Dim sum, hotpot, pizza: favourite Hong Kong restaurants of Tuber Umberto Bombana chef
Keith Yam of Tuber Umberto Bombana and Cannubi reveals his Hong Kong restaurant hotspots for Italian, Japanese, Chinese and more
Hong Kong native Keith Yam Ka-lok is the executive chef of Tuber Umberto Bombana and Cannubi at K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui. He spoke to Andrew Sun.
As Hongkongers, my mom and dad mostly had very traditional local foods. We cooked ordinary family dishes. At festive times, we had rice dumplings and Chinese cakes.
I was a terrible student, so at 16, I told my mom I didn’t want to study any more – I wanted to go out and work.
I had two relatives who were chefs. One was in a Chinese restaurant, the other in a Western restaurant. A day in a Chinese kitchen started earlier, seemed like harder work and conditions seemed dirtier, so I chose to work in Western cuisine.
I didn’t know a word of English when I started, but in the kitchen I was very curious, wanting to know the names of ingredients.
For dinner in Hong Kong, and also where I would bring visitors, I really like Man Ho (3/F, JW Marriott Hotel, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty. Tel: 2810 8366). Chef Jayson Tang, who I worked with briefly at the old Ritz-Carlton hotel [in Central], is very detailed, with such high standards. He incorporates some contemporary Western techniques in his dishes and they are very good.