Pierrick Renou celebrates his Chopsticks & Beyond prize with friends at Cuisine Cuisine. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/William Wang] |
After last weekend's Chopsticks & Beyond cooking competition, Pierrick Renou enjoys a dinner party valued at 2000 yuan at Cantonese cuisine restaurant Cuisine Cuisine. His scallop dish garnered the most votes, awarding him and three of his friends a dinner, the menu of which was specially chosen by the chef.
Cuisine Cuisine focuses on the subtleties and freshness of Cantonese cuisine, with a modern edge; for Renou's first time dining in a Cantonese restaurant, it was a swanky introduction.
Naturally, Cuisine Cuisine's Michelin star flagship restaurant is in Hong Kong. Since the Beijing restaurant opened in 2011, it has garnered several Time Out merit awards and one from Modern Weekly. It also claimed a Global Design Award for its polished environment.
Renou recounts how his father gave him cooking advice as he and his three work friends nibble on ancient fungus steamed codfish or Liao sea cucumber. They debate whether the sauces were amazing or too sweet. Renou notes how different the Cantonese flavors were from what people in France are accustomed to. He seems particularly impressed with his first experience eating crispy jellyfish.
Cassie Bi is enamored by a simple cold noodle dish. "The flavor is very simple, but very fresh," she comments, inadvertently latching onto two key qualities of Cantonese cuisine. However, the chocolate biscuit Pockey stick protruding from the noodles baffles the group and is placed on the side; remaining uneaten.