Can Fine-Dining Chefs Cook Brasserie Food?

There are the dishes chefs cook for others, and there are those that they want to eat themselves. And after giving their resume a boost with stints in reputable fine-dining institutions, many find their calling in simpler foods.

This is the case with Mickael Le Calvez, who at the age of 24 became the head chef at the French Window when it opened three years ago. Now, away from the finance crowd and views of Hong Kong's harbor, he has adopted humbler digs at the two-month-old Brass.

Taking over the former space of Japanese restaurant Zenku, but managed by the same restaurant group, Brass is — as its name suggests — a French-styled brasserie.
Things are casual, though there are still white tablecloths. A leg of cured ham is on display right by the front entrance, and a black-and-white French movie is projected onto a wall in the back.

Then there are a few eyesores: a fish tank and Chinese waterfall placed in strategic corners, no doubt for feng shui.

One glance at the food, and you'll see that the chef hasn't shaken off his fine-dining roots. Don't expect stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. There's a little more finesse: The bread comes to the table warm and with a selection of salted and unsalted artisanal hand-shaped butter, for starters. While it lacks the warmth of a neighborhood joint, Brass makes for a suitable place to take colleagues or the in-laws — quiet, understated and reliable.

Lunch is a set menu that includes antipasti and dessert buffet, tea or coffee, along with a choice of six main courses. The most innovative option was a chicken supreme (a breast of chicken with the wing bone attached) served with macaroni gratin and foie gras sauce (268 Hong Kong dollars, or about $34).

And then there are the classics: a brandade of salted cod fish (HK$228), an Australian strip loin steak with pepper sauce and fries (HK$288) and a roasted salmon served with baby peas and a sauce made from clams (HK$268).

When the dishes arrive, the first sight is anticlimactic. Portions are small here, and appear especially so since they come on extra-large white plates. The steak is not the thick slab you'd find in a typical steakhouse. It's closer to the size of a pork cutlet or chicken breast. But the salmon was perfectly grilled so that the center remained rare and tender, melting in your mouth.

Perhaps the best part of the meal was the buffet, which is more bountiful than most in Hong Kong. A glass jar with the chef's homemade rillette (similar to pâté) sits next to a selection of salami and other charcuteries. There's a bit of cheese, some penne pasta salad, roasted red beets and cubes of pork terrine. You could fill up just on the spread alone, but save room for dessert.

The signature item is the chef's floating island (a meringue sitting in custard sauce), but a small yogurt parfait with bits of crumble at the bottom made for the perfect end-of-meal bite. Likewise, we ate every bit of our chocolate mousse.

Chances are you'll see the chef walking in and out of his kitchen in a black toque, making preparations for the day. Save two hours for lunch.

Workers Enter No. 1 Reactor Building

Workers entered the building of the No. 1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant early Monday, making preparations for a new cooling system that would enable a safe shutdown.

A spokesman for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said nine workers entered the building around 4 a.m. local time (1900 GMT Sunday) for about 30 minutes. He said the crew initially took radiation-level tests, the results of which would be released at a briefing scheduled later in the day.

In addition, they began to clear equipment so a new cooling system can be installed. This will allow for continuous cooling of water circulating through the reactor. louis vuitton diaper bag, water is being injected from the outside, which creates pools of radioactive water that makes repair work difficult. Tepco hopes to create a closed-loop system for the water, which would be cooled by newly installed fan units and then fed back into the reactor.

If the system works for reactor No. 1, the most severely damaged of the three units in operation at the time of the disaster, work will then begin on units No. 2 and No. 3. The work is a key part of Tepco's road map to bring the units to a safe shutdown and eliminate any further radiation leaks within six to nine months.