Chef Jowett Yu recalls the personalities he’s cooked for, from rock stars to Hollywood celebrities, and highlights his favourite Cantonese food and where in Hong Kong he would go for it
Hong Kong is clearly a place very close to this chef’s heart. In 2014, Jowett Yu made Hong Kong his home when he took on the executive chef position at Ho Lee Fook. Over the subsequent seven years he spent here, he grew to love the place, particularly the “breadth and diversity” of Hong Kong’s Chinese food and the “dynamic and vibrant dining scene that is an essential part of the city’s social fabric” he says.
During his time at the helm of Ho Lee Fook, Yu brought the restaurant to the forefront of the city’s scene. His modern spin on Cantonese cuisine, which was complemented by the restaurant’s funky interiors, attracted a loyal clientele that was constantly clamouring for tables at the no-reservations Soho hotspot. Local residents and overseas visitors alike frequented the restaurant, and some of Yu’s standout memories from his time in the Ho Lee Fook kitchen involve the many guests he served. “I cooked for a lot of famous people and famous chefs, like Matt Damon, Metallica, Ferran Adrià, Alain Ducasse to name a few. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought some of these people would come to eat my cooking,” says Yu.
Departing Hong Kong in July last year for Australia, the place where the Taiwanese chef began his career working at Asian eateries including Ms. G’s and Mr. Wong, Yu is currently based in Sydney and is involved in various projects for hospitality group Merivale, which operates a wide range of restaurants, bars and hotels across the city. Happy to reminisce about his time in Hong Kong, Yu shared some of his highlights when it comes to eating and drinking his way through the city.
What do you miss most on the food/drink front from Hong Kong?
I miss Cantonese restaurants, especially the siu mei places. Once you have lived in Hong Kong the poultry you get anywhere else just isn’t the same. I miss roast goose and local 3 yellow chicken the most. I also miss the access to wines Hong Kong enjoys. I find it really expensive and difficult to get some Old World wines in Australia due to high tariffs and allocation.
What would be the first dish you eat when you return and where would you go for it?
Very likely a plate of roast goose and char siu at Yat Lok with a side of ice lemon tea.