Chef's dark side has never tasted better

Black bread. Pasta as dark as night. Black crackers made with sago pearls that melt on the tongue in a whisper of air. You can tell the chef likes his flavors big, bold and beautifully dark.

Executive chef Jim Ong, or JimO as he prefers to be called, is one of those rare chefs who have risen from the ranks, breached cultural and culinary borders and taken his expertise and experience to the last frontier - China.

JimO started his adventures in his native Malaysia, making the rounds of provincial resorts, theme parks and Kuala Lumpur's international five-star hotels.

That was when he cut his teeth on Western culinary techniques. But like most Malaysians, he also had the advantage of being firmly grounded in the local melting pot of kitchen arts that comprise Malay, Chinese, Indian and Eurasian dishes.

JimO speaks English and Malay fluently, but has little formal Mandarin. Despite that, he decided to take up a commission at one of the booming seaside resort hotels on Hainan Island.

The chef's next move was to Chongqing, where he started his immersion in China's famous Chuan style cuisine. Chongqing loved the chef's bold flavors and he loved the city right back. Even though he now works in Tianjin, he returns to Chongqing as often as he can.

In Tianjin, he is quickly rising to the challenge of refreshing the menus of one of the city's most iconic hotels.

A bare month after his arrival, diners at the hotel's many outlets are already sitting up and taking notice of the unique offerings appearing on the table.

Take the chef's signature black bread for example. Shaped like the St. Regis distinctive building, the bread is both colored and flavored by the best Spanish squid ink.

As you pull the freshly baked loaf apart, the faint aroma of fennel wafts up. The bread is so addictive that I suggest you exercise control before you spoil your dinner.

JimO uses the same squid ink to make a delicious pasta that is almost voodoo-like in its appeal. It's pure black magic.

If you are a regular diner at St. Regis, you may also be fortunate enough to be treated to an amuse-bouche that the chef often makes. This is a tasty wafer of air-light sago cracker.

While it takes only a few seconds for it to melt on the tongue, it would have taken the kitchen at least a day to produce. First, pearls of sago are cooked in a savory squid ink broth. Then, the sago is spread on a baking sheet and slowly dried in the oven. The resulting cracker is flash-fried in hot oil until it puffs up.

That little cracker packs a surprising amount of taste and texture and leaves you wanting more - which is what an amuse-bouche is supposed to do.

To me, it is a clever piece of kitchen engineering that makes me look at this executive chef with a raised eyebrow and expectant taste buds.

It is not often that I meet an executive chef who is still so excited by his craft and who still, in his own words, enjoys "playing in the kitchen."

JimO's sense of humor is infectious and he seems like a throwback to the great chefs of France who were as much known for their personalities as they were for their innovative cuisine.

The difference is, JimO has a raunchy sense of humor in both Malay and English. Underneath his chef's blacks and toque, he also hides a Mohawk hairdo and full body tattoos. Now that's unforgettable.

pauline@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 01/09/2016 page10)