Full Steam Ahead for Masterchef Eric Chong

Story & Styling | Leslie Yip Boucher-Harris
Photography & Art Director | Simon Boucher-Harris
Assistant | Hale Ho
HMUA | Mystique
Wardrobe: Stars, Lululemon, Nike and Zara at
Scarborough Town Centre (STC)
Location: IKEA Canada at STC

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Eric Chong’s epic win in the first-ever MasterChef Canada. Many readers may still remember the dreamy look on the faces of the judges when they tasted his nowinfamous lobster chow mein.

After he won the title, he was invited by one of the judges in the competition, three-starred Michelin chef Alvin Leung, to open a restaurant together. Their R&D restaurant in Toronto’s Chinatown wowed the city with its modern-style Chinese cuisine. When the Michelin guide finally came to Canada in 2022, R & D won the coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition, two years in a row.

But the young chef is not complacent. He recently announced that a second restaurant is coming, and we are already salivating. Where will it be? What will he be serving? When will it be open?

Let’s Find Out?
eG: We were so excited to hear that a second restaurant is coming, but before we get to that, we saw a post showing that your MasterChef trophy has turned all yellow. What happened?

Yes, I thought it was quite funny. It simply got sun stained. It was already turning golden after a couple of years. I told the organizers, but they said I had to pay for a new one to be made and I wasn’t willing to pay the price. I think the gold look makes it unique!

eG: Why did you choose @wok_lobster as your Instagram handle?

I just thought it was a funny handle and since I won MasterChef Canada by cooking lobster chow mein in a wok.

eG: What is the secret to your lobster chow mein? Are you still making it the same way now?

First there must be a deep lobster flavour. I achieve that by roasting the shells and the bodies. Next, we need some nice al-dente egg noodles, best if they are freshly home-made. How you cook it is important too—definitely use a wok to coat the noodles with the delicious sauce and to ensure lots of wok hei, a signature smokiness imparting from a hot wok. Succulent lobster meat is a must, and then add your own spin. You can experiment with different vegetables, spices and aromatics in the lobster sauce.

We actually don’t serve that dish at the restaurant because it was a bit too difficult to execute from a restaurant point of view, (shelf stability, profitability and the labour involved). We have another lobster dish on R&D’s menu called @WOK_LOBSTER, which is a much more refined version. We use every single part of the lobster, but cook each part in a different way. Then we smoke the whole dish under a cloche with apple woodchips.

eG: You tell us that the lobster is still your favourite ingredient. What other ways do you like to prepare it?

There are unlimited amount of ways to cook something. My top five favourite ways of eating lobsters probably are, in no particular order, butter poached, grilled, stir-fried, deep-fried and raw, as in sashimi.

Here is a lobster recipe that is very easy for eliteGen readers to cook at home.

Deep Fried Lobster with Black Bean Sauce Recipe
Black Bean Stock:
Ginger (155g), Shallots (105g), Garlic (105g), Scallions (100g), Thai Chili (2g), Fermented Black Bean (100g), Sesame Oil (75g), Shao Hsing wine (250g), Water (1000g), Chicken Powder (15g)

1. Sauté the Ginger, Shallots, Garlic, Scallions, Thai Chili in Sesame Oil
2. Deglaze with Shao Hsing
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minute
4. Strain through a fine mesh strainer

Black Bean Sauce: 
Fresh Ground Pork (100g), Lee Kum Kee Black Bean Garlic Sauce (75g), Black Bean Stock (390g), White Pepper (1g), Black
Pepper (1g), Sugar (40g), Water + 20g Corn Starch (30g)
1. Sauté the ground pork on high heat with a little bit of oil until fully cooked and in small pieces
2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil while whisking

Assembly:
1. Chop the fresh lobster into large pieces and coat in corn starch
2. Deep fry until golden brown at 375˚F
3. Allow excess oil to drain then toss the lobster in a wok with the black bean sauce
4. Toss until lobster is coated and serve (can garnish with crispy garlic or scallions)

eG: Thank you for sharing the recipe! Black bean sauce is a very typical Cantonese sauce. Did you come across this condiment from your family meals?

My mom is from Guangzhou. My dad’s family is from Kuching, Malaysia. My grandfather used to be a dim sum chef, but he retired when I was quite young, so I never got to dine at his restaurant. However, he started teaching me how to make dim sum when I was six years old. Every time I visited him, I would watch him cook, and he would always take the time to show me how and explain what he was doing.

eG: Why was your dad against you becoming a chef?

My mom is also a phenomenal cook and I learned a lot from her as well. My dad just wanted his son to take a career path that would give the best chances for a good living. In his eyes, it meant becoming a doctor, lawyer or engineer. I am thankful
he pushed me to complete my engineering degree because my education has been vital to my success today. Ironically, I won’t want my son to become a chef when he grows up!

