In the latest edition of the Michelin Hong Kong Macau Guide 2020, Cantonese fine dining restaurant Jade Drag- on at City of Dreams retained its prestigious 3-star rating for the second year in a row. At the helm is talented Hong Kong native, Executive Chef Kelvin Au Yeung, who has been with the restaurant since it opened in 2012, rising through the ranks of senior sous chef, chef de cuisine and execu- tive sous chef, before being appointed executive chef in Novem- ber 2017. As well as its Michelin stars, Jade Dragon has received a collection of influential culinary awards including Forbes Travel Guide’s five star rating and Black Pearl Restaurant Guide’s three diamonds. It also entered the prestigious Asia’s 50 Best Restau- rants list for the first time in 2017, moving to #27 in 2019. We ask Chef Kelvin about the inspirations for his dishes and what it is that makes the dining experience at Jade Dragon so special.
You took over the executive chef position in late 2017, and guided the restaurant to receiving its third Michelin star a year later. How did you feel when that was announced?
I was completely over the moon and had to celebrate it with my colleagues and family at once! It is thanks to the unwav- ering dedication, striving for excellence and daily hard work of my colleagues, as well as the support of Melco. The world’s most reputable restaurant guide has recognized Jade Dragon as one of the few Cantonese restaurants in the world with this top honour and this puts a smile on our faces every day.
There is a lot of competition in the fine dining market in Macau. What is it that sets Jade Dragon apart?
Our unique menu offers the best quality, natural, organic and farm-fresh ingredients from around the world. We have also added a healthy dimension to the menu with a range of seasonal Chinese herbal soups. With exceptional Cantonese delicacies, superlative personalized services and spectacular designer décor, Jade Dragon sets the benchmark for fine din- ing in Macau and beyond. In addition, we have a very dedi- cated and talented culinary and service team at Jade Dragon. Most of the colleagues here have worked together for years and have developed a close rapport with each other. We all share the same goal in mind – to deliver the most impeccable dining experience to our guests and to maintain our pioneer- ing status in the fine dining industry. My culinary philoso- phy has remained the same throughout the years: we aim to surprise and delight every time our guests visit us at Jade Dragon, so they can savour traditional Cantonese cooking techniques presented in innovative and modern ways.
You have been executive chef for just over a year now. Can you tell us what has been your focus over that time and what changes, if any, you have made?
Thanks to all the achievements and reputation Jade Dragon has gained over the years, guests do arrive with certain ex- pectations. My focus is to go above and beyond in satisfying them, see them depart with happy faces, and hopefully re- turn with family and friends. In recent years we have been making conscious efforts to procure certified sustainable seafood and will continue to source sustainably. At the MI- CHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2020 Gala Dinner, I pre- sented a dish with sustainable beef cheeks from a wild cattle farm and sustainable dried abalone from Australia. We have continued to use both these ingredients at Jade Dragon since the event.
You have been working at Jade Dragon since it opened in 2012. Can you tell us a bit about your career journey over that time and how your approach to cooking as evolved?
I started my career at 15 years old in Hong Kong and came to work for Melco at 30, even before Jade Dragon opened. Working in Macau at a Michelin-starred restaurant has definitely broadened my horizons. Thanks to the vast resources the company has invested in the restau- rant and the wide selection of top quality ingredients around the world, I have become more adventurous and open-minded in inventing dish- es. At Jade Dragon, I am able to source the best ingredients of each sea- son. Here, I have familiarized myself with Cantonese sous-vide cooking, creating artistically inspired appetizers, desserts and petit fours, while celebrating the best of Cantonese cuisine. Every day is a new day for me and I am keen to embrace all the challenges. I am very grateful to play an
ntegral role at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, it is a key milestone in my career.
How challenging is it to come up with new and interesting concepts for Cantonese cuisine and how do you approach this challenge?
It’s a challenge, and an encouragement to us too. At Jade Dragon we receive guests from all over the world with different taste preferences and coming with high expectations of a three-Michelin-starred restau- rant. No matter how busy it is in the kitchen, I always greet the guests for feedback and exchange culinary knowledge; often this is a source of inspiration for new concepts. I also like educating myself on the latest food trends and going to the wet markets to check out fresh ingredients. Sometimes there, I am reminded of forgotten ingredients I could use. I enjoy researching Japanese cuisine, there are similarities in our flavour palates and cooking styles (such as deep- frying, steaming and stewing). Melco has a great source of Japanese ingredients I can tap into.
Can you tell us a little about one of your most popular signature dishes?
I am very proud of the Fish Maw in Rabbitfish Soup with Caviar I cre- ated for the MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2019 Gala Dinner at City of Dreams. Rabbitfish is not known to be valuable, yet I discovered it has a lot of depth and a very unique flavour profile. The 25-year-old sundried tangerine peel is added for a pleasant bitter aftertaste, which is then balanced by the saltiness of the caviar. It was very well-received that evening so we added it to our menu at Jade Dragon and it quick- ly became one of our most popular dishes. It is very comforting and heart-warming.
Personally, what is your favourite ingredient when cooking Cantonese cuisine?
It would be sundried tangerine peel. It’s very versatile and can be used in steamed dishes and boiled soups. It may look ordinary, but it has a distinct taste and is an ingredient that will appreciate in value with time, because the longer the peel is aged, the more it is prized for its depth of flavor and medicinal properties.
And what is your favourite comfort food when you are just relaxing at home on your day off?
I have loved seafood since I was a child. When I was young, we could not afford fresh seafood, so it’s always a treat to make stewed garoupa fillet with bitter melon or stir fried clams with black beans. A dish like stewed goose with salty fish reminds me of time with my family, which I treasure greatly, as I have a busy schedule.
