Celebrating Hong Kong’s ‘abalone king’ Yeung Koon-yat, chef Adam Wong recalls his mentor
- Wong, culinary heir of the ‘abalone king’, honours his mentor by continuing to serve Yeung’s signature dishes to Forum Restaurant’s guests
Yeung Koon-yat – Hong Kong’s “abalone king” – died at the age of 90 on July 31, 2023.
The Guangdong native, fondly known as Yat Gor, co-founded Forum Restaurant in 1977, and helped put Hong Kong and Cantonese cuisine on the world stage with his famous abalone and other seafood dishes.
The restaurant in Causeway Bay has held three Michelin stars since 2020, and has been a recipient of almost all of Hong Kong’s dining awards, including the South China Morning Post’s 100 Top Tables.
Chef Adam Wong Lung-to, anointed Yeung’s culinary heir to carry on his legacy, knows he has big shoes to fill.
Wong, who has been at Forum Restaurant for 32 years, is determined to honour his si fu (teacher) by preserving his signature dishes such as the Forum fried rice, tangerine peel sweet and sour pork and, of course, the braised abalone dishes.
“They won’t be changed because they are so iconic,” Wong says. “Our diners come because they want to eat these traditional dishes. If they wanted fancy new tastes, they could easily go to a contemporary fine-dining Western restaurant.”
