A Mid-Autumn Feast at aKin 藝術之味：中秋靈感菜單
Written by 撰文: The FÍte Chinoise Team
Photography: Calvin Lee
As Featured in Fête Chinoise the art of celebration edition no.2
entrance to akin restaurant toronto.
elegant decor at akin restaurant toronto.
On September 19, 2025, on the eve of the release of this story in the Fête Chinoise Art of Celebration No.2, Chef Eric Chong was the winner of the Michelin Guide Toronto & Region 2025 Young Chef Award, and his restaurant aKin awarded its first Michelin star.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a special occasion in Chinese culture that symbolizes reunion, abundance, and heritage, centered around food and family gatherings. Chef Eric Chong of aKin thoughtfully designed a festive menu for this second edition of our Art of Celebration annual—one that blends traditional meanings with contemporary creativity and craft, interpreting the festival through the lens of modern Cantonese fine dining cuisine.
Since its opening, aKin has impressed guests with a highly visual experience through a refined and nuanced approach to modern Cantonese culinary aesthetics. This unique collaboration aims to explore the cultural and emotional connections carried by the Mid-Autumn Festival through cuisine, inviting readers to savour the nostalgia and sentiment behind the celebration.
Chef Eric’s meticulously designed menu incorporates a myriad of Asian elements, featuring premium ingredients such as monkfish liver, caviar, salmon skin, hairy crab, crab roe, duck, salted duck egg yolk, foie gras, sea urchin, abalone, goji berries, ginseng, osmanthus, white lotus paste, and red beans. Each dish carries festive symbolism and emotional depth.
With exquisite technique and rich imagination, the culinary team pays homage to Cantonese cuisine into every dish through intricate details..
At aKin’s table, flavor, culture, and memory intertwine—masterfully showcasing the art behind each meal at a celebration.
中秋是華人文化中象徵團圓、豐收與傳承的節日。 在這個充滿詩意的時節，Fête Chinoise 特別邀請 aKin 主廚 Eric Chong 張華聰，
為《Art of Celebration》年度特刊構思一套融合傳統意涵與當代創意的節日菜單，以現代粵菜詮釋傳統節慶。 自 aKin 開幕以來，客人對其細緻入微的現代粵菜美學印象深刻。此次合作，旨在透過料理探索中秋節承載的文化與情感連結， 邀請讀者一同細味佳節的深層意義。 Eric 精心設計的菜單融合多種亞洲元素，選用鮟鱇魚肝、魚子醬、鮭魚皮、大閘蟹、蟹膏、鴨、鹹鴨蛋黃、鵝肝、海膽、鮑魚、枸杞、 人參、桂花、白蓮蓉與紅豆等珍貴食材，每一道菜皆蘊含節慶寓意與深厚情感。 透過精湛技藝與豐富想像力，主廚將粵菜的精髓注入每一道佳餚，致意中秋文化。 aKin 的餐桌上，滋味、文化與回憶交織，
匠心呈現節日的獨特魅力，也是我們對「慶典之藝術」的真摯致敬。
Chef eric Chong. Owner of akin restaurant toronto.
Anatomy of a Fish
A whole fish is a powerful symbol of abundance and unity, especially during Mid-Autumn, traditionally served whole to signify completeness. This dish deconstructs that symbolism, showcasing five parts of the fish, each prepared with care to honour the philosophy of using the whole animal. The journey through the anatomy of a fish includes: the bone, a delicate tuile topped with umeboshi sweet and sour gel; liver as Monkfish liver parfait; tartelette of assorted caviars for eggs; crispy salmon skin seasoned with salted duck egg and curry leaves; and flesh represented as a crispy roll of otoro topped with dehydrated caviar. This course celebrates both craftsmanship and respect for every part of the fish.
Oolong Island Iced Tea
The Oolong Island Iced Tea is a long island accentuated by house-made Oolong pop in place of coke. This cocktail encapsulates the entire spectrum of oolong tea, from its sweet and creamy beginning to its bitter and tannic finish. This playful cocktail celebrates the
Mid-Autumn tradition of moon gazing with tea, while Oolong also represents balance.
Abalone Chawanmushi
A savoury steamed egg custard infused with uni and abalone, topped with grilled abalone and finished with a Chinese red vinegar foam. This dish evokes the ocean’s bounty and a Mid-Autumn wish for continued prosperity. Abalone is a symbol of wealth and abundance, while chawanmushi offers the soft elegance of seasonal comfort. The Chinese red vinegar foam adds acidity and contrast, reflecting the balance of richness and restraint — presented in a unique vessel reminiscent of the sea.
