Hong Kong-born Alex Liu became a chef at 17 and works in Lan Kwai Fong as chef at Lux Bar & Tapas. He loves cooking seafood and has a love affair with French cuisine.
My name is Alex Liu. I’m 34, and I was born in Hong Kong.
Pasta is my guilty pleasure. I was always a fussy eater as a child, but pasta was the one thing I could always eat, so I ate a ton of it growing up.
I became a chef at 17. All the men in my family were chefs, but none of them treated it as a lifelong career. I wanted to be different.
In my 17 years as a chef, seafood is what I have loved cooking most, because fresh seafood doesn’t need much extra seasoning and we can focus on its original taste.
I also have a love affair with French cuisine. French cooking is extremely diverse and offers a wide variety of food to savor, each dish with its own distinctive taste. I like the small portions: you never see a European restaurant touting large portions to fill you up, because it’s the quality of the food that matters. An exquisite presentation is a delight for your eyes and for your taste buds too.
I love playing football. Eight years ago I played for the Lan Kwai Fong football team, and we practiced every Saturday morning with other chefs who also worked in Lan Kwai Fong. Unfortunately, I once hurt my neck in a game, and I stopped playing the football I loved.
I enjoy working in Lan Kwai Fong. It is a place that is always changing, and that’s what makes it so much fun. Always be ready for even more good times.
