Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui is delighted to announce the appointment of Chef Karl Steele as the new chef de cuisine of Hugo’s, an authentic European restaurant offering traditional Western cuisine prepared only with the finest ingredients available and where classic meets timeless. In his new capacity, Chef Karl will showcase his culinary creativity with locally sourced vegetables and sustainable seafood to impress the food connoisseurs at Hugo’s.
Chef Karl Steele
British-born Chef Karl Steele began his culinary career in 2008, working in various restaurants in England, Australia, the Netherlands and Hong Kong, including the three Michelin-starred The Fat Duck in Bray, England. He has also worked alongside award-winning chefs Oliver Marlow and Ash Salmon at the Michelin green-starred Roganic and Aulis in Hong Kong.
Born and raised in Bournemouth, a coastal town in the south of England, Chef Karl was inspired by his mother and grandmother in the kitchen when he was young. He gradually gained extensive knowledge of different ingredients and mastered his cooking skills using vegetables grown in his family garden, wild mushrooms he easily picked from a nearby forest and abundant fresh seafood found in his area.
Centered on European classic recipes, Chef Karl channels his creativity and reminiscent of his childhood, in the south of England, with his rooted passion for natural flavours and fresh produce into a new menu. New cold dishes like the King crab salad dressed in a crustacean dressing, signal the start of the summer months, with a fresh and umami-rich flavour which is perfectly complemented with homemade British crumpets, a traditional breakfast item given a touch of elegance and served crispy and golden brown on the outside, while light and fluffy on the inside.
Growing up along the sea and fond of picking cockles and mussels, seafood dishes are one of Chef Karl’s specialties. European blue mussels is a hot appetiser of deshelled mussels cooked in a white wine broth, root vegetable and topped with a brown butter mousseline, a simple looking dish with a taste of complexity highlighting a classic French recipe of mussels and white wine.
Sustainable Roasted Norwegian salmon seared in a hot pan to crisp the skin and gently poached in brown butter, highlights the impressively tender and delicate salmon texture with a balanced fat content. It is served with asparagus and organic vegetables and finished with a horseradish and dill sauce.
Sourcing from a small farm in Bourgueil, a region in central France where chickens flourish between vines and forests, Vineyard raised French chicken is created inspired by the traditional French recipe ‘Coq au Vin’. It is composed of seared chicken breast and red wine braised chicken leg, garnished with pearl onion, bacon, mushrooms, glazed carrots & served with whipped potato mash. Inspired by the classic Waldorf salad concept, the Grilled Iberico pork loin is served with a fresh and summery celeriac, grapes, walnut, apple salad and finished with a pickled mustard seed jus. It is a dish of simplicity with sophistication, combining freshness, crisp, crunchiness, and sweetness.
An additional dish of Spring lamb served with glazed organic baby turnips and a potato terrine topped with fresh Hong Kong grown herbs, showcases a new menu driven by fresh produce, prepared and cooked in a simple way that allows the freshness and quality of the product to really shine through.
Hugo’s Artisanal Pralines Selection
Renowned for its quintessential classics over the past five decades, Hugo’s presents brand-new artisanal pralines representing the essence of the three most iconic and loved signature desserts, namely Crêpes Suzette, Crème Brûlée and Cherries Jubilee. The pralines come in three flavours — white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate — which are derived from the three signature desserts, respectively.
Hugo’s Artisanal Pralines Selection (9 pieces) is priced at HK$188 each and consists of three pieces of each flavour. It is available for purchase at Hugo’s as well as the hotel’s designated website.