One was from The Hilton in Tokyo and one was from the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. So I applied to every single hotel chain I could think of around the world and I got two different offers. When I reached 19, after the military service, I found that I wasn’t really going anywhere – I had no school, no languages, no real basic foundation on how to do anything than be a waiter. I progressed into being a waiter and then later on a bartender. I started washing dishes at a nearby hotel and fell in love with the business. Following their two most recent openings – Chifa and Madame Ching – we spoke to Christian Talpo and Manuel Palacio about what it really takes to make it in Hong Kong’s competitive restaurant industry and their naughtiest kids (read: restaurants):
