20 November 2025 (Hong Kong SAR) – Lai Ching Heen at Regent Hong Kong has been named one of the LA LISTE World’s Best Restaurants in the Greater China Region, among just 11 restaurants in Hong Kong that have achieved an outstanding score of over 90.
Founded in 2015, La Liste utilizes an advanced algorithm to analyze restaurant reviews from international dining guides, crowd-sourced platforms, and press reviews worldwide, ultimately ranking the Top 1,000 Restaurants globally.
Rooted in rich heritage, masterful craftsmanship, and exceptional hospitality, Lai Ching Heen continues to serve as a global ambassador for refined Cantonese dining. The talented chef duo revitalizes the glory days of Cantonese cuisine while taking initiatives to expand its repertoire to a wider audience.
Standing strong as leaders in the industry are executive chef Yiu-Fai Lau and his head chef Man-Sang Cheng. Together, the duo works closely with one another through thick and thin. Decades since they first collaborated, chef Lau reminisces on his journey up the ranks through the turbulent times, while chef Cheng continues to help foster Lai Ching Heen’s standards to new heights.
“The most crucial element that makes a good chef isn’t talent, but the right attitude towards the food and service industry. One must develop high standards for himself for top quality before anything else. If you don’t demand excellence in what you do, how could you expect to execute excellence for your guests?” said Chef Lau.
As times change and industry matures, so have technology and skills required to master the art of cooking. “It needs to fit the purpose. A blender is excellent in pulverizing dried codfish into powder. Yet diced carp remained better hand-chopped and beaten by hand to make a farce for poaching, ensuring the handy process yields a chewy texture that cannot be executed through blending into a puree.” Tools are meant to be facilitating our work, but one must learn the purpose of doing something by hand, and why it is crucial to not rely only on technology. Like the conventional saying — it’s not about working fast, but working smart.
Despite keeping his open mind for novelties, chef Lau draws the line to stay true to certain principles. “Sometimes if a guest’s preference affects how he or she experience the dish, we may be able to accommodate or adapt, but if the change alters the soul or identity of the dish entirely, then we need to stick to the principles and respect the root of the dish.” Being flexible is a great trait as a chef today, but flexibility cannot warrant altering the core of the dishes. Some principles exist and stand for a reason, and they do not deserve to be disregarded, or disrespected.
However, chef Lau is enthused to have made certain changes at Lai Ching Heen — Peking Duck remains one of the restaurant’s iconic signature dishes. Inspired by a meal during a work trip in Japan many years ago, chef Lau shifted the presentation of the traditional pared skin with pancakes way of the Peking Duck with more ornately fanned out crispy skin, flour wrappers in steamer, and a more refreshing take on toppings, adding pineapple and green papaya alongside cucumber juliennes and a number of sauces to bring a different set of flavor profiles to the traditional dish. The new Peking Duck became an overnight sensation, and the dish never is never taken off the a la carte menu ever since.
Despite his success in the industry, capturing the accolades and honors with two Michelin stars, China’s Black Pearl ratings, critical acclaim and among many, chef Lau’s aim is higher. “There is no doubt every working chef aims higher for more awards, but they are not personal attributes, but proof and honor that goes into every member of the team. It is important to note that the awards are not for me alone. They are not there to create super stars, but a galaxy full of shining stars that shine through every experience.”
Chef Lau’s plan does not stop at the accolades, but a grander one to promote Cantonese cuisine to a wider demographic, and a younger generation of guests. “The audience today for Cantonese cuisine is a different one compared to before. Aesthetics and presentation play a crucial part, but what stays true in the cuisine is the importance of temperature — food is always piping hot when served, and everything we do upholds this tradition. It’s a standard we do not stray from, it’s a must, and we are happy to uphold for our guests — We always warm up for smiles and satisfaction.” Generations of guests have visited Lai Ching Heen, and from the wave of return customers and feedback, we know Chef Lau’s on the right track.
As head chef to chef Lau at Lai Ching Heen, chef Cheng is fittingly considered the jack of all trades in the traditional Chinese kitchen, one who excels in myriads of skills sets throughout his training.
While chef Lau manages the dynamics and maintains the proper hierarchical structure of the kitchen at Lai Ching Heen, chef Cheng keeps the chefs in line while executing the restaurant’s dishes at pristine quality. The duo also carries out group brainstorming sessions as new dishes are created. Chef Cheng follows chef Lau’s scientific approach — testing recipes by repeated trials, marking down findings on presentation, taste profiles, and aroma, among many attributes that build a dish, with the help of the entire kitchen team pitching in and working together to create every new dish or revisiting menu dishes that require updating from ingredient availability.
Restaurant reservations can be made via the online booking platform at https://hongkong.regenthotels.com/. For enquiries, kindly contact Restaurant Reservations at dining.regenthk@ihg.com or call + 852 2313 2313.
