Harshil Bhasin – Silver Oak Group

What is your perception of U.S. food and beverage products?

The perception is overall very good, and I mean that in the sense of that there is a good presence amongst food groups. You have your main products such as your beef with a variety of cuts, your Boston sashimi lobster, turkey, which we use widely every year in November for Thanksgiving. Then you have your complementary products as well, which could be star dishes too, such as corn, potato, avocados. Overall is quite good. A good variety.

What advantages do you see in using U.S. food ingredients compared to those from other countries?

I would say the advantage when it comes to using U.S. food and beverage products, depends on which dish you are using. In a restaurant, if a dish’s main ingredient or product is known for being sourced from the U.S. predominantly due to its flavor, its quality and from the restaurant point of view, for its stability, and that is where the advantage lays. A very common example would be Boston lobster. I would say ninety five plus percent of restaurants in Hong Kong that serve a lobster dish or a Thermidor or a baked use product from The Boston, Maine. Another prime example would be the beef, the rib cuts, the loin cuts, and I would say that is the strongest point about using the U.S. food products.

Are there any additional U.S. food products you hope to see in the Hong Kong market?

All the U.S. food products that can be sourced are available to our chefs. I have named a few earlier with the lobster, beef and the complimentary ones, but just to name a few more, scallop, salmon, tomatoes, in terms of another complementary item. There is a lot of products that are available, and I would say there is not anything lacking at this moment in time.