KAOHSIUNG (Taiwan News) — The one-Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Gen has appointed legendary chef Leon Lee as its new executive chef, ushering in a new era for the city’s culinary scene with an exclusive, one-day dining event titled "Three Cities, One Flavor."
Lee, a charismatic chef with 46 years of experience, previously led the Beijing branch of Hong Kong’s famed Forum Restaurant to consecutive Michelin stars. To mark his arrival, Gen hosted the event on Saturday, presenting a menu inspired by Lee’s extensive career across Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. The restaurant has also introduced a new a la carte menu.
The highlight of the tasting event was Lee’s signature two-way pigeon, a dish originally made famous during his tenure in Beijing.
The culinary masterpiece showcases extraordinary precision: Lee uses a fine toothpick, like an embroidery needle, to delicately stuff a ham-infused bird's nest into a small pigeon leg. Once fried to a golden crisp, the pigeon leg delivers a burst of rich juices that contrast with the crunchy exterior.
The second preparation, sauteed pigeon breast with Sichuan peppercorns, features deboned pigeon breast pan-seared with shrimp paste and chicken breast, then tossed in peppercorn oil.
Lee began his career at Hong Kong’s renowned Lei Garden, known for its grueling training and uncompromising standards. In the 1980s, under the guidance of master chef Wong Kong, Lee helped develop and refine XO sauce, which has since become a global staple of Cantonese cuisine.
That same mastery of flavor was evident in his baked soft-shell lobster. Lee adapted a midcentury Hong Kong recipe that infuses a sweet-and-spicy sauce with Southeast Asian spices.
By using fried soft-shell lobster, Lee allows diners to enjoy the dish without having to remove shells. The dish is also paired with freshly fried miniature buns.
Influenced by his Shanghainese wife, Lee has also mastered Huaiyang cuisine. Breaking Cantonese tradition, he bypassed the usual steamed fish for his labor-intensive wild leopard coral grouper in Huaiyang broth.
Lee slices live grouper into one-centimeter fillets, partially cuts them without breaking the skin, flattens the meat, and wraps it around a savory pork and vegetable filling.
The feast concluded with the Noble Concubine crispy rice soup, a Lei Garden tradition featuring crispy fried rice poured tableside into a boiling broth. Lee employs a minimalist approach, reducing the amount of regular rice to emphasize the rich, savory broth brewed from shrimp heads.
Located in Kaohsiung’s Asia New Bay Area, Gen features an elegant design resembling a modern library blending Western and Eastern aesthetics. The restaurant’s layout centers around the kitchen to optimize service efficiency, with each dining space equipped with warming cabinets to ensure every dish is served at the perfect temperature.
One-day dining event titled "Three Cities, One Flavor." (Taiwan News, Lyla Liu video)
