The three-star ESR TungPo Café is a social enterprise restaurant under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, offering Japanese-Western fusion cuisine. Regularly organising diversified youth programmes and overseas exchange programmes, the café is committed to facilitating the holistic development of young people and promoting a healthy eating culture. The chef Li Ho-fung, Benson, with extensive culinary experience and a knowledge in nutrition, has designed a series of creative dishes that are fibre-rich and healthy. These dishes not only retain the nutritional value of ingredients, but also offer unique flavours, making them a favourite among customers who care about weight management.

Fibre-rich Mushrooms as the Perfect Pairing

"Stir-fried Mixed Mushrooms with Black Truffle Sauce" is one of the restaurant's popular "EatSmart Dishes". Benson carefully selects four types of seasonal mushrooms, namely coprinus comatus, shiitake mushrooms, brown shimeji mushrooms and white button mushrooms, each offering its own unique flavour and texture. Stir-fried with aromatic black truffle sauce, the dish bursts with an intense mushroom aroma. Mushrooms are low in fat and energy, yet rich in dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals, enhancing the nutritional value of the whole dish. The dietary fibre that they contain, in particular, help prolong satiety, aiding in weight management and gut health when enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.

Making Good Use of Natural Ingredients to Reduce the Need for Additional Seasonings

Another special dish at the restaurant, "Portobello Mushroom Risotto in Porcini Mushroom Sauce", as both a "More Fruit and Vegetables" dish and a "3 Less" dish, is also highly popular among the customers. The dish pairs the roasted portobello mushroom with the creamy risotto and the thick porcini mushroom sauce, offering a layered taste experience in every bite. Unlike the traditional method of using chicken stock, Benson cooks the risotto with the vegetable broth made with sweet carrots, onions and celery, giving rise to a fresh and non-greasy flavour. The restaurant replaces ready-made seasonings with the homemade porcini mushroom sauce, the natural umami of which permeates every grain of rice, making the dish healthy and delicious. Since mushrooms tend to absorb a lot of oil during cooking, Benson specially adopts the roasting method to cook the portobello mushroom. This not only significantly reduces the amount of oil used when compared with frying, but also highlights the umami and aroma of the mushrooms, allowing customers to enjoy a dish that is both healthy and flavourful.