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Chef Silas Li of Hong Kong Cuisine 1983 on Chinese New Year Tastes and Traditions

When you think of Hong Kong cuisine, what comes to mind? For most, it’d probably be golden egg tarts, silky smooth cups of milk tea, steamy baskets of dim sum and glistening slabs of honey-dripped barbecue meats – but Chef Silas Li is taking that definition further into fine dining as the chef of Hong Kong Cuisine 1983.

In just a few short years, the Happy Valley restaurant has become a top-tier dining destination for foodies the world over for its innovative take on Chinese (specifically Cantonese) fine dining by Chef Silas and his team, who’ve just announced a seasonal new menu to celebrate the Year of the Snake.

We sat down with Chef Silas to find out more about his cooking philosophy, his new menu that celebrates his Hakka heritage, and what he’s most proud of.


Before Hong Kong Cuisine 1983… I worked in a French restaurant in Sai Kung. I really enjoyed that time but it was really hard work – I was working 16-17 hours a day. After that, I worked as a private chef for 20 years. I have to say, it was really comfortable and my previous boss looked after me very well.

Family is very important to me… much more than money. Back then, I was taking my kids to school every day and picking them up, and I really enjoyed it. But once they were all grown up, I said to my wife, ‘I’ve got to do something different. I want to try Chinese cuisine.’

Whenever I dined out at Chinese restaurants, I always thought… ‘Why is the kitchen is so dirty?’ That’s why I wanted to change Chinese cuisine – not just its flavour or presentation, but also the way that Chinese chefs think.

Photo: Hong Kong Cuisine 1983

My dream and my mission as a chef is to… pass down my knowledge to the next generation before I retire. Unfortunately, many Chinese chefs only give you 70 percent of what they know and they keep the remaining 30 to themselves. Things also tend to get lost over time, so I have been tracing back the old recipes and reviving them.

I always tell people… don’t overdo it. Chinese food is Chinese food. We mustn’t forget the classic taste. There’s a reason why it’s been around for so long. For example, something like sweet and sour pork, how do you make it more interesting?

My proudest achievement is… not a dish or an award. It’s actually my team.

I don’t have a favourite dish that I’ve created because… as a chef, you have to keep on evolving. Believe in yourself as a chef and cook what you want to cook – not what people want you to cook.

For Chinese New Year (CNY), I like to… stick with the classics. CNY is such a big thing for the Chinese. It’s about bonding, it’s about family, so we want Grandma or Mum to taste what they cooked [themselves] or what they grew up eating during this festive period.

Photo: Hong Kong Cuisine 1983

Hakka cuisine is… pretty strong in flavour. One classic Hakka dish is the Braised Minced Pork and Dried Oyster Wrapped with Pork Caul Fat, Served with Crispy Conpoy (which is part of the CNY menu at Hong Kong Cuisine 1983). All of those flavours are very classic.

A good turnip cake… doesn’t have too much flour. You should be able to bite into some radish chunks and taste the sweetness of it. With our turnip cakes from Hong Kong Cuisine 1983, we smoke the preserved meat first so you get that subtle smoky flavour. I wanted to create something different but still traditional.

Whenever I find time to travel… I like to go to Shunde in China. It’s the top spot for Canton-style cooking. I’m there pretty much every month, even if it’s just for a few days.

When I do go overseas, I like going back to… the UK. I was born in Surrey (outside of London) and I grew up there, and the food is great. I also love going to France, because I love my French cuisine.

I would describe my cooking style as… Chinese and French cuisine, but with traditional Chinese flavours and a twist of French cooking techniques. That’s what I’m doing now, at this moment, but maybe in a couple years, it’ll be different.

The Chinese New Year Menu at Hong Kong Cuisine 1983 is available from now till 12 February 2025, alongside Chef Silas’ trio of CNY puddings (Turnip Cake with Conpoy and Smoked Preserved Meats, Sweet Pudding with Okinawa Brown Sugar and Water Chestnut and Red Bean Sweet Cake).

1983hkc.com


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