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Laurels for Chef Hardy

Photo:S. Siva Saravanan

Ambassador of taste Chef Hardy Cheung

It doesn’t take much for Chef Hardy Cheung to hold our attention. He announces his arrival with his infectious smile and larger-than-life personality, and we are hooked. As my colleague and fellow foodie Pheroze L.Vincent astutely points out, C hef Hardy does belong in cinema. The real icing on our cake is that we have been promised authentic Chinese food. Life couldn’t be better.

“You sit here, while I make you a good meal, yes?” Chef Hardy says. Slightly rare to have the man we are eager to interview, spend more time in the kitchen than with us. For, isn’t Hardy an internationally renowned Chef, who has travelled more than half the world while spreading good will through his food? Surely, his apprentices would be keen to carry out his orders.

But that isn’t Chef Hardy’s style. “I’ll make you a few starters, followed by a clear soup, and then the main course.” Greedily, I make clear that I love sea-food, and some chicken would be great too. I’m just as obliging towards vegetarian food. With his quick smile Hardy disappears into his kitchen.

We soon learn that Hardy has brought all the sauces, spices, knives and choppers he needs from his home in Hong Kong. And, that he has been discussing the menu for the food festival at Chin Chin restaurant in the Residency, for more than a few months. His keenness for authenticity cannot be denied. But that is what makes Hardy special. For, while he keeps it authentic, he meets everyone’s personal preferences – while remaining unique. Mark of a Master Chef? Oh, yes!

He is also insistent that we are served our meal “the proper way”. And so, he oversees how his apprentice wraps our spring roll in lettuce and mint, and dips it in tangy sauce. Hardy then urges us to eat it whole. “You get the real taste only when you eat this directly with your hands, while being messy,” he smiles, as he watches the mess I make on my plate. Mouth stuffed, I can only nod in agreement.

“I started cooking at the age of 12,” he says. “Since I was no good in studies, my mother said I should go work in the kitchen.”He joined the restaurant his cousin ran in Hong Kong. “I started by cleaning dishes, while learning how to preserve our ingredients,” Hardy narrates. “I like cooking because I like to eat. Even today, I eat anything. I am not fussy. It helps me compare different dishes, and understand the good from the bad.”

His love for good food saw him clear the informal exam he had to take to earn the title of Master Chef. “Our Head Chef would come to the restaurant in plain clothes, sit like one of the customers, and ask the manager to ensure that the junior he wants to test is the one making the meal. If his apprentice makes the order right, only then would he be awarded the title of Master Chef,” Chef Hardy explains.

Initially, Hardy concentrated on Beijing cuisine but Schezwan food remains his favourite.

“In 1983, I went to the Philippines,” Hardy resumes with his story, just as we slurp the final drop of his soup. Three years hence, he was in Jakarta, and in 1989 he joined the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai as the Executive Chef specialising in Dim Sum cuisine. One year in Mumbai, and Hardy also had to take on the responsibilities of two other chefs who had quit the kitchen.

He then began travelling the world. Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Holland, Germany – Europe was explored with passion.

“In 1995, I returned to India, this time to the Taj Coromandel,” Hardy says. In response, all I can tell him is that his sesame chicken is mouth-watering.

Hardy has visited all the other Taj Group hotels – for food festivals and personnel training. It has helped him understand what Indians look for in food. “When people tell me that something doesn’t taste like the Chinese food they are accustomed to, I tell them that this is what I know to make,” Hardy says. In the same vein, he adds, “I never complain when I eat something I don’t like. I try putting it across to the concerned chef in as nice a way as possible. It’s because I know what kind of problems we face as chefs, when it comes to satisfying our customers.”

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