Fine Dining Struggles in Hong Kong

Ecriture's minimalist style with maximalist views of the city

The big news the other day was hearing that two Michelin-star restaurant Ecriture in Hong Kong's Central district suddenly shuttered. Executive chef Maxime Gilbert posted the news on Instagram.

"Yes. It is a bit of a shock. I am still shocked," he told a Hong Kong newspaper, but did not elaborate further.

Executive chef Gilbert is shocked at the closure

The restaurant group Le Comptoir that is behind Ecriture didn't reply to reporters' inquiries.

However, there were rumours in the industry that the restaurant hadn't paid its staff for months, and that Le Comptoir hadn't paid rent for a year -- sounds extreme, as any landlord would have locked them out months earlier if that happened.

One would imagine suppliers haven't been paid in full either.

This comes as other restaurants like Haku, that had finally moved from Harbour City to IFC with a stunning view has also closed, along with Rosita, a joint venture by chefs Ricardo Chaneton and Agustin Balbi.

Fine dining restaurants are having sluggish business these days, with expat bankers leaving Hong Kong, and mainlanders preferring to eat fishball noodles than foie gras.

Ecriture was best known for its indulgent caviar tart -- a large tart covered with uni and topped with caviar and gold leaf. It was dripping with decadence and every other table had an order of it when this tart was unveiled.

Ecriture's infamous and decadent caviar tart

Gilbert's other stunning dish was line-caught turbot that was wrapped in chunks in seaweed and then poached in dashi. 

He just finished a promotion at Amber in the Landmark Mandarin, where chef Richard Ekkebus invited back several alumnae chefs to come back and cook.

It's yet another bid to entice diners back to Amber -- for a short period of time.

And then what?

It's a tough call -- chefs want to do fine dining and chase Michelin stars, but at the moment people are watching their wallets and just want to eat cheaply.

During the pandemic, there was literally a captive audience. But now that restrictions are lifted, people are dying to travel and going back to their old ways again. However, no one's coming to Hong Kong...