Workers Turned Hidden Gourmet Chefs: Hong Kong Michelin-Starred “Fook哥” Brings His Cuisine to Taiwan

Travel Center / Taipei Report

Foodies must have heard of the so-called Hong Kong “hidden gourmet chef,” known as Fook哥, the head chef of Celebrity Mansion—Zheng Jinfu. This renowned figure has attracted many who specifically travel to Hong Kong just to taste his unforgettable and magical flavors. But when it comes to Zheng Jinfu’s background, it’s sure to surprise many.


▲Hong Kong Michelin two-star “hidden gourmet chef,” known as Fook哥, was once a worker and swam across the border to Hong Kong. (Photo / Provided by the business)

Fook哥 said that in 1973, he was so poor in Bao’an, mainland China, that he had nothing to eat. Hearing that “a day’s work in Hong Kong earned as much as a month’s salary on the mainland,” he and a friend swam across the border illegally. To make a living, he once worked in a factory before switching to become a chef. By chance, he got to know Hong Kong textile tycoon Run Run Shaw’s peer, Lin Baixin, and became the latter’s private family chef for 20 years. After leaving the Lin family, in 2007, Zheng Jinfu opened Celebrity Mansion in Central, Hong Kong. With his extraordinary culinary skills and dedicated work ethic, he strictly controlled the quality and freshness of every ingredient. He also purchased a piece of farmland on the mainland specifically to grow crops used solely in his restaurant. Over more than 25 years in the culinary world, this super chef took no more than 15 days off each year. His passion and dedication quickly propelled him to fame in the food scene, earning him Michelin one-star in 2010 and two-star in 2011. Numerous food critics and gourmands from around the world traveled to Hong Kong just to experience his cooking.

Spotting the chef’s immense appeal in the culinary world, a domestic tourism group is inviting Chef Zheng Jinfu to make his debut in Taipei this October. Two exclusive dinners will be held on October 17 and 18 at the Imperial Court Chinese Restaurant in Regent Taipei, with an additional event on October 19 at the Cloud Nine Hot Spring Hotel by Sun Moon Lake. Each event is limited to 150 guests. For NT$6,800+10%, diners can enjoy an ultimate Michelin two-star dining experience.

The “Celebrity Mansion Michelin Two-Star Feast” menu includes Chef Zheng’s popular dish “Bird’s Nest-Stuffed Chicken Wings.” Fried chicken wings are a common Cantonese dish, but with Fook哥’s creative twist, he stuffs the wings with Indonesian premium bird’s nest, which retails for up to NT$50,000 per jin, then deep-fries them. When you bite in, the bird’s nest bursts out like a sauce, and with perfect heat control, it remains neither burnt nor tough. Every part of the wing is edible, delivering a surreal, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Another must-try is the “Crispy Young Pigeon,” which is so addictive after just one bite with its tender, juicy, and delightfully crisp flavor. There’s also the “Fook哥 Fried Rice Noodles,” made without a single drop of oil yet bursting with layered flavors. And don’t miss the seemingly ordinary yet secretly surprising “Celebrity Egg, Ginseng Fruit, and Red Date Tea”—all must-eat Michelin-level creations by Fook哥.