Cronut King Leaves Hong Kong

Ansel at the Harbour City store in Dec 2019

Another eatery is shutting down in Hong Kong after four years in business. Called Dang Wen Li, it is the Chinese name for star pastry chef Dominique Ansel, best known for his creation of the cronut, a cross between a donut and croissant.

However, unlike his bakery in New York City where a new flavour is unveiled each month, Dang Wen Li only had the cronut available once a year in Hong Kong.

The classic pastries and HK-inspired cakes

Ansel came for the opening of the first location in Harbour City in December 2019, a fun small cafe that was very Instagram-friendly and was easy to get to from the Star Ferry in Tsim Sha Tsui. Most memorable was the hot chocolate with the marshmallow flower that "blossomed" as soon as it was placed in the hot drink.

The dessert creations were linked very closely to Hong Kong, with a cake that was shaped like the lemon tea juice box, but is actually Earl Grey bergamot cake, a "pineapple bun" that was actually a coconut pineapple passionfruit cake, and a raspberry mousse Japanese cheesecake that looks like a package of haw flakes.

In explaining the Hong Kong-inspired cakes, Ansel said he wanted to create "pastries that are inspired by the cultures and traditions of Hong Kong". 

However, they seemed quite gimmicky and I wondered how long they would last. In the beginning there were long lines at the store and the one at IFC that quickly opened soon after. And then a lot of money was poured into the flagship store on Queen's Road Central with its high ceiling and lots of seating.

Guava mousse cake for Christmas 2020

To entice people to stay longer, the newest location offered savoury dishes, including sandwiches and even a char siu egg croissant, and borscht soup. But people really came for the desserts.

One Christmas I ordered a guava mousse cake that had gorgeous red swirls much like a massive peppermint candy. Sadly it was only offered for one year. 

The gimmicky products continued to grow, and would include pecan and apple pies for Thanksgiving, and even a rectangular loaf of bread that was made with layers like a croissant and seasoned with sea salt. 

Meanwhile the viennoiserie (traditional pastries) did quite well, from croissants to pain au chocolat.

After I left Hong Kong, there are only two locations now -- the one in Central and another in Pacific Place in Admiralty.

Dang Wen Li is encouraging anyone holding its vouchers to use them before it closes at the end of January. It's too bad the bakery didn't even last for Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day... it's the cruel reality of business that it's got to cut its losses.

One wonders how the local partner, Upper East Holdings is doing. It also brought Sugarfina, Lady M and Tiffany Cafe to Hong Kong.

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...