Alvin Leung

Alvin Leung

Alvin Leung, photographed in 2013
Born 1961 (age 54–55)
London, England
Website www.boinnovation.com

Culinary career

Cooking style X-Treme Chinese[1]

Alvin King Kong Leung (Chinese: 梁經倫; born 1961), is a British born, Canadian raised chef who holds three Michelin stars at his restaurant Bo Innovation in Hong Kong and one Michelin star in his restaurant Bo London in London. He is nicknamed The Demon Chef, and has invented his own cuisine which he calls X-Treme Chinese, which includes meals such as an edible condom on a mushroom beach. He spent £1.7 million on his second restaurant, Bo London, based in Mayfair, London. A third restaurant, Bo Shanghai has been opened in Shanghai, China.

Career

Leung was born in London in 1961 as the eldest of four brothers,[2] and was raised in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.[3] His first job in the culinary world was as a waiter,[4] but afterwards trained as an engineer.[5] He moved to Hong Kong and purchased a speakeasy called "Bo Inosaki" for £3,000, renaming it Bo Innovation.[4][6]

A self-taught chef, Leung gave himself the nickname "The Demon Chef", and is known for a style of cooking he calls "X-Treme Chinese".[7] He describes the Demon moniker as coming from the Greek word "Daimôn", meaning "good-spiritedness". While X-Treme Chinese is a combination of fusion cuisine and molecular gastronomy, and is meant to show that the food he creates is pushing the limits.[6]

His dishes at Bo Innovation include one called "Sex on a Beach" which involves an edible condom made out of a konjac and kappa on a beach made of mushroom. The condom itself is filled with a mixture of honey and ham.[8][9] All of the proceeds from that dish go to charity AIDS Concern.[5] His restaurant in Hong Kong received two stars in the Michelin Guide's inaugural 2009 Hong Kong and Macau edition,[10][11] then upgraded to three stars in 2014 edition, and by 2012 was ranked in 52nd place in the list of the World's Best Restaurants.[12]

In December 2012, Leung opened a second restaurant, Bo London, in London, England. Within 10 months of opening, Bo London had gained its first Michelin star. Leung said that he intends for it to serve classic British fare such as dishes commonly served at Bed & Breakfasts, but with Chinese ingredients.[13] He spent £500,000 on the site in Mill Street, Mayfair, and together with equipping the restaurant is expected to spend around £1 million on the restaurant.[4] In March 2014, the restaurant closed following a 'serious water leak'.[14]

He appeared on episode eight of the Bravo cooking travel show Around the World in 80 Plates. The episode was named after him, entitled "Feeding the Demon".[15] Alongside the winner of MasterChef Canada Season 1, Eric Chong, Leung is currently opening a restaurant called R&D in Toronto.[16] The restaurant is expected to be opened in early 2015 and is named after the nicknames for Chong and Leung respectively, Rebel and Demon.

Leung serves as one of three judges in MasterChef Canada. He also serves as one of the judge in MediaCorp Channel 5's Wok Stars. He was in also the show in The Listener Episode "Amuse Bouch" as a Judge in a reality TV show Five star chef.

Personal life

Leung is married to Maria and has a daughter.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Simon Usborne (2012-11-15). "Here comes the demon chef: Is London ready for Alvin Leung's 'x-treme Chinese cuisine'?". The Independent. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  2. ↑ Leung, Jan (14 June 2007). ""Demon Chef" Alvin Leung". HK. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Kühn, Kerstin (9 May 2012). "Alvin Leung to open restaurant in London". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 Gerard, Neil (16 August 2012). "Alvin Leung spends £1m on new venture as London sites hit record prices". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 Stamford, Janie (2 June 2010). "Alvin Leung - My Life in Hospitality". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Interview with Alvin Leung". The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  7. ↑ Usborne, Simon (2012-11-15). "Here comes the demon chef: Is London ready for Alvin Leung's 'x-treme Chinese cuisine'?". The Independent. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
  8. ↑ Rahmadianti, Fitria (14 September 2012). "Wow! Kondom Bekas Ini Bisa Dimakan!". detikFood (in Indonesian). Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  9. ↑ Constable, David J. (12 September 2012). "Is London Ready For An Edible Condom?". The Huffington Post. London. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Lim, Le-Min (2 December 2008). "Michelin Hong Kong Gives 3 Stars to 2 Restaurants (Update1)". Bloomberg. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  11. ↑ Eversham, Emma (9 May 2012). "BO Innovation's 'Demon Chef' Alvin Leung to open London restaurant". Big Hospitality. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  12. ↑ "The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2012: 51 - 100". Big Hospitality. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  13. ↑ Chomka, Stefan (14 September 2012). "Alvin Leung: Pearls of Wisdom". Big Hospitality. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  14. ↑ "Alvin Leung blames 'serious water leak' for Bo London closure". The Caterer. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Around the World in 80 Plates - Episodes". NBC Universal Media Village. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  16. ↑ Wong, Tony. "MasterChef Canada's Alvin Leung and Eric Chong open restaurant". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
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