Chicken & Ginseng Congee Sphere +
Shanghai Sling Sphere with Baijiu
The Chicken and Ginseng Congee Sphere is a delicate sphere filled with savoury chicken and ginseng congee. The thin membrane bursts in the mouth, offering warmth and depth in one bite, reminiscent of a family bowl of soup during autumn nights. Ginseng is prized in Chinese medicine for energy and vitality, and congee is the ultimate comfort food. This single bite captures both health and heart,
perfect for a festival centred on nourishment and family connection.
Shanghai Sling is a complex yet refreshing burst of flavour. This cocktail sphere takes the classic Singapore sling and replaces gin with baijiu, and pineapple juice with a modified tropical green tea.
Crystal Dumpling
The crystal dumpling is meticulously pleated and filled with duck confit and foie gras, served in a clear duck consommé. The translucent skin and intense depth of flavour offer a modern interpretation of Mid Autumn nostalgia. Dumplings are a classic symbol of reunion and duck is a festive autumn ingredient associated with fidelity and joy. This dish elevates tradition through precision and beauty, with over 100 intricate pleats, each done by hand, and a decadent filling with a consommé that deepens its warmth.
Gojira
A simplistic yet elegant riff on a timeless classic: the margarita. This cocktail takes acidulated tea and goji berry cordial to create a crushable and delectable flavour with a hint of elderflower and smoke in the background.
Typhoon Shelter Hairy Crab Fried Rice
Rice is cooked in crab stock, wok fried with preserved vegetables and shellfish, then coated in a sauce made entirely of hairy crab tomalley and meat. It’s finished with three types of caviar and aKin’s own housemade typhoon shelter crumb for heat and texture. Hairy crab is the ultimate Mid-Autumn delicacy in Chinese cuisine, prized for its rich tomalley. This dish captures that opulence with layered crab flavour, preserved vegetables for umami, and the bold crunch of typhoon shelter spices, a nod to Cantonese cooking’s street roots, elevated.
This dish is a decadent yet grounded celebration of the season.
Moon Cake
A tea infused sponge cake shaped like a traditional Chinese teapot, served alongside creamy chestnut ice cream. This dessert closes the meal with elegance and sentiment, inspired by the ritual of sharing tea during Mid Autumn gatherings. Chef reimagines the traditional mooncake as a playful teapot to honour the Mid-Autumn tradition of drinking tea under the full moon. The chestnut ice cream highlights the seasonal harvest and adds warmth and richness to this final course.
Matcha Latte Martini
Inspired by yuan yang, matcha and coffee come together to create an unorthodox riff on both the espresso martini and matcha latte. Matcha sweetness meets coffee complexity with a touch of chocolate in this delectable dessert cocktail.
Petit Fours - Osmanthus Pâte de Fruits with Goji Berries
A chewy pâte de fruits infused with floral osmanthus and studded with sweet goji berries. A light and fragrant start to the petit fours selection. Osmanthus represents nobility, beauty and joy, while goji berries are associated with vitality and balance.
Together, they symbolize a wish for long life and sweet moments with loved ones.
Petit Fours - Salted Duck Egg Canelé
A caramelised crust gives way to a custardy centre, enriched with salted duck egg yolk for a savoury depth, giving a clever twist on a holiday staple for this dish. The golden yolk is symbolic of the full moon and is believed to bring good fortune. Its richness also
reflects the generosity of autumn harvest.
Petit Fours - Lotus Bon Bon
Silky white lotus seed paste encased in crisp chocolate, offers sweetness and smoothness in harmony. A bite of tradition reimagined with finesse in this dessert. The lotus flower and seed represent purity, enlightenment and continuity across generations. It is one of the most beloved symbols of Chinese festivals.
Petit Fours - Red Bean Macaron
A light macaron shell filled with smooth red bean paste brings a gentle nostalgic close to the meal. Red beans are tied to warmth,
love and reunion. It often appears in festival desserts as a comforting and familiar taste.
Nan Shufang, the cultural heart of Amanyangyun.
bar station at akin restaurant toronto.
Read more
A First Look at aKin. The New & Beautiful Asian Fine Dining Restaurant in Toronto
Toronto’s food lovers are no strangers to the names Chef Alvin Leung and Eric Chong. Alvin, a three-Michelin-starred chef renowned for his boundary-pushing creations, and Eric, the first winner of MasterChef Canada, have joined forces to introduce aKin—a modern Asian fine dining restaurant that promises to redefine the city’s culinary landscape. Nestled in the heart of Toronto’s Old Town at 51 Colborne Street, aKin offers a dining experience that is as daring as it is refined.
We had the privilege of attending an exclusive preview night, giving us a first taste of this much-anticipated culinary destination.
Read more >
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