One can find influences within the culture they’ve grown up in. An influence for chef Vicky Cheng, 39, is the classic 1980s Cantopop song Without the Two of Us by Hong Kong singer George Lam. In it, Lam sings about how “salted fish and bok choy are delicious,” which exudes happiness in sharing humble dishes with loved ones.
“It was a song my mom and dad used to listen to in cars,” says Cheng, who grew up in Scarborough. “George Lam is quite a bit of a legend in Hong Kong. He sang songs that were simple to understand.
“I said to mom when I was older that I really liked this line in this song. It was a song I also sang to my wife.” Cheng says it evokes a lot of nostalgia and emotions, which influences the food he serves at his Hong Kong restaurant, VEA ( vea.
hk ), such as salted fish and bok choy sabayon, which is a savoury pre-dinner snack that’s presented in a container as the tune subtly plays. “It would be so nice if I could recreate this memory,” he says. “The year I opened this restaurant (2015) was the year I got married.
So since then, every day, everybody who comes here has to listen to this song.” Cheng’s background in French cuisine is apparent in the menu, but the Asian influence is there as well, which he holds close to his heart. The chef says what made sense the most when opening VEA was “blending French and Chinese together.
” A recent special menu for visitors at VEA contained eight courses that blended French and Asian cultures. .