Experiencing edible designs at Arup’s Penguin Pool night

The second Penguin Pool event in Hong Kong was held on 4 December to explore a sensory journey for the taste buds and the soul, experiencing the creative fusion of food, design and culture.

Over 120 guests from Hong Kong’s creative community joined the star chefs from diverse backgrounds on an inspirational conversation on edible designs.

The night began with the Michelin-star chef Alvin Leung’s demonstration of the molecular desert ‘Nitro’ ginger tea (a frozen mixture of Mau Tai - a chinese liquor, ginseng and honey) and shared how his training as an engineer has inspired him to pursue the perfection of ‘X-treme Chinese cuisine’.

Designer-turn-chef Margaret Xu of the priviate dining Yin Yang related her appreciation of the Chinese traditional cooking techniques and how she gave it a British touch to create unique dishes with a taste of the Hong Kong culture.

An interesting comparison was reflected when IHM group co-founder and executive chef Todd Darling and Vincent Lauria, born and raised in the New York area, explained their design philosophy of bringing a slide of authentic New York style pizza to Hong Kong, using only organic ingredients and locally sourced produce.

Vegetarian chef Peggy Chan of Grassroots Pantry told how she walked the talk of organic veggie eating in Hong Kong by designing creative dishes as a way to encourage healthy eating.

The evening of inspiration was fueled with creative sparks as the chef speakers explored their unique philosophy and design process towards food and culture.

The Penguin Pool is a global series of parties presented by Arup to inform, inspire and entertain. This is Hong Kong’s second Penguin Pool event following Sydney, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Milan, San Francisco, London, New York and Melbourne.