Ho Lee Fook is redefining Cantonese food in Hong Kong, with chef ArChan Chan calling the spot — covered in mahjong tiles and beckoning gold cats — “a Chinese restaurant with a Hong Kong heart.” Chan’s modern renditions of classic dishes like char siu, sweet and sour pork, and steamed razor clams have become beloved by locals and tourists.
For the most popular dish, char siu, Chan’s team cures Kurobuta pork for four hours with sugar and spices before marinating it overnight in a hoisin-heavy sauce and potato starch. After roasting in a traditional Chinese smoker, the mostly cooked char sui is finished on a charcoal grill with a coating of honey for a smoky, charred exterior.
Chan takes a creative approach to recognizable Cantonese dishes, adding new ingredients and flavors to nostalgic favorites. She was inspired to make her own version of sweet and sour pork after struggling to find a rendition that she personally enjoyed and that hit a balance of sour and sweet; her update includes geometric cuts of pineapple turned into three-pronged building blocks and a popular perfume lemon tea that turns into a base for the sauce.
The Ho Lee Fook version of stir fry king, an iconic Hong Kong dish that combines nuts, seafood, and an allium, also utilizes creative ingredients like peanut sprouts and a mix of three different seafoods: abalone, dried shrimp, and anchovies. Meanwhile, razor clams are only steamed for a little over a minute, before being topped with glass noodles, fresh green onion, hot oil, and aged garlic soy sauce; Chan wanted to be extra thoughtful about the simple dish, which she enjoyed growing up, with the fresh clams reflecting the incredible live seafood scene in Hong Kong.
Chan says her overall goal at Ho Lee Fook is for customers to “feel like you’re eating local food with a little bit of a twist and something that is very memorable to you,” from the mahjong tiles lining the restaurant’s entrance to the fortune cookie that comes with each check.
Watch the latest episode of Experts to see Chan’s process for making thoughtful dishes that reimagine traditional Hong Kong cuisine.
