Hong Kong is one of the ultimate destination for foodies. That&rsquo;s why it comes as no surprise that Jordy Navarra ended up in a city where every day is a feast day. He grew up enjoying food and has always accustomed flavor with family and community, but it&rsquo;s through his travels and rigorous culinary training in Hong Kong that he was able to turn his memories from the plate into mastery of taste.

Navarra, Richard Ekkebus of Amber, Richie Lin, and Vicky Cheng of the one Michelin star restaurant, VEA, in Hong Kong

The dynamic city of Hong Kong is known for many things. Many travelers visit for the shopping experiences, safe streets, and tourist attractions, but the city is actually one of the best places to indulge in a culinary excursion in Asia.
&nbsp;
Home to 69 Michelin star restaurants such as the popular The Chairman, VEA, Bo Innovations, and Tin Lung Heen, the city punches above its weight in the culinary sphere. It comes as no surprise, then, that the island is a magnet for restaurateurs, gourmet travelers, and chefs looking to hone their skills. Among them is, Jordy Navarra, head chef and co-owner of the renowned restaurant Toyo Eatery.
&nbsp;
One might assume that Navarra has always been driven by the ambition to become a successful chef. With that comes the image of a high-flying connoisseur with a bevy of assistants responding to his beck and all. But Navarra, down-to-earth and driven by the produce the earth has to give, is nothing like the foul-mouthed chefs our minds are prone to project. Rather, he takes on the role of the explorer setting his sights on the continuous nurturance of native ingredients.
&nbsp;
As the co-owner of a renowned restaurant alongside his wife May Navarra, he&rsquo;s able to interpret facets of the Filipino culture and turn them into gastronomic delights that attract a wide audience across the globe. His pork barbecue alone takes 12 hours to prepare, while his humble garden vegetable dish condenses a whole folk song into one plate.

But before he connected all the dots that would become his brainchild, Navarra traveled far and wide. He trained in the UK and Bo Innovation in Hong Kong before returning to the Philippines. In this L&rsquo;Officiel exclusive, he talks about his adventures around the world with a sharp focus on Hong Kong, a special place that kindled his ideas of culinary recreation, reformation, and reintegration to his roots.

How are you? What's keeping you busy lately?
It&rsquo;s been a grind but happy we are still here and fighting. We&rsquo;re trying to adapt to the restrictions brought on by the pandemic and that has been keeping me and the team extremely busy!
&nbsp;
Toyo Eatery has been constantly listed in Asia's Best 50 Restaurants. What does it add to the conversation about Asia's rich heritage and flavors?
For us, it&rsquo;s always been about representing who we are and where we&rsquo;re from. I love Asian food in general; it&rsquo;s so vibrant, diverse, and reflective of the people that make it. For us, we enjoy adding our culture to the mix.
&nbsp;
What do you think makes living in Asia exciting?
Asia is always exciting. Something is always happening somewhere at all times of the day. I love that. We all appreciate the intensity and the energy of our day-to-day. It&rsquo;s actually something I miss a lot.
&nbsp;
What is it like to work and move around during the pandemic? What are the best places to go to these days?
Right now, I haven&rsquo;t really been able to go out and explore much. I&rsquo;ve been trying to stay in touch with nature and see the lush greenery when time allows, but for the most part, I feel grateful that I can leave the house and go to work. I miss eating out and sharing meals with friends.
&nbsp;
What does Hong Kong remind you of?
Hong Kong will hold a special place in my heart because I trained and live there for a period of time. Hong Kong reminds me of amazing food, world class attractions, wonderful friendships and the nonstop action. I love HK and miss it so much there's always something to see, do, and eat in the city.

What makes eating in Hong Kong special?
I just love the range of eats&mdash;from high-end dining and dim sum to street eats and seafood&mdash;you can find a good meal in many places. Wine selection is always topnotch too.
&nbsp;
What are your favorite culinary districts in Hong Kong? Tell us something about each.
I think there are too many to mention, and there are so many I haven't been to yet. I love Sheung Wan and Soho because of there are so many wonderful restaurant specializing in different types of cuisine from Cantonnese to Italian to Arabic. Also, I really enjoy simple eats and late night places such as Dai Pai Dongs (open air hawker) or Cha Chaan Teng where you can have a beer and feast on authentic local street food.
&nbsp;
What are your favorite restaurants in Hong Kong?
These restaurants are innovative and are constantly pushing boundaries by combining traditional techniques with modern innovations using unique and often forgotten local ingredients.
&nbsp;
Vea

It&rsquo;s a nice snapshot of Hong Kong flavors with a global mindset. It&rsquo;s a restaurant by Vicky Cheng who lived in New York and moved to Hong Kong. His style is called Chinese-French. It&rsquo;s cool because he uses a lot of traditional Chinese flavors and techniques but mixes it with a western approach.
&nbsp;
30F, The Wellington 198 Wellington Street, Central

Hong Kong Chefs' Playbook episode 3: Tai O with Vicky Cheng

Ando
&nbsp;

Chef Agustin Balbi is Argentinian so he has this mixed approach to cooking where he fuses his roots with other diverse flavors.
&nbsp;
L&rsquo;Officiel Tip:
A Japanese-Spanish restaurant is already rare in itself, so for Ando to be handed its first Michelin star only six months after its opening makes the spot a dining experience you shouldn&rsquo;t miss. At your Ando table, the Sin Lola is must&mdash;an arroz caldoso (brothy rice) dish inspired by the chef&rsquo;s own grandmother.
&nbsp;
1F, Somptueux Central, 52 Wellington St, Central
&nbsp;
Yardbird

