The missing piece
New York sharpened Cheng's French techniques, but also drew him toward Asia. On days off, he searched for dim sum, sushi and kimchi. "I realized that there's an Asian part of me … that I had yet to discover," he says. "So I made a decision to come back to Hong Kong."
He continued cooking French food, but as he prepared to open VEA in 2015, he realized that a conventional French restaurant no longer fully represented him. Simply adding soy sauce, wasabi or a Chinese mushroom to a Western dish was not enough, either.
Meaningful fusion requires an understanding of how both cuisines think. A chef using mushrooms from Yunnan province should first understand how local people prepare them and why that tradition exists. Only then can it be reinterpreted rather than used as decoration. "That, for me, is true fusion," Cheng says.
His Chinese education was less formal. At Hong Kong markets, Cheng bought unfamiliar produce, asked vendors how they cooked it, and tested the ideas on friends at late-night suppers.
This education shaped VEA and led to the founding of WING, which opened in 2021. The restaurant takes its name from the Chinese character yong — pronounced "wing" in Cantonese — in Cheng's name.
In Chinese calligraphy, the character is traditionally used to demonstrate eight fundamental brush techniques, reinforcing his belief that innovation must begin with a strong foundation.
Launching a Chinese restaurant without training in the traditional Chinese kitchen hierarchy was risky, but it encouraged him to develop his own culinary language.
His Western-raised palate helped him identify where international diners might struggle. Sea cucumber, for instance, can be challenging in appearance and texture. At WING, he placed it inside a crispy spring roll.
"Everybody understands spring rolls," Cheng says. "Everybody understands and loves crispy." He hopes this accessible version encourages diners to try traditional preparation.
This idea reflects his broader hopes for Chinese cuisine. "Food is a universal language," Cheng says. He believes it can evolve only when chefs understand what came before: "Without tradition, there is no innovation."
That foundation, rather than rigid regional boundaries, informs WING. Cheng hopes contemporary interpretations can lead international diners toward traditional dishes. "I hope the world will see Chinese cuisine differently because … it is for me, one of the most important, most interesting, and tasty cuisines in the world," he says.
