Chef of the Moment: Faith & Flower’s Michael Hung on flavors that pop

Michael Hung is the executive chef of Faith & Flower, the luxurious downtown restaurant that the team behind the L.A. Food & Wine festival opened last month.

He started his culinary career in New York, staging at Daniel and Aquavit instead of finishing culinary school, then moved to San Francisco to work for Traci Des Jardins at Jardiniere.

Hung also directed the kitchen at kaiseki-inspired Bushi-Tei and was chef de cuisine at Roland Passot’s La Folie. He also founded and ran the philanthropic pop-up dinner series Red Sparrow, consulted for the animated movie “Ratatouille” and earned a master’s in fiction writing.

His California menu at Faith & Flower reflects the influences of global cuisines and local farmers markets, with dishes such as duck liver mousse tarts with grenadine-candied onions; oxtail agnolotti with bone marrow butter, tangerine salsa and chicharrones; deviled Jidori eggs with kimchi; eggs Benedict pizza; mushroom-stuffed quail; and seared branzino with marinated rock shrimp and blood orange bearnaise.

What’s coming up next on your menu?

Items on the menu are changing week to week, depending on what excites me. The past few days have brought in super-fresh and dirty green garlic, beautiful fava beans, ramps from the East Coast and some amazing French radishes. I am serving these spring vegetables together in a ragout with sautéed sweetbreads and black pepper streusel ... it’s just a big bowl of bold spring flavors.

Latest ingredient obsession?

When I am working on the flavors for a dish, I always want an ingredient that pops -- something that creates an instant contrast with other flavors. For me, finding little condiments and garnishes that have this quality is important. Right now I am using dried Asian shrimp to make a gremolata. I fry them slowly in olive oil until they are golden brown and chop them into a rough texture. The shrimps have the slight crunch of a bread crumb but are packed with umami.

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives?

I have two spoons that I’ve used since I started on the line at Jardiniere nine years ago, both of them given to me by Traci Des Jardins.

What’s your favorite breakfast?

Congee with pork and preserved egg. That is real comfort for me. I can start any day with that.

The last cookbook you read -- and what inspired you to pick it up?

The “Manresa: An Edible Reflection” cookbook. My girlfriend, Michelle, bought it for me as a gift, and she and I spent the afternoon lounging on the couch and flipping pages.

Faith & Flower, 705 W. 9th St., Los Angeles, (213) 239-0642, www.faithandflowerla.com.