Michael White, the 39-year old star chef of the New York City dining scene, has recently opened his first restaurant, Al Molo, here in Hong Kong in collaboration with Dining Concepts. We talk to the jovial and enthusiastic chef about how Al Molo will differ from his uber-successful restaurants in New York, using sustainable local seafood and exactly how often he plans to be in town.

Asia Tatler Dining: So this is your very first restaurant abroad. Why did you choose Hong Kong?

Michael White: I love Hong Kong, it felt good and easy to come here. I am a food fanatic, I've been doing this for 22 years and to be able to come to a city where food is so important, it is amazing.

ATD: What do you love most about being here so far?

MW: Having Cantonese or Sichuan food here, it's really like having it for the very first time. We're fortunate in NYC to have very solid Chinese food. But here in Hong Kong, I've been going to Yat Lok out in the New Territories for roast goose; eating at all these wonton noodle places: coming here has really been amazing for me.

ATD: You're known as an chef who is particularly adept at Italian seafood. So will you be using fresh seafood imported from Italy at Al Molo or will you be using more of our local seafood?

MW: The produce here is so wonderful, I'll be using a lot of them on the menu at Al Molo. Let me give you an example: I was invited to go cook a meal in Portugal, I wrote a menu before I went and when I got there, they took me to the market and I took my menu and I just ripped it up. That's really what I'm doing here. Here in Hong Kong, I have all this wonderful seafood like turbot, sepia (a type of cuttlefish), local sea bass that's just like the spigola in Italy and razor clams as big as my hand and I'm excited to use all these local products. I didn't come here to import.

ATD: Marea in NYC is one of the most successful Italian restaurants in the States. How will Al Molo differ from Marea or will it be a replica?

MW: Actually, in a way, diners here will get an experience that is even closer to authentic Italian cuisine than they do in New York. Take salami, for instance. In America, we can have prosciutto, mortadella but we can't have salami or lardo. You have to make it yourself or it comes from Canada or it's processed and not very good. Salami isn't imported from Italy into America because it's illegal and the FDA doesn't allow it. Whereas here in Hong Kong, we can get lardo collonata and salumi straight from Italy. So there are certain aspects about Al Molo that will be even closer to the real thing.

ATD: Although you are well-known as an Italian chef, you're not ethnically Italian. Why did you choose to make Italian cuisine your field rather than French or Spanish?

MW: I'm Norwegian, actually and I grew up in the Midwest near Chicago. When I decided to be a cook, I went to work at Spiaggia, one of the first restaurants in America to cook Italian food rather than Italian-American. Having spent a couple of years at Spiaggia, I saved up my money and then I went to Italy. And I just fell in love with not just the food, to be honest, also the women. I really delved into the culture and became a sponge, soaking it all up. It was a turning point, an epiphany. I spent a lot of time in Emilia-Romagna, and I guess that's why pasta is so important to me. I'm married to an Italian, my daughter goes to the Italian school in New York. As much as I'm American, Italy for me is part of my culture, my persona, my alter ego.

ATD: So given how busy you are running two three-star restaurants in NYC, how much can we expect to see of you in Hong Kong?

MW: As often as possible. As a chef, you compete everyday for market share and I'm only as good as the last dish I put out. I'd never just put my name to a restaurant and not be here. I've been here five times already in the past year, since our collaboration with Dining Concepts started. I've even been involved with the design process, making sure the look and the feel of the place makes people feel good.

Al Molo is located at Shop G63, Ocean Terminal, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: +852 2730-7900.