Meet the chef now helming The Mira Hong Kong's fine dining restaurant as he recounts the career move that changed his life, and the importance of creating stepping stones for passionate up-and-comers
The Mira Hong Kong's modern European restaurant, Whisk, has gotten an infusion of fresh talent this past summer with the appointment of William Lau as chef de cuisine. Having begun his cooking career at the tender age of 16, Lau has worked at some of the most respected kitchens in the city, including the likes of Arbor, Pierre at Mandarin Oriental, and Amber. We caught up with him at his new role to find out his his biggest culinary influences, his favourite city for food, and the one ingredient he can't cook without.
Who has been the biggest influence on you professionally to date?
My mentor George Scott Toft [currently executive chef at London's The Mandrake]. We were the opening team at a restaurant at the time. I had just returned from Australia and decided to focus on developing my experience in Western cuisine, and I am so lucky to have worked closely with him. He ended up introducing me to chef Jean-Denis Le Bras from two-Michelin-starred Pierre at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.
I really appreciate his selflessness, recommending passionate chefs with potential to restaurants that could help develop their skills and experiences. This really inspires me—even now, I tell my team that no matter how hard we push ourselves to a higher level, this restaurant is a stepping stone. I hope that after a few years of training and improvement, they will move on to learn new things elsewhere and continue to grow and expand their horizons.
If he didn't recommend me to chef Jean at Pierre, my experience would have been very limited, and I never would have been exposed to Michelin-starred chefs and that world of cooking. I lacked knowledge and experience, and had never really spent time in Central before, only working in small restaurants around the New Territories. Meeting George was a life-changing and eye-opening experience, as he introduced me to the fun and exciting side of cooking.
Which movie do you think every chef should watch?
I would choose [2016 documentary] For Grace, about the renowned chef Curtis Duffy. He is extremely passionate about cooking, and had to sacrifice everything—including friends and family—in order to pursue his dream to open his own restaurant.
When asked how he would encourage others to enter the industry, he answered: “As you know, a chef works extremely long hours, six days a week. You don’t have family time, which means you have no personal time. If they are okay with this, then I’d encourage them to become a chef.”
To be honest, I am not like chef Duffy. This movie actually reminds me that we should have a balanced lifestyle. Of course we give 100 percent when we are in the kitchen, but we also need personal time to relax and rest when we are off duty.
Here, we work as a team, and support each other in developing our culinary skills. When I was young and working in a hotel, some things were intentionally made difficult, and a lot of valuable time was wasted. I want my team to be focused on developing their knife skills, quality control and awareness around minimising food waste.
For example, the menu at Whisk keeps evolving, which helps young chefs to continuously learn new techniques and ingredients, and to develop their creativity.
Related: The Food Films, Dining Documentaries and Series to Watch According to Chefs
