The latest among the 2017 Michelin Guide’s newly crowned one-starred restaurants in Macau is Ying, a Cantonese cuisine specialist in Melco Crown Entertainment’s Altira Macau complex.
Ying’s executive chef Tim Lam has over 24 years of kitchen experience in the territory’s top Chinese restaurants, and turns out a balance of traditional Cantonese dishes and innovative new twists from the most luxurious ingredients. In 2009, he was the assistant head chef of the prestigious Li Ying Club in the City of Dreams, before being promoted to Ying as its head chef in 2015.
But Lam is no stranger to accolades. Over the years, Lam has taken part in - and won - a string of culinary competitions at home and abroad to further hone his Cantonese cooking skills. In 2014, he was awarded a gold medal for creativity by the International Exchange Association of Renowned Chinese Cuisine Chefs. Just a year before, he earned top honours for Chinese Cuisine at the National Vocational Qualifications, making him one of the first chefs in Macau to earn this distinction.
1. How did you first enter the restaurant trade?
My father is a chef and my brother is a pastry chef, so I started cooking when I was 14, under the influence of my family. My first job was as a junior cook in a restaurant, where we had to prepare meals for large tour groups of over 200 people at lunch and dinner, as well as staff meals for the banquet staff. I worked 11 hours a day and often had to work overtime just to finish my tasks. It was extremely punishing.
2. Tell us more about your personal cooking philosophy.
There are two key points I have always held firm: to cook according to the seasons, and to pay close attention to the different levels of flavour, in order to bring out the best in a dish.
3. Which are the three must-order dishes at Ying?
The flambéed Iberico Pork Char Siu, Claypot-braised garoupa and Crispy Chicken served with Lemon Sauce. For the latter, we use only the freshest Sanhuang chicken, and its skin cannot be broken. To ensure this, we individually check every piece of chicken that arrives every day, before preparing and frying it with meticulous care. Even the amount of time required to fry the skin to a crisp is something that I took over half a year to research!
We’ve now perfected it such that the skin stays crispy for up to half an hour after it is served on the diner’s table - but it took multiple tries and multiple failures. It was also during one of these tries that I came up with the lemon sauce that is a perfect accompaniment to the chicken; drizzling a few drops onto the chicken skin makes it taste less fatty and all the more delectable.
4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
There’s a Chinese saying that goes: don’t be conservative when keeping to tradition, but never forget your roots even in innovation. I learn a lot by reading and learning about what other chefs are doing, be it in the media or online. There are many things you can learn by paying attention to the littlest details. My latest project is to seek out newer, more premium ingredients to uplift the traditional Cantonese cuisine, and take it to new heights.
5. What are some of your other hobbies besides cooking?
I love swimming and travelling. Whichever destination I go to on my travels, I make sure to visit its wet markets, libraries and to try its local street food.
6. What was your most memorable experience on the job?
The most memorable event in my career so far is participating in the World Championship of Cookery (Team Contest) held in Taipei in June 2016, where we competed against a total of 26 teams from all over the world. The ingredients we had to cook with was only revealed to the team on the day of the contest, but fortunately, the pressure did not get to the team. We overcame the challenge and took home the trophy. It was the moment when I felt all those years of hard work had paid off.
7. Are there any chefs who you admire most in Hong Kong and Macau, or abroad?
The newly formed Gourmet Master Chefs Charity Association is made up of chefs from different countries and territories, and they organise different charitable events around the world in each. Each chef contributes his time and resources by taking part, and the proceeds go to various beneficiaries and charitable organisations. In 2016, their charity dinner in Kuala Lumpur raised over $700,000 Malaysian ringgit for a local kidney dialysis centre. I find what they are doing very admirable.
8. What gives you the most job satisfaction?
My biggest regret is often not being able to be with my family during the major festive periods, but my biggest pleasure is seeing our diners enjoy our dishes, especially the ones that we have spent a long time researching and refining.
9. And the most unforgettable lesson learnt in the kitchen?
I once scalded myself while deep-frying some pork belly - the pork slipped from the hook and fell into a pot of hot oil, scalding my arm. I had to rest at home for an entire month.
10. How has making it into the Michelin Guide changed your life or your professional perspective?
The first time I heard about the Michelin Guide was in 2008. When we first heard that Ying was awarded with one Michelin star, I immediately shared the news with my team and we all celebrated. The pressure and the motivation to upkeep our standards is definitely there, but the most important thing is to keep the right attitude. We will continue working hard to not only maintain but improve on what we do.
This article was originally written by Tan Pin Yen in Chinese. Click here to read the original story.
