High Life

HIGH LIFE 71 “After only several years of my apprenticeship, Master Li passed away and I was left in charge of the kitchen at Heng Seng with one other colleague,” he recalls. “At first I offered a10-coursemenuforabusinessdinner to our boss, founder of the Heng Seng Bank, Ho Tim. He immediately called to see me and started to yell, ‘We are rich folks! We need time to talk about business! Where do we find the time to discuss business if all of it is spent on eating?’” While most ordinary people would imagine that the rich love lavish dishes, Chef Lai points out that it is not always the case. According to him, Hong Kong entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Shiu Kin Tang, for example, preferred home style cooking, such as steamed pork patties. “Sir Tang always came to me for simple home style cooking after having fun on his yacht, but one has to understand that home style cooking is not simple at all,” he explains. “With decadent dishes you can cheat here and there because no one will notice, but with home style cooking, every element has to be perfection.”