FEAST OF THE PHOENIX

CHRISTINA KO ponders whether JAMES WILLIAMS can elevate ToTT’s to its former glory, or if the Talk of the Town really is just that

IN ITS HEYDAY, ToTT’s at The Excelsior really lived up to its name as Talk of the Town. Clubs – or discos, as they were then termed – weren’t as profuse then as they are now, and the draw of a live cover band was as irresistible then as it’s cheesy today. Somehow, ToTT’s has managed to hang on to that reputation and notoriety, though its place in society has changed utterly. More common now as a dining destination than a watering hole, it has somehow failed to establish a true culinary identity in recent years, living in the shadow of its former glory without really pulling together the gall to move on.

New Chef de Cuisine James Williams, an outspoken chef hailing most recently from Brisbane, understands the burden of his new position. When the last chef, Etienne Truter, left the job open, Williams was one of two shortlisted chefs to be flown to town to vie for the position. They asked him what he thought of ToTT’s. “I said, ‘It’s got no identity.’”

That isn’t entirely true. Though the restaurant was renovated in 2007, it still bears some resemblance to a club in the ’80s – at the entrance, alternating fuchsia and cerulean lights illuminate the word ToTT’s carved out in metallic blocks.
Surrounding the bar is a series of gaudychic light installations, from miniature blue chandeliers to a stained-glass centrepiece, and the restaurant is carpeted in brownish patterns that scream yesteryear.

But Williams is right on one count – while it may look rather clubbish, it’s actually more haute eatery than anything else. And since its cuisine is increasingly forward-looking, that’s the point that needs to be pushed, else it be lost amid the notes of the cover bands that still play every so often.

Williams is a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. “I do honest food that’s not overworked,” he states. “No gels or chemicals. We want to let the food do the talking.” He admits that while he understood the challenge of reviving the befuddled restaurant-bar, he didn’t realise that ToTT’s reputation was so very ingrained. But that’s not his concern; his plan is to concentrate on the cooking, and the rest will follow.

A chilled vichyssoise with poached quail eggs and cucumber linguine is a pleasant start to his meal, a creamy yet light inauguration that’s perfect for summer, so gently seasoned and finely churned that it’s almost a milk, melded with the beautiful textures of brittle cucumber slivers and the viscous yolk of the quail egg. Besides being an à la carte option, this dish is also the opening oeuvre of the five-course degustation menu, which at $500 a head is true bang for your bucks, as well as representing a fascinating and light introduction to the headier, meatier items on Williams’ menu.

The second starter is considerably punchier: a tartlet of foie gras, ceps and sweetbreads with chocolate vinaigrette. It’s all set up like an artists’ palette: a drip of sauce here, a powdered splash there, a hefty sweep of foie gras haphazardly placed atop the meandering ingredients below. Devour it as you wish – one-bite-at-a-time separately, or all together, awkwardly balanced on the fork. It’s an overwhelming group of tastes, a sweet reduction challenging the complex and unique flavour of foie gras smeared with the bitter graininess of that crunchy powdered chocolate…and an alarm clock for the palate signalling that it’s time to kick things into high gear.

Fine dining Oz-style isn’t in plentiful supply, even in the colourful culinary world of Hong Kong, and that’s because, as Williams cautions, “there’s no such thing. They call it Pacific Rim, and there are some Asian influences, some Mediterranean and Western…” but no distinct techniques or ingredients that allow it to form a true identity – ironic in a situation in which a chef is trying very hard to do just that. But if Williams’ style, which he describes as “classic with a modern twist,” isn’t going to do that for him, then he still has a secondary plan. It starts with a cheap cut of meat.

Taking secondary cuts and turning them into finger-licking foods is Williams’ expertise, a trait instilled in him by his mother, who taught him to appreciate animals in their entirety by utilising every last cut. They take more work, yes, but since “other people don’t know how to use them,” he alleges, they’re well worth the effort. Their latent flavours make them great candidates for braises and other slow-cooking methods.

The assiette of “Burgund” duck with parsnip purée and cherry jus produces five different preparations of our quacky friend. A duck breast, duck confit, duck foie gras, duck egg and crispy duck skin each make up a fifth of the dish, flavoured simply to allow the simple cooking method to stand out. Though all aspects are ably handled, it’s the textures of the breast and confit that stand out most. Confit in particular is an extremely difficult skill to master – the adjectives “dry” and “stringy” immediately spring to mind – but this is sublimely moist and tender. The duck skin, on the other hand, is so thin and crisp it brings to mind a shrimp cracker, but with a more exhilarating taste. You can only begin to imagine what the man would do with shoulders and cheeks and offal.

And belly. Of pork, to be exact. Confit belly pork with apple tart fine marries the chef’s two strengths once again, with a bouncy and juicy foundation of pork topped with a crackling skin at the peak. It’s juxtaposed with the docile sweet of a vanilla-scented apple tart that cuts the intensity of the dish somewhat.

It’s a lovely segue into the next sweet success, the theobroma cacao “food of the gods” rich chocolate tart with saffron and truffle ice cream. What’s most pleasing about the dish isn’t the introduction of alternative flavoured homemade ice creams – plenty of establishments exercise this gimmick with distinctly subversive suggestions of the wacky-wasabi ilk. But this precise handling of textures exhibited throughout the entire meal is consistent even in the pastry course, which melds a smooth and rich chocolate mousse with the relatively conservative use of truffle in an ice cream, and a perfect disc of saffron soft-serve, approximating the finish of a whipped cream. An innovative but above all intelligent yin-yang, it’s simple – almost ordinary – in presentation, but filled with untold secrets in each bite.

What’s perhaps the most exciting development isn’t all these gastronomic achievements, but the fact that, as Williams was known as much for his ability to teach as to cook, the hotel has plans to introduce cooking classes. The logistics need to be worked out, including where it can be held and what the exact format will be, but Williams guarantees it will be “handson” rather than just demonstrative, so participants should be ready to get down and dirty come Q4, which is the current target launch date.

Ideally, this would be the extra oomph needed to get word out that ToTT’s is more than that bar you used to go to way back in the day. It’s time to shape up once and for all, or ship out and leave space for a new project. It wasn’t so long ago that we finally lost JJ’s after countless rebrandings (it’s finally found sturdy footing now with the triumphant Steak House) – and it would be a shame to have to wave goodbye to this rooftop institution, too.