大班樓 The Chairman Restaurant

上星期，30 位主廚及美食家，分別從新加坡、越南、印尼、中國、韓國、菲律賓和印度等地遠道而來，我們當了幾天新手領隊，與大家去一趟香港美食深度遊。走訪了數家 fine dining 餐廳、去了一年一度美酒佳餚巡禮、逛了上環海味街、在酒吧喝特調亦品嚐中式茗茶，最後在怪獸大廈飲啡，盡興。

今次，不少團友都是新面孔，來自我們不常前往國家，他們分享當地的飲食文化、習慣、不同地方異曲同工的烹調理念，大家聽得津津有味。希望各位能夠在這次旅程感受到香港海納百川、雅俗並存的飲食文化。

這幾天以美食連結起人心與國界，不亦樂乎，下次再聚。

Last week, 30 chefs and food enthusiasts from Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Korea, the Philippines, India, and beyond flew to Hong Kong, where we took on the role of amateur tour guides to explore the local food scene. We visited various fine dining restaurants, checked out the dried seafood street in Sheung Wan, enjoyed the annual Wine and Dine Festival, savoured cocktails at several bars, and tasted Chinese tea. The trip was wrapped up at the “Monster Building” with coffee — all while having a fantastic time.

We met many new faces from countries we rarely visit. They shared stories about their local food cultures, customs, and cooking methods, revealing similar philosophies that transcend borders. We thoroughly enjoyed these exchanges. I hope this trip showcased the diversity of Hong Kong’s dining landscape and its blend of refined cuisine and popular street food.

Over the past few days, we brought people together and fostered connections through the shared experience of food, making it a truly happy and fulfilling trip. Until next time!

大班樓訂位最新安排

各位客人，

訂座已滿至2024年12月31日。11月1日上午9時開始，可以預約大班樓2025年1月至3月的座位。

為了令過程更有效率，減少錯誤以及客人等待時間，統一在我們網站 www.thechairmangroup.com 內的預訂平臺上訂位。

感謝各位一直支持。

Latest Arrangements for Chairman’s Reservation

Dear Customers,

The Chairman is fully booked till the end of December 2024. From 1st November 9:00 am onwards , you may reserve table at The Chairman for the months of January to March 2025.

In order to improve efficiency of the process and to reduce errors and waiting time, we shall only accept online booking through the booking platform in our web site www.thechairmangroup.com

Thank you for your support all along.

The Chairman x Den

與外國廚師做四手晚宴，可以為了拼出火花，為了互相學習，甚至為了宣傳。

我們與 Zaiyu San 今次在香港的四手，是為了友誼，為了有一個機會，大家一起𡚒鬥數天，為了嘻嘻哈哈吃員工大餐。

那年東京，與「傳 Den 」合作，港日廚師雞同鴨講，玩得高興瘋狂盡興。跟 Den 主廚長谷川 San 說好了下次換他來香港，在大班樓相會。然後，一別五年，兩個團隊九月初終於再見。

餐單以「火」為題，這夜大班樓明爐鐵鑊變成炭爐，大家熟悉的雞油花雕蒸花蟹變成炭燒花蟹二食，配魷魚麵及 Den 的 Yonhaizu 醋。五款醃漬炙燒魚生各具個性。山葵葉醃漬一年，包起羊腩鮑魚做串燒。五香燒鵝熟成五天，然後浸肉汁、低溫慢煮、上皮再烤，吊起再片皮。一頭牛由到食到尾，日式出汁、紅椒炭燒、柱侯醬等方法都用上。日本九繪魚先熟成，再於冬瓜雪膠羹浸熟。雲南菇菌剛好當造，不能錯過，做了炭烤雞樅菌、見手青菌燉節瓜、烤黃牛肝菌。

特別感謝 於往來中輔以翻譯，促成美事。雖計劃好事多磨，卻亦多得Covid 中間的波折及等待，我們可以反覆雕琢想法及試菜、把時間放在釀製、熟成和醃漬。

賓客散去，夜靜深宵，我們呷著威士忌，拍拍大家膊頭，期待下次一期一會。應該會是東京？

Having four-hands dinners with chefs from abroad can be for creative sparks, learning from each other and even for promotion.

