Max Levy is bringing the heat—this time with a pizza residency at Upper House
Max Levy doesn’t rush into things. After spending 25 years refining his technique as a sushi chef across Asia—most recently at the now-closed Okra in Hong Kong—he’s turning his attention to pizza. But this isn’t a pivot born from trend-chasing or reinvention for its own sake; it’s the result of decades spent studying fermentation, seasonality and the slow food movement’s insistence on patience and integrity in the kitchen.
His upcoming residency at Upper House, running from March 11 through May 1, is an exercise in intimacy: ten seats, one sitting per night, three nights a week. The format is a progression of small-format pies that build on one another, each shaped by Levy’s exacting standards for ingredients and technique. It’s a return to his New Orleans roots, filtered through the lens of a chef who’s spent his career in Asia, and it's perhaps the most personal work he’s done yet.
The residency takes place in Chef's Room—a culinary studio tucked within Salisterra's private dining space. Conceived under the guidance of chef Ricardo Chaneton, the venue strips away the formalities of traditional restaurant service in favour of something more immediate: a direct exchange between kitchen and guest. It's a space built for collaboration, hosting a rotating cast of chefs from around the world in residencies that prioritise craft and connection over convention.
Ahead of the residency, Tatler speaks to Levy about what led him here and what Asian cuisine and pizza have in common.
See also: Lindsay Jang and Matt Abergel on their new eatery, Always Joy, and the lasting appeal of Yardbird
Max Levy (Photo: courtesy of Upper House)
Max Levy (Photo: courtesy of Upper House)
Hi Max! You’ve spent two decades as a chef cooking primarily Asian cuisine—how does that discipline show up in the way you approach pizza?I think about pizza the same way that I think about rice or fish: time and ratios. Even though I spent the first part of my teenage years working in pizza restaurants, the attention to detail to the dough in the 1990s was not as high as say, the attention to the quality of ingredients. It wasn’t until a year ago through a conversation with chef Daniele Cason [executive chef at the Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo and the creator of The Pizza Bar on 38th] about hydration or the amount of water for different flours and dough that I made the connection to all my years working with rice—and driving my staff nuts about adjusting the water by one or two grams based on the fluctuation of humidity levels in Hong Kong.
Inside the private dining experience (Photo: courtesy of Upper House)
Inside the private dining experience (Photo: courtesy of Upper House)
What led you to pizza after a sushi bar? Tatler is a huge fan of how your wife, Lindsay, documented your process on social media.We are all huge fans of Lindsay Jang’s work and how she’s able to amplify my nerdiness with only an iPhone and a handheld light. Pizza was something that I always wanted to return to but hadn’t really found the inspiration. Fomo was definitely a trigger at the beginning, but it was the daily work of building and tearing apart the dough, in search of some sort of unique, personal idea of perfection that kept me going.
You’re often described as a slow food advocate in a city that moves incredibly fast. What does that philosophy look like in practice?[Laughs] Yes, it’s not easy in Hong Kong, but it becomes more practical and less theoretical every year. Growing up in New Orleans and then cooking in cities like New York and Beijing, where the seasons can determine up to 50 per cent of your menu sometimes, trains you to think on your feet. Hong Kong has quite a lot of unique ingredients to work with if you are willing to take the time to understand them. Items like Phoenix eye nuts and rice shoots are hyper local and go a bit beyond the pea shoots and choi sum, but are quite rewarding when treated properly.
Inside the private dining experience (Photo: courtesy of Upper House)
Inside the private dining experience (Photo: courtesy of Upper House)
The format is intimate—ten seats per sitting. What can diners expect from the experience that they wouldn’t get at a traditional pizzeria?That’s the tricky part—keeping it fun. A lot of that falls on me of course, but with the round table format, I wanted it to feel like an open conversation about people’s experiences with pizza—as a child, an adult and a consumer. The pizza goes into the middle of the table every time it comes out of the oven to encourage everyone to socialise a bit. All the tasting menus, degustations and omakase over the last decade have taken a lot of the fun out of eating out for me. As [a former] sushi chef, I wholly own my part in [that], but it was never my intention, and I strongly believe that part of eating out should be about making connections—either with your companions or new ones.
You mention revisiting your early influences in New Orleans. How does that translate into pizza, and what unexpected flavours or techniques from that might guests encounter?Nothing specific that you can use as a soundbite [laughs]. I would say the social atmosphere and experimentation of different flavour combinations come above all else. New Orleans may not be on the pizza map, but it has always been a place that was unafraid to make pizza its own—using locally made sausages like andouille, Creole cream cheese, or one of my favourite toppings of all time: fried green tomatoes.
You’re doing this residency at Upper House rather than opening a permanent space—yet. What appeals to you about the residency format right now?Upper House is one of the premier destinations in Hong Kong and I have a history with [the brand] going back to one of my first restaurants, Bei, at The Opposite House in Beijing. I really just wanted to share the experience that I have been having at home, almost every single night for the last six months, with more people. With the right partner, I hope to develop the idea into a larger space that retains the fun but is also open to bigger groups and families.
For someone who’s never experienced your food before, what’s the one thing you hope they take away from the evening?An open mind.
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