Within the stylishly minimalistic confines of FZN crafted by Björn Frantzen in Dubai, head Chef Torsten Vildgaard presents a delicate serving of XO sauce paired with the primary dish featuring barbecued duck and foie gras. This rich sauce boasts profound umami notes harmoniously mingled with a touch of caramelize sweetness and an underlying earthy nuance, subtly infused with smokiness—a delight when spread over the soft bread served beside the duck.
It appears to be an improbable seasoning to encounter from a renowned chef. BjOrn Frantzen It turned out that XO sauce – an indispensable item in Cantonese pantries – initially gained prominence at the three-Michelin-starred Nordic-Asian restaurant Frantzen in Stockholm. Later, it also made its appearance at their sibling establishment, Zen, located in Singapore.
At FZN, the 27-seat restaurant that launched in November at Atlantis The Palm, Vildgaard (who was formerly in charge of research and development at Noma in Copenhagen ) prepares the XO sauce by finely mincing garlic, shallots, smoked celeriac, chanterelles, red chilies, and shiitake mushrooms before separately deep-frying each ingredient. Afterward, he incorporates a concentrated kelp dashi to meld all components, mixing it with the flavorful fried oil. Besides serving it as a dip for bread, he occasionally employs it in sauces to enhance their savory profile.
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We selected this dish for our launch menu as it beautifully enhances the primary meal," explains Vildgaard. "Additionally, it’s vegetarian, which makes it an excellent choice that caters to most of our diners. I am particularly fond of recipes that showcase the botanical world.
FZN is among the growing list of leading eateries worldwide that have created their own renditions of Hong Kong’s iconic XO sauce. Despite its precise beginnings remaining unclear, The XO sauce was developed in the 1980s. , numerous people think according to an anonymous chef Spring Moon at The Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong.
The chef christened it "XO chili sauce," where "XO" typically denotes an "extra old" cognac, symbolizing top-tier quality associated with 1980s Hong Kong. This condiment is genuinely crafted using premium components like conpoy (dried scallops), dried shrimp, and Jinhua ham from Zhejiang Province. It remains contentious whether a sauce qualifies as XO without incorporating these essential elements. Nonetheless, culinary professionals across the globe assert they've drawn inspiration from this quintessential export of Hong Kong’s gourmet scene.
Nevertheless, Vildgaard observes increasing enthusiasm for more than just XO sauce. He notes, “Outside of Asia, Chinese cuisine is becoming increasingly popular, particularly among culinary professionals. In recent years, there has been a notable rise in interest regarding various regional Chinese cuisines. Chefs are exploring traditional Chinese cooking methods and ingredients, frequently blending them with other culinary traditions to develop innovative dishes that attract a wider range of diners.”
Dabiz Munoz , named world's best chef between 2021 and 2023 by the Best Chef Awards, was one of the first in European fine dining to take inspiration from Chinese cuisine, going so far as to name his three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Madrid, DiverXO, after the sauce with which he "fell totally in love" on first taste.
Other notable chefs like Junghyun "JP" Park have also featured XO sauce on their menus, including serving Japanese butterfish paired with scallop XO sauce at his establishment in New York. Atomix , which placed sixth on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list. XO has also made its way onto the prix-fixe menu at Atoboy, Atomix's informal sister restaurant, where it has been paired with scallops and cara cara orange.
At Hom, a restaurant located within the stunning white temple-style Sawan Pavilion at the InterContinental Phuket Resort, head chef Ricardo Nunes crafted an XO sauce primarily utilizing locally-sourced ingredients such as dried Thai scallops, palm sugar, cured meats, tomato tamari, and black garlic vinegar. This sauce was then applied to wild boar belly which had undergone fermentation for two days with koji and blackened durian “to amplify the umami and delectability of the meat,” according to Nunes.
At the Two Michelin-starred establishment The Clove Club in London, Chef Isaac McHale He learned how to prepare XO sauce at the renowned Sydney-based Cantonese seafood restaurant, Golden Century, where he would often enjoy pipis—clams found in South Australia—with this flavorful sauce. To put his personal spin on the condiment, McHale dries out the adductor muscles extracted from scallops as an internal substitute for conpoy. This customized XO sauce then complements a dish featuring fresh white crab meat alongside sprouted grains and walnuts.
Several eateries are now venturing into retail sales: Noma Projects, the Danish eatery’s store designed for home chefs, has developed a vegan XO sauce made from smoked pumpkin, sun-dried tomatoes, roses, and wild peppercorns. This product can be purchased online during its seasonal availability.
However, even as Chinese culinary arts gain recognition among global chefs, their impact is slower to spread in certain regions. Stefan Doubek, owner of his namesake, two Michelin-starred restaurant in Vienna which specializes in open-fire cooking, notes that genuine Chinese cuisine remains largely unfamiliar in Austria.
He explains, “If it does exist, it has only recently gained attention from chefs here over the past two to three years.” He further notes, “Given the vastness of Chinese cuisine, one would need several years of dedicated study to properly honor and appreciate it. While adaptations of Chinese food tailored to suit European tastes have become common in Austria since the 1990s, they aren’t considered truly authentic.”
After sampling the sauce at a restaurant in Thailand, Doubek created his own rendition of XO.
"Following months of experimentation, I succeeded in crafting a sauce that brings the thrill of novel flavors while also providing a comforting familiarity,” he explains. “This condiment completely embraces the inherent taste and evolves simultaneously. These aspects are precisely what I seek in my recipes.”
For his sauce, Doubek utilizes dried residual scallops, shrimp, and mussels—incorporating even parts typically discarded, like scallop roe. He processes each ingredient uniquely: after soaking the dried mussels in sake, he steam-cooks them before sautéing them in peanut oil. Subsequently, all components are combined and fried in cooking oil until they meld together, with the mussels imparting robust umami flavors throughout.
He mentions that his sauce consists of roughly 25 ingredients and requires about six days to prepare," he states, accompanied by a fleeting grin. "This is likely the sole recipe he doesn’t readily disclose to everybody.
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