Richard Ekkebus, is the Culinary Director at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, overseeing all cuisine at one of the city’s most luxurious and distinctive five-star hotels.

Richard began his illustrious career via an apprenticeship in his native Holland under Michelin-starred chefs Hans Snijders and Robert Kranenborg. In Holland, he won the prestigious Golden Chef’s Hat for “Young Chef of the Year”, an honour that encouraged him to further perfect his art under the tutelage of some of the greatest three-star chefs in France, including Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Passard and Guy Savoy.

With a strong desire to explore world cuisines, Richard embarked on a  journey that saw him hold executive chef positions first at the Royal Palm in Mauritius and then at The Sandy Lane in Barbados. He accepted the same role for The Landmark Mandarin Oriental in 2005.

Trained in the conventions of classic French cuisine, Richard is much admired for his fresh ideas and innovative spirit. Thus Amber’s cuisine, while built on a solid foundation of traditional French cooking, nevertheless evinces a contemporary, light feel. Here the focus is on superior produce and ingredients in time-honoured dishes with a new twist.

Richard takes particular pride in the superb quality of his ingredients. “There is no compromise regarding quality” he assure. “At Amber, we are committed to using the finest and freshest ingredients sourced from all parts of the world,” he remarks. “Great emphasis is also placed on beautiful, creative presentations employing varying food textures and colours.”

At Amber, diners can sample truly innovative dishes created by Richard and his team, including “Sea urchin in a Lobster Jelly with Cauliflower, Caviar and Crispy Seaweed Waffle”, “Iberian Pork Chin and Cheek with Black Truffle Coulis”, “Line-Caught Amadai with Orange and Fennel Confit”, “Mieral Bresse Pigeon Breast with Wild Cep Mushrooms”, and “Passion Fruit Soufflé with Sticky-Rice Ice Cream.”.

Chef Richard’s culinary creations combine perfectly with Amber’s original interior conceived by iconic designer Adam Tihany. In a city renowned throughout the world for its quality and variety of cuisine, Amber offers the best of modern French cuisine in an elegant and stylish setting.