On the 40th anniversary of Tatler Dining Guide, VEA and Wing founder-chef Vicky Cheng shares the impact of memory and heritage on his award-winning food
“One of my fondest memories of growing up in Hong Kong is eating tong chung beng,” says Vicky Cheng, referring to a childhood snack made of rice-paper crêpe wrap that uses a very specific, technically made, hand-pulled sugar of coconut and sesame. “I left Hong Kong by the age of nine and when I returned after so many years, tong chung beng was no longer popular. That’s why I decided to make my own version at VEA, so I could showcase this memory and share it with my guests.”
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It’s this touch of nostalgia, coupled with mastery of technique, that has made Cheng’s restaurant VEA one of the most important drivers for contemporary, Cantonese- inflected fine-dining in Hong Kong. The restaurant seats 25 diners along a wave-like counter, with the kitchen team interacting directly with guests to serve Cheng’s signature “French x Chinese” cooking, which skilfully blends French haute cuisine with Cantonese gastronomy.
Cheng himself is somewhat of a fusion of Chinese and Western influences, too. Born in Hong Kong but raised in Canada, he studied classical French cooking in Toronto before cutting his teeth at Daniel Boulud’s New York eatery, Daniel, at the age of 21. He later moved to Hong Kong to discover his roots, launching VEA in 2015.
“Every dish we do has a story, and the story is about Hong Kong,” says Cheng. “Food tells the best story because it’s real. Food culture is something you grow up with, something that’s in your blood.”
That culture is apparent in dishes like sea cucumber with tiger prawn and 20-year Shaoxing wine, fish maw served with Oscietra caviar and quinoa, and 28-head dried abalone pithivier with sweetbread. To source these, Cheng makes frequent trips to wet markets in Wan Chai, Ap Lei Chau and Kowloon City, working directly with producers to sync with the seasons.
Still, Cheng wanted to delve even deeper into exploring his heritage, and in 2021 he opened Wing, a fully Chinese restaurant just one floor below VEA—in the process realising a dream “to better respect Chinese culinary traditions while adding new ideas, combinations, and perhaps even a little bit of cross-trained techniques”.
But no matter what cuisine a chef cooks, the key to longevity in Cheng’s eyes is consistency and warm hospitality. “While innovation is a must, it’s the consistency and heartfelt hospitality that keeps our guests coming back. What used to be the best, may not always be. Never stay still.”