Private dining club chef

Customers' inspiration makes hard job enjoyable

Tung Siu Chung cooks a Huai Yang dish in his
home-style private dining club. (Bernice Ha)

By Bernice Ha

Tung Siu Chung, 62, who has been a chef for over 46 years, is the owner and chef of Tung’s House, a private home-style dining club in Central.

Mr. Tung started cooking in Yangzhou, China, when he was 16. He now specializes in Huai Yang cuisine, which is characterized by stewing, braising and steaming over a low fire for a long time.

According to an article in Ming Pao in November 2003, there are at least 100 private home-style dining clubs in Hong Kong.

Mr. Tung said that the earliest private dining club in China was found during the reign of Emperor Qian Long of the Qing Dynasty.

“At that time, many rich families had their own chefs. Those chefs served only their employers, and their recipes were kept secret.

“Both my grandfather and uncle were chefs working for rich families in the Qing Dynasty,” Mr. Tung said.

Inspired by his relatives, Mr. Tung developed an interest in things culinary. When I was a kid, I was uninterested in everything except cooking.

“I often played with flour and watched people cook during my spare time,” Mr. Tung recalled.

At 16, he decided to learn cooking from an ex-chef instead of studying in a formal culinary school.

Mr. Tung said that being a cooking apprentice was not easy, because he had to learn very difficult culinary skills such as making dim sum and even man han quan xi, the Han imperial feast in the Qing Dynasty.

“I also had to clean the kitchen and do sundry duties for my master,” he added.

Mr. Tung said that he had to obey his master, or he would be scolded. I had to follow strict rules in the kitchen. For example, I was forbidden to eat when I was on duty,” he elaborated.

After emigrating to Hong Kong, Mr. Tung started his cooking career as a dim sum master in a restaurant owned by the Ning Po Association. He worked there for about 20 years, until 1998.

“Due to the economic turmoil, I was dismissed,” Mr. Tung said.

He then rented a food store in Chai Wan and started his own cooking business. Within a week he had a group of loyal customers.

Unfortunately, in May 1999, he was charged by the Department of Health for selling food without a license. He was fined $1,500 and ordered to close his store.

In January 2000, he decided to turn his home in North Point into a private home-style dining club. “My house was just big enough for two tables. Therefore, diners had to make their bookings six months in advance, at least,” said Mr. Tung.

“More people were interested in having meals in private dining clubs, so I expanded my business.”

Mr. Tung’s business venture received such good response that after just 7 months of operation, he had to find another location to accommodate his customers.

That place is Tung’s House, his pride and joy.

Situated in an office building in Central, Tung’s House attracts mainly middle class families, office workers and a few celebrities, including Louis Cha and Leon Lai.

Keeping his customers happy and their palates satisfied is not an easy job. Mr Tung believes that a chef’s job is especially difficult in a private dining club.

For example, the chef has to know how to cook all the dishes ordered by the diners.

“In formal restaurants, different cooks have different jobs. For example, one may specialize in chopping while another makes dim sum.

“However, the chef at a private dining club has to do all these jobs, because there is only one cook in the kitchen,” he said.

Despite the heavy workload, Mr. Tung chooses to stay in his profession. He is motivated by the appreciation he receives from his customers and the close relationship he has developed with them.

“I greet my diners and even talk to them whenever I want,” he added.

“I can design tailor-made menus for my customers if they want special dishes.”

He even makes sau bau, a Chinese style bun usually served in celebrations, as gifts for them on their birthdays.

“It would be impossible for me to do these things if I worked in a restaurant,” he said, “because the employers are generally more concerned about earning money than about enhancing communication with customers.”

Mr. Tung attributed the growing popularity of private dining clubs in Hong Kong to the harmonious relationship among chefs and diners. Most of my customers do not enjoy only my dishes, but also the atmosphere of having meals in my house,” he said.

“One of my customers even told me that she felt like she was having a meal prepared by her parents.”

Being admired and appreciated by his customers has made Mr. Tung even more enthusiastic about his business. He believes that customers are his top priority, and that chefs should try their best to satisfy their customers’ needs.

“You have to learn how to cook even if the customers demand dishes mentioned in Hong Lou Meng, a classic Chinese novel,” he said.

Mr. Tung believes that having a good relationship with customers gains their respect and loyalty, which are important for chefs.

In November 2000, Mr. Tung was praised and given a gourmet award by Sopexa, a French gourmet institution, for his Huai Yang cuisine. This further recognized Tung’s skill as a chef.

“The gourmets from Sopexa often came to my house for meals. They praised my dishes and nominated me for the award,” he said.

“You cannot imagine how delighted I was. It is even better than being married to my wife,” Mr. Tung said, smiling.

On a more serious note, he said that his award should make Chinese people feel proud, because it is a recognition of the success of Chinese cuisine.

Having received recognition from Sopexa, however, he admitted having greater pressure to perform better.

“It spurs me to improve my cooking skills and provide better services, or else I may damage the reputation of all Chinese.”

Mr. Tung was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal in 2001 and the interview was another pleasant experience.

“Some American and Canadian customers told me they traveled to Hong Kong to try my dishes after reading the interview.

“I am glad that people of different nationalities can taste Chinese cuisine,” he said.

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