Ex-Atherton chefs in Hong Kong pop-up

Michelle Goh and Pongcharn Russell from Jason Atherton’s Pollen restaurant in Singapore are the latest culinary talents to grace Hong Kong’s shores for experimental dining venture, Test Kitchen.

The couple who cooks together, stays together: Michelle Goh and Top

With a combined history of working in some of the world’s most innovative restaurants, including Pierre Gagnaire’s Sketch in London and Neil Parry’s Rockpool in Sydney, Michelle Goh and Pongcharn Russell (also known as Top), migrated to Jason Atherton’s Pollen in Singapore where they met, and in due course, fell in love.

Their cuisine draws on their different backgrounds and experiences – Goh is from Malaysia and Top is from Phuket – and the dishes they will bring to Hong Kong’s experimental dining venture, Test Kitchen, reflects that.

“We are ‘Narrative Cuisine’ in the sense that every dish we make has a story and there´s more to fine dining than the best ingredients and the newest techniques,” said Goh.

“We´re very hands-on and will be showcasing our homemade bread, butter, ice cream, fermentation and more. We believe it´s a great way to show the complexity of nature, while remaining wholly sustainable in approach.”

The duo will be in Hong Kong from 23-25 February and will create a plethora of progressive dishes such as the seemingly humble mushroom and egg which involves six types of local Hong Kong mushroom, cooked in mushroom tea with local herbs, dressed in white balsamic and cured quail yolk with whipped egg white and powdered mushroom.

Top grew up in Phuket but moved to the UK at the age of 15 and was pat of the opening team at Gauthier Soho, before moving to The Pearl and then Sketch under the tutelage of Pierre Gagnaire.

In 2014, he worked as chef de partie at Pollen under Jason Atherton, before being promoted four times in two years to senior sous chef. Top is currently the head chef at Freebird in Bangkok.

Goh was born and raised in the small town of Kuching (part of Malaysia) on the Borneo Islands. At the age of 18, she went off to study at Le Cordon Bleu Sydney, where she did both her patisserie and cuisine training. She then moved to the legendary Rockpool, now known as Eleven Bridge by Neil Perry – one of Australia’s leading and most influential chefs.

In 2015 she moved to work for Jason Atherton at Pollen before coming to Bangkok and working at acclaimed German eatery, Sühring which was opened in partnership with Gaggan Anand.

Goh and Top will be in Hong Kong from 23-25 February at Test Kitchen in Sai Ying Pun with two seatings at 7pm and 8.15pm. Tickets are HK$1,080 each with wine pairing from Corney & Barrow.