[INTERVIEW] Korean chef aims to change Hong Kong's dining scene

Bomnamul Bibimbap or Korean mixed rice with assorted spring vegetables presented by chef Lee Sang-gun / Courtesy of Hansik Goo

Award-winning chef delights Hong Kongers' taste buds with authentic Korean cuisine with modern twist

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Lee Sang-gun, better known as chef Steve in Hong Kong, the head chef of fine-dining Korean restaurant Hansik Goo in Hong Kong / Courtesy of Hansik Goo

Lee Sang-gun, better known as chef Steve in Hong Kong, was in disbelief when his name was announced as the winner of the Young Chef Award during the 15th edition of the Michelin Guide ceremony held on April 26 at the Grand Lisboa Palace in Macau.

It was a nice surprise for Lee.

"It was surreal," he said during a Zoom interview with The Korea Times on Wednesday. "I had never thought I would be the one to get the prestigious award."

The Young Chef Award was recognized on the sidelines of Michelin's unveiling of a total of 96 restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau, which received Michelin stars. The award recognizes "a young chef working in a restaurant of the selection and whose exceptional talent and great potential have impressed the inspectors," according to Michelin.

Lee, the head chef of the Korean fine-dining restaurant Hansik Goo based in Hong Kong, was selected for his "good talent in execution of the new menu with Korean flavors expressively presented."

Lee became the first winner of the award that was presented in Hong Kong and Macau as it was introduced there this year.

His friends and acquaintances were excited about the news. Some teased Lee, saying he was acting as if he did not know he would be honored and speculating Michelin would have informed him of the prize in advance.

"The truth is that I had never heard of it before. So I asked them if they had seen my facial expressions when my name was announced as the recipient of the award," he said. "It was a terrific experience to be the winner of the award."

It was the feat that Lee, 31, earned merely two years after he arrived in Hong Kong in March 2020 as one of the founding members of Hansik Goo. Before Hong Kong, Lee worked as a chef in Sydney, Australia, for seven years.

The Korean restaurant was created by ZS Hospitality Group and chef Kang Min-goo, the chef of two Michelin-starred restaurant, Mingles, located in southern Seoul.

Lee said Kang is his mentor.

"When chef Kang asked me if I would be interested in working as a founding head chef of the hansik restaurant, it was an offer that I couldn't possibly turn down," he said. The word "hansik" refers to Korean cuisine.

"Being a head chef at a fine-dining Korean restaurant overseas at the age of 29 was such an irresistible offer, so I instantly accepted it," Lee said.

The Korean restaurant opened there in May 2020, months after the first coronavirus patient was reported in China.

The timing was tricky. Like in other countries, Hong Kong introduced a set of social distancing measures. In many countries, including Korea, self-employed people, including founders of eateries, were hit hardest.

Nevertheless, the hansik restaurant in Hong Kong became an outlier. The pandemic did not stop the locals from coming, according to Lee.

"Our restaurant was launched amid rising expectations from the locals as we were the first authentic fine-dining hansik restaurant in Hong Kong. So we received lots of attention and favorable feedback from our clients," he said.

Kalguksu, a Korean dish in which the main ingredient is knife-cut wheat-flour noodles / Courtesy of Hansik Goo

As a hansik chef, Lee said he tries to be faithful to the basics. "Our restaurant prioritizes authentic flavors of Korean cuisine, and I try to stick to the principle with a modern twist in the presentation of dishes," he said.

The one-Michelin-starred restaurant also tries to introduce locally produced ingredients to add local flavors and delight its clients' taste buds.

During winter, Lee said he used locally produced hairy crabs in "Sundubu-jjigae" or spicy soft tofu stew. "It was a big hit," he said, revealing his satisfaction.

According to him, clients of Hansik Goo are ethnically diverse. About 70 percent are locals, 20 percent are non-Korean foreign residents living in Hong Kong and the remaining 10 percent are Koreans, he said.

He said hansik is gaining increasing attention in Hong Kong, thanks to the global popularity of K-pop and Korean dramas.

Lee's culinary journey began when he was a child. His mother's home cooking was the source of his inspiration.

"Her food was not fine dining at all, but it was so delicious," he said.

His mother made food with locally produced fresh ingredients that she shopped for in the nearby market. His mother took Lee along when she went shopping. Among her food, Lee said "kimchi-jjigae" or kimchi stew and "gamja-tang" or pork backbone stew were the two best dishes he has ever tried.

"Growing up with my mother's home cooking, I learned delicious food can make people happy," he said.

When he told his parents that he would study culinary studies as a major at university, he said they fully supported his decision and tried to help him move his dream forward. "They were happy about my decision to pursue a career as a chef, partly because they knew I discovered what I like most," said Lee.

Lee went to Australia on a working holiday visa after obtaining a leave of absence from Kyonggi University, and joined the Bently Restaurant Group, which has multiple restaurants in Sydney.

After obtaining a permanent residence permit to remain in Australia, he worked as a chef in several different restaurants operated by the group for seven years and finished his bachelor's degree in culinary arts through a work and study program.

Baby octopus juk, or rice porridge / Courtesy of Hansik Goo