Meet Hong Kong’s new kings of Cantonese cuisine: how young blood at JW Marriott, The Mira, Forum and Sing Yin is revitalising dim sum and classic Guangdong dishes for the millennial generation

Apr 28 , 2021

The new kings of Cantonese cuisine? From left: Edwin Tang, Oscar Lam, Cheung Lok-man and Jayson Tang. Photo: SCMP

All aged 40 or under, these four chefs are fusing fresh flavours with traditional Guangdong specialties, inspired by pioneers Dicky To Kwok-kim and Lau Ping Lui

Chef Oscar Lam Kwok-wai brings fusion dishes like foie gras taro puff to three-Michelin-starred Forum; Sing Yin’s Cheung Lok-man crafts quirky dim sum designs

It has been long lamented by many Chinese chefs that a good apprentice is hard to find. With many of the younger generation tertiary-educated and generally expecting higher salaries, the hard work and harsh environment of a large kitchen can be a turn-off for some. But a new generation of Chinese chefs has started making waves in Hong Kong.

Thirty-four-year-old Jayson Tang is the executive Chinese chef of JW Marriott Hong Kong, whose Chinese restaurant, Man Ho, received its first Michelin star in 2021. Meanwhile, Edwin Tang, 40, is chef de cuisine at The Mira Hong Kong, whose Chinese restaurant, Cuisine Cuisine, was awarded a Michelin Plate, also in 2021.

Chef Oscar Lam Kwok-wai, dim sum supervisor at Forum. Photo: Alex Chan

We all know that dim sum is a discipline that stands alone in Chinese fare, and today there are chefs disrupting traditional preconceptions of the quintessential cuisine. Chef Oscar Lam Kwok-wai, 38, has been surprising restaurant patrons with his subtle innovations at three-Michelin-starred Forum, while 37-year-old Cheung Lok-man’s quirky designs and creative take on dim sum at Sing Yin Cantonese Dining is also shaking up conventions.

Sing Yin’s menu is populated with Cheung’s colourful creations, such as steamed dumpling with crabmeat, prawn, pork and pumpkin, crispy duck breast and carrot dumplings, and steamed pumpkin paste and lotus seed paste with pine nut.

Dim sum at Sing Yin, clockwise from left: steamed pumpkin paste and lotus seed paste with pine nut; crispy duck breast and carrot dumplings; steamed dumpling with crabmeat, prawn, pork and pumpkin. Photo: Alex Chan

“My favourite creation is a bird-shaped pastry with pineapple filling,” says Cheung. “I was inspired by the Taiwanese pineapple cakes and created this sweet dim sum. It can also be served with red bean filling.”

This fusion of traditions also inspired Lam. “I’m proudest of our foie gras taro puff. It took a lot of trial and error and we failed many times. The trick was to pan-fry the goose liver first to seal the fat so it can withstand the heat of deep-frying,” he says.

Cheung Lok-man, dim sum chef at Sing Yin Cantonese Dining. Photo: Alex Chan

The young guns of dim sum credit their perseverance and dynamic thinking to their mentors. “I did have a good mentor, chef Hong Kam-chiu, who now works at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. He took an interest in us kitchen hands and taught us to be flexible and dynamic,” says Lam. “There was no training programme or anything like that back then and chef Hong told me to make sure I try and watch what everybody else does so that I can take things up when I’m needed to. In three years I was at supervisor level.”