Cheung Siu Kong

The Climb

At Lei Garden Restaurant in Hong Kong (1987–1996), Cheung Siu Kong built a foundation in consistency and control before moving to Lei Garden in Singapore (1996–2003). The sequence matters: it shows a career formed through repetition, precision, and the exacting standards that Cantonese cooking places on timing, heat, and balance. Since 2003, Cheung has served as Chinese Executive Chef at Summer Pavilion, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, carrying forward a style that keeps ornament out of the way and lets the work of the ingredients remain legible.

Today

At Summer Pavilion in Singapore, Cheung Siu Kong works as Chinese chef with a focus on authentic Cantonese cuisine. His stated method favors modest technique over display, using cooking to reveal natural flavour rather than cover it. The result is a kitchen language built on restraint: elements are placed with purpose, and the final dish is left to speak plainly. Fried rice is one of the clearest examples of that approach in his cooking. Cheung Siu Kong describes it as a matter of aroma, wok skill, fire, and oil, rather than as a simple staple: “Let’s not discuss wok hei just yet. What gives fried rice gourmet status is its aroma, and this requires a chef to be skilled at the wok with fire and oil.” The point is technical, not decorative. Even a familiar dish becomes a test of timing and control when the goal is to keep every component distinct and every flavour readable.

Signature

Cheung Siu Kong's signature dishes include fried rice, Braised Pomelo Pith with Dried Shrimp Roe, Yusheng, Braised Superior Bird’s Nest, and Summer Pavilion Monk Jump Over The Wall. Together, they show a repertoire that moves across everyday and ceremonial Cantonese forms, from texture-driven plates to preparations built for depth and richness.

In Their Words “My cooking philosophy is simple. I believe that the key to creating authentic and exquisite Cantonese dishes is through modest cooking techniques which bring out the natural flavours of the ingredients.”

Recognition

Cheung Siu Kong has received The Best Chef — One Knife (Excellent) (2025). Cheung Siu Kong’s career is marked by continuity across named kitchens and fixed dates: Lei Garden Restaurant in Hong Kong from 1987 to 1996, Lei Garden in Singapore from 1996 to 2003, and Summer Pavilion as Chinese Executive Chef from 2003 to the present. Taken together, those postings point to a craft developed by staying with the same discipline across different rooms and cities. That same discipline appears in his memory of tang yuan. The detail is personal, but the lesson is professional: flavour can be built through restraint, and a dish can carry identity without excess.