“It was literally a shock. It was my first time in Asia, and also the first time I was living in a city of this size. It was a very good place to start an Asian experience, you can really feel the culture and the experience was amazing. It helped me to appreciate Hong Kong even more, and made me fall in love with this incredible city,” says the 39-year-old, who arrived in 2013, starting off as chef de cuisine of Amber at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental before setting up the two-Michelin-starred Écriture as executive chef five years ago.

After more than a decade in East Asia, Gilbert has developed an appreciation for regional ingredients and also the logistical efficiency of Hong Kong. “Japanese seafood is amazing and, here in Hong Kong, we have the incredible opportunity to receive deliveries daily from Tokyo, which makes it the freshest possible. Even from France, delivery is super fast in non-Covid times. So the mix of both these countries makes an incredible and infinite combination to play around and create dishes,” he says.

By contrast, Singapore-born Lau’s training was mainly in Asia, except for a short stint as an intern (or “stage” in industry speak) in Denmark. He grew up not being impressed by his grandmother’s cooking but captivated by the kitchen and the wok as a young child.

Both chefs are appreciative of the sophistication of local diners’ palates. “Hong Kong diners are the most knowledgeable in the world and their appreciation and understanding of gastronomy has grown exponentially over the years, including their expectations,” says Gilbert, whose specialities such as zucchini tart and the luxurious caviar tart are must-tries.

“Hong Kong is the third city in the world [for] the most Michelin stars, and I think it is No 1 in diversity. It’s super exciting and also a daily challenge to always push to improve and innovate as there are so many new restaurants every year, so here the expectations are huge – but this is good.”

Lau agrees. The young chef thrives on the challenge of coming up with new dishes for his patrons. “Hong Kong is so dynamic and people love dining out so it’s very competitive. You have to constantly come up with new dishes,” Lau adds.

The onslaught of the pandemic has delivered the most challenging times for Hong Kong’s food and beverage industry, but Gilbert says that while the going was tough, his team has emerged stronger, more versatile and determined to find ways to please their guests. Meanwhile, Lau is looking forward to being able to travel again and glean more memories and inspiration.