Loïc Portalier, executive chef at Michelin-starred Louise in Hong Kong, walks through the preparation of his most popular dishes that use classic French techniques and local ingredients, like the renowned Hong Kong chicken.
The first step in the five-day process for preparing the fatty “three-yellow” chickens is stuffing them with garlic cloves, herbs, and butter before a 24-hour brine. Portalier dries out the chickens for three days before being roasting them. The broken down chicken is served with rice that has been cooked in chicken broth and fat, a simple green salad, and a carafe of chicken jus. The chef jokes that the comforting roast dish “sounds like a good Sunday, no?”
Red gurnard, an East Atlantic fish, is sliced down the middle, removing bones and guts so it can be stuffed with a bouillabaisse filling while still maintaining its shape. Octopus and cooked down vegetables spiced with fennel, coriander, and chilis make up the stuffing. Portalier takes a quick break from prep to buy truffles from an Australian importer, which he explains will be a seasonal add-on for Louise’s menu.
Thinly sliced potato is tossed in kombu and nori, giving a salty flavor to the spuds that are tightly layered like a mille-feuille pastry, baked, sliced into rectangles, and deep fried until golden brown. The deeply savory potato dish is topped with chives, brown butter cream, and generous portions of caviar. Portalier builds another small, decadent bite, searing confit onions with garlic, thyme, butter, and a rich chicken juice before layering it on top of croissant dough and a Comté cheese sauce. Shaved truffles are carefully placed on top.
The rush of final prep before service begins. Raw langoustines are de-shelled and seasoned with chiles and slices of clementine before being plated with clementine sauce, a powder made with fir buds, smoked cream, and a honey crisp.
“I think the biggest goal for us is to create that little escape from reality. Going to a restaurant, for me, should be a pleasure for everyone,” Portalier says, talking about the ambience and camaraderie with guests that Louise offers alongside the refined food.
Watch the latest episode of Mise en Place to see how Portalier and the Louise team build intricate French dishes with unique Hong Kong flavors.
