Award-winning chef Edward Voon, formerly of Le Pan, has begun dinner service at his latest innovative fine-dining venture, Auor (pronounced “hour”), in Wan Chai, in the heart of Hong Kong.
Inspired by the circle of life and the passage of time, Auor melds the past and future into the present, showcasing the diversity of nature with ingredients that are focused on seasonality. French dining traditions are honoured while steered by the vast and vibrant flavours of Asia – the homeland of Chef Voon and the place that holds his fondest memories.
Dinner at Auor centres upon the imaginative signature experience of the Six Rounds (six plates at HK$1,680 per person), a procession of taste experiences that respect the seasons.
With a culinary philosophy that revolves around time, each ‘round’ showcases a perfect balance of ritual and avant-garde flair. For a fuller immersion into the adventurous realms of Chef Voon’s innovative cuisine, a Menu Dégustation (eight plates at HK$1,980 per person) is also offered.
Auor is named for the magical moment right before sunset when the sun dips towards the horizon to produce a brilliant sky with mesmerising colours. Diners who gather together to experience golden hours at Auor will discover those same feelings of warmth and wonder as each plate of their chosen tasting menu arrives.
“I liken the Auor dining experience to boarding a French train laden with Asian memories for a gastronomic adventure through the circle of time, and I can’t wait to take you on the wildest of rides,” says Chef Voon.
Six Rounds: Celebrating life’s most heartfelt moments
Radiating goodness, the six-course tasting menu bows to nature’s largesse and the enduring cycle of time. Following the rhythms of the seasons and the 24 solar terms, dishes embody French techniques as well as Asian diversity. Populated, in particular, by a love of the sea, especially crustaceans, they vary not only from season to season and month to month but day to day, prompted by the Chef’s ingenuity.
The tasting experience begins with ‘Awakening’ – a crescendo of freshness – and then grows through ‘Rain’ to paint the vibrant ‘Colours’ of youth. It continues by embracing ‘Diversity’, evolves into the layered textures of maturity that nourish the ‘Soul’, and then concludes in the beautiful, lasting emotions of ‘Memory’. Each Round is imbued with meaning and celebrates life’s defining moments.
Preluded by an amuse-bouche of chawanmushi, century egg and ikura, Round #1 (Awakening) is a play on the beloved Voon signature of Oscietra caviar paired with smoky Petuna ocean trout. Red crab salad, plump chunks of French oyster meat, kumquat confit, konbu, bonito flakes and pickled green chilli complete an international rainbow of tastes.
Daily torrential rainstorms during the Chef’s formative years in Singapore spurred an appreciation of nature’s life-affirming power, and this intensity is captured in Round #2 (Rain) of Carabineros prawn with fermented black bean.
Chinese influences seep through the dish as the distinctive scarlet-hued deep-sea prawns, accompanied by scallop mousse, fennel and lemon, are swaddled within a ‘sui kow’ dumpling in a sea of saffron emulsion. Fermented black-bean butter sauce adds a contrasting salty creaminess, and as a whimsical extra, tempura-style prawn legs serve as garnish.
Onto Round #3 (Colours): a vivid revelation of how imagination can transform nature’s simple gifts into complex sensory stories. Japanese kinmedai is roasted in the pan for a crunchy outer topping and presented with razor clams a la plancha, mustard greens doused in Shaoxing wine, and slivers of Hunan ham.
Round #4 (Diversity) has long been a watchword for Chef Voon, gleaned through his many travels in Asia. His belief that elements of different cuisines can be united in one compelling taste is seen in rock lobster fried in butter alongside wafer-thin crispy chicken skin spiced with masala and a lobster-rich emulsion of Gruyère and garlic cream – seemingly disparate flavours melding in perfect harmony.
Chef Voon deftly pairs prime produce from all over the world with an Asian sensibility for an ever-evolving repertoire of layered contemporary dishes that reflect the maturity of his cuisine today. This is evidenced by the meat main in Round #5 – the Soul of the Six Rounds – where Kiwami Wagyu striploin from Australia is enhanced by a black pepper marinade inspired by his Singapore upbringing.
The Six Rounds come full circle to culminate in Round #6 (Memory), an artistic dessert course that speaks to the Chef’s Impressions of the Past and his Asian homeland. The region’s ripe, tangy seasonal fruits and spices enliven a decadent cream pudding beside a pool of dark chocolate.
These six signature taste experiences also star in the Chef’s eight-course Dégustation Menu, which is ignited by two further creations that will excite even the most seasoned gourmands. Ever faithful to an irrepressible love of caviar, Voon opens with the double delicacy of Amur Beluga married with Bafun uni in katsuobushi aspic. Sushi vinegar and shiso oil are folded into a light cream to provide moist, piquant contrast to the smooth jelly.
The additional entrée of Octopus curry Martini is similarly a Voon standout. In this lighter, tangy rendition of his layered ‘omelette’ in a Martini glass, the mollusc is infused with Madras curry spices, then flanked by potato purée and fried onion with tempura flakes as well as airy egg.
Wine Pairing: Classic Choices & the Element of Surprise
Auor offers a prestigious selection of primarily French labels but enough variety outside the region to keep wine connoisseurs engaged, from the 3 Bs of Italy – Brunello, Barolo and Barbaresco – to New World discoveries and Japanese junmai. Top Bordeaux châteaux lead a heavyweight list, with 95% of the 800-bottle cellar comprising French classics. Affordable options for all budgets are not overlooked, though, and the Champagnes, in particular, are attractively priced.
Selected pairings by the glass are perfectly matched with the innovative plates of the two evening tasting menus. Six glasses for HK$880 per person complement the Six Rounds, and eight glasses for HK$1,080 per person can be enjoyed with the eight-course Menu Dégustation. The latter option opens with two glasses of Champagne, including the high Chardonnay, full-bodied Henriot Brut Souverain N.V. as a refreshing complement to Amur Beluga caviar and Bafun uni.
Auor’s curated selection of sakes includes Ohmine ‘3 Grain’, whose intense nose of melon and Muscat grapes proves the perfect match for the Madras spices and tempura flakes of Octopus curry Martini. The aggressive red-fruit aromas of Vincent Girardin’s Volnay Premier Cru ‘Les Pitures’ 2017 harmonise with the Gruyère and masala of Voon’s rock lobster, while the trusty Bordeaux red of Domaine de Chevalier, revealing the ripe tannins of its 2014 vintage, makes an excellent pour for the main of Kiwami Wagyu striploin Poivre noir.
For more information on Auor, please visit their website .
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