Known for marrying French and Chinese cuisines, Vicky Cheng is the chef-patron of two of Hong Kong’s top restaurants — Vea and Wing. Like the migratory birds that take flight in late September, chef Cheng will be taking flight and expanding horizons to Bangkok. On Sept 18, chef Cheng opens K, a casual Chinese restaurant in Empire Tower.
“K is the last of the three characters in my Chinese name. Wing Ki Cheng is my full given name. Wing is in Hong Kong and K will be in Bangkok, a more casual concept with a high standard. It will be a more casual take on Chinese cuisine; dishes at K will be different from Wing,” says the Hong Kong-born, Canada-raised chef.
Chef Cheng’s first restaurant in Hong Kong is Vea, a Chinese-French affair which has had a Michelin star since 2016 and ranks at No.68 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024. In 2021, he opened the Chinese fine dining restaurant Wing, which is No.5 on Asia’s 50 Best list, and No.20 and highest new entry on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
A Wing signature, crispy skin chicken.
“Since I decided to open in Hong Kong, my philosophy has always been utilising the techniques and skills that I’ve learned in the past, which is basically French techniques, and then eventually merging Chinese ingredients and philosophy. My main culinary philosophy and, perhaps, a rule to myself now, is to always capture, learn and absorb as much as I can from Chinese culinary techniques, ingredients, culture, before turning them into mine.
“When I say mine, that means Chinese-French at Vea and my take on Chinese cuisine at Wing. I’ve always believed that in order for me to express what I know about Chinese cuisine, I first needed to learn the original way.
“Often I would find techniques somewhere in there through trial and error in cooking one dish 50 times. Finally able to do it, and then perhaps throwing it all away and turning it into a French dish. That’s what we do at Vea. There will be times where I take techniques from the original version and find a unique way to express my DNA at Wing,” explains chef Cheng.
Black pepper pork bun.
“K will be my first overseas project in Bangkok. I’ve always had a strong relationship with Thai culture. As a kid in Hong Kong, I spent more time with my godmother, who’s from Bangkok. I was exposed to the flavours of Thailand at a young age. I would always be in Kowloon City, which is the core of the Thai people in Hong Kong. Coincidently, when I opened Vea, eight-and-a-half years ago, I married my wife, who is half Thai; her dad is from Chiang Mai. So when an opportunity showed up; when I was approached for this project, the result was obvious.”
K will have the same sense of goodwill and hospitality that chef Cheng and his wife Polly Cheung are known for.
“We have a locally-hired team in Bangkok and one of my kitchen managers from Hong Kong is here to train staff.
In Bangkok, in Thai culture in general, I feel like they have a very strong sense of hospitality.
“When you get off that plane and go into a restaurant, the way you are spoken to is very gentle and they have attention to detail. I feel like it comes quite naturally to them. Once we implement our system — we have a very strict system of how we do things in the front, how we do things in the back — then we’re just mainly looking for consistency,” says the chef.
K is the biggest restaurant that chef Cheng has managed, with 90 seats.
“I’ve always believed in sourcing within the region, within the space you’re in. Until now, I haven’t found a very, very good chicken to re-create the famous crispy chicken dish that Wing is known for. In Hong Kong, we are blessed with wonderful chicken, wonderful poultry. One day, if I am able to find a very good chicken that could do justice to the dish and the recipe, maybe it will appear on the menu.
“I want to utilise what we have best in Bangkok, in Thailand. We’re looking at a lot of beautiful vegetables, seafood, shellfish, prawns, and we’re still exploring. We want to create our own style at K; it’s going to be derivative.”
Diners can expect dishes like the chef ’s childhood favourite of black pepper pork bun, which is served steaming at the table. A bite of it sees all the lovely juices flowing out but one has to be careful not to burn their mouth.
K’s menu will be guided by the ancient wisdom of the 24 solar terms, which blends modern Chinese cuisine with seasonal variations. The restaurant’s interior will feature deep burgundy tones and Chinese art. All this will be complemented by views of Bangkok from the 56th floor.
“Hopefully, guests are going to be able to walk in and have a casual meal. We’re focusing more on precise cooking, flavours, my cooking techniques, my unique combination of Chinese food, creating our own identity, but in a casual way. More family-sharing style dishes. We want people to come in and be comfortable, whether it is a family meal or business lunch. There will be some sort of set menu, too.
“My focus will still be my flagships, Vea and Wing. Without these two mother hubs, there would be no branches. But Polly will also be monitoring a lot of the back-end stuff. She is the brain behind when my brain is focused here,” says chef Cheng.