The four-hands with Zaiyu San in Hong Kong this time, however, was a celebration of our friendship, and for all of us to share laughters over staff meals after working hard for a few days.

That year in Tokyo, we collaborated with Den. Chefs speaking different languages had great fun, crazy nights. Head chef Zaiyu Hasegawa promised to come to Hong Kong next time our four-hands at The Chairman. And that was 5 years ago. The two teams finally met again in early September.

With “Fire” as the theme, the gas stove for woks was turned into a charcoal grill for one night. The steamed flower crab with ShaoXing wine and chicken oil that everyone is familiar with was reimagined into Chargrilled Flower Crab Two Ways served with squid noodles and Den’s Yonhaizu vinegar. Five styles of fire seared or pickled sashimi each has their distinct characteristics. Fresh wasabi leaves were pickled for a year to wrap around lamb belly and abalone into chargrilled skewers. Aged for five days, the five spices roasted goose was marinated in jus, slow-cooked, air-dried and brushed with the liquid that gave the skin colour and volume before roasting, and being sliced. Cooked in dashi soy sauce, with charred red pepper, fermented soybean sauce and so on, an ox was enjoyed from head to tail. Japanese Kue was aged and then poached in winter melon snow gum soup. Yunnan mushroom season arrived right in time that we couldn’t miss it, and we had grilled termite mushroom, simmered hairy gourd with red porcini and grilled yellow porcini .

Shout out to for facilitating our communication with translation, making this beautiful event happen. It wasn’t a smooth sailing at all, but thanks to the extra time and hurdles we had had during Covid, we were able to refine the concepts and test the recipes again and again, and spend time in fermenting, aging and marinating.

The guests left and the night grew silent, we sipped whiskey together and patted on each other’s back, looking forward to our future “ichi-go ichi-e”. In Tokyo perhaps?

大班樓訂位最新安排

各位客人，

訂座已滿至2024年9月30日。8月1日上午9時開始，可以預約大班樓2024年10月至12月的座位。

為了令過程更有效率，減少錯誤以及客人等待時間，統一在我們網站 www.thechairmangroup.com 內的預訂平臺上訂位。

感謝各位一直支持。

Latest Arrangements for Chairman’s Reservation

Dear Customers ,

The Chairman is fully booked till the end of September 2024. From 1st August 9:00 am onwards , you may reserve table at The Chairman for the months of October to December 2024.

In order to improve efficiency of the process and to reduce errors and waiting time, we shall only accept online booking through the booking platform in our web site www.thechairmangroup.com

Thank you for your support all along.

剛過去的小暑，香港迎來34°C高溫，追平2016年史上最高溫的小暑，亦打破大班樓開業以來單日賣出最多汽水的紀錄。如此酷熱，莫說餐廳裡的植物要多澆水，廚房更猶如大蒸爐，員工們都得頻頻喝水解暑。我們立刻安裝兩部新冷氣，未必是理想的方案，權宜之計讓大家在餐廳吃得舒服一點吧。上周大太陽當頭曬，這幾天又濕又熱又雷雨，暑氣悶人，我們正在研發更多頭盤涼菜，給大家消暑開胃，在此之前，大家見字飲酒/飲啤/飲西瓜汁/飲凉粉冰啦。

On the day of “moderate heat” (one of 24 solar terms on ancient Chinese lunisolar calendar) last week, the temperature climbed up to 34°C here in Hong Kong, equaling the record high weather set in 2016 and setting the record of the most sodas sold on a single day at The Chairman. Under such blasting heat, not only do the plants in the restaurant require more frequent watering, but our staff also have to gulp down water more often to cool down, as the kitchen is hot like a steaming oven. Probably not the best solution, we have installed two new AC units right away though, hoping every one can dine in comfort. It was so sweltering last week, and it has been raining, thundering, while remaining hot and humid these few days. We are developing more cold entrées right now to beat the heat and whet your appetites, so, in the meantime, enjoy your wine, beer, watermelon juice and grass jelly slushy if you read this.