Rebel and Demon: R & D at 241 Spadina
Very soon after Chong won the title of MasterChef, he partnered up with Demon Chef Alvin Leung to open R & D in Chinatown. The name has two layers of meaning. First, it stands for rebel and demon. Leung is obviously the demon, while Chong is the rebel who broke away from the norm and left a career path he spent four years in study. It also stands for research and development—what a coincidence that they were both engineers before becoming chefs.

eG: When the restaurant opened, Chinatown was not as gentrified as today. Why did you choose to open there?

To be honest, we were just in love with the space. It had everything we were looking for: a massive space with tall ceilings, beautiful wooden floors, an open kitchen and a basement with walk-in coolers. We knew we could transform it into something magical. We were not too worried about the location itself since we felt that if the food was good enough, people would travel for it. It was also great being so close to all the Chinese markets!

eG: There are many great Chinese eateries in the GTA. What makes yours unique?

It’s true that there are many great Chinese eateries, but not a lot of fusion ones. R&D is an approachable restaurant for people to explore the tastes of Asia. We do not claim to offer authentic Asian cuisine. Rather, we like to use premium ingredients and add an Asian twist to it, or take Asian classics and add a modern spin. For example, we make our char siu with Iberico pork, the wagyu equivalent of pork. Or, we take a classic like Peking Duck and brine it for 24 hours, dry-age it for two weeks, slow cook it for three hours and then baste it with hot oil to crisp the skin.

eG: If you had not won the $100,000 from MasterChef Canada, would you still be a restaurant chef-owner today?

Absolutely not, but it is not all about the money. If I didn’t win, I would not have the title of being Canada’s first MasterChef. The notoriety and title alone have opened many doors for me, jumpstarting my career. For example, I don’t think I would have a working relationship with Michael Bonacini and Alvin Leung, let alone a joint business. Also, if I lost, I don’t think I would have the mental fortitude to pursue this career. I mean, I still have imposter syndrome now. How would I feel if I didn’t win?

aKin: A New Frontier 
On Winter Solstice day in 2023, Chong posted a photo of himself and Leung holding a key. The caption read: “Got the keys to the new restaurant today!” This post set Instagram on fire and has received more than 7,000 likes to date.

eG: We did some online sleuthing and found out that it is going to be a tasting menu-only, fine-dining establishment in Colborne Lane. Can you tell us about the location and timing of your new restaurant?

I am excited to be partnering up with Leung again to open our second restaurant. This time, we were happy with both the space and the location. Colborne Lane is a great location for a reservations-based destination restaurant. It is located in the centre of Toronto, (near King and Church), so people from all around the GTA can come. It is also an up-and-coming street:
Piano Piano just opened up next door.

We are aiming to open the restaurant in June. We really want to push to be open by that date because Michelin is every
September. I haven’t heard of a restaurant getting Michelin recognition in less than three months, so if we open in July or August, we will most likely not receive any recognition for 2024.

Basic Slim Fit T-Shirt $39.90 Patch Bomber Jacket $39.99 Baggy Fit Jeans $79.90 Zara at STC

eG: What will be the name for the new restaurant?

It will be called aKin. The word means similar of nature or character, which fits our vision well. We plan to serve modernized dishes with a special twist. For example, we will be doing a new take on the omurice. Instead of an omelette, it will be a warm porcini sabayon; instead of a typical gravy, it will be a rich bordelaise. We will be using premium Japanese rice infused with wagyu beef as our rice part of the dish. So in essence it is similar to an omurice, just different.

aKin can also mean related by blood. Although Leung and I are not related by blood, we are essentially family at this point.

Lastly, the reason the K is capitalized in the name is because my grandfather’s first name is Kin (full name Kin Hung Ng). He was a huge inspiration to me.

eG: You are expecting your first baby boy in February. How do you expect to juggle between being a father and running two restaurants?

Where there is a will, there is a way… Jokes aside, I have an extremely loving and supportive wife who has always understood my long hours. I will be taking a month off work once my son is born and then juggling between the two restaurants while being a father when the time comes. I’m used to very little sleep, so I hope all these years of training will finally pay off!

My dad always told me to “work yourself out of a job” and only recently do I understand what he meant. I have since fortunately built a team that I can rely on. If I were still in the kitchen with lots of cooking responsibilities, I would never have the time to open a second restaurant or maybe even do this interview!

eG: Any plans to expand your culinary kingdom beyond Toronto?

I try not to get too far ahead of myself. If the opportunity presents itself, of course we would consider it. However, my friends and family are in Toronto and I am a very hands-on chef. For now, I am happy with keeping my businesses in Ontario, but you never know!

With special thanks to Scarborough Town Centre (STC), the largest shopping centre in the eastern Greater Toronto Area, offering a premier shopping experience with 250 stores and over 30 dining options, including flagship stores of Sephora, Zara, as well as Michael Kors, Coach, Lululemon and more.

Recently, STC celebrated its 50th anniversary with the arrival of IKEA, its first location within a retail shopping centre in Canada.

STC offers visitors access to every imaginable essential for modern living and is a distinct blend of energy, ethnicity, ingenuity and creativity