Formerly a sous-chef, the Hong Kong-born Taklau Yuen has been named the new Chef of the gourmet Cantonese restaurant Lili at The Peninsula Paris.
Eight years after his arrival at the luxury establishment on the Rive Droite (Right Bank) of Paris, just steps away from the majestic Arc de Triomphe, Taklau Yuen now leads a team of 19 chefs from the former British colony. Working closely with Chef David Bizet, Taklau Yuen’s mission is to create a tasty, delicate menu with an emphasis on fish, seafood, dim sum and authentic traditional cuisine for a cosmopolitan clientele seeking excellence.
“When I think about the menu at Lili, I always think of my father, who helped me understand the smallest details, the complex and complementary refinements of Chinese, Shanghai and Hong Kong cuisine. Working with Chef David Bizet is also a powerful source of inspiration for me and I hope that our complicity is felt in the plate“, says Chef Taklau Yuen.
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Thus, the two chefs are reinventing the traditional small steamed ravioli with a “selection of Dim Sum with four hands”, which pay homage to the seasonality of the French soil: beef bourguignon, bouillabaisse, artichoke barigoule, snail, chestnut-truffle, offering a tasty mix of Chinese and French inspiration. The LiLi’s culinary menu also includes Kung Pao chicken, enhanced with a black garlic condiment and a cress leaf to give it a delicate garlic flavor, and tuna, served half-cooked and enhanced with a touch of sesame and black truffle.
“We are pleased to appoint Taklau Yuen today as the new Chef of our LiLi Chinese fine dining restaurant. Chef Tak has always worked with passion at LiLi and knows how to transmit this deep affection for his profession to his brigade of 19 cooks as well as to the restaurant’s customers. He naturally manages to generate a sincere emotion with each tasting. I am certain that his creativity and his desire to bring a touch of modernity to this traditional cuisine, together with Chef David Bizet, can only be welcomed with the greatest enthusiasm,” says Vincent Pimont, General Manager of The Peninsula Paris.
Born in Hong Kong, Taklau Yuen arrived in France at the age of six. From his early childhood, he was immersed in the world of Chinese gastronomy and discovered Shanghai cuisine in the kitchens of his family’s restaurant where he assisted his father, a chef in Hong Kong.
Following an academic curriculum, Taklau Yuen did a year in international trade after his baccalaureate before returning to his gastronomic roots in 1995. Ten months later, he obtained his CAP in French cuisine, which opened the doors of French restaurants to him, where he perfected his mastery of the great classics of French gastronomy.
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