First Michelin star for Wan Chai joint

French restaurant Serge et le phoque in the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong has been awarded a Michelin star.

Part of a number of restaurants across the city and Macau awarded their first or even additional stars earlier this week, it is the first such honour for the “contemporary French” venue which opened in 2013.

Named after the imaginary pet seal (phoque in French) of Serge, the son of co-owner and founder Frédéric Peneau, ‘Serge’ as the restaurant is often known, is a collaboration between Peneau, Charles Pelletier and Christophe Pelé all of whom have formerly worked in Parisian restaurants such as Le Dauphin, La Bigarrade and Le Chateaubriand.

Serge et le phoque brings together Asian ingredients with French cooking techniques leading to dishes such as frozen coconut ceviche and pigeon served with cockles and samphire.

Pelletier explained: “Hong Kong diners are always looking for something innovative and new.

“Our restaurant is designed to meet that demand. At Serge et le phoque, our guests can always look forward to an ever-evolving menu, the freshest seasonal ingredients and daily surprises. We are proud and honored to receive the recognition from Michelin.”