《德哥 二之二》

德哥 Arta 小時候住上環孖沙街，經常往附近的九如坊公園仔玩。說是公園，其實只有一個氹氹轉，幾個街坊小孩一齊玩，轉了又轉。然後過了半生，在地球行了半個圈，在澳洲生活一段時間，後來輾轉回到九如坊，在當時開業沒幾年的大班樓工作。

會三文兩語的他深受中外客人喜愛，客人欣賞Arta 細心殷勤，有時還要求合照留念。「顧客要跟我拍照，是有點尷尬，我只是個侍應嘛。」德哥說起來面露腼腆之色，有別平常略帶驕傲的語氣。

德哥從澳洲回流香港，天命之年，每周在大班樓上班四日，偶爾在俱樂部、高級場所的貴賓廳、畫廊、私人宴會等地方當散工，換個環境。「我也想看看別人的工作流程，有甚麼可取地方，可以借鏡。」他說。

同一份職業維持了半世紀，還不斷學習，德哥做的不止是侍應工作，還有待人處世。

跟大班樓走過十一個寒暑，一起從九如坊來到威靈頓街。在餐廳搬遷前本想退休，卻又放心不下新店的種種，德哥今年70歲，見現在日常運作上了軌道，功成身退，五月底正式退休了。

「人生就是一個chapter、然後另一個chapter，沒甚麼大不了，捨不得的是老顧客。」

大班樓有幸，成為 Arta 其中一個chapter ，祝願他在人生下個chapter生活安康愉快。

（德哥答應間中回來客串，各位客人有緣再會）

Tak Gor, as know as Arta, grew up on Mercer Street in Sheung Wan, and used to play in the nearby playground in Kau U Fong. Though called playground, there was nothing more than a roundabout where kids in the neighbourhood would spin round and round. Half of his life had gone by, and having crossed half the globe to Australia, where he had lived for a good long time, Tak Gor returned to Kai U Fong to work at The Chairman which had been open there for just a few years.

Fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, Tak Gor was popular among guests, local and from abroad. They enjoyed his attentive and swift service that they sometimes would ask for a photo with him. “Being asked to take pictures with guests was a bit embarrassing; after all, I’m just a server.” Tak Gor said with a shy smile, in contrast to his normally slightly proud and confident tone.

Upon his return from Australia, Tak Gor was already over 50. He worked four days a week at The Chairman, and occasionally, he took odd jobs at clubhouses, VIP lounges in high-end places, galleries, private events and so on. “I’d like to see how other companies work, and fi there are any good practices I can learn from them.” He explained.

Working in the same profession for half a century and never stopped learning, it wasn’t a server job that Tak Gor has worked on but a way of life.

He spent over 11 years with The Chairman, moved with us from Kau U Fong to Wellington Street, and now at the age of 70 when the operation at the new location is running smooth, Tak Gor finally retired, a wish he had had before our relocation, at the end of May.

“Life is just a chapter after chapter, no big deal. The only thing I’ll miss are the regular customers.”

The Chairman is fortunate to be one of the chapters in Arta’s life. We wish him happy and healthy in the next chapter in life.

(Tak Gor has promised to return occasionally and be our guest server. Guests shall see him again.)

