Spanning two decades, Li Yuet Faat has led the kitchen at Ming Court, Mong Kok, earning the Kowloon Cantonese restaurant one Michelin star for 16 years.
20 years since the regal Mong Kok restaurant parted its doors to diners, Ming Court at Cordis, Hong Kong has established itself a historic platform to mark a steeped heritage of Cantonese dining.
Ming Court has recorded 16 consecutive years as a one Michelin star establishment, seven of those earning One-Diamond honours from mainland China’s Black Pearl Restaurant Guide. Few Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong, even globally, can attest to holding such a precise standard to a 2000-year-old cuisine.
Chef Li Yuet Faat astutely understands the magnitude of Ming Court’s effect on the dining scene and refined Cantonese cuisine in Hong Kong. “Ming Court has been the cornerstone of my culinary career,” he tells Foodie. “This restaurant has symbolised my dedication to authentic Cantonese cuisine, upheld through premium, local ingredients and traditional techniques.”
A feat in itself to dedicate two decades to one restaurant, Yuet Faat has steered the Ming Court gastro-institution to opening 10 locations in Hong Kong and mainland China, namely Ningbo, Xuzhou, Changsha, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing.
“Hong Kong needs a restaurant like Ming Court to preserve our Cantonese cuisine’s culinary heritage because cuisine is an integral part of the Hong Kong identity. While cuisine always evolves, we stay true to our roots where it counts,” Yuet Faat describes of a zealous feat to tell a story of Hong Kong’s gastronomical base, notably spotlighting local suppliers to feed Ming Court’s storytelling.
Where dishes see a touch of French plating, familiar of Western Michelin star restaurants, Ming Court prefers a local route to excelling in the kitchen. Turnip and winter melon are sourced from Fanling, lobster and batfish Yung Shue O fishery in Sai Kung, cabbage pith from Shek O, Kung Woo Beancurd Factory’s iconic tofu from Sham Shui Po, and air-dried seafood and dried tiger prawn from Lamma Island.
Over two decades, favourites of Yuet Faat’s cooking repertoire have come and gone, yet the standout at Ming Court, he says, is his signature Hong Kong-style pork loin, which uses Hong Kong Heritage Pork. Washed in a honey coating and barbecued under piercing heat, the dish allows the chef to present the siu mei technique to diners and, in turn, celebrates an age-old dish in a space beyond the typical trappings of roasted Chinese barbecue restaurants.
The dining room tables at Ming Court are finished with white cloth, silver and brown-coloured Chinese lucky symbols dot the interior, and a wine cellar boasts of 300 hundred French, Italian, and Chinese labels. The homegrown chef argues that Cantonese cuisine deserves its rightful place in the fine-dining space, not just for the luxury setting of Ming Court and restaurants alike, but for its heritage and meticulous technique.
“At Ming Court, we have pioneered the elevation of Cantonese food by creatively reinterpreting classic delicacies while preserving their authentic flavours and refined cooking methods,” he says.
The Cantonese heavyweight has begun the 20-years celebration with a joint six-hands feast crafted by chef Gavin Zhong of Langham Place, Ningbo Cultural Centre and chef Edi Zhu of Cordis, Dongqian Lake to launch the exclusive Anniversary Feast of Umami Delights menu.
The eight course menu, priced at HKD988 per person, sees a sharing of Hong Kong Cantonese dishes and Ningbo specialties. The all-important Symphony of Six Tastes begins the meal, featuring five flavours of Chinese medicine, and a sixth flavour of umami: tree tomato, white bitter gourd, the beloved pork loin, and wagyu beef cheek make an appearance on the platter.
Other dishes on the menu exhibit a daring prowess flaunted by Yuet Faat and his two contemporaries. The leopard coral garoupa fillet, salt-baked pigeon, and fried rice with spiral snail present key techniques essential to Chinese cooking.
It is often described by chefs that you do not retain a Michelin star annually, but win it each year, a view reflected in the words of Yuet Faat. “Winning a Michelin star every year for over a decade is a testament to the unwavering dedication that defines our restaurant. Achieving and maintaining this prestigious accolade requires a relentless commitment to consistency and innovation.”
“Year after year, the stars are more than just meeting standards—it’s about constantly exceeding the ever-evolving expectations.”
Beyond hosting Ming Court’s six-hands anniversary dinner this summer, Yuet Faat actively scopes the scene for trends and new local ingredients to further position his fine-dining Cantonese restaurant as a beacon for sustainable practices. After all, for twenty years, Ming Court has fed a loop of delivering local Cantonese food made by local Hong Kong chefs from local ingredients.
To explore the 20th-anniversary Ming Court umami delights meal, click here to reserve your table.