Face Your Demons: The Supernatural Cuisine of Alvin Leung

He calls himself the "Demon Chef," which has raised some eyebrows, but Alvin Leung Jr. of Bo Innovation in Hong Kong loves the feeling of pushing diners to their limits. "I want to take you to the point of maximum excitement," he has said. "It’s like a bungee jump and you miss the ground by one centimeter. One more centimeter and you’re a purée."

The two Michelin star chef is infamous for a dish that involves an edible tapioca-yam condom on a beach of powdered shiitake (called "Sex on a Beach," of course). Compared to that, his "molecular Xiao Long Bao dumplings" actually sound pretty tame. Leung will be in town this weekend, cooking up a storm at Jaan at Raffles Hotel Beijing. Earlier today, we had the chance to sit down with him and ask him about his work.

How often do you have to explain the "Demon Chef" moniker?
All the time. Because people want to know why I took a more sinister approach in naming myself. I think the official explanation is that "demon" derives from the Greek word that means a playful spirit – before the Christians made it more devilish – and this is what I do. I am a very playful spirit and you find that in my cuisine as well. I just like to surprise diners and to impress them. And "Demon Chef" is catchy. I have it tattooed on my right arm, oh yes I do.

What is the biggest misconception that people have about you?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that I do molecular Chinese. Unfortunately, molecular gastronomy has taken on a bad reputation as something that’s all smoke and mirrors – not something that is eatable or pleasant to eat. It puts people off before they even eat your food. So I’ve changed it to "Xtreme Chinese" because I definitely want to create real food that tastes good. My first, most important and ultimate goal is to make the dish taste good – and then I expand and go after the other senses.

I remember one journalist who had tears in his eyes when he ate the dumplings I did in England because it brought a moment in his childhood of his mother doing that dish. I’d recreated it in a different way, but it brought him back fond memories.

It's like The Sound of Music, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. I first watched it when it came out (that’s how old I am) and I can go back to it and still feel the same. It’s very pleasant, full of music, and the story is very simple. My food wants to be like that. Maybe that's surprising. Here’s the Demon Chef and the Rock & Roll Chef who wants to create a dish that gives you the same sentiment and the same sensation as The Sound of Music. But that’s one of the mysteries of me, I guess.

You’ve said that your aim is to have people say "That was the best meal I’ve ever had" and you just work backwards from that. How often do your customers say that?
My aim is for them to say this is one of the best meals I’ve ever tasted. People say that quite a lot. They don’t have to say that, you know. It feels really good. It feeds my inspiration, it feeds my ego, for my art.

Are there other chefs out there currently that inspire you?
I think you can always absorb the energy but you can never copy them. But the main inspiration has got to be success. But that’s me.

How have mainland Chinese diners responded to X-treme Chinese?
Very well. I think because the mainland Chinese are people who have a lot to see. They haven’t had as much exposure as the people in Hong Kong. It’s good because their sponge is not so saturated; they still have a lot to absorb and enjoy. And their response to my food has been fantastic.

You're famous for your "Ode to Britain" tasting menu. Do you plan on doing something similar for Beijing?
I’ve been to Beijing quite a few times but I haven’t been here long enough to qualify me to do an Ode to Beijing yet. Hopefully, if this is very successful and I might want to open a Bo Beijing, then I may feel fit to do an Ode to Beijing. You have to do some work before you do a menu like that. You can’t write an biography by just meeting the person once.

What’s the biggest lie that has ever been written about you in the press?
One of the unfortunate characteristics of a Chinese chef is that they like to bring their trade to their graves. I think this has destroyed the rise of Chinese food. It’s very important that chefs should be amicable towards each other in order for Chinese food to grow. I'm trying to promote that.

Internationally, where do you see Chinese cuisine going?
My mission is to bring it to the fine dining table – to get it very, very refined. So-called "street food" is basically a hybrid of Chinese food, comfortable in terms of adding spice and sugar, but it’s not real sophisticated Chinese food. In the days of the emperor, they were eating hundreds of dishes in one sitting and the tongues of certain birds because of its texture. I want to bring that back to Chinese food.

Alvin Leung presents a series of inventive meals between Friday, March 1 and Monday, March 4, 2013 at Jaan in Raffles Beijing Hotel. For details, see the event listings for his set lunches, set dinners, gala dinner and cocktail reception and a "Demon High Tea."