Lee Man-Sing

Coming Up

Before the kitchen, the work was the kind that trains the hand and the eye. Primary school, Secondary school, and Undergraduate studies formed the academic base, then came jobs that demanded routine, accuracy, and follow-through. At Cousin's watch company, where precision was part of the trade. He then moved through quality control checker at Garment factory, debt collector at Stationery wholesale company, and delivery courier. The line is plain, but the lesson is clear: repetition, responsibility, and attention to detail were already in place before food entered the picture. Those habits also show up outside the kitchen. Since 2000, Lee has been a volunteer of Kowloon Walled City Park, and he also serves as a paper-tearing demonstrator of Hong Kong Cultural Centre / Tsim Sha Tsui stall demonstration. Both roles depend on control, patience, and a steady hand—qualities that read the same whether the material is paper or a finished plate.

Where They Are Now

At Mott 32, Lee Man-Sing works from Chinese cuisine as a base, not a fixed frame. As Group Chinese Executive Chef and Executive Chef at Mott 32 Hong Kong (Hong Kong), he treats inheritance as something to be maintained with care rather than copied by habit. His cooking pairs time-honored Chinese traditions with refined Western techniques. The result is not a break from the source, but a measured way of presenting it. The signature work attached to his name includes the Old Harbour Cocktail, a marker of that same approach across form and format. “It is easy to learn Chinese cooking, but tough to master, traditionally passed down through a master-apprentice relationship. I aim to preserve this culture through written documentation and systematic methods,” he says. The point is less romance than discipline: technique should be protected, recorded, and passed on with order.

Signature

Lee's signature dishes include 42-day Apple Wood Roasted Peking Duck, 42 Days Apple Wood Smoked Peking Duck, and Old Harbour Cocktail. The names point to a working logic: time held in reserve, smoke kept gentle, and composition kept clean. Together, they show a kitchen language built on method rather than excess.

In Their Words “It is easy to learn Chinese cooking, but tough to master, traditionally passed down through a master-apprentice relationship. I aim to preserve this culture through written documentation and systematic methods.”

Honors

Lee Man-Sing has received Foodie Forks Lifetime Achievement Award (2026). The titles attached to Lee Man-Sing are Group Chinese Executive Chef at Mott 32 and Executive Chef at Mott 32 Hong Kong. They name a career defined by continuity, discipline, and the upkeep of Chinese cuisine in a contemporary setting.