《德哥 二之一》

德哥退休了。

「AI多先進，都看不懂眉頭眼額吧。」

顧客二人，點蒸海魚一條，白飯一碗。當蒸魚吃了七七八八，Arta上前，問：「係咪爭啖飯呢？」客人碗裡的飯已吃光，笑說：「你又知！」轉眼Arta已端來半碗飯，剛好足夠伴着碟中的魚及魚汁吃。

「蒸魚要送白飯食。你看他們就差兩口飯，叫一碗飯又吃不完，怕浪費，我問一句免得他躊躇吧，好簡單。」Arta說。

我們叫他德哥，客人認識他為Arta，英文名字，外國客人容易記得。德哥在大班樓工作超過11年，老顧客無不認識他，是我們餐廳的標誌，有些相熟的，更會讓他發辦寫菜。他細心、上心，每位客人在他眼中同樣重要。留意到客人是左撇子，立刻悄悄把餐具移往左邊；前菜吃了皮蛋子薑，看到筷子黏滿皮蛋的溏心，便即換上一雙乾淨的；客人吃蟹吃乳鴿，滿手油膩，他預先剪開濕紙巾的包裝，方便他們取出。除了食物，他也希能讓人回味服務。

「我鍾意客人食得開心，無其他。」德哥說。

一頓飯，不過是要食得開心滿足，很簡單，是客人的期望，也是我們德哥的願望，所以，近兩年，Arta 膝蓋痛，也頂著上班，捨不得客人嘛。千里長棚，半個世紀的敬業樂業，終有落幕謝埸的一天……。

Tak Gor has retired.

“However advanced AI is, it cannot read faces”

Two customers ordered a steamed fish and a bowl of rice. The fish was almost finished, and Arta came up to them and asked, “Need a mouthful more of rice?” Holding their empty rice bowls, the customers grinned and said, “How do you know!” Arta brought over half a bowl of rice in no time, which was just enough to go with the remaining fish and sauces on the plate.

“You got to have rice with steamed fish. You see, they just needed a few more bites of rice and ordering one full bowl of rice would be too much. So, I just asked and saved them from hesitating. Simple.” Arta said.

We call him Tak Gor, but customers know him as Arta – an English name which is easier for foreign guests to remember. Tak Gor had worked at The Chairman for over 11 years, a familiar face to the regulars and simply an icon at the restaurant. Some familiar customers even let him decide on the menu. Attentive and thoughtful, Tak Gor treated every single customer all the same; they were equally important in his eyes. When he spotted a lefty, he would quietly move the customer’s utensils to the left side; if they had sticky chopsticks from having preserved egg and ginger in the appetizer, he would swiftly replace them with a clean pair; if guests were eating crab or pigeon by hand, oily and messy, he would cut open the wet wipe packages and had them ready for the guests’ use. Apart from the food, he hoped the service at the restaurant would be just as memorable to the customers.

“I love seeing customers eating with joy. Just that.” Said Tak Gor.

Eating is simply about satisfaction; it’s the customer’s expectation and what our Tak Gor hoped. So, for the past two years, despite his painful knees, Tak Gor persisted showing up on his work days because he had all the customers on his mind. Yet, as all the curtains fall, after half a century’s dedicated work, Tak Gor finally had to say goodbye.

感謝 ，獲兩項殊榮，深感榮幸，亦多得食客多年支持、大班樓團隊努力，使中菜在這國際舞台上佔有席位，讓更多人看見。香港隊加油呀！

Thank you The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. It’s a great honour to receive the two awards, and we are deeply grateful for the support from our diners over the years and the dedicated hard work from The Chairman team, allowing Chinese cuisine to gain a spot on this global stage and be seen. Go Team Hong Kong!

每個城市都需要一個飲食紀錄者，觀察、走進其中、紀錄、與大眾分享，最後成為城市共同記憶的一部分。香港曾有大大小小的飲食媒體擔當這角色，Tatler Dining Guide 四十年來一直在這小城紀下超過220家餐廳及酒吧的故事，每年的Dining Awards 讓一眾出色的主廚碰面交流，亦讓餐廳有更多人看見。今年，我們有幸獲得 Impact Award，能留下一點痕跡，與有榮焉，來年定當更努力。感謝 Tatler，亦祝40周年快樂。

Every city needs a chronicler of its culinary landscape—a dedicated observer, engager, and sharer with the public, who becomes an integral part of the city’s collective memory. In our town, there have been media outlets that have fulfilled this role, and for four decades, Tatler Dining Guide has faithfully documented the stories of over 220 restaurants and bars, providing a platform for renowned chefs to connect and exchange ideas at the annual Dining Awards, and for dining establishments to be seen. This year, we are deeply privileged to receive the Impact award from Tatler Dining Guide, leaving a modest imprint amidst a multitude of talents in the culinary scene. We are deeply grateful for this honour and will continue our unwavering commitment towards improvement. Thank you, Tatler, and we extend our heartfelt wishes for a magnificent 40th anniversary celebration.

