Arturo Melendez

Peruvian Culinary Director

Hailing from Peru, Chef Arturo’s love of cooking began at an early age when he spent his days with his Grandmother helping her around the kitchen.

With a passion for the complexities and multiculturalism of Peruvian cuisine, Arturo was eager to bring the country’s unique recipes, flavours and culture to the world.His travels have brought him to South Africa, Hong Hong, Singapore and finally back to Hong Kong again where he has helmed the kitchen at TokyoLima since March 2017. In 2019, he was made Peruvian Culinary Director at Pirata Group and has since implemented a new dynamic menu at Chifa.

Arturo respects the traditional techniques and history behind each recipe, adding his own personal flair for food that makes each dish unforgettable.

Antonino Assenzo

Director of Operations

Passionate about hospitality since a young age, Director of Operations Antonino Assenzo is keen to develop and offer new exceptional dining experience to all of Pirata Group’s guests. Born and raised in Sicily, he started travelling around Italy soon after his Catering and Tourism vocational school graduation to gain experience in hotels and restaurants. He later moved to the UK to expand his knowledge and skills at international level.

In London, Antonino built his career working for the restaurants at renowned art galleries and cultural hubs, such as the Tate Modern and the National Gallery. Over a 10-year long experience, he had the opportunity to learn about British and worldwide cuisines, F&B UK regulations, and to understand the key ways to provide the best customer service to local Londoners and tourists. He developed his strong leadership and people skills at work, as well as during his Hospitality Management Degree studies at University of West London.

Antonino’s desire to take on new challenges and explore into the industry led him to experience the fine dining world whilst working at the Hakkasan Group. His last adventure before moving to Hong Kong was at a Brazilian Nikkei restaurant. Antonino he is super excited to lead three Pirata Group brands to success, always with passion, a bit of fun, and high professionalism.

Brian Marlien

Restaurant Manager

Restaurant Manager Brian Marlien is a tried and true hospitality globetrotter, having worked professionally in leading hotels and restaurants across Europe, Africa, North and South Asia. Having grown up in Hong Kong originally, Brian’s most recent experience was managing the dining programme at Kempinski Hotels.  Guided by his genuine passion for food & beverage,  Brian gladly shares his knowledge with team members and guests alike, in the never-ending quest of delivering extraordinarily memorable experiences for everyone in Tokyolima.  

Justin Lo

Head Chef

Head Chef Justin’s love for cooking started from a young age, watching his father cook for the family during festive family gatherings. The joy and communion that food and hospitality brings to people inspired him to make cooking his profession. After culinary school and working in a mix of hotel and restaurants in Sydney, Justin decided to come home and take on the challenge of the fast-paced fine dining scene in Hong Kong. Working under Chef David Alves in L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon brought Justin a greater understanding of classic French techniques while his time at VEA gave him an opportunity to bring his own culture and ideas to food. Now working with Chef Arturo Melendez in TokyoLima, Chef Justin brings what he has learnt over his years of experience in both Asian and Western cooking towards this mish-mash of culinary cultures know as Nikkei cuisine.