While every foodie is anticipating Jamie Oliver’s soon-to-open first restaurant in Hong Kong, another major British celebrity chef has signed on to launch his own eatery in the former colony.
Exclusive to Coconuts Hong Kong, it is confirmed Gordon Ramsay, the Michelin star chef and television personality, will partner with local operators Dining Concepts to open a new restaurant in Central in late summer, possibly August or September. Three different sources at Dining Concepts confirmed the information.
Ramsay is best known as the short-tempered and foul-mouthed host of food programmes like Hell’s Kitchen, The F Word and MasterChef in the US. Among his best known and most highly rated fine dining outlets is Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, London. He also has two restaurants in Japan, which are his only other Asian ventures.
The location of the still unnamed Hong Kong establishment will be on the mezzanine floor of the LKF Tower. The space was formerly occupied by the Russian bar Balalaika but has been vacant since 2013. It is known that Ramsay, a Scotsman, and Dining Concepts’ managing director Sandeep Sekhri has been discussing a deal for some time and nearly settled on another location in Tsim Sha Tsui. What is not revealed yet is the type of cuisine and style of food Ramsay will be serving here.
No stranger to controversy, the star chef has notoriously badmouthed vegetarians, had his own cooks called the cops on him for abusive behaviour, and even got into a feud with his father-in-law who was previously a business partner. He allegedly also has beef with fellow famous chef Mario Batali. Since Dining Concepts is partners with Batali on two other Hong Kong dining establishments, it will be interesting if Sekhri ever brings all his star chefs together.
