Forum Restaurant

Forum Restaurant (Chinese: 富臨飯店) is a Cantonese restaurant officially established in 1977 at Sino Plaza, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Run by Hong Kong's international chef and ambassador of Chinese cuisine, Yeung Koon-yat (楊貫一), it is known for its expensive abalone dishes.

Forum Restaurant (富臨飯店)
Forum Restaurant
Restaurant information
Established1977
Owner(s)Anonymous Group and Yeung Koon Yat
Head chefYeung Koon Yat
Food typeChinese
Rating3 Michelin stars Michelin (2020)
Street address1/F, Sino Plaza, Causeway Bay
CityHong Kong
CountryChina
Reservations2869 8282
Websitehttp://www.forumrestaurant1977.com/

Yeung first opened the Forum in 1974 with some business partners, though it was not registered as a business until 1977. The restaurant struggled financially early on, and Yeung's business partners left the restaurant one-by-one until he became the sole owner of the business. Determined to make the restaurant succeed, he decided to become an expert in preparing abalone in order to make the business stand out from its competition. Yeung's abalone received positive reviews from businessmen and government officials that could afford dining at the Forum, allowing him to eventually get the opportunity to serve abalone to Deng Xiaoping in 1984. By 2020, the restaurant earned its third Michelin star.

History

With HK$600,000, chef Yeung Koon-yat and some business partners established the Forum in 1974.[1] It had not been officially registered as a business until 1977, as the partners individually left until Yeung was the sole owner and chef.[2][3][4]: 44  Originally serving comfort food, the restaurant struggled initially with staying afloat. Realizing that a signature dish would make the Forum stand out from its competition, Yeung decided to become an expert in preparing one item.[5][6] He eventually settled on abalone because "it was the food of kings, of businessmen, or intellectuals ...it's good quality and healthy."[3] He also believed that he could improve how abalone was traditionally prepared.[6]

Yeung spent three years learning how to prepare abalone,[3] investing heavily into the process.[4]: 45  The Forum's special method of preparing abalone initially attracted Hong Kong officials and dignitaries.[3] After businessman Yue-Kong Pao endorsed Yeung's cooking to Deng Xiaoping, the chef was requested to serve abalone to Deng and other state officials at the Diaoyutai Guesthouse in 1984.[7] The politician later claimed that Yeung's abalone was the best he had ever had.[6] In 1988, he was invited to Singapore to cook for a three-day banquet, serving more than a thousand meals and raising his profile outside of China.[7] Yeung went on to cook for leaders like Jacques Chirac in 1995.[5][8]

In January 2014, the restaurant moved to the first floor of nearby Sino Plaza, as its original site at 485 Lockhart Road had been rented to Tsui Wah Restaurant instead, at HK$1.22 million per month for ten years. This was an increase of 70% compared with the Forum's rental charges.[9] The same year, the Forum sued Fulum Group in April, alleging that their chain of seafood and dim sum restaurants infringed on their trademark. According to the lawsuit, "Forum" and "Fulum" sound similar and are written with the same Chinese characters.[10] In July 2014, Fulum Group announced that a coexistence agreement had been reached with the Forum.[11]

On 31 July 2023, the Forum announced on social media that Yeung had died at the age of 90 following an undisclosed illness.[12][13]

Description

Forum Restaurant resides on the first floor of the Sino Plaza, at 255-257 Gloucester Rd in Causeway Bay. It specializes in abalone dishes, which Yeung is known for.[14][15] The forum's signature dish is Ah Yat's abalone.[16] According to Lonely Planet, prices at the Forum start at HK$2,100.[17]

Yeung's method of preparing abalone involves initially re-hydrating Japanese dried abalone sourced from northern Japan, soaking and drying whole pieces for a day.[5][18] Yeung states that when he initially studied how to serve the dish, he used Japanese preparation techniques as inspiration.[7] Then, in a clay pot, the abalone is braised on layers of bamboo shoots and spare ribs. More bamboo shoots and chicken are overlaid on top of the abalone, and cooked at high heat for 12-14 hours.[6][19] At first, Yeung used charcoal to cook the abalone, but later switched to using gas stoves.[7] To test whether the abalone is ready, it is stabbed with a pin.[19]

In addition to abalone, the restaurant also has vegetable and fish dishes that are more moderately priced.[20]

Awards

The restaurant received one star in the Michelin Guide inaugural 2009 Hong Kong and Macau edition and the second one in the 2018 edition.[21][22] As of 2020, it holds three Michelin stars.[16][22]

See also

References
  1. Jung, Susan (2022-01-10). "The kitchen secrets of Hong Kong's 'Abalone King' Yeung Koon-yat". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  2. Chan, Bernice (2020-05-15). "Hong Kong's 'abalone king' started out sleeping on tablecloths". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  3. Ngo, Jennifer (2014-04-14). "'Abalone king' Yeung Koon-yat sees Hong Kong society turning sour". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  4. Sterling, Richard; Chong, Elizabeth; Qin, Lushan Charles (2001). World Food: Hong Kong (1st ed.). Footscray, Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet. ISBN 1-86450-288-6. OCLC 46878287.
  5. Dretzka, Gary (1995-08-09). "Mollusk Monarch". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  6. Ochoa, Laurie (1995-06-15). "The Man and the Mollusk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  7. Lo, Rebecca (2020-02-16). "How Yeung Koon-yat became Hong Kong's abalone king". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  8. Murdoch, Gillian (2008-02-07). "Lunar New Year a beacon for abalone poachers". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  9. Chiu, Karen (14 January 2014). "Tsui Wah tips out fancy eatery in deal". The Standard (Hong Kong). Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  10. Luk, Eddie (2014-04-11). "All in the name for 'Abalone King'". The Standard (Hong Kong). Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  11. Wang, Ling (2014-07-07). "Back on the menu". The Standard (Hong Kong). Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  12. Mok, Danny (2023-07-31). "'Abalone King' Yeung Koon-yat, famous Hong Kong restaurateur, dies aged 90". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  13. "'Abalone king' and founder of Forum Restaurant Yeung Koon Yat passes away at 90". The Standard. 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  14. Cam, Lisa (2020-03-19). "Abalone king and celebrity chef Ah Yat works his magic at Forum". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  15. "Forum | Restaurants in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong". Time Out Hong Kong. 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  16. "Abalone king's Forum and Sushi Shikon honored with three Michelin Stars". The Standard. 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  17. "Forum | Hong Kong, China Restaurants". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  18. Qiu, Carrie (2018-02-12). "In the kingdom of abalone". China Daily. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  19. Dwyer, Chris (2018-03-22). "The secret to three of Hong Kong's oldest restaurants: quality, loyalty". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  20. Sterling, Richard; Chong, Elizabeth; Qin, Lushan Charles (2001). World Food: Hong Kong. Footscray, Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet. pp. 44–45. ISBN 978-1-86450-288-6.
  21. Lim, Le-Min (2 December 2008). "Michelin Hong Kong Gives 3 Stars to 2 Restaurants (Update1)". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  22. "Forum – a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant in Hong Kong Macau". Michelin Guide. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
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