On February 23, Soho House executive chef Chris Czerwinski and HKGTA head pastry chef Chan Chun Fai reunited for r é n’s latest installment of FOOD+FILM at Soho House. The two longtime friends had previously worked together for numerous years at the Upper House, and finally had the chance to link up again over a great cause. The Sunday event spanned the entire evening and started with a showing of the chefs’ film of choice, 2003’s Lost in Translation, followed by a four-hands dinner by the duo.

“Ah Fai and I worked together at the Upper House, and we’ve done a few collaborations with Jo before already,” says chef Chris. “Obviously we work at different places now, but we wanted to continue this partnership with Jo and r é n. Ah Fai and I have always had fun working together, whether it was at Café Gray Deluxe or when we worked with Jun Tanaka to open Salisterra. That experience led us to the idea of Lost in Translation, because it was during Covid and me, as a Polish chef, was here in Hong Kong working with Ah Fai whilst trying to set up the restaurant together with Jun, a Japanese chef, who was calling us on Zoom at the time in the UK. It all felt very connected to the experience of the movie, and so that’s why we chose it.”

“Like Chris said, we’ve been through a lot together,” chef Fai adds. “Whenever we get to work on something new together, like a collaboration, it’s always a great, fun experience, so I was very excited to do this with him and r é n.”

Drawing inspiration Sofia Coppola’s critically acclaimed film, the evening’s menu showcased both chefs’ culinary roots and personal experiences, starting with an appetiser of tofu with wasabi gazpacho, burnt pickled cucumber and lemon balm before moving onto a kombu cured mackerel with smoked olive oil, beet kvass and pickled persimmon. Next was the shabu shabu, where dashi was used to cook ingredients such as mushrooms, tofu, Wagyu beef, various vegetables and udon, all complemented by dipping sauces of ponzu, goma dare, and grated daikon, spring onions and togarashi. Finally, chef Fai’s delicately delightful dessert combined genmaicha with Dulcey 35%, mikan and yuzu, after which a petit four of wagashi was served. The entire meal was also paired with refreshing Suntory Highballs.

“Naturally we played to our strengths, so we separated the savoury dishes from the sweet, and I took care of the former and Fai handled the latter,” chef Chris explains. “A big highlight is shabu shabu, which plays a significant role in the film. The characters aren’t particularly excited about it, because they question what kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food, but aside from the humour of it, we also see it as not just a dish but an experience. You sit around a table, and everyone can share the same pot, and that’s how you connect. There’s only one pot, but there are a lot of different ingredients, and everyone can get something different out of that same pot. It also represents what we do here with r é n: all these chefs are working together with r é n and contributing to the cause, but we also all get something different out of it. Another dish that stands out for me is the sliced mackerel, which we treat in a Japanese way, but I’ve also incorporated my own heritage into it by using a sauce that’s like a fermented beetroot juice. It actually comes from my mum, which I brought over from Poland in December.”

“When I was planning the desserts, I wanted to focus on Japanese flavours,” chef Fai adds. “I really wanted to incorporate tea, so I chose genmaicha, which works really well together with chocolate and citrus. To me, the movie is a good reminder that sometimes there will be struggles in life, but there are also happy moments, and everything is connected. In a similar way, the bitterness of the tea and the sweetness of the chocolate come together to create a perfect balance or harmony to create a full, rounded experience.”

Even more important than the fantastic menu, however, is the message both chefs want to spread through this collaboration.

“Toby will be there cooking with me, and we want to show people that even in an industry like FnB, there is room for opportunities and inclusion,” chef Chris says. “We want to show them that what we’re doing is meaningful, and we should continue doing more and sharing this awareness. Life in Hong Kong can be very busy, so it’s important for us to slow down every now and then to reflect and think about what we’re doing and who we’re supporting in our society.”

“I’ve only worked with r é n once before,” chef Fai says. “But it’s a great platform for people to learn more about supporting the disadvantaged and underprivileged. The more people are aware of these issues, the more likely they will give their support, which is what we need as a community.”