Photo

為香港隊歡呼。

Ando、Caprice、Mono、Neighborhood、永，以及敝店，今年在亞洲50最佳餐廳中取得佳績，排名大幅上升，可喜可賀。

感謝到首爾為我們打氣的好朋友，歡呼聲響，如果有啦啦隊選舉，你們必定是冠軍。

在亞洲一百名內還有新榮記、Ta Vie、Vea、Estro、Godenya及好酒好蔡，一起展現香港豐富的飲食風貌。希望下年成績更上層樓，大家努力了。

Cheers to team Hong Kong.

Ando, Caprice, Mono, Neighborhood, Wing and our restaurant have achieved remarkable success in Asia 50 Best Restaurants this year, with all of us climbing up in the rankings. Congratulations to all.

A heartfelt thank you to our beloved friends who came to Seoul to show us immense and unwavering support. If there were an award of the best cheerleading team, you squad would undoubtedly be the champion.

Among the top 100, we also have Xin Rong Ji, Ta Vie, Vea, Estro, Godenya and Howard’s Gourmet, showcasing the diverse culinary landscape of Hong Kong.

Let’s keep up the good work and strive for even greater heights next year.

hkg




#新榮記香港

hk



📸

大班樓訂位最新安排

各位客人，

訂座已滿至2024年6月30日。5月1日上午9時開始，可以預約大班樓2024年7月至9月的座位。

為了令過程更有效率，減少錯誤以及客人等待時間，統一在我們網站 www.thechairmangroup.com 內的預訂平臺上訂位。

感謝各位一直支持。

Latest Arrangements for Chairman’s Reservation

Dear Customers,

The Chairman is fully booked till the end of June 2024. From 1st May 9:00 am onwards , you may reserve table at The Chairman for the months of July to September 2024.

In order to improve efficiency of the process and to reduce errors and waiting time, we shall only accept online booking through the booking platform in our web site www.thechairmangroup.com

Thank you for your support all along.

梅乾菜炆豬下巴，馬來西亞香料烤豬頸，鹹蛋黃釀豬腸，五彩紥蹄，梅醬辣椒豬尾。

一頭濟州島靚肥豬，由頭吃到落尾！

好玩，好看，又好吃，客人們都說，今晚菜式美味，沒有斧鑿痕跡，如果不預先知道這是六手聯彈，會以為是一間餐廳的出品。太高興了，這是給我們的最佳獎勵，要把三間餐廳不同風格，統一起來，了無痕跡，真的不易。

感謝首爾的主人家Onjium 餐廳，Chef Cho 及Chef Park。感謝星加坡Seroja，年青大廚Kevin。從他們身上，看到只要能虛懷若谷，便能百川匯海，厲害。

Pork jowls braised with preserved mustard greens, grilled pork collar rubbed in Malaysian spices, pork intestine stuffed with salted egg yolk, five-colour trotter, and pig tails in spicy plum sauce.

A head to tail feast of a beautiful Jeju pig!

Fun, visually appealing and delicious, every guest commented that the food was delightful and seamlessly composed. If they weren’t told beforehand that it’s a six-hands dinner collaboration, they would have assumed it’s the creation of a single restaurant. It couldn’t be a better compliment, and I was so thrilled. Unifying three restaurants of distinct styles onto dishes without a trace was anything but easy.

Thank you to our host in Seoul , Chef Cho .food , Chef Park , talented young Chef Kevin of .sg from Singapore. From them, I‘ve seen the importance of being receptive, as it allows for a beautiful merging of minds and culinary expertise. It’s just brilliant.

