Where a 3-Michelin-star restaurant chef in Hong Kong eats simple, authentic food

Hideaki Sato is the chef and co-owner of three-Michelin-star French-Japanese restaurant Ta Vie in Central, Hong Kong. He spoke to Andrew Sun.

I was so picky about food when I was young, before I started my career. I wouldn’t eat most vegetables or pork, and I was more focused on football, drawing, or making something than eating. Now, I enjoy casual food. I really like honest food that is not fancy and without gimmick.

This is Ta Vie’s 10th year. In my early years, I tried to create dishes which only exist at Ta Vie, so I forced myself to do a mixture of Japanese, French and Chinese cuisines. But during Covid, I started creating dishes more naturally from my own sense and background, and was concerned more about harmony.

I’m trying to avoid doing one course that is very French, the next that is very Chinese and then Japanese. They all should have different flavours and textures but still be consistent in concept.

One of my favourite restaurants is Jean May (Shop A, 14 Gresson Street, Wan Chai, tel: 9180 6778). Chef Tiff Lo’s cuisine is so straightforward, and she understands and respects classic French culinary tastes.

I also like Kyoto-Oden Masa (19/F, L’ Hart, 487-489 Lockhart Rd, Causeway Bay, tel: 2891 1530). Food here is very simple and casual, but the flavour of the oden broth and other details are at a very high level, like in a Kyoto kaiseki restaurant.