During a conversation with Kelvin Au Yeung, the executive chef of three-Michelin–starred Cantonese restaurant Jade Dragon, he often refers to “balance”. Undoubtedly, this is the best word to introduce this chef, a modest, mild and patient person who is attentively cooking top delicacies for guests.
Chef Au Yeung was born and raised in Hong Kong in a family that worked in the catering industry. He found his passion for cooking unconsciously and at a young age, simply by growing up in that environment and started his career at just 15 years old.
The chef came to Macau at the time City of Dreams opened, and before joining Jade Dragon he held key roles at Cantonese restaurants Treasure Palace and Lung Heen. In 2012, chef Kelvin became part of the opening team of Jade Dragon and was appointed as executive chef in 2017.
The restaurant showcases exquisite culinary masterpieces created with the freshest seasonal ingredients and mouth-watering delicacies. With spectacular designer décor and superlative personalised service, Jade Dragon sets the benchmark for fine dining in Macau. “When I took over as executive chef, I preserved the spirit of the restaurant. I simply kept adding more good dishes to the menu.”
During chef Au Yeung’s tenure at Jade Dragon, the restaurant successfully won three Michelin stars in 2019. “Honestly, it was stressful when I took charge of the restaurant because, at that time, it already had two stars. As the saying goes, keeping them is harder than winning. The most difficult part for me is how to uphold the quality of our dishes. I have to make sure my team is working for the same purpose.” The chef also admits that clients now come with a higher standard and the only thing he can do is try his best to satisfy every diner. “I always read the comments of our restaurant online. I’m not afraid of the criticism but I always check if they are reasonable. If so, I discuss them with my colleagues and it helps us improve. If I have the contact of those guests who identified the problems, I will definitely invite them back. I want to capture their minds,” he says, laughing.
Now, Jade Dragon provides the prime experience to guests, from the interior design to service and the food. “We serve the most authentic and traditional Cantonese cuisine in a modern way.” Using seasonal ingredients is an important concept for the chef and the restaurant and he always selects the highest–quality seasonal ingredient from different countries. “Summer is a good time to eat the pomelo peel from Thailand. It’s very tender and thick.” The chef also reveals he has prepared a new seasonal menu with wild mushrooms from Yunnan. “I use fresh Matsutake, Boletus and Chanterelle mushrooms to cook.” One of the highlights is the Matsutake mushroom and conch–meat soup. “Matsutake mushrooms are very flavourful, as is conch meat. There is nothing more delicious than cooking these two ingredients together.”
Showcasing the balance between innovation and respect for tradition is another vital point of chef Au Yeung’s cooking philosophy. “I have to respect the tradition of Cantonese cuisine but I have to be innovative at the same time. That’s why I present dishes in contemporary way,” he explains.
A good chef is never satisfied with staying where he is. Kelvin is always visiting the local wet market to find inspiration to create new menu. “When I go to the market, I always find something that I had forgotten. It’s where I always find the freshest ingredients, which is perfect for my dishes,” the chef says. “When I create a new dish, I always introduce it to my colleagues for them to have the knowledge to explain my idea to the guests.”
While visiting Jade Dragon, diners can’t miss out on signature dishes such as the Jade Dragon prime-cut barbecue Iberico pork collar: “We use wood from lychee trees to grill the pork,” the chef reveals. Another standout is his unique fish maw and caviar with rabbitfish soup – “I cook the fish maw with 25-year tangerine peel. The soup is very savoury.”
Dim sum is also an indispensable element of Cantonese cuisine and it is so common for people that they are very demanding about the taste of this speciality. Fortunately, there is no doubt the dim sum at Jade Dragon is also outstanding. Chef Au Yeung strongly recommends the Jade Dragon Dumpling: “I use French blue lobster to make it. The dumpling skin is green because it is made with chives and spinach juice. To ensure we serve the freshest dumpling with chewy skin, I only make it when guests order it.”
Although the chef has been a shining star in the industry, he remains humble. “I think I am very lucky. At the same time, I have to work harder to ensure guests believe we really deserve the awards,” chef Au Yeung says.
