CulinArt 1862 tasting menu debuts under Chef Jacques Kagi, who has been named culinary director at the Towngas flagship restaurant in Causeway Bay, the restaurant said.
Chef Jacques brings an international culinary background and a focus on ingredient detail to CulinArt 1862, and he will also serve as an ambassador for live-flame cooking at Towngas, the Hong Kong and China Gas Company, the restaurant said. He will teach at the Towngas Cooking Centre as part of the program.
Born in Hong Kong, Swiss-trained Chef Jacques Kagi blends traditional Swiss technique with Hong Kong flavors. He trained in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and refined his craft at landmark Hong Kong hotels including Gaddi’s at The Peninsula and Nicolini’s at the Conrad, the restaurant said. He is also widely known in Hong Kong for his role as a star judge on a TVB cooking program.
About the CulinArt 1862 tasting menu
The new five-course tasting menu from Chef Jacques is designed as a sensory journey that reconnects diners with the flavors of home while using precise live-flame technique. The menu opens with a choice of pan-seared foie gras, served with caramelized fruit and tamarind sauce to balance richness and acidity, or salt-cured beetroot salmon, presented in a light Nordic style.
The signature course is a lobster bisque with e-fu noodles, a refined take on a classic Chinese banquet memory. Chef Jacques said he treats the e-fu noodles so they absorb the lobster bisque while keeping an al dente bite similar to Italian pasta.
For mains, Hokkaido scallops are seared over live flame, paired with Sichuan-style pork belly to introduce layered Eastern flavors. An Iberico pork char siu reimagines a childhood favorite using top-grade Iberico collar, finished with Canadian maple syrup instead of traditional honey, and served with a slow-cooked egg yolk sauce to evoke a home-style char siu with a refined finish.
Guests can upgrade the second main to a dry-aged local ma yau fish, finished with caviar and a Champagne butter, or choose an Australian M5 sirloin for a classic continental option. The meal ends with a strawberry pavlova meringue and passionfruit sorbet, a dessert the chef likens to a childhood favorite.
On joining CulinArt 1862, Chef Jacques said, “I am honored to be culinary director at CulinArt 1862. Live-flame cooking is the soul of the kitchen, it gives ingredients an irreplaceable wok char and warmth. Through this menu I want to combine my understanding of aging techniques with Hong Kong’s local food sentiment, giving guests something both familiar and surprising.”
Price, availability and reservations
The CulinArt 1862 tasting menu is priced at approximately $100.55 (originally 788 HKD), plus a mandatory 10 percent service charge, the restaurant said. The menu is available now, during dinner service only.
Reservations and inquiries: phone +852 2884 2603, or WhatsApp +852 5411 8610, CulinArt 1862 said. The restaurant is located at Chinachem Leighton Plaza, G/F and 1/F, 29 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, a busy shopping district on Hong Kong Island.
Hours: Monday through Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Afternoon tea is available Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., the restaurant said.
Chef Jacques will also lead demonstrations at the Towngas Cooking Centre to promote live-flame techniques and the role of precise heat control in modern fine dining, the company said.
