All about taste

Richard Ekkebus may be a bright star on Hong Kong's fine-dining scene, but the farm-raised Dutch chef believes that without flavor a pretty dish is nothing, Mike Peters and Xu Junqian report.

The Ebisu oyster was a last-minute menu addition by Richard Ekkebus, and his guest was agog: "This had been cooked in its shell at 67 degrees and was served with wilted tarragon, shallots, duck gizzard, pieds de moutons mushroom and vin jaune. It was truly a jaw-dropping dish that married European and Asian techniques."

It was the best dish of the night, the reviewer exclaimed in 2013. But Ekkebus, the culinary director of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong who has made Amber a two-Michelin-starred gem, is not one to rest on such laurels.