Le Palais, the famous Chinese restaurant of Palais de Chine Hotel, has won Michelin 3 stars for 5 consecutive years from 2018 to 2022. Executive Chef for Chinese cuisine of the restaurant, Matt Chan is a student in the EMBA program of Department of Business Administration. He said that Le Palais focused on quality from the source of ingredients. He and his colleague Ken Chan jointly lead the team. They use only fresh premium ingredients, while the boss deals with the price.

Taking a common Chinese dish, Chinese radish cake for example, Matt Chan emphasized accuracy in Le Palais’s pursuit for quality. They sample a slice of each radish cake. Only sweet ones pass, while the bitter ones will be sent to staff canteen. A staff of the hotel added that they couldn’t tell because all the dishes sent from the restaurant were delicious.

For Matt Chan who is particular about ingredients, “I’m regardless of prices.” He used to choose a poultry farm to carefully raise the hens that he would use for broth. The price was 8 times higher than market price, but he didn’t care. Another restaurant once wanted to buy hens from that farm at a food expo, but found that it was entirely reserved by Le Palais. Matt Chan said with pride, “Sure! We don’t share with others.”

“Good culinary craft for a cook is important, but persisting with attention to details is critical.” A chef, leading a whole team, has to pay attention to all details. Negligence is unacceptable. The dishes served are the results of meticulous teamwork where every member plays an important role. Chef Matt Chan didn’t expect that the hardest time in his life of over 40 years was in Le Palais. He said, “The honor of Michelin was gained at the cost of life. No pain, no gain.” With 5 consecutive year Michelin-winning experience, Matt Chan believes that focusing on serving tasty dishes with stable quality is his life goal.