Esther Sham’s French restaurant Maison Es is celebrating a milestone few in Hong Kong reach, and this is what it means to her
Obscured in semi-secrecy within the vibey Starstreet Precinct neighbourhood, Wan Chai’s Maison Es emulates the aura of Paris’ bistrots, complete with a necessary French romance and elegance.
This year, the French restaurant led by Esther Sham is enjoying its 10th year in business, an achievement few Hong Kong restaurants achieve amidst the pendulum swinging chaos of the local hospitality industry.
“No, of course not!” Esther replies when quizzed on if she expected to hit her decade milestone. “It seems like just last year that we were renovating [Maison Es]; it went in a blink of an eye.”
Esther’s adoration for French food, its precision, creativity, and ode to tradition, led her away from a former career in modelling and towards the kitchen a decade and a half ago.
To keep in shape for the runway, she began experimenting in the kitchen with new diets, later inspiring her to join an apprenticeship at then-three-Michelin starred L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Hong Kong to study the art of food. A tutelage under chef Richard Ekkebus of Amber followed soon after.
“French cuisine, when compared to other cuisines, has so much more technique, creativity, and history to it. The way they run a kitchen and operate [a restaurant] fascinates me!”
Yet, Maison Es is anything but traditional. Whilst the restaurant’s Instagrammable interior follows a strong French motif, Esther eschews age-old techniques, instead relying on “creative French food” as embodied in Amber. To appeal to a local palette, a touch of Hong Kong comes into play.
“We have introduced Hong Kong flavours to our signature beef tartare dish [with a Hong Kong-style satay emulsion. Our pigeon is brined and served with a sweet plum pigeon jus.”
Most dishes on the à la carte and tasting menu carry a strong Hong Kong characteristic: the langoustine is served with cuttlefish noodles, the Wagyu wellington is roasted with a chu hou soybean paste, the octopus carries a char siu glaze, and the French toast dessert is served with a Hong Kong milk tea ice cream.
“Over 10 years, we have been able to carve out a space in the market to serve luxury comfort food. Food that you can feel comfortable with, but you cannot make at home. Maison Es is a restaurant that you can come back to frequently.”
Esther shares that her inspirations for dishes are from returning friends and guests who share the dining experiences abroad, seeking to emulate the French touch.
Similarly to the chef’s first venture into the restaurant scene with Ta Pantry in 2008, one of Hong Kong’s first private kitchen, where her signature creative French food style enthralled foodies, Esther sees the relationship between the location, interior design, and food style of Maison Es as equally engaging, a key reason for its longevity.
The location of the restaurant in Starstreet Precinct embodies “an escape space in the middle of this part of Hong Kong Island, where people can relax and enjoy a little taste of France but with a touch of Asia,” she notes.
Beyond the typical trappings of Sheung Wan and Central, playing host to dozens of French restaurants, this corner of Wan Chai has allowed Esther to differentiate herself and create a wholly experiential space for diners.
In the last few years in business, Esther has taken notice of the changing diets and dining habits of Hong Kongers. Her guests are dining more on weekday nights and leaving town during long weekend holidays, formerly her most popular dining period pre-pandemic.
She states however that Maison Es has quickly become a favourite for wedding parties, a chance to dip one’s toes into a piece of France without leaving the city.
Esther regularly hosts philanthropic events at the restaurant such as depression awareness seminars and free afternoon tea sessions for women groups. As for the big 10 year celebration, Esther hosted a grand cocktail party in early May to thank her repeating patrons.
As a working mother, the chef is keen to advocate for women in similar positions as herself when meeting goals: “Hong Kong’s working moms should stay strong, stay focused, and never stop. It is important to never stop loving yourself, your kids, your family, and your work.”
Visit Maison Es today to explore Esther Sham’s meeting of romantic French flavours with a touch of Hong Kong
