[Hong Kong, June 2022] When Shane Osborn first opened the enigmatically named Arcane on On Lan Street in 2014, he set out to create a place that meant more than just good food for guests. During his own formative years in the fine-dining kitchens of London, he’d sketched out his idea of the perfect restaurant - a place that could be found by word-of-mouth, that was understated and humble, and offered genuine hospitality unaffected by trends and fashion.
[Hong Kong, June 2022] When Shane Osborn first opened the enigmatically named Arcane on On Lan Street in 2014, he set out to create a place that meant more than just good food for guests. During his own formative years in the fine-dining kitchens of London, he’d sketched out his idea of the perfect restaurant - a place that could be found by word-of-mouth, that was understated and humble, and offered genuine hospitality unaffected by trends and fashion.
Today, Shane and his team are celebrating the 1st anniversary of The Arcane Collective, a small collection of independently minded restaurants that are ingredient-driven and unpretentious as well as socially and environmentally aware. In addition to the flagship venue Arcane – which has retained its 1-Michelin star status since 2017 – the group includes Cornerstone on Hollywood Road (est. 2019, Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide), and Moxie in the LANDMARK (est. 2021). All three are linked by their intention to empower talent, respect all workers, champion sustainability, and serve amazing food that brings joy to diners.
As a leader, Shane has always been passionate about nurturing the talents of the future. Each of The Arcane Collective’s three venues is helmed by a young chef that has grown under Osborn’s tutelage. Cornerstone is led by Chef Neal Ledesma, who trained under Shane at Arcane for several years before being given his own kitchen to run. In the same way, Chef Michael Smith was Chef de Cuisine at Arcane for four years before launching plant-forward Moxie last year. Arcane itself is now confidently run by Chef Sebastian Lorenzi, a Hong Kong-born and raised talent who started as a sous-chef there back in 2017. In addition to the chefs, Osborn is keen to stress that every member of the team – from guest relations to servers and sommeliers – all have the potential to take their career to the next level with his support.
To commemorate The Arcane Collective’s Anniversary, Chef Sebastian Lorenzi of Arcane, Chef Neal Ledesma of Cornerstone and Chef Michael Smith of Moxie have created a series of limited-run dishes that celebrate the unique style and signature creativity of each of their restaurants as well as the elements that tie the group together.
Over at Moxie, Head Chef Michael Smith has created a refreshing Salad of Taiwanese Water Bamboo, White Asparagus, Kohlrabi and Jicama with Tahini Dressing, while Cornerstone will be offering a Daikon and Mushroom Broth with Edamame, Fresh Black Truffle and Mushroom Dumplings designed by Chef Neal Ledesma. At Arcane, diners can enjoy a sumptuous dessert of Coconut Semi-Freddo with Brown Butter Sable, Sweetcorn Ice Cream and Pecan Caramel created by Pastry Chef Lyca Ramos.
Shane concludes: “Dining with us at each restaurant under The Arcane Collective stimulates the senses, provides comfort, broadens our horizons, and encourages us to rethink our relationship with food, while respecting every person in our ecosystem, from customer to supplier and our team members. As we celebrate our first year, we want to expand this deeply authentic way of understanding food and hospitality and continue to change the conversation around food and restaurants in Hong Kong – and beyond.”
The Arcane Collective’s 1 Anniversary Dishes will be available at their respective venues throughout June and July 2022.
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