Fine-dining restaurant Arbor opens in H Queen’s in Central this month
Michelle Ma Chan of Gourmet Dining Group has spotted a gap in the market for stand-alone, high-end eateries
We arrive half an hour early for our appointment with Gourmet Dining Group’s managing director, Michelle Ma Chan, so we wait in her French garden patio of Épure Café, which is outside the fine-dining restaurant Épure, by the harbour front on the fourth level of Ocean Terminal. The café is in the throes of afternoon tea, and we notice how attentive, efficient and polite its waiting staff are. Clearly pleased to hear this, Ma Chan says that one of her most important investments is in her staff.
“I know because of overheads, the waiting staff do not get high salaries, so I invest in training them so they can see there is a future in this industry,” she says.
Ma Chan, who founded Gourmet Dining Group several years ago - opening fine dining Épure, Épure Café and bringing over famous French patisserie Dalloyau - is also executive director of Fancl, a botanical beauty range from Japan.
Although the cost of running top-quality restaurants is substantial, it’s worth the effort if we can inspire customers to appreciate our work in creating a truly memorable dining experience.
“I noticed that most restaurants in Hong Kong are middle-graded, unlike other international destinations, such as Japan, Paris, London and even Singapore, where you can find a greater selection of top-tier restaurants,” she says. “I decided to open my first restaurant, Épure, aiming to provide a high-end, top-grade dining experience in terms of food quality, ambience and hospitality.
“In order to achieve this, we invited Nicolas Boutin to join us as our executive chef. He honed his skills at the finest Michelin-starred establishments in France,” she continues. Boutin worked in such establishments as Maison Lameloise and La Maison Troisgros - both three Michelin stars - Les Jardins de l’Opéra, Jean Bardet and Hauterive Saint-James - all two Michelin stars. “His experience ensured that our culinary quality would be among the top destinations in the industry. In terms of ambience, the interior design of Épure was created by internationally renowned firm, Yabu Pushelberg, so the quality of work was guaranteed,” Ma Chan says.
Épure has been a success since its opening, attracting fine-dining regulars, mostly from Kowloon, Ma Chan says.