上周收穫甚豐，由衷感謝 SCMP、Harper’s Bazaar、黑珍珠餐廳指南，以及米芝蓮主辦單位對大班樓的肯定。所有奬項，皆為鞭策，更加努力。

借愛恩斯坦的話：”Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” 從過去學習，求知探索，才能進步，共勉之。

It was a fruitful week last week. Utterly thankful for the recognitions from South China Morning Post, Harper’s Bazaar, The Black Pearl Restaurant Guide and The Michelin Guide. These accolades are the fuel and inspiration for continual improvement.

Quoting Albert Einstein, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” It is vital to draw lessons from the past and stay inquisitive to foster growth.

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” 海倫凱勒的金句。

感謝大班樓的同事們，大部分都一起努力工作超過十年，不容易呀。感謝在路上同行的老朋友，食客及各方廚師們，不斷支持鼓勵。感謝各位前輩，蔡瀾先生，QC 大隊長，以及給予意見的同伴。感謝「亞洲五十最佳餐廳」主辦單位及評判們，讓中菜踏上國際盛事的台階，被世界看見。還有，大廚強哥，開店第一天到現在，辛苦晒。

今天是美好的一天。

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” A quote by Helen Keller.

Thank you, The Chairman team. Most of us have worked together for over a decade long, which hasn’t been easy. Thank you to our old friends, guests and chefs from different places for being with us all along and offering constant encouragement. Thank you to all the forerunners, Mr. Chua Lam, our “QC captain”, and everyone who has given us advice. Thank you to the organiser and judges of Asia 50 Best Restaurants for taking Chinese cuisine in the limelight of this international event and letting it be seen. Last but not least, Chef Keung, working from the first day of the opening till now, thank you.

It is a beautiful day.

www.theworlds50best.com/asia/en/awards/icon-award.html

www.theworlds50best.com/stories/News/asia-restaurants-icon-award-2024-danny-yip.html

準備過年，餐廳也換了裝飾，貼上揮春，添些節慶氣氛。

這年過得太快，有點好玩、有點艱難、有點收獲，挑戰不少。三元九運，一百八十年起始，孔雀開屏，火光熊熊，進入另一時代。今歲今宵盡，明年明日催，好的壞的都隨兔年而去，龍年將至，來年我們繼續用心精進，活好當下。

是日除夕，預先祝願大家新春大吉，身體健康，平安常在。

大班樓將於 2 月 10 日至 12 日休息，龍年見。

Getting ready for Chinese New Year, the restaurant is now dressed in decorations and adorned with fai chun, sprinkling some festive flair to the ambiance.

This year has gone by in the twinkle of an eye; it was a bit fun, a bit hard, a bit rewarding, as well as challenging. Spanning over 180 years where we will be in “three cycles and nine periods” in classical fengshui of Chinese astrology, peacocks will flaunt their feathers for this will be a dazzling era, and fire will be raging for this will be an era unveiling extreme aspects of human nature. As the year is ending tonight and tomorrow marks the beginning of a new one, everything, whether good or bad, will be gone with the Year of the Rabbit. In the Year of the Dragon, we will continue to dedicate ourselves to refining and improving, and make the best of every moment.

On this Chinese New Year’s Eve, we would like to wish everyone good luck, good health, and may peace always be with you.

The Chairman is closed from February 10 to 12. See you in the Year of the Dragon.

大班樓訂位最新安排

各位客人，

訂座已滿至2024年3月31日。2月1日上午9時開始，可以預約大班樓2024年4月至6月的座位。

為了令過程更有效率，減少錯誤以及客人等待時間，統一在我們網站 www.thechairmangroup.com 內的預訂平臺上訂位。

感謝各位一直支持。

Latest Arrangements for Chairman’s Reservation

Dear Customers,

The Chairman is fully booked till the end of March 2024. From 1st February 9:00 am onwards, you may reserve table at The Chairman for the months of April to June 2024.

In order to improve efficiency of the process and to reduce errors and waiting time, we shall only accept online booking through the booking platform in our web site www.thechairmangroup.com

Thank you for your support all along.

