Sights, sounds and glorious tastes
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Hong Kong Tourism cooks up a food drama to lure Thai and Southeast Asian tourists
Thai celebrity chef Duangporn Songvisava is one of the stars in the upcoming three-part series “My Taste of Hong Kong”, which kicks off on cable service provider TrueVisions on October 14.
The show is produced by Hong Kong Tourism Board and designed to draw Southeast Asian visitors to Hong Kong to sample dishes both known and yet to be discovered.
Duangporn, who better known as Chef Bo of Bo.lan restaurant in Bangkok, will be in the series with five other young chefs from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Like “Jamie’s Food Escapes”, a television series starring popular British chef Jamie Oliver, Bo and her counterparts hit the noisy roads and crammed corners for a culinary expedition through Hong Kong. She then heads back to the studio to create her own dishes inspired by her travels.
The series is hosted by Hong Kong’s celebrity food journalist Michelle Loo.
Staying away from Hong Kong’s typical tourist and restaurant scene, Bo learned a great deal about Hong Kong and its food. She found authentic ingredients and extraordinary characters, preparing delicious recipes en route.
“I had been away from Hong Kong for a long time. The recent trip completely changed my perspective of the island,” says Bo. “I went to Hong Kong’s poorest neighbourhoods and ate rice noodles and liver.
“Hong Kong has a reputation for being hot, noisy and busy. However, on this trip I was able to enjoy the slow life. I even learnt to craft a bowl at the pottery studio.”
The most surprising experience was discovering an urban organic farm in a Hong Kong’s skyscraper.
“Organic veg and herbs are cultivated on the rooftop of the building. They have lemongrass, rosemary, everything,” Bo adds.
“It’s so cool for city a like Hong Kong to have a farm right in the city.”
Bo will appear in the first episode of the series titled “Gritt and Soul”. She travelled with Singaporean chef Brandon Foo and the two prepared food with Thai and French technique using Hong Kong’s classic ingredients.
“‘My Taste of Hong Kong’ gives the audience insights and new trends on what travellers look forward to on their visits,” says Simon Wong of the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
“The series highlight the authentic experiences that await visitors as they explore the sights and sounds of the city.”
Showtimes
_ “My Taste of Hong Kong” premieres on the TLC Channel on TrueVisions (Channel 566) on October 14 at 9. Repeats can be seen Wednesdays at 10pm, Saturdays at 6pm and Sundays at 5pm.
