From Haute Cuisine To Flipping Burgers, Chef Chunwan Lai Compares The Two Sides Of His Culinary Journey

From working under Michelin-starred Chef Tom Aikens to starting his own burger business, Chef Chunwan Lai shares the inspiration behind his recipes and reveals the truth about working in fine dining.

For those who’ve always wondered whether “The Bear” and “Burnt” exaggerated the stress of working in a fine dining restaurant, we’ve got your answer. Hong Kong’s own Carmy Berzatto, Chef Chunwan Lai honed his culinary skills working as the Chef de Cuisine at The Hong Kong Club and then as a protégée of Michelin-starred Chef Tom Aikens, and in the midst of the pandemic left the world of fine dining to open his own burger shop.

Sick! Burger first opened in Ma On Shan and now has a second location in Causeway Bay’s Haven Street, which celebrated its first anniversary last month. Even after swapping his plating tweezers with a wide metal spatula, he still brings his fine dining flair to the table, creating his own a house-made ketchup, caramelising onions in Madeira wine and adding a splash of ponzu sauce to elevate his beef patties. Guess you can’t quite take the fine dining out of the chef!

Ahead, Chef Lai shares what it’s really like to work at a three-Michelin-star establishment and the inspiration behind his recipes.

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What made you start your own burger business?

For me, burgers are a comfort food, and that’s something I love. A few years ago, I saw that many burger places were not doing very well and thought there was some room for improvement in Hong Kong’s burger scene. There weren’t a lot of places that did things like homemade sauces, I wanted to put my own fine dining spin on burgers.

We did noticed that you use more luxury ingredients than your typical burger joint.

Yes, we do a seasonal Sick! Truffle burger made with black truffle, chicken liver parfait and sautéed spinach. That one is only available for a few months. We change our menu quite a bit depending on what’s in season.

What would you recommend to first-time customers?

I would say the Sick! Chicken and the Double Sick! burgers are two of our most popular items.

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Where do you get inspiration for your recipes?

A lot of it comes from my background and culture I would say. The sauce in the Sick! Chicken burger was actually inspired by Hong Kong curry fishballs. Curry seemed to be such a popular and nostalgic flavour for Hongkongers so I wanted to incorporate that into one of my burgers.

How was your experience cutting your teeth at a fine dining restaurant?

There were many tough days because you often have to work 15 or 16-hour days. When I was working at a three-Michelin starred restaurant, I remember being scolded in French. The chef was yelling and grabbing my coat, and I just had to keep sautéing my mushrooms.

People think that’s exaggerated, but it really is like it is in the movies.

You know, that film “Burnt” where Bradley Cooper played a chef? People think that’s exaggerated, but it really is like it is in the movies.

Did you also watch “The Bear” series?

Yes, but just the first season. I found it tiring to watch after work, but I also find it inspiring to watch chefs that are so passionate about food and cooking.

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Do you think you’d ever return to the world of fine dining?

I want to, I really do. It’s definitely a goal of mine, but I feel like I’m falling behind. Hong Kong has improved so much in terms of opportunities for Chinese chefs, like my friend William Lau who is the Chef de Cuisine at Whisk. But because I’ve chosen to focus on Sick! Burger, I feel like my fine dining career is at a bit of a standstill. But that’s life, so we’ll see what happens.

Sick Burger (Causeway Bay), 31 Haven St, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, 9383 3401
Sick Burger (Ma On Shan), Shop G05, MOSTown, Ma On Shan, 9549 0903, www.instagram.com/sickburger_hk