Award-winning Singaporean chef Edward Voon, the mastermind behind innovative French fine-dining restaurant Auor (pronounced “hour”) in the heart of Wan Chai, welcomes the summer season by unveiling an exciting new six-rounds dinner tasting menu that nods to Asian holiday travels.
Auor’s imaginative signature dinner experience of the Six Rounds (one menu consisting of six canapés + six courses at HK$1,680 per person) is a procession of layered tastes that respect the seasons. 
The updated menu now includes six rounds of canapés inspired by Asian street food – an “Asian Street Cuisine Sojourn” – that whets the appetite for the main event of six inventive courses inspired by the circle of life.
Chef Voon’s culinary philosophy at Auor revolves around time and showcasing nature’s diversity. While honouring French fine-dining traditions, he is steered by the vast and vibrant flavours of Asia – his homeland and the place that holds his fondest memories.
Asian Street Cuisine Sojourn: Six Rounds of Canapés
The Auor experience begins with Chef Voon’s celebration of some of his favourite nostalgia-inducing Asian street food, the flavours of which are packed into a parade of six creative canapés. The sojourn begins with a reimagination of Chinese pi dan (century egg), which is puréed with XO sauce and sweet soy and joins garlicky, sesame-infused Sichuan green pepper paste in a bite-sized tart.
Sweet & Sour Bonbon follows, a bell pepper ‘candy’ decorated with plum gel that captures the essence of Hong Kong’s famous sweet and sour dishes. Inside are red pepper-flavoured cocoa butter and green pepper coulis.
Up next is Chef Voon’s tribute to Singapore hawker stall cooking. Morning glory is sautéed in Malay sambal sauce, then blended with yoghurt and lime zest, and served in a tart with a gel of rojak (a Javanese salad) flavoured with fermented shrimp paste, papaya juice and plum sugar.
Inspired by Vadai, the Indian savoury snack is a mini fritter of yellow split peas cooked with green chilli, ginger and coriander leaves, topped with caviar and yoghurt.
Guests will then journey to Thailand, where a traditional spicy Thai som tam (papaya salad with fish sauce and lime juice) is blended with crème fraiche and served in a mini cone, complemented by citrus and fish sauce purées.
The Asian Street Cuisine Sojourn concludes with a quirky vegetarian interpretation of Malaysian bak kut teh (Hokkien pork-bone broth), made with a gel of herbal pepper bouillon, smoked quail egg, and a crispy garnish of youtiao (Chinese fried dough).
The Six Rounds – Celebrating Life’s Most Heartfelt Moments
Radiating goodness, the six-course tasting menu follows the rhythms of the seasons and the circle of life. Named for meaningful moments in the chef’s journey through life, each ‘Round’ realises a perfect balance of ritual and avant-garde flair. Dishes embody French techniques as well as Asian diversity and are generally populated by the fruits of the sea.
Round #1 (Awakening) melds two of Chef Voon’s favourite delicacies: caviar and sashimi. Japanese toro (bluefin tuna belly) is served as a tartare with lemongrass, lime leaves, green onion, fish sauce, lime juice and olive oil, topped with elegant Royal Cristal caviar cherished for its buttery, creamy taste. The accompanying sauce is Thai-inspired tamarind and guava juice with chilli, galangal, palm sugar, dried shrimp, garlic, coriander, mint leaves and Thai basil oil.
Singapore’s daily torrential rainstorms spurred the chef’s appreciation of nature’s life-affirming power, and this intensity is captured in the Round #2 (Rain) dish of abalone somen noodles.
Abalone is first marinated for two days in Shaoxing wine, angelica (wild celery), wolfberries and ginger, then served with refreshing somen in an Asian bouillon of shellfish and aromatic tomato stock. Splashes of chilli oil and lime juice bring freshness, and a garnish of fried Sakura ebi and cress adds texture.
Onto Round #3 (Colours): This vividly reveals how imagination can transform nature’s simple gifts into complex sensory stories. Chef Voon reimagines his favourite Sarawak black pepper crab dish as a classic cheesy crab gratin, where king crab meat is combined with a spiced butter sauce of Tellicherry black pepper paste, white wine, shallots and lemon zest.
Round #4 (Diversity) has long been a watchword for Chef Voon, gleaned through his many travels in Asia. His belief that elements of different cuisines can be united in one compelling taste is seen in an entrée of rock lobster from Western Australia in a laksa sauce accompanied by his take on Chinese scallion pancakes, which he pairs with coriander XO pesto.
The crustacean is deep-fried until aromatic and given a unique Asian twist with a laksa sauce that similarly emphasises powerful aromatics and spices. It is served with sautéed organic local choy sum and preserved radish.
Chef Voon deftly pairs prime produce from all over the world with an Asian sensibility for an ever-evolving repertoire of layered contemporary dishes that reflect the maturity of his cuisine today. This is evidenced by Round #5 (the Soul) of the Six Rounds – where squab is topped with grated red mullet roe from Japan.
The young pigeon is marinated in Chinese master stock for a day, then dry-aged over the second day. It is first flash-fried in hot oil, then charcoal-grilled until it achieves a perfect, medium cook. In typical okazu style, the course is served with fragrant Koshihikari rice cooked with pork lard and lemongrass, pickled butter beans, aubergine rendang and crispy seaweed.
The alternative main course is Wagyu Satay at a supplemental price of HK$280, featuring the finest charcoal-grilled wagyu from Australia, given an Asian spin with satay-inspired glaze and black garlic purée.
The Six Rounds come full circle to culminate in Round #6 (Memory), an artistic dessert course that speaks to the chef’s impressions of the past and his Asian upbringing. Prepped by a pre-dessert palate cleanser of bird’s nest and coconut laced with Château Rieussec 2010 Sauternes wine, the meal concludes with a homage to Hong Kong’s famous sweet soup of mango, pomelo and sago.
Chef Voon’s elaborate interpretation includes coconut sorbet, lime and mandarin foam, zest of dried plum and lime, fresh mint leaves and roasted hazelnuts.
Six wine pairings by the glass (HK$880 per person) selected by Auor Restaurant Manager and Wine Director Cherish Ho perfectly complement the Six Rounds.
The restaurant serves dinner from Tuesday to Saturday from 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm (last orders 8:30 pm) and lunch from Wednesday through Saturday from 12 pm to 3 pm (with last orders at 2 pm). For reservations at Auor, please click HERE or contact the restaurant directly.
Address: 4/F, 88 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Tel: (+852) 2866 4888
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.auor.com.hk
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