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Some call him a genius; others an idiot. But one thing's for sure: nobody is going to call his creations boring …
"This is X-treme Chinese Cooking," says chef Alvin Leung. "X-citing, X-otic and X-traordinary." As the adjectives roll off his tongue, Leung crosses his arms across his chest to form an X. Just like Robson Green in the Extreme Fishing television series. Since Leung also has his own TV series, Maverick Chef, in Hong Kong, and always cooks in black overalls and designer shades, it's safe to conclude he's as much of a showman as Green. "I want to explore the borders between being a genius and being an idiot," he continues. "Like having the diner on the end of a bungee rope; if the rope is too short then there's no thrills; if it's too long then his head is smashed in."
Genius or idiot. But which? In the far east, the jury has voted overwhelmingly in favour of genius. Leung's Bo Innovation restaurant in Hong Kong has two Michelin stars, there's a long waiting list for a table and he's often described as the Chinese Heston Blumenthal – both are self-taught, and he has a similarly inventive approach to cuisine.
Now we'll get a chance to make up our own minds as Leung opens Bo London just off Regent Street. It will cost to find out, mind; his 12-course tasting menu starts at £98 a head. Whatever the London eating public decides, one can't deny the man's confidence in opening a high-end restaurant during intense economic uncertainty.
London is as much a return as a new beginning for Leung. He was born here 51 years ago, before his parents moved back to Hong Kong when he was a baby, and he studied environmental science at South Bank University in the early 1980s. For much of his life he was an acoustic engineer. "I used to create meals for my friends," he says. "Eventually one of them suggested opening a restaurant. So I did." That was nine years ago.
For Bo London, Leung has created the grandly titled Ode to Britain – Chinese dishes inspired by a sense of Britishness, in which nothing looks or tastes as you expect. "Try this," he says, passing a silver tree on which two smoked quails eggs, covered with caviar and gold-leaf rest on a bird's nest of fried taro. "It's my take on Bed and Breakfast."
Leung explains that in Chinese culture, the nest symbolises family and unity and that his creation is a tribute to the uniquely British institution of the B&B. "Everywhere else in the world has hotels," he points out. "I wanted to pay tribute to it in an unexpected way." He's certainly done that. Whatever I might have expected from Bed and Breakfast it's not this. And it's spectacularly good. Leung smiles at my reaction. "It tastes like a comfort food." Er, yes ... comfort food with caviar and gold leaf.
One dish that won't appear on the menu, though Leung says the kitchen will prepare it for anyone who dares to ask, is his notorious Sex on the Beach, a mixture of shitake mushrooms, tapiocas, yams, honey and ham, that looks exactly like a used pink condom, discarded on the beach. Shocking his guests is Leung's style. Online, I found a video of him preparing a recipe in a can to resemble dog food. He says Bo London will be less hardcore, but his cuisine is too adventurous for me. I can admire the skill with which he transforms food, but I can't make the imaginative leap he demands. Genius or idiot? I'm still not sure.
