Frank Lebiez

My name is Frank Lebiez. I’m the proprietor, partner and Chief executive of Metropolitan Restaurant, Hong Kong.

I was born on August 15, 1973 in Normandie, north-west of France, which is famous for its apple orchards, farms and Camembert cheese.

My childhood was the one of a happy boy in a traditional French family. I grow up with the memories of the big tables of friends and family meeting together to enjoy the numerous delicacies that our region and country offer.

Already, as child I used to love cooking with my mum and learning from her the family’s recipes. They have inspired mine nowadays.

The first time i stepped in a professional kitchen, I was 16… just a few years ago, in the previous century.

One of the most interesting besides opening Metropolitain, was my first place of head Chef in London in 2003.
My English was far not so good, lots of pressure, stress and tense, and a country, people, and habits that I wasn’t aware of. Frenchman and an Englishman — oh yes it is a real topic for jokes! It was so exciting and impelling.

It starts first of all with my families, discovering the taste and flavors of each ingredient.
But my real first memories are related to my first job.

I had the chance to find a very good Chef on my early career, who made me understand the respect of the product, and that with simple things you can create something astonishing. He had been a mentor for me. I think that few people in life make you. Some people just change your life and your destiny. He was one of that ones.

My family and experiences inspired my creations.
Normandie is a region full of authentic French products: cheese like Camembert or Pont L’Evêque, butter, cream, lots of seafood like Oyster, scallops, Mussels, Turbot or Lobster, liqueur like calvados or cider…

The years spent in South of France gave my Cuisine a Provencal touch. It’s full of flavors. I like to create lively dishes, using some sunny vegetables for instance eggplant, zucchini, tomato, bell pepper, and of course extra virgin olive oil. I want them colorful like the restaurant’s soul.

Beside cooking… I’m always curious to try and discover new different places, new restaurants and concepts. In Hong Kong things are going and changing so fast. You can eat everything and restaurants open and change so quickly. But it’s very important to see what’s happening in your city to understand the trends and taste of the customers.

Also, to be located in HK allow me to travel easily and I love discovering new countries and cultures, and above all their cuisine and the way to work vegetables, fish, spices… to discover new products and new tastes.
I love sharing time with people, especially with my friends and my family. It’s French style.

I want to wish readers to buy the tickets to the plane, to take a vocation, to come to my restaurant in Hong Kong to discover my creations and share with me their feelings!

The dish in the picture is Pan fried Atlantic cod filet with ratatouille.
I choose this dish, because it’s just me. My soul, my cuisine, my entire being. It summurasises my all career, my all life, my identity.

The cod from the Atlantic where I’m from(very near by), and the ratatouille is how i discover the south of France cuisine 15 years ago.