Hong Kongs abalone king, chef Yeung Koon-yat, on working his way up from sleeping on tablec
Tell us about your childhood. “I was born in Zhongshan [Guangdong province] in 1932. When the Sino-Japanese war erupted [in 1937] the situation got so bad that my two younger sisters starved to death. When I left Zhongshan, in 1949, for Hong Kong, I had only HK$50 in my pocket. I was 16 years old and felt I needed a change of scenery and a chance at a better life.”
How did you get into the restaurant industry? “When I arrived here, life was very difficult because I didn’t know anyone, but I wasn’t worried. I got a job at Tai Wah Restaurant [in Kowloon] as an entry-level worker. I was just happy to have a job.
“When I started, the environment wasn’t like it is now, where you can choose to do whatever you want. I did whatever needed to be done. It was tough. I would start around 11am and finish around 1am. The restaurant was quite large, serving wealthy customers. We washed vegetables, served customers, washed dishes and then after work we had to move the chairs and tables.
“Afterwards we would spread out tablecloths to sleep on and use others as pillows. There weren’t any dormitories at the time – many of us slept in the restaurant. In the morning, we folded the linen nicely again and put it back in the closet. I made about HK$30 a month and we could eat staff meals in the restaurant. After the dinner service, we would have midnight snacks.”
What was the kitchen like? “When I was transferred into the kitchen, I followed the chef and prepared ingredients for him, working 13 hours a day. Nowadays people get holidays, but we didn’t. It wasn’t fair, but we still had to work.
“I always liked to cook but the challenge was thinking of what to cook for the guests, and it was a relief when they liked it. I gradually became better and I was happy doing it. No one really taught me how to cook; I would cook a few dishes and think of ways to make them better. At the time we used charcoal stoves.
“Most important was being able to master making soup; we use chicken, pork bones and lean pork, and let it simmer for a long time. Then we add some Chinese ham and, after simmering for a while longer, the soup becomes even more flavourful. If you add more chicken than pork the soup is sweeter; if you add more pork than chicken, the taste won’t be as sweet.”
How did you start Forum Restaurant? “A few friends and I started the restaurant [in 1977], cooking homestyle dishes, but business wasn’t that great. So we thought of making the abalone dish that is now our signature. There was a lot of pressure for this dish to succeed, otherwise we’d lose everything. Once we established ourselves and people trusted us, then we were able to succeed.
“People call me the abalone king, but you really have to give them a good product. We carefully prepare the abalone to make the taste memorable, which is why the customers gave me that nickname.”
How did your dish become known internationally? “After developing the abalone dish, we went abroad to demonstrate how to prepare it and received awards. I have cooked for many famous people, including French president Jacques Chirac and Sarah, Duchess of York. Many other presidents have also tried my cooking. Even China’s late leader Deng Xiaoping ate my abalone.
“You can’t just start off and expect to succeed just like that. We went to many countries to cook our abalone dish in order to corner the market and become expert at it.”
How has the Hong Kong restaurant scene changed over the past 40 years? “The toughest thing now is the high rent; it’s difficult to break even. Hong Kong has progressed, but it’s hard to find staff who are willing to work – not just willing to work but able to do mundane tasks.
“Doing different part-time jobs is better than one full-time job. That means it should be easy to get a job, so where did the people go? It’s the exact opposite situation from when I first came to Hong Kong. It was hard just to survive. It’s a different society now, a different environment.”
Are your children in the business? “I have two sons and a daughter. My daughter is the general manager of a company, and she’s retiring – she’s 60 years old. My older son is in Toronto, Canada, working as an accountant. He studied in university and got a good job. My other son has followed me into the restaurant business.
“I didn’t teach any of them how to cook – they were not interested in learning. As long as I have a good relationship with my family and a stable life, that is pretty good already.”
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