They may choose anything like squab, guinea hen, duck, beef, pork, bass, or beyond. That ingredient becomes the focus of the dish. Next, they will work around that star element with seasonal products. The details slowly get filled in thereafter: what technique would be used? What is it going to be mixed with? How does the wine pairing work? And so on and so forth until the entire menu is finished. A great example of this process is their signature dry-aged duck. The bird is aged for about two weeks, then roasted and lacquered with honey, fennel seed, and fennel pollen. It is then served with seasonal ingredients that change with time. As a restaurant, Chef Hong still sees a lot of growth potential in Sorrel and he will soon remodel the kitchen to enable a better workflow
for the chefs. In addition, he will focus on refining the service and making the food a little bit more special. All these efforts are ways to improve the restaurant and make it shine. That is his number one priority. For ambitious cooks who do not want to work under someone for the rest of their lives, his story is very inspiring. Using a small investment to find the space, work with a talented team, build connections, and cook great food is definitely a creative path. “This industry has so many outlets and ways that you can go. But for those who want to do their own business and concept, I think the pop-up model is a perfect place to start,” he says. Spoken like a true entrepreneur!
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