世紀疫症過去，各地通關，以為旅客重返，卻是眾人漸去。加上世界經濟走下坡，大家留守家中，城中多少人勒緊褲頭，小心花費。許多店舖撐不下去，街上處處吉舖，飲食業更甚。今天選了一些前人對艱難時期的想法，與大家分享：
I believe that everyone has good days and bad days , but you can’t let the bad times beat you down.
Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss.
Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But, you keep going.
Always in Life bad times will lead to great times.

起起伏伏，五味雜陳，人生本來如此。這年快將過去，回望，大家已經盡力，給自己一點掌聲，未來我們一起頂過去。

2023, it wasn’t an easy ride.

The pandemic passed and border restrictions were lifted. Tourists would return, so we thought, but people actually have been ebbing away. The world is experiencing a major economy downturn, people would rather stay home than travelling, and lots of people in town have to tighten their belt. With weak consumption, shops have closed down and numerous shops on the streets remain vacant. Food and beverage industry was particularly hit hard. Today, I have chosen some thoughts our predecessors wrote during hardship to share with you all:
I believe that everyone has good days and bad days , but you can’t let the bad times beat you down.
Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss.
Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But, you keep going
Always in Life bad times will lead to great times.

The situation can’t be change, so we have adjusted our mindset. In the past year, we held a few 4-hands dinners where the culinary teams exchanged ideas, learnt from each other and develop new dishes; for the existing dishes, we have made minor changes here and there, hoping to refine and improve. Ebbs and flows, mixed tastes of life, impermanent nature of life, and all we can do is to give our best.

As this year is coming to an end, let’s give ourselves a round of applause. Together, we will overcome whatever challenges lie ahead in the future.

小時候，長輩總說冬大過年，做冬必然大陣仗。大肥雞、蒸海魚、豉汁蟠龍鱔、茄汁大蝦、熱湯小菜，一切俱足。飯後大家一起搓湯圓糰子，裏頭塞滿片糖芝麻餡蓉，幾塊老薑拍扁，加糖煮成薑湯，湯圓要吃兩顆、四顆、六顆，決不可單數。為甚麼冬大過年，無人解釋，總之做冬那天家裏最熱鬧，吃得最豐富。現在，我們餐廳裏面都是老式人，做節要有炸子雞。

後來認識二十四節氣，在冬至當天，白晝為年中最短，黑夜最長，冬至過後，日照時間便一天一天變長，週而復始。是古人智慧，亦是自然有法。即使連日陰霾霪雨，我們知道終會放晴，陰極之至，陽氣始生，等一等吧。

無論大家此刻身在何地，願各位冬至快樂，團團圓圓，好好吃飯。

When I was a child, the elders always said that the winter solstice was more important than the Lunar New Year, and the dinner on winter solstice was always a big thing. There would be a big fat chicken, steamed sea fish, steamed eel with black bean sauce, pan-fried prawns in tomato sauce, hot soup and side dishes, a full spread on the dining table. After the meal, everyone would gather to make tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) together. We would stuff the doughs with sugar and sesame filling, and smash a few slices of ginger to cook with sugar to make ginger sweet soup. Tangyuan had to be eaten in pairs; two, four or six, but, never an odd number. Why the winter solstice was more important than the Lunar New Year was never explained, but on that day, the house would be the liveliest and the feast the most sumptuous. Nowadays, in our restaurant, which is full of old-fashioned people, serving deep fried chicken during festivals is a must.

Later on, I learned about the 24 solar terms. On the day of the winter solstice, it is the shortest day and the longest night of the year; and after the day, the daylight hours gradually increase day by day, and the cycle repeats. It is the wisdom of the ancients and order of nature. It has been gloomy and drizzling in the past week, yet, it will eventually clear up, we know that. When it is the darkest, the light shall start to break in. Let’s be patient.

No matter where you are at this moment, I wish you a happy winter solstice, a reunion with loved ones, and enjoy a hearty meal together.