- Gordon Ramsay extends his empire to Vegas. (New York Daily News)

- Is being both a chef and a celebrity at the same time a paradox? (Time)

- Two of the world’s top chefs do not believe that global food policy is their responsibility. (New York Times)

- Everyone loves tacos, but where do they come from? (Smithsonian Magazine)

- Good cholesterol may not be good for you after all. (CBS)

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K.O Dining, the new hospitality group by Kazuo Okada, is on a roll. Not only did they open Messina in Hung Hom recently, now they are opening Yu Lei, a new Shanghainese restaurant also in Hung Hom.

While the restaurant offers traditional Shanghainese cuisine, the kitchen will be headed by the Japanese chef Miki Imagawa, who prides himself on serving the authentic tastes of Shanghai while presenting the dishes as visual pieces of art. His signature dishes include Kyushu chilled crab in Chinese wine and stir-fried sliced abalone.

Apart from Shanghainese dishes, Yu Lei will also serve Cantonese dim sum and barbecued meats during lunch.

5/F The Harbourfront Landmark, 11 Wan Hoi Street, Hung Hom. Tel: +852 3746-2788.

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A lot of celebrity chefs are doing it: Heston Blumenthal created an inflight menu for British Airways; Joel Robuchon once designed Air France’s carte de jour for business class; and Australian chef Neil Perry did it for Qantas.

Now the Mandarin Oriental’s executive chef is joining these exulted ranks by designing a menu for Dragonair, available to first and business class passengers flying to Beijing and Shanghai, from now until April next year.

Dishes available include:

- the Mandarin Grill’s signature Forest Walk, an appetiser of foie gras, mushroom and brioche

- Iberico ham and olive oil caviar

- suckling pig with potato, savoy cabbage and carrot

- coq au vin with tortellini, romanesco and jus

- seafood lasagne with cream, dill and parmesan

- The Chinnery’s famous shepherd’s pie

Read more about Mandarin Grill

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This summer, Hong Kong is finally feeling the infectious Latin and South American fever that has swept other major food cities. We have a Peruvian restaurant opening, as well as a number of other South American eateries all opening in Central. To add to the excitement, the Four Seasons has invited chef Jorge Gonzalez (from the Four Seasons Mexico City) to be a guest chef from June 1 to June 10.

Chef Gonzalez will be cooking in The Lounge, offering a three-course set lunch menu, as well as a la carte dishes such as: 

-       veal mojellas and chicken huarache

-       lobster ceviche

-       braised cocktail and plaintain sopes

-       sea bream zarandeado

-       Mayan chocolate cake

-       tres leches cake

No fiesta will be complete without drinks, so the Four Seasons has also invited Alfredo Sanchez, bartender at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, to be the tequila barista at Blue Bar at the same time, where he will serve signature drinks with ingredients such as chile Serrano, Mezcal and of course, tequila reposado.

For reservations, please call +852 3196-8820.

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Ningyocho Imahan, a restaurant that opened in 1895 in Tokyo, specialises in wagyu beef from Imahan, serving primarily sukiyaki and shabu shabu. For the first time ever, the restaurant will be allowing its premium beef to be served overseas at Inakaya, the Japanese restaurant at ICC in West Kowloon.

Unlike other wagyu specialists, Imahan doesn't limit itself to using the Japanese beef grading system, but has its own super-secret criteria that has been kept a secret for more than a century.

From May 25 to June 1, Imahan will not only be allowing its beef to be served at Inakaya, but will also be sending its sukiyaki chef Motohiro Muraoka and teppanyaki chef Fujiu Nakao to Hong Kong, to prepare the prized beef.

Menus available a sukiyaki menu, a teppanyaki menu and a shabu shabu menu, all of which are five courses each.

For reservations, please call +852 2972-2666.

Read more about Inakaya

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