SPIKY SWEET SENSATION

It’s a cold Saturday morning in Macau. At 10am, I dread waking up to go for breakfast, but today, we have a special guest in town and I am due to meet with him at The Seasons Training Restaurant, an experiential learning environment for the new Bachelor of Food and Beverage Management Program in the faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the Macau University of Science and Technology.
Fighting the wind with my coat on, I get off the taxi and walk quickly into the The Season’s dining hall. Smiling warmly, the waitress warmly greets us and brings over the brunch menu. While the mysterious special guest that I am about to meet is still busy in the kitchen, my breakfast companion and I order some eggs and bacon to start, getting ourselves ready for some seriously delicious dessert. Finally, the person that I am supposed to see is available for a chat.
At first glance from a distance, Chef Koo, our secret guest of the day, looks a bit like a rock star, with spiky hair. But actually, he is a pastry chef, a very talented one.  Having worked with Pierre Gagnaire, opened his dessert shop, black n white, and culinary school, CHEFS, he is also the host on TVB’s dessert show named “Sweet Gentleman” 甜心先生 and appeared on the Chinese food channel為食台 TVB FOOD .
Standing next to a table full of dessert, I notice the resemblance of the creations with the creator. “The chocolate on top of these two desserts are made in the same style as your hair, my friend. Spiky,” I comment with a smile. The desserts that I am referring to are Coffee Milk Chocolate Cake and Mixed Berries White Chocolate Cake.
“In a way, you are correct. The Coffee Milk Chocolate Cake is a very masculine dessert, designed to be like a glass of latte. On top you have the coffee flavor, and then some creamy touches. At the bottom, you have chocolate. The look is very simple,” he explains.
Chef Koo’s desserts are very Asian in a sense that it is not too sweet, creamy and milky, but not heavy. The texture is not too dense, even can be considered to be fluffy. It’s a beautiful combination. For me personally, the amount of sugar used is just right. Perfection. Mixed Berries White Chocolate Cake is splendid in its orangey, red fashion.
In contrast to the Coffee Milk Chocolate Cake, the Cinnamon Cherry Dark Chocolate Cake is an extremely feminine dessert, with a layer of glittering dark red-violet lacquer on top, which looks like lip gloss.
“This is a reinterpretation of the black forest cake, but layered differently and presented in a more modern, sleek manner,” he says.
“Girls must enjoy working with you because your concepts are so original and colorful,” I say.
“Yes, I am very happy to be here in Macau and sharing my passion for pastry with the students at MUST. You must have patience to work as a pastry chef, and I see the potential of the students because they put a lot of effort in learning. I hope the students enjoyed working with me, especially the girls,” he indicates.