Hong Kong chicken is, without a doubt, world class, and Yardbird highlights this fact by its grilled chicken cooked in yakitori style.
&nbsp;
Winsome House, 154-158 Wing Lok Street G/F, Shops A and B, Sheung Wan
&nbsp;
Amber

If you want a fancy meal, Amber has been at the top of the game for more than a decade. It&rsquo;s perfect for a nice anniversary dinner.
&nbsp;
L&rsquo;Officiel Tip:
Who says that fine dining can&rsquo;t be clean? Amber is located within the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, widely known to be a staunch advocate of sustainability. In Amber, their sustainable, plant-based menu is worth a try, so much so that the Richard Ekkebus-helmed fine-dining mainstay was given the 2020 Sustainable Restaurant Award.
&nbsp;
15 Queen's Road Central, Central
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The Chairman

It&rsquo;s the best restaurant in Asia right now! It&rsquo;s one of those places you go to so you can experience traditional cooking that uses the best local products from Hong Kong.
&nbsp;
18 Kau U Fong, Central

Hong Kong Chefs' Playbook episode 4: Aberdeen with Danny Yip

Happy Paradise
&nbsp;

If you&rsquo;re looking for a Cantonese diner, this is the palace to check out.
&nbsp;
L&rsquo;Officiel Tip:
In 2017, Happy Paradise&rsquo;s Chef May Chow was named Asia&rsquo;s Best Female Chef by Asia&rsquo;s 50 Best Restaurants, so expect your Cantonese cuisine to be given a refreshing kick by the infusion of international ingredients and a hip drink list that takes your experience of Chinese food on a whole other level.
&nbsp;
Entrance on, UG/F, 52-56 Staunton Street, Aberdeen St, Central
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;
Bo Innovation

Alvin has always been one of those chefs that push the idea of a modern, contemporary approach to Chinese ingredients. I learned a lot from here, and it is one of the places that&rsquo;s close to my heart.
&nbsp;
J Residence, HK Hong Kong Island Shop 8, Podium, 1, 60 Johnston Rd, Wan Chai
&nbsp;
Mono

It&rsquo;s a chef-centered restaurant helmed by Ricardo Chaneton who was behind the 3-Michelin-starred Mirazur and Shangri-La Hong Kong&rsquo;s Petrus. Like Amber, it&rsquo;s a place that&rsquo;s perfect for a date.
&nbsp;
5/F, 18 On Lan St, Central
&nbsp;&nbsp;
Whey

The chef is a Singaporean living in Hong Kong so he&rsquo;s mixing Singaporean influences with a Nordic approach. It&rsquo;s very interesting.
&nbsp;
L&rsquo;Officiel Tip:
Whey is the result of Chef Barry Quek&rsquo;s worldwide exposure to fine cuisine, starting from his Singapore home to the various acclaimed kitchens he&rsquo;s worked in across the world. Pop in if you&rsquo;re in the mood for Southeast Asian flavors infused with worldwide flair.
&nbsp;
UG/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington St, Central
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Out of all the restaurants you mentioned, could you tell us which one is your favorite? Please describe your experience there.
If we&rsquo;re talking about a celebratory or special meal, it would be difficult to choose only one restaurant. My thoughts are if you only had time for one dinner, I&rsquo;d say to try the Chairman or VEA; the former is more of a snapshot of the ingredients and techniques in HK and the latter&mdash;a walkthrough of HK from the perspective of the talented chef Vicky Cheng.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Could you describe a specific food delicacy and dining experience in Hong Kong that stuck with you and influenced your own culinary practice? In what way?
I greatly admire the technical mastery of the dim sum sifu (master). The consistency and attention to detail required to execute dim sum inspired me greatly to respect traditions in cooking and to focus on improvement of techniques and the details of how I cook. I still hope to learn one day since there are so many varieties and textures when you go out to eat dim sum. For now, siomai with rice from our nearby shop will keep me dreaming of morning dim sum in HK.

L&rsquo;Officiel Tip:
When you&rsquo;re in a rush, grab and go at the many street food stores found across the Island especially the curry fish ball.
&nbsp;
According to Navarra, Hong Kong is really one of those ultimate food cities that has so many places to eat, many meals to share with friends, and a lot of quality all around at all price levels. It&rsquo;s definitely a place you would fly in just to eat in.
&nbsp;
Find out more about Hong Kong&rsquo;s exciting dining scene and discover the roots of Hong Kong&rsquo;s eclectic culinary scene in a brand new video series, <a href="https://www.discoverhongkong.com/seasia/what-s-new/highlights/chefs-playbook.html">Hong Kong Chefs&rsquo; Playbook</a>. All episodes are available for streaming now.

From Memory to Mastery: How Hong Kong Influenced Toyo Eatery’s Jordy Navarra

Recommended posts for you

Hommes

Byeon Woo-seok Joins Cartier as Brand Ambassador

Hommes

TWS Announced as Celine's New Brand Ambassadors

Culture

Your Ultimate Guide to Art Basel Miami Beach 2024: Galleries, Exhibitions, and Events

Hommes

Callum Turner Joins Louis Vuitton's Ambassador Circle

Culture

2NE1's Welcome Back Concert Is Everything Blackjacks Wanted and More

Culture

Louis Poulsen Celebrates 150 Years of Design Excellence

Culture

The Gusto Holistic Summit: A New Chapter for Wellness in Manila

Fashion

Fly Girls: Fashion Editorial