Cover Choi Ming-fai is the new head chef at Mora
Choi Ming-fai is the new head chef at Mora
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Meet the Hong Kong chef who hopes to change your mind about soy with creative new dishes
Soy-focused restaurant Mora, recognised for its sustainability efforts by The Michelin Guide Hong Kong & Macau and awarded a Green Star, has appointed Choi Ming-fai as their new head chef to bring another perspective to their creative cuisine.
Hong Kong native Choi was a civil engineering graduate before discovering his passion for cooking. He gained over ten years of experience at restaurants including Arcane and Carbone in Hong Kong and Ollie Dabbous's Hide Ground in London. He also joined the team at Roganic London before moving back to Hong Kong to help open Aulis. Now, at Mora, he works alongside chef-founder Vicky Lau to present a menu that celebrates soy and other consciously selected ingredients that can help minimise food wastage and reduce their carbon footprint.
We caught up with Choi to find out what his ambitions are in this new role, who his biggest culinary influences are, where his favourite city for food is and more.
Above Bean curd skin tart with soy ricotta, mint pesto and sugar snap peas
Above Udon noodle in soy milk lobster bouillon and bean paste
Bean curd skin tart with soy ricotta, mint pesto and sugar snap peas
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What are your plans at Mora?
I aim to be an ambassador of soy-oriented fine dining. Soy products are often under-appreciated. Some people think of tofu as a boring vegetarian alternative, but they're missing out on the vast variety of soy products. You'd be amazed by how many guests say that they are fascinated by the diversity of tofu shown in our dishes. I think people just overlook the possibility of soy. I hope to change that stereotype and put soy back on the map.
What do you love about soy?
It’s super tasty. I mean, there's soy sauce, miso and fermented tofu on the umami-concentrated side, and for delicate flavour, you have soy milk, yuba and other forms of tofu. And each one is versatile with different flavours and textures. This is what allows us to be creative when making new dishes.
Do you have a favourite dish from Mora?
The Three Yellow chicken roulade with mapo tofu. It can be scary to change a staple in Chinese cuisine, but the result was simply stunning—a perfect marriage of East and West. The dish defines who we are and what we are striving to achieve. We are innovative but at the same time respect our own culture and traditions.
We make a simple demi-glaze, but with aromatics, spices and bean pastes which can be found in every traditional mapo tofu recipe. Then we cook two kinds of tofu, which we make by ourselves, in the sauce and serve with a chicken roulade made with local chicken legs and breasts. The rest of the chicken goes into the sauce, so nothing gets wasted.
Above Three Yellow chicken roulade with mapo tofu style sauce and spring greens
Above Calamansi mousse with soy yoghurt sorbet with citrus
Three Yellow chicken roulade with mapo tofu style sauce and spring greens
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Who has been the biggest influence on you professionally to date?
Raymond Blanc. It’s weird to say because I’ve never actually worked with him, but I have worked with two other chefs who worked closely with him for a very long time: Ollie Dabbous [of Hide in London] and Nurdin Topham [of now-closed Nur] and I learnt almost everything about the kitchen from them. From how to season the food and respect mother nature, cleanliness, organisation, and attention to detail. I think these skills and mindsets are all passed down from Raymond and I couldn’t be where I’m at without him.
Which book do you think every chef should read?
White Heat by Marco Pierre White. The book gives a very good glimpse into the old restaurant world in London and the mentality that one requires in a professional kitchen. If you aspire to be a chef, you should read it before you step into the kitchen.
Which chef would you most like to cook with—dead or alive?
Anthony Bourdain. He’s such a legend. I can’t think of anyone else better to share a couple of glasses of wine and talk about life or the world, while flipping a few pans for a nice cosy dinner, preferably in an open kitchen on a beach with a sunset and great music. That would be amazing.
Above Choi Ming-fai with tofu skin
Above Tofu skin with mackerel and cuttlefish mousse
Choi Ming-fai with tofu skin
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What is the one ingredient you can’t live without?
As a chef who always looks for seasonal local produce, I must say I’m very versatile with ingredients. However, there is one thing that is present in almost every dish and is often neglected, and that’s water. I use filtered water in my cooking just to make sure I have a good foundation to start with. Bad-quality water tastes horrible and you don’t want that in your food.
What is the best restaurant you have ever eaten at?
Ikoyi in St. James’s, London. My mind was blown away. Some call it a West African restaurant but Jeremy’s cooking simply isn’t restricted by boundaries or borders. He utilises local ingredients sourced from the UK using modern techniques with a huge influence from Asia, Africa and Scandinavia. For me, Ikoyi is a role model of what modern cuisine should be.
Above Fresh savoury soy milk pudding
Fresh savoury soy milk pudding
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What is your favourite food city or foodie travel destination?
London. The fact that I got better dim sum there than in Hong Kong says it all. Joke asides, the food scene in London is a bit underrated. In terms of food, you cannot get bored in London. You can get almost everything from all over the world. I could just go to The Clove Club for a tasting menu, then have a cup of bubble tea, eat a slice of Neapolitan pizza and an authentic pastel de nata which tastes the same, if not better, as the one in Belem, all on the same day.
It’s your last meal—what’s on the menu?
Unlimited scoops of gelato.
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A storyteller by day and a first-class food devourer by night, Fontaine is the Regional Dining Editor at Tatler Asia, overseeing dining content across all regions and shaping the brand’s editorial voice on food, chefs and culinary culture.
She is also Content Lead for Tatler Best and Co-jury Head for Tatler Best Hong Kong and Macau, guiding the awards’ editorial direction and evaluation process. With over a decade in the lifestyle and media industry spanning London and Hong Kong, she brings a cross-regional perspective to the table.
Follow her on Instagram at @fontimes.
