Amber Team

Hong Kong topped the wish list Thomas Combescot-Lepère put together of places he would most like to work. Three days later, the Frenchman received an offer to join The Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong as Amber’s Fine Dining Restaurant Manager, from his previous stint at the acclaimed Adour Alain Ducasse at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City.

The Burgundy-born New York transplant considered Hong Kong the “most adventurous” destination on his list, not for the urban island’s action sports, but rather because “Hong Kong’s restaurant scene is emerging with great gastronomic energy, the same creativity that first drew me to New York.”

As chief sommelier then wine director and eventually general manager for Ducasse, Combescot-Lepère says he was awed by the celebrated chef’s ability to collaborate in the kitchen and to build strong connections between fine foods and wines. The same talents, he says, that drew him to Chef Richard Ekkebus. Combescot-Lepère calls the Amber Chef’s cuisine, “a mastery of innovation and traditions.”

On a one-day whirlwind visit before joining Amber, Combescot-Lepère immediately appreciated Ekkebus’ respect for the pure flavours of the top quality ingredients sourced from around the world. His personal favourite dishes include the Hokkaido Sea Urchin in a Lobster Jell-O with Cauliflower & Crispy Seaweed Waffle, and the Cuttlefish ‘Kou Ika’ with Warm ‘Cul Noire’ Lardo, Vitelotte Potato & black Winter Truffles, which Combescot-Lepère calls a “singular culinary experience.”

Of his own position, working between the kitchen team and the diners, Combescot-Lepère divulges his deceptively simple formula: “Empathy is something you have inside you, it cannot be learned. My challenge is to physically be available to our diners so that I can recognize what makes them happy and then work to elevate that satisfaction.”