Enter a world of pure imagination at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong’s dedicated chocolate factory

A dedicated confectionery room is hidden away in the maze of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong’s expansive kitchen. It’s here where Executive Pastry Chef Paul Chan and his team conceptualise, refine, and, most importantly, taste their latest chocolate creations. 

As Easter approaches, we sat down with Chef Chan to learn how the team prepares to cater to Hong Kong’s chocolatey desires during one of the busiest periods in the kitchen calendar.  

What inspired this year’s Easter collection? 

The Easter collection is actually a funny story with my wife. The main collection idea came from a conversation with her telling me about the Alice in the Wonderland movie, and to her surprise, I have never seen the movie so we watched it together. The Dark Chocolate Whimsical Easter Garden Egg is like the fantasy land that Alice was in, with colourful and whimsical butterflies and flowers. The Easter bunny is inspired from one of the main characters with the playing cards and a “heart” baton. 

When do you start preparing for Easter?

I keep a notebook and jot down ideas for different collections throughout the year. As a team, we’ll start preparing for Easter six months in advance. I check sales from last year’s collection to see what was popular, and I also check what other hotels have produced recently to ensure we stay distinct and unique. Then, I’ll sketch my ideas. My admin team briefs other departments within the hotel, and we make samples. The departments gather to review and taste. We continually refine until we are happy. 

How do you make the Easter moulds? 

The chocolate moulds are made by hand, often using real objects. For example, I’ll create a cellophane mould of an actual golf ball and use this to make chocolate golf balls.

What’s unique about the pastry kitchen at Mandarin Oriental? 

I’ve been working at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, for 16 years and have no desire to go anywhere else. Our pastry kitchen is incredibly unique in Hong Kong. It’s huge, and I have everything I need to be creative. We are the only hotel in Hong Kong with a fully functioning chocolate room. It’s so rare to have this type of machinery within a hotel.

How does the kitchen strive for sustainability?

Our sourcing team opts for fair trade, sustainable ingredients. We emphasise a plastic-free approach across the board and we only use cage-free eggs. We source raw cacao from Valrhona in Paris, which is certified fair trade. 

We control production, focusing on creating just enough and not overproducing. We also reuse where possible. For example, the chocolate displays around the hotel are melted and made into new displays. Similarly, unused croissants from the morning bake are ground down and used in products that need dry breadcrumbs, such as bread pudding. 

What does a pastry chef eat on a typical day? (we’re intrigued!) 

I have black coffee. I must constantly taste throughout the day, so I don’t have breakfast or lunch. In the morning, I’ll taste the croissants with my coffee. I used to have to taste everything; now I use my other senses too; I can tell that the baguettes are good just by looking at them. I’ll have dinner around 10 pm or 11 pm. 

How do you see AI changing life in the pastry kitchen? 

I thought about this a few years ago when I saw the advancements in 3D printing. But there are things that computers will never be able to do; they will never be able to create something with passion and love, and they cannot taste like I can. There’s also an increasing interest in storytelling; guests want to know where ingredients come from and exactly how things are made, and for this reason, I think we’ll see a return to more traditional methods, which is why our young pastry chefs need to hold on to this knowledge. 

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong’s Easter Treats collection is available at The Mandarin Cake Shop or online here for orders placed before March 29. Delivery is until April 1.

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road, Central, mandarinoriental.com