Post no. 1

Hello! 哈囉！

Along with the recipes, I will be blogging here regularly to share my vision of Épicerie HK 852 with all of you. This being the first post, I'll start things off slowly and share with you the past, present and future of HK 852.

Past ｜ 過去

Prior to starting HK 852 I had worn many hats and I was struggling with my cultural, professional and personal identity more than ever. The dream of HK 852 became an opportunity for me to reunite my passion for history, my love of Hong Kong and my foodie nature in one place.

I dreamt of a cozy but minimalist place for wine lovers to figure out which dumplings pair best with a natty chenin blanc, a place where your dog can chill and grab a cheeky homemade biscuit while you top-up on your chilli oil. I also wanted it to be a place where people feel free to ask questions like: "Which soy sauce should I be using for my marinande?" or "There's like a jillion types of noodles but which one is best for my stir-fry tonight?" or "I want some locally-sourced tofu, where can I get that?" I dreamt of a place with lots of plants and natural light, where customers can see large ceramic pots filled with experiments that they know will eventually land on the shelves.

If this is all sounding very hipster to you, then you're halfway there.

Present ｜ 現在

HK 852 is a site for now for me to get the word out about the project while I source funding and find my brick and mortar shop to get the lab up and running. I had tried to rent a kitchen, but making sure the chilli oil doesn't get contiminated during transport proved to be an issue. And don't even get me started on the question of jarring. Without a car, I'm pretty sure I broke my back trying to transport the primary materials from, and then the finished product back to, my home.

So presently I am designing menus, finetuning my products and reaching out to future partners. I'm also noodling on some merch (HK 852 chopsticks anyone?)

Future ｜ 將來

The future of HK 852 is a lab and takeaway joint for the lunch rush. It's a place where you can pay-it-forward where unsold meals get donated to the local food bank. I will be working on providing a refill option for sauces and oils (for a significant price reduction). I want to work with local partners to create soy sauces, pickles and other fermented products that provide the foundational flavour profile of Cantonese cuisine that we all know and love.

Central, Hong Kong. March 2016. Photo credit: Aaron Tam.

Thanks for reading! I'll see you back here next Friday.

With love,

Sarah