce, including an immense fruit and vegetable box delivered to your doorstep, shopping service for any additional provisions, fresh flower arrangements and wine tasting and tapas on arrival. Private four-course gourmet dinners, by villa chef David Palacios, alongside welcome hampers with local Spanish delicacies and basic provisions, are included. 

The markets of Andalucia - Marbella, Fuengirola, Coin - are all nearby, as is the village of El Rampido where the protected reserve called the Paraje Natural Marismas del Rio Piedras y Flecha del Rompido lies. With the onsite wine bodega stocked with local wines, it's a festival of fresh food and drink. As Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and her brood found solace in Africa to escape far from the madding crowd, they hit various parts of the continent, before culminating in Namibia where Jolie gave birth to their child. For some bush luxury, head to Camp Jabulani (akvillas.com). As a matter of extreme privacy, it has only six suites and its own herd of elephants. 

Accredited by the Relais & Chateaux, Camp Jabulani is a family-owned and managed private luxury safari lodge within the Kapama Game Reserve in Hoedspruit, South Africa (in close proximity to the Kruger National Park, and scenic Mpumalanga region). The best part is a herd of trained elephants rescued by the local endangered species centre that roam the camp. Watching the animals in their natural, protected habitat as they swim and play is the National Geographic moment aspiring photographers dream of. And to further lift your spirits, there are hot-air balloon excursions. 

With never more than a dozen guests at any given time, the exclusive Zindoga Villa is suited for the family traveller. Daily elephant safaris, safari drives in the Big Five private Kapama Reserve, indulgent treatments in the outdoor Therapy Lapa, culinary delights at the hands of the masterful chefs, with all the accoutrements of a luxury holiday with an elephant stamp of approval, this one's not to be missed.




Published in Style magazine, May 6, 2011