When Eric Wong Kam-wah first installed fish tanks in his Sydney restaurant two decades ago to introduce Hong Kong-style live seafood dishes to Australia, his friends teased him, saying he might end up having to keep ornamental goldfish in them.
'My friends and some of my staff said live seafood wouldn't sell well in Sydney because Westerners were used to frozen fish and prawn and not interested in eating fresh fish, lobsters or crabs,' Wong said in his Golden Century Seafood Restaurant in Sussex Street in Sydney's Chinatown.
But Wong had the last laugh. Twenty-two years later, the initial six fish tanks are now 24, capable of holding one tonne of live crabs, fish, shrimps and mega-size king crabs, ready for selection by diners. Steamed fish, poached shrimps, spicy crabs or king crabs in their shells with steamed egg are popular.
Until Wong and his wife Linda Wong Kam Yin-ling introduced Hong Kong-style seafood dining, Chinese restaurants in Sydney mainly served dishes favoured by Westerners such as sweet and sour pork, fried rice and spring rolls. When the couple and their two sons emigrated to Sydney in 1989 to take over a restaurant, they found chefs used frozen shrimps or fish fillets as ingredients.
This is heresy in Hong Kong where diners expect to select their seafood while it is still swimming.
The Wongs' trailblazing work has paid off: Golden Century is a landmark in the Sydney's Chinatown, serving thousands of customers seeking authentic Cantonese cuisine. Customers include celebrities and high-ranking officials: Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, former Hong Kong Monetary Authority chief executive Joseph Yam Chi-kwong and movie stars Andy Lau Tak-wah and Jackie Chan have all visited. Both the Wongs were born and bred in Hong Kong. After finishing school, Eric became a banker in the 1970s, staying in the sector for 19 years to become head of the Shenzhen branch of a commercial bank. Linda helped run a restaurant in Hung Hom.