Has “fusion” ceased to be a dirty word among chefs?

For many years, gimmicky creations such as Korean-Mexican tacos, sushi burritos and Peking duck pizza defined the genre-bending food trend. To serious chefs, such dishes mostly inspired an eye roll and a shrug.

But a new generation of Hong Kong chefs is happy to utter this “F” word as they dabble in elevated East-West culinary crossover.

Their bold melding of disparate ingredients and techniques has resulted in ambitious “third-culture” restaurants that are neither Chinese nor Western but a tasty mash-up of influences.

One such restaurant is Amalgamate, by chef Kasey Chan. The Hong Kong native has over 20 years of fine-dining experience, including in Michelin-star restaurants Amber, L’Envol and VEA. Most recently, he was the head of Cafe Bau, a modern Chinese venue opened by Bo Innovation’s Alvin Leung.

At Amalgamate, in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay neighbourhood, Chan crosses culinary boundaries.