Exotica Umami EX M is a locally developed multipurpose flavor-enhancing sauce inspired by ancient Roman culinary traditions.
What began as a seasoning developed for a small Causeway Bay burger shop has found its way into some of Hong Kong’s most polished kitchens.
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Exotica Umami EX M, a locally developed multipurpose flavor-enhancing sauce inspired by ancient Roman culinary traditions, has recently been adopted by restaurants at JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, including Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Man Ho.
It has also been selected as a designated seasoning for an upcoming citywide all-electric cooking competition promoting lower-carbon and more sustainable ways of cooking.
The sauce was created by Dan Gan, founder of local brand Exotica Gelatea. Its earliest incarnation was used as the exclusive marinade and seasoning at a small burger shop on Sharp Street East in Causeway Bay, whose burgers were ranked among the world’s best by UK food publication Lovefood in 2024.
That neighborhood beginning eventually attracted the attention of the management team at JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong after they tried the burgers. Gan later closed the burger shop to concentrate on refining the formula, before bringing an upgraded version of the sauce into the hotel kitchen for practical cooking demonstrations.
Following trials by the culinary team, the sauce was found to enhance both the texture and umami character of ingredients including meat. It was first introduced at the teppanyaki station in the hotel’s Lounge, where it quickly gained traction among the wider kitchen team.
Dan Gan (center), developer of Exotica Umami EX M and founder of Exotica Gelatea, joins Tony Wong (left), Executive Chef of JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, and Jayson Tang (right), chef of the hotel’s Michelin-starred Man Ho, to present EXOTICA UMAMI EX M, which is now used across the hotel’s kitchens.
From teppanyaki to Chinese fine dining
The sauce’s use within the hotel later expanded under Executive Chef Tony Wong, who introduced it across several outlets.
Among the applications are EX M Char Siu and specially created EX M-themed set menus, where the sauce is used in marinades and glazes to add tenderness and greater depth of flavor.
Its progression eventually brought it to Michelin-starred Man Ho, led by Chef Jayson Tang.
Trials in the Chinese kitchen found another potential use beyond flavor enhancement. The sauce was shown to help improve the texture of refrigerated or overnight ingredients, including frog legs, meat and seafood, bringing their cooked texture closer to that of fresh ingredients.
For a professional kitchen, the implication goes beyond taste. By helping chefs make better use of ingredients that might otherwise lose their ideal texture during storage, the sauce may offer another way of reducing the wastage associated with highly perishable produce.
Man Ho has since incorporated the sauce into selected signature dishes, with plans for comparative tasting sessions for media and guests to demonstrate its effect on texture, umami and the lingering richness often described as kokumi.
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It is a small example of how sustainability in restaurants does not always begin with dramatic changes. Sometimes, it can come down to finding better ways to use what is already in the kitchen.
A seasoning for a greener competition
As EX M found a wider audience among professional chefs, television and food industry personality Robert Chua also took notice of its versatility.
Its ability to replace several basic seasonings, enhance savory flavors and potentially shorten parts of the cooking process led Chua to see a natural connection with all-electric cooking. Its application to frozen ingredients was another consideration, particularly as kitchens look for ways to combine efficiency with lower waste.
He subsequently proposed the sauce as a designated seasoning for the 2026 Green & Sustainable All-Electric Cooking Competition, which is now open for entries.
Television and food industry personality Robert Chua sees Exotica Umami EX M as a versatile seasoning that can support more efficient and sustainable cooking, particularly in all-electric kitchens.
Organized by the Hong Kong China Women Chefs Association and the Hong Kong International Culinary Arts Association, with full support from CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, the competition brings together the themes of culinary creativity, energy efficiency and more sustainable food preparation.
The competition is divided into three categories — Young Chef, Professional Chef and Amateur Cook — opening the concept of sustainable cooking not only to working chefs but also to the next generation and home cooks.
Entries close at 6pm on September 3, with the first stage of competition to be held at the VTC International Culinary Institute on October 13.
Diners get the final say
The competition will move beyond the judging room for its final stage.
Nine finalists will have their recipes recreated by the culinary team at JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong and served at the hotel’s buffet restaurant from November 1 to 21. Members of the public will be able to taste the dishes and vote for their favorites, giving diners a direct role in deciding the eventual winners.
Television and food industry personality Robert Chua (fourth left), Dan Gan (fourth right), developer of Exotica Umami EX M and founder of Exotica Gelatea, Tony Wong (third right), Executive Chef of JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, and Jayson Tang (third left), Executive Chinese Chef of Man Ho, pose with the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong management team.
Prizes include cash awards for the top three contestants in each category, alongside hotel accommodation and dining prizes worth a total of HK$36,000.
The arrangement also turns the competition into something more tangible than a showcase for chefs. By placing the finalist dishes on a hotel buffet, ideas around electric cooking, ingredient efficiency and sustainability can be experienced at the dining table rather than remaining abstract concepts.
