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Photo: Summer Pavilion
If you have not had fried rice by Chef Kong, you have not arrived at Summer Pavilion,” Chef Cheung Siu Kong is noticeably amused as he shares a recent compliment from a 10-year-old diner.
“Let’s not discuss wok hei just yet,” he quips. “What gives fried rice gourmet status is its aroma, and this requires a chef to be skilled at the wok with fire and oil.”
After working in kitchens for the past 35 years, the affable Chef de Cuisine of the one-Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore has become more mindful of comments from diners. Taking in feedback has helped the 54-year-old and his team gain a better understanding of diners’ palates, concerns and even trends, says Cheung, who celebrated 20 years at Summer Pavilion in August.
Chef Cheung Siu Kong celebrates 20 years at Summer Pavilion this August. (Photo: Summer Pavilion)
Cheung shares with us how a diner once had a craving for Braised Pomelo Pith with Dried Shrimp Roe, a classic Cantonese dish that would require days of preparation.
That sent him searching high and low for Bodhi pomelo, which is prized for its thicker skin and is only harvested when it is the size of a ping pong ball. He then spent days treating the pomelo skin to rid it of its bitter astringency before deep-frying and braising it.
“Delivering flavour at the right pitch that resonates with the diner motivates me,” he says. “Unlike Western cuisine, there is no such thing as a ‘bible’ you can refer to in Chinese cuisine. You have to use each session at the wok to hone your senses and expand on your repertoire of experiential knowledge, which goes towards perfecting the next dish.”
A bittersweet journey
Summer Pavilion refreshed its set menus in May, offering wine pairing options as well as the option to add a supplementary course. (Photo: Summer Pavilion)
The fifth of six children who grew up in the squatters of Hong Kong’s Wong Tai Sin district, Cheung entered the kitchens when he was 19. “The pressures of life paved the way for me into the kitchens, yet I did not know what I wanted,” he shares.
But work in Buckingham Palace Restaurant in Queen’s Road Central and several Lei Garden restaurants he did, and the talented chef soon found himself assuming the fifth wok position in Lei Garden North Point, where he gained expertise in rice and noodle dishes.
In 1996, the opportunity to work in Singapore at Lei Garden Orchard Shopping Centre came along. That bold move he made proved to be pivotal. “I was 27 and a young father with a lot on my plate,” he recalls. “All these years, caring for my family was the biggest driving force for me.”
Michelin inspectors noted Cheung’s expertise on double boiled soups, such as his double-boiled Sea Whelk soup with Fish Maw and Chicken Served in a Whole Coconut. (Photo: Summer Pavilion)
He stayed at Lei Garden for seven years before joining Summer Pavilion in 2003. In 2016, Cheung won a star for Summer Pavilion impressing Michelin inspectors with his signature double-boiled soups and seafood specialities.
He achieved another feat this March when Summer Pavilion debuted on this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants long list, where it remains the only Cantonese restaurant from Singapore to be listed. The down-to-earth chef attributes these successes to “opportune moments” and favourable conditions.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Cheung creatively combined these high and low notes etched in his 20 year journey into an eight-course 20th Anniversary menu, featuring 20 favourite ingredients such as aged tangerine peel, salted lemon, bitter gourd, Japanese white peach, fermented beancurd — all within 30 minutes.
Unlike Western cuisine, there is no such thing as a ‘bible’ you can refer to in Chinese cuisine. You have to use each session at the wok to hone your senses and expand on your repertoire of experiential knowledge, which goes towards perfecting the next dish. – Chef Cheung Siu Kong, Chef de Cuisine, Summer Pavilion
Staying authentic
Highlights from Chef Cheung Siu Kong’s 20th Anniversary Tasting Menu. (Photo: Summer Pavilion)
To Cheung, food is the precious culmination of geography, history and culture of a region. He observes that much mastery in Cantonese cuisine has been lost to time, including techniques, flavours and ingredients.
“Along with the blending of cultures and trends, we are losing things bit by bit. What is authentic is a very real question that needs to be addressed in the kitchen everyday.”
Thankfully for diners, Cheung positions himself at the front to keep watch on the standards.
While he sees that Cantonese cuisine needs to evolve, Cheung remains steadfast in his thoughtful approach towards ingredients, techniques and methods that are less than traditional. Abalone, typically braised in Cantonese cuisine, is pan fried with just enough char for a more complex flavour profile. Lamb chops are sous vide at 50 degrees Celsius before frying to seal in the moisture and to create a crisper bite. In his 20th Anniversary Tasting Menu, Cheung opted to fillet the Dong Xing grouper, seasoning and blanching it in hot water to achieve a beautiful curvature structure for the dish.
You may think that there are many secrets in a kitchen, but it is also true that the kitchen keeps none. How much heart we put into something determines how much pressure we face. Once you get this and persevere, success will come. – Chef Cheung Siu Kong, Chef de Cuisine, Summer Pavilion
Chef Cheung credits the handpainted Richard Ginori tableware for putting his cuisine out to reach a wider audience. Above: Poached Rice with Canadian Lobster. (Photo: Summer Pavilion)
He knows from experience that family-style Chinese cuisine does not lend itself to individual plating, but that does not stop him from experimenting with modern plating techniques. It is little wonder that his elegant signature dish of Poached Rice with Lobster, with a tableside serving of the luscious broth, is an instagram hit.
To connect with new diners, Cheung has been active on the front of four-hand events. He has collaborated with two one-starred restaurants from Hong Kong — Yong Fu in late March and Duddell’s in August. In September, he will craft a menu that pairs with special vintages of Yamazaki whisky to celebrate The House of Suntory’s 100th year anniversary.
When asked what keeps him going whenever things get tough, the realist in him muses, “You have to learn to be objective and not take things personally. Furthermore, while the best dish is elusive, the improved version can always be found.”
“You may think that there are many secrets in a kitchen, but it is also true that the kitchen keeps none,” he enthuses. “How much heart we put into something determines how much pressure we face. Once you get this and persevere, success will come.”
Chef Cheung Siu Kong’s 20th Anniversary Tasting Menu is priced from S$268 per person and is available for lunch and dinner from Aug 16 to Aug 18, 2023.
