The direction of Ho Lee Fook has definitely taken a turn for the traditional in your time there. What spurred the change?

[Black Sheep founder Syed Asim Hussain] grew up in Hong Kong, so he really wanted the restaurant to have that Hong Kong DNA—to go back to our roots but at the same time represent the Hong Kong energy that we have. Personally, that was a very clear direction that I knew I would enjoy, because when you’ve been in your career for as long as I have, you’ll ask yourself: what’s your purpose? What will make you happy? What is your responsibility and duty? I want to be able to contribute to Hong Kong, not just as another chef cooking Chinese food, but to be able to change something or give people an impression.

I always say the front-of-house is really special here because at the end of the day in Hong Kong, there’s a lot of food you can find that is similar or better, but a lot of English speakers might be intimidated by the style of service in more traditional restaurants. But here, you’ll be able to enjoy what we want to present to you as Cantonese food, but with friendly and accommodating service. This is the Ho Lee Fook experience.

How do you accommodate the different types of diners who pass through Soho?

This is something that we think about a lot because we know there are different palates, but I guess what we want to do is to create something that every type of palate would like. We might have dishes like the double steamed broth which I know most locals will appreciate. But we will also have items that like the okonomiyaki prawn toast, which we kept from the previous menu by chef Jowett Yu because it makes sense and it’s really clever. I believe if you cook from the heart, eventually people will understand.

I’m also not the same chef as I was 10 years ago when I wanted to reinvent the wheel. I just want to make things tasty, and continue to do good for Hong Kong.

How else do you think chefs can modernise Chinese cuisine?

Many people have tried to use that term for a lot of cuisines in the past 10 years; and because I have also been in a position of doing that back at Ricky & Pinky in Melbourne, I know for a fact that modernising Chinese food is really, really hard. Korean or Japanese cuisine is somehow easier to modernise, because Japanese and French cuisines have some mutual ground, whereas Chinese food uses the wok quite a lot. Once you’re done stir-frying food, it goes straight onto the plate. If I’m using my tweezers, by the time it reaches the table, the food will be cold.

That’s why I often say that I really appreciate The Chairman. I don’t think they’ve modernised Chinese cuisine: they are classic and authentic, but they upgraded the flavour to the next level and put Cantonese food on the world map.

I'm not sure if “modernise” should be the term any more. We should think more about being flavour-driven and ingredients-driven. I’ve read about how Danny Yip of The Chairman will ask his kitchen staff what flavours they remember the most, and build the dishes from there. This is a very good approach when you think about what we want to achieve.

See also: Ricardo Chaneton wants to cook Latin American food for the world

What challenges do you think Cantonese cuisine faces in the future?

With the commercial mindset in Hong Kong, I’m really scared that many people will stop doing what they do because it doesn’t make sense, like with making soy bean paste or shrimp paste [by hand] or growing vegetables.

If we start losing these aspects, the flavour is going to change. We’ll still be able to source a lot of things for sure, but it’s different. Our food is really labour intensive. We have to do a lot of chopping, a lot of fermenting. It’s not like [Italy] where you get really nice burrata, really nice tomatoes, beautiful olive oil and basil, and then you have a great Italian dish.

The challenge is when people start to think, why do I spend 15 hours a day working when I can get a job in the government that pays more than triple the salary? People just don’t want to put in that hard work any more.

What is one Cantonese dish that encapsulates the city of Hong Kong for you?

I would pick sizzling chicken clay pot with rice. First of all, the quality of chicken in Hong Kong is really good. I love the strong flavours of this dish—I can eat it all the time, in winter or summer. It’s not popular anywhere outside of Hong Kong, and it needs to be made with a charcoal fire for the best flavour, and not many places are willing to put in the effort any more. It’s Hong Kong in a pot.

Read more: Tatler Dining’s Chef of the Year, Vicky Lau, shares her thoughts on soy and spirituality

Recipe by ArChan Chan

Ingredients

• 1kg fresh clams
• 125ml Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tbsp canola oil (or any other cooking oil)
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• ½ red onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp salted black beans, minced
• 2 red bird’s eye chillies,deseeded and chopped
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 125ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 2 tbsp of water
• 3-4 spring onions, finely sliced

Method

1. Add 6 tbsp salt to 2 litres of water. Add the clams and leave to soak for 1-2 hours. This will purge them of sand and grit. Rinse thoroughly. Dispose of any with broken shells or which don’t close when tapped.
2. Place the clams in a large frying pan or wok, add enough water to cover, then add 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine. Place over a high heat and bring the water to a simmer. Remove the clams once they open, and discard which remain unopened after they have been simmered for a few minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. 
3. Heat a large, clean frying pan over high heat until smoking hot. Turn off the heat, carefully add the oil, swirl it around the pan then pour it out into a small dish. Reduce the heat to medium, add the oil back again, then add the garlic, red onion and salted black beans. Sauté for 30 seconds before adding 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine.
4. Add the chopped chillies and sauté for a further 30 seconds before adding the clams. Stir well, then add 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, the oyster sauce, chicken stock and reserved clam cooking liquid, and bring to a simmer.
5. Add cornflour as desired to thicken the sauce to your preference, stirring continuously.
6. Garnish with spring onions and serve immediately.

NOW READ

Tatler Dining Awards 2023: Best of the Year Winners

Tatler Dining Hong Kong’s Top 20 Restaurants of 2023

In photos: From Vicky Lau to Shane Osborn, Hong Kong’s finest attend the 2023 Tatler Dining Awards