How Restaurant Petrus Maintains Michelin Status Under Uwe Opocensky

Featuring a jaw-dropping view of Victoria Harbor from high above, Restaurant Petrus introduces locals and travelers to a world of modern French opulence wrapped with Hong Kong’s fine-dining history.

Since 1991, Restaurant Petrus has been the beacon of Island Shangri-La’s finest, illuminating Hong Kong’s culinary scene as the gilded backdrop to life’s most celebrated moments; from graduation, weddings to family reunions.

Prior to a glass of Pommery champagne paired with a tuna wasabi tart, Chef Opocensky shared a few moments with us to illustrate his start in the culinary world, defining his very own “progressive gastronomy,” and the importance of mentorship as he embark on a different chapter of his decorated career.

How were you involved with Shangri-La?

UO: There are two stints to my journey with Shangri-La. I joined in 2004, when I first arrived in Hong Kong but in a different property. In between that, I went to El Bulli and did some other stuff, then I rejoined in 2019. So I’ve been at Petrus for six years, at Island Shangri-La.

What is “progressive gastronomy”?

UO: You know, I’ve been in Hong Kong for 21 years, When I joined here (Shangri-La,) I had already 16-17 years of experience in the city, so I already had a certain style, flair, and reputation that was already in the market. So my idea was just to ruminate this beautiful restaurant, because it’s like a fashion house. With a new designer, the outside doesn’t change but what comes on the plate changes.

We’ve got a much more modern and lighter approach. Obviously, bringing in the history of what I’ve learned from and my own style which I call: progressive gastronomy. It basically means constantly evolving, searching for new techniques and ingredients. And this philosophy has remained the same, since the beginning.

How would you describe your cooking style?

UO: My style is very much modern European, with so many influences because I’ve trained with Ferran Adrià who doesn’t play by the rules, he loves to break them or look at the rules differently. I’ve trained with Alain Ducasse, so I’ve shaped my own way and have come up with, what I feel is, my own cuisine.

How has gastronomy evolved over the years?

UO: In the 90s, it was more about hiding recipes, not sharing what you’re doing. In the 2000s, here’s my recipe, what don’t you try it out and see if you can do it better. So there’s a big change with how things have evolved. Now is all about sharing, information, and finding your own language.

Tell us a bit about your signature dish…

UO: I’ve got one dish which has been with me since the 2016, which is a red prawn, and it comes from Spain. I can’t take it off of the menu, because everybody loves it. It’s the best red prawn in all of Hong Kong. That’s the only signature that we have. Otherwise, I’m just inspired by the seasons and it changes all the time.

Signatures are people that have an older and more solid reputation, I’m not a big fan of signature dishes because it forces you to always serve the same. I’ve got a signature style, which is very minimalist.

For me, I’m always looking for the best produce. If I’ve got an amazing product, because I’m quite lazy, I don’t have to do too much to it. I let the product shine. So I’m just the middle man between the producer and the consumer. That’s the way I look at myself, we are the mechanism in the middle.

How do you work with Hong Kong’s climate?

UO: Locality is difficult in Hong Kong because we’ve got two climates: hot, and very hot. It doesn’t produce a lot of great vegetables with great flavors, some flower and herbs here can work quite okay. But I work with a lot of producers in Yunnan, which is basically the salad bowl of China, so that works really well for us in Hong Kong. And the rest is just all international.

What does sustainability mean to you?

UO: For me, sustainability means supporting artisan producers, because they do it the original way, which is the sustainable way, which is the healthy way, . For example, all of our fish are line-caught, not net-caught. We also work with a local consortium of farmers, called The Farm House, who works with small producers.

How is mentorship important to you?

UO: As a chef, you go through different stages. When you start out, you’re a sponge. You absorb as much as you can, from all the great chefs there are. After that, you become a bit of a bully because you want to get noticed. So you push people away. Once you find your own way, you kind of become a leader. so you start to figure out how to become a head chef, get your first star or second star…whatever it means for you. After, you arrive at the last stage. Unfortunately, where I’m already. You become a mentor, and find joy in guiding the next generation and help them become the next leaders.

How has Petrus plays a role in people’s special moments?

UO: It’s the good thing about what we do. We had people who were separated from their loved ones during COVID, singles were having dinners here with their phones set up, videoing their wives or partners that were in another country.

We’ve got people celebrating weddings, proposals. Next week, we have a guest who proposed to his wife in the Burgundy Room 30 years ago, he will bring all the wine here from 30 years ago. We’re going to recreate the meal that he had back then. Stuff like that, it’s the most fun of this job, for sure.