Club chefs achieve gold medal in major culinary contest

10/08/2012

The superb culinary skills of The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s chefs have been recognised once more in the final round of the Best of the Best Culinary Awards 2012 held recently.  Four chefs from The Hong Kong Jockey Club participated in this year’s competition and both two-man teams were successful. 

Chef Patrick Lam, Chief Cook of Moon Koon Restaurant at Happy Valley Racecourse and his teammate Cheung Chi-fung achieved a Gold with Distinction Award for their dish “Smoky Lobster with Assorted Vegetables” in the Lobster category of the competition. Meanwhile, Chef Ng Kwan, No.1 Stove at Moon Koon Restaurant and his teammate Yeung Hung-kin earned a Silver Award for their dish “Three Tastes of Fish” in the Reinvented Classics category.

“Smoky Lobster with Assorted Vegetables” is a dish in which different parts of the lobster are cooked in three traditional styles with various relishes to bring out their full flavour.  Meat from the lobster’s head is wrapped in bean curd sheets with preserved vegetable, shiitake mushroom and carrot, then smoked to enhance its fresh taste to the palate.  Some of the tail meat is sauteed with arisaema tube fungus and greenhouse bell peppers to retain the meaty texture; while the rest is deep-fried for a more crispy texture and served with salted osmanthus flower sauce. 

“Three Tastes of Fish” is another exquisite dish that features a trio of different preparation methods.  Thin slices of Mandarin fish are cooked in three styles, namely deep fried with young ginger and white sesame and served with hawthorn sauce, which gives the crispy fish a contrasting sweet-and-sour flavour; sauted with spring onion and cured ham; and steamed with pear in chicken broth sauce to enhance the fresh taste of this fish.

Both these two award-winning dishes will be featured on the menu at Moon Koon in November, giving local diners a chance to sample these innovative creations for themselves. 

Patrick Lam joined the Club in his current position in November 2010, taking charge of the kitchen management and daily operation of Moon Koon.  He has more than 25 years’ culinary experience and his cooking skills have been well recognised with several previous honours in culinary competitions.  He achieved a Gold Award at the Best of the Best Culinary Awards 2010 in the Chicken category, and earned three gold medals at the 2010 Gourmet Master Chefs contest in the Team, Main Dish and Dessert categories.  His teammate Cheung Chi-fung took up the post of No. 2 Chopper at Moon Koon in early 2012. 

Ng Kwan, who earned a Silver Award in the competition, joined the Club as a Kitchen Assistant after F3 graduation then later rejoined as No.2 Stove.  He was promoted to No.1 Stove at Moon Koon this year.  His teammate Yeung Hung-kin joined the Club in 2010 and was promoted to No.3 Stove this year.

The Best of the Best Culinary Awards is a major annual contest organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board for local restaurants.  This year's categories were Lobster, Beef, Reinvented Classics and Tofu.  Well-known food commentators and celebrities were invited to judge the entries on flavour, creativity, culinary skills and techniques, as well as presentation.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is not only one of the world's leading horse racing organisations but also a world top 15 charitable organisation and Hong Kong’s largest community contributor, donating HK$1.7 billion in 2012. It is also a major taxpayer, Hong Kong's single largest by far, generating over HK$16 billion a year for public funds. The Club pioneers technology applications for sporting and betting entertainment, striving for the highest levels of customer service. As a membership club, it is recognised as one of Asia’s most prestigious, with more than 23,000 members. These multifaceted roles make it a well-respected and remarkable organisation, dedicated to its mission of enhancing the quality of life for all Hong Kong people.