Ah Yung Kitchen, a three-star ESR, offers plenty of “EatSmart Dishes”. New “EatSmart Dishes” will be introduced every year to satisfy customers’ needs. Chef Lam Wai-leung, the Chinese Head Chef of Ah Yung Kitchen, has 38 years of experience in preparing Cantonese cuisine and witnessed the change in taste of Hong Kong people in recent years. Chef Lam remarked, “The amount of seasoning used nowadays has been reduced by 60% to 70% of what had been traditionally used in the past!”

Respond to Requests Flexibly

Chef Lam recalled that initially it was the customers who took the initiative to propose eating more healthily. In response, the restaurant tried to change the cooking methods. The dishes turned out to be well received. The process of creating new dishes was full of challenges. Nevertheless, Chef Lam believed that freshness was the essence of Cantonese cuisine, and as long as the ingredients were fresh, the amount of seasonings used could be reduced. Combined with low-fat ingredients and improved cooking methods, new “EatSmart Dishes” continued to be rolled out.

Two-pronged Approach to Enhance Nutritional Value

Many dishes created by Chef Lam were festive dishes well received by customers. In traditional Cantonese cuisine, taros were usually prepared by deep-frying. However, the taro in “Stewed Pumpkin Soup with Seafood and Taro” was steamed to make the dish healthier. Besides, in preparing the traditional dish “Braised Sea Cucumber Stuffed with Shrimp Paste and Vegetables”, Chef Lam substituted shrimp paste for fatty meat as the fillings of sea cucumbers. In so doing, the texture of the dish was enriched.

To encourage customers to order the “EatSmart Dishes”, Ah Yung Kitchen offers a 10% discount on all “EatSmart Dishes”. Chef Lam was of the view that healthy dishes were becoming more and more acceptable to Hong Kong people. He hoped that this, coupled with active promotion by frontline staff, would enable customers to enjoy a healthy and fun-filled holiday with their families and friends.