Upon his arrival in Hong Kong in March 2020, Chef Steve Lee was caught off guard by the city’s cost of living and heat. Yet, despite these initial shocks and limited knowledge about the city, he managed to thrive and make a name for himself in its culinary scene.
The 31-year-old South Korean native is currently the head chef at Hansik Goo, a renowned Korean fine-dining restaurant located in the Sheung Wan neighbourhood. Within just two years of its opening, the restaurant garnered a Michelin star, the first and only Korean restaurant in the city to achieve this recognition.
Lee’s outstanding culinary skills also led him to receive the inaugural Young Chef Award in the 2023 Michelin guide for Hong Kong and Macau, an honour reserved for those who demonstrate exceptional talent and potential.
However, Lee’s journey to culinary stardom was not without its hurdles. When he took on the role of head chef at Hansik Goo in 2020, he had to navigate a new city and cuisine. Despite his passion for cooking, he had never professionally cooked Korean cuisine before.
The learning curve was steep, but he embraced the challenges, seeing them as an opportunity for personal growth. Despite numerous failures and mistakes, he continued to push forward, crediting these missteps as the stepping stones to his success.
Lee’s journey began with his mentor, founding chef of Hansik Goo, Kang Min-goo, who is also the chef at Mingles, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Seoul. They both studied at Kyonggi University in Suwon, South Korea. Lee had dreamed of working with Kang, and he fulfilled that dream partially when he landed a job at Mingles right after his graduation.
After working at Mingles and then spending seven years in Sydney, Australia, with the Bentley Restaurant Group, Lee returned to South Korea. He reconnected with Kang, who then offered him the head chef position at his planned new venture, Hansik Goo, in Hong Kong.
Transitioning to Korean cuisine was not easy for Lee. He initially found it challenging to adjust his cooking style, which was more Western and heavily influenced by his time in Sydney. Despite these hurdles, Lee has managed to create dishes that stay true to Kang’s vision of serving authentic Korean cuisine, while also incorporating local ingredients from Hong Kong markets.
Lee’s time in Hong Kong has been marked by growth and recognition, but it is the trust of his long-term mentor that he cherishes the most. After a decade-long journey that took him across continents, Lee is certain of one thing: his passion for Korean cuisine and his ambition to open his own Korean restaurant someday.
In a final note, Lee emphasises the depth and intricacy behind the seeming simplicity of Korean cuisine. He equates its preparation process, filled with multi-step ingredient preparations and the making of rich broths, to the nurturing love of a mother.
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