Conveniently located in the heart of Hong Kong Island, MOTD is a conglomerate of private dining and event venue, bringing together the up and coming global trend in catering. The name itself has no single meaning – it is Menu of the Day when it’s seated with a room of satisfied diners, Music of the Day when it’s the venue of a music event, and Mood of the Day when it hosts art exhibitions. Not bound by any restrictions, MOTD is whatever you want it to be.
MOTD has partnered with local personal chef service platform, MobiChef, to launch its first
Asian feast – “Eight Shades of Chuan”. Originally from Sichuan, Chef Xuelian settled in Hong
Kong upon her marriage and discovered that the culinary culture here often pigeonholed
Sichuan cuisine into a single framework. This inspired her to join local personal chef service
platform, MobiChef, in 2017, hoping to bring the most authentic taste of Sichuan cuisine to the
fore. Xuelian’s interpretation of Sichuan food is based on the taste of “home” – from spicy chili
sauce to the hot pot base, all of which are prepared by Xuelian herself. Since joining MobiChef,
she has quickly become one of the most popular chefs on the platform and has been invited to
collaborate on various projects to expand her culinary career.
In the hopes of redefining Sichuan cuisine, Chef Xuelian is now offering 6 nights of reservation-only Dinner menu, Eight Shades of Chuan, from 11th – 13th and 18th – 20th next month. Don’t
worry, spicy lovers. Your satisfaction is on the top of Chef Xuelian’s priority – a selection of chili
sauce/ spicy powder with extra spiciness will be served on the side of most of the dishes.
Sichuan Style Abalone
Sichuan is an inland city where freshwater fish is mostly served due to geographical reasons, hence the use of abalone and crab is not common for Sichuan cuisine. Upon noticing the preference of Hong Kong people for such ingredients, Xuelian was inspired and decided to give these a Sichuan twist. All this paved the way for the making of this dish, which she prepared with a homemade Sichuan marinade and chili sauce.
Osmanthus Fragrans Ice Jelly
Sichuan ice jelly originated in Wuyang (present-day Pengshan County) during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and spread throughout Sichuan from the mid-Qing dynasty to the late Qing dynasty, making it a traditional dessert with a long history. Upon the preparation of Sichuan Ice Jelly, Chef Xuelian gave it an extra hint of sweetness by serving it with Sichuan brown sugar vinegar syrup, crushed peanuts, coconut jelly, hawthorn and fruit. P.S. The ingredients of Ice Jelly are similar to those of Taiwan’s Aiyu, and the two are considered “close relatives”.
Steamed Pork Belly with Rice Powder
Steamed pork belly is one of the most popular steamed dishes in Sichuan during the festive
season. Bamboo products are abundant in Sichuan, and the local people discovered that
cooking with a bamboo made steamer enhances the flavor of the ingredients, so it became a
traditional cooking utensil. Chef Xuelian first stir-fries glutinous rice and ordinary rice, then grinds them into rice powder and mixes them with star anise, cinnamon, dried chili pepper and peppercorns to make the base; then tops the rice powder with pork belly marinated in Sichuan bean paste, and steams them together for about an hour. The slow steaming method preserves the soft and sticky texture of the pork skin and allows the aroma to spread evenly over the meat and rice powder.
Eight Shades of Chuan is now opened for reservation for a limited time only, dates and
price as follow:
11th – 13th, 18th – 20th Nov, 2021
Eight Shades of Chuan (Eight Courses): HKD $880
Additional Wine Pairing Option: HKD $380
Booking Link: https://motdconcepts.com/products/eight-shades-of-chuan-mobiche