Asia Tatler Dining

Until it closed in 1987, 9 Star Street in Wan Chai was hom eto the Chan Wai Chow Memorial College, whose principal for 14 years was the mother of Paulo Pong. At the end of 2011, in homage to his late mother, Pong, with partners Alan Lo and Arnold Wong at the Press Room Group, opened The Principal, a high-end restaurant that celebrates the spontaneous, the inspired and the creative.

In charge is Spanish chef Jonay Armas, who has worked alongside such Iberian culinary giants as the late Santi Santamaria an dPaco Roncero. Chef Armas has also enjoyed a stint at the feted Noma, so expectations for his menu at The Principal are high.

Armas aims to pay tribute to the pure essence of each high-quality ingredient, for example serving a simple free-rance egg, cooked sous vide at 63 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes, with ceps and truffle. For mains, a suckling pig is slow cooked, braised and seared with a touch of highly prized argan oil from Morocco, then presented with lemon puree, sauted red endives and pomegranate reduction.