Keeping the Old New

Chef de cuisine Cheung Siu Kong, who celebrates two decades at one Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Summer Pavilion this year, forges delicious connections with diners by giving the cuisine an exquisite update.

- TAN PIN YEN

“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.

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.