Leading Hong Kong chef dies days after a first Michelin star was awarded to Shang Palace restaurant at Shangri-La Singapore, where he led the kitchen
- Mok Kit-keung, a Chinese executive chef who divided his career between Hong Kong, where he was born, and Singapore, died suddenly at the age of 58
- His Shang Palace restaurant at the Shangri-La won a Michelin star this month. Mok was known for creative Chinese dishes that incorporated Western ingredients
A leading Chinese-cuisine chef who spent his career in Hong Kong and Singapore has died, days after the fine-dining restaurant whose kitchen he headed won its first Michelin star. Mok Kit-keung was 58.
Mok, a married father of three, died suddenly on September 17 in Singapore. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Mok was also instrumental in Shang Palace at the Kowloon Shangri-La in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong, obtaining a second Michelin star in 2012.
Born in Hong Kong, Mok was known for creative Chinese dishes in which he deftly incorporated Western ingredients, and for his variety of cooking methods. He gained the confidence to do this from his 40-plus years of experience as a Chinese chef, nearly half of which he spent in Singapore kitchens at establishments including the Marina Bay Sands and Raffles Hotel Singapore.
“In Singapore you have Malay, Nonya [Straits Chinese], Indonesian and Western cuisines so I was inspired by them, constantly thinking of new dishes,” he said in an interview with the Post in 2013. “It’s a bit harder for my staff, who have only done traditional Chinese cooking, but I try to push them by giving them ideas. Then it’s up to them to create new dishes.”