Chef Guillaume Galliot : ambassador of Asia’s terroirs
- 3 Stars chef in HK
- #24 @Asia’s 50 Best 2022
- A gastronomy of values
More 3 stars chefs here. Other 50 best chefs here. Various French Chefs here.
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Guillaume Galliot learned to taste as he learned to live, with strength and resilience. Infused from childhood with the scent of the seasons and the flavors of long-simmered dishes, his passion for the culinary arts was born out of a precocious inclination to live in the moment. Alongside a nurturing grandmother and a grandfather in touch with the land, his youth was promised to a chef’s destiny and was abundantly marked by the exhilaration of family cooking with imperfect but absolutely genuine form. Transcended by his childhood memories, Guillaume Galliot quickly understood the vital importance of food and the care taken in its preparation. As a teenager, he quickly abandoned the less than comforting menus in his canteen to make his own recipes. Clearly, his first years in search of “le bon” (the whole process of sourcing ingredients and applying savoir-faire in order to lead to the ultimate pleasure of the palate) marked his beginnings as a cook.
A free-spirited and curious man, Guillaume Galliot began his apprenticeship in the restaurant business at the age of 15. Eager to find a place that would speak to both his desires and his soul, he followed the paths of several renowned establishments in his native region, the Loire Valley, before settling in the south of France, in Montpellier, at Le Jardin des Sens. The establishment was run by the brothers Jacques and Laurent Pourcel, and was recognized for its warm and friendly gastronomy. Trained in the gestures and know-how of pastry making, he learned the values of generous, frank and straight forward cuisine, respectful of its traditions, its know-how and its teams.
After a brief break at Taillevent, a landmark of Parisian gastronomy, the chef once again joined the Pourcel brothers in their new establishment La Maison Blanche, nestled in the heart of the 8th arrondissement in Paris.
Just like nature, his versatile cuisine expresses itself through a constant desire to conquer new territories. After a first note worthy trip to Singapore in 2001, Guillaume Galliot transformed his appetite for novelty into moments of discovery around the world. Barely 22 years old, this young gastronomic nomad had already exercised his talents in the Caribbean (Saint-Barthélemy), in South-East Asia (Singapore), on the American East Coast (New-York, Miami) as well as in North Africa (Morocco) where he learned the alchemy of spices. Immersed in the richness and abundance of cultures, his cuisine draws an adventurous panorama, made of encounters, innovation and creativity. Although firmly anchored in the truth of a French culinary heritage, the gastronomy of Guillaume Galliot enjoys confronting unknown and often unexpected flavors.
His explorations nourished his memory as a cook. He finally settled his suitcases in China, in Beijing precisely. After four years of a first successful experience as a chef in charge, he continuedhis quest for excellence in Macao. In 2012, attracted by the cosmopolitan energy of this old trading post city, he took over the old restaurant at The Crown hotel, renamed Tasting Room. Barely installed for six months, the Michelin Guide already rewarded his creative impulses with a first star in 2013, then a second star in2016. In his frantic race to always do better, he decided the following year to leave everything to go live in Hong Kong and take over the kitchens of Caprice in 2017, the gourmet restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel. In less than two years, he reached the supreme distinction, the third star.
Among the most incredible tables in Asia, Caprice is a haven of three-star refinement, projected into thefuture vision of its French chef, Guillaume Galliot. With a magnificent room overlooking the port of Hong Kong, the establishment offers all guests in search of visual and flavorful excellence a precious and sophisticated decor of crystalline and dazzling luxury. Made with attention to detail and in the right combination of Chinese-style furniture, Caprice combines the natural charm of noble materials with the vibrant tones of the city. Like the megalopolis that houses it, the restaurant deploys top-notch cosmopolitan cuisine, with finesse and balance. Like Hong Kong, which literally meaning “port of scents”, the menu selection praises nature in full majesty, stretching with splendor its diversity and its riches.
Led by the desire to make Caprice the go-to addressof all epicureans (Chinese and international) in search of something unique, chef Guillaume Galliot has imagined a cuisine with worldwide and universal flavors, marked by French know-how and a very particular affection for Asian terroirs.
