Seventh Son restaurant’s next generation carries forward culinary traditions in Hong Kong

In the bustling heart of Hong Kong, where titans of industry like CK Hutchison Holdings and Sun Hung Kai Properties are built on family legacies, culinary dynasties also thrive. Among the city’s most cherished institutions are family-run restaurants, and few are as legendary as Seventh Son, an offshoot of Fook Lam Moon – the fabled “tycoons’ canteen” founded by master chef Chui Fook-chuen.

Now in his 70s, Chui Wai-kwan’s own children are adults. Son Daniel is a doctor working full time as a specialist in pathology – yet he still decided to take on the role of Seventh Son’s director to continue the family business. Not out of obligation, he insists, but out of respect for the legacy started by his grandfather and maintained by his father.

This Father’s Day, we sit down with father and son to explore the multi-generational story behind Seventh Son, and learn why, in a city obsessed with all things new, the pair believe some dishes and traditions are worth preserving exactly as they were 50 years ago.

The story of Seventh Son begins with its name. “The Chinese name … comes from my father,” says Chui Wai-kwan, dispelling the notion that the name is all about himself. He explains that the characters “fook” (福) and “chuen” (全) in his father’s name are both present in the restaurant’s Chinese name (家全七福). “After dedicating over 50 years to Fook Lam Moon, I needed a place for my heart to rest,” he says. “So I named this restaurant after him. Seventh Son is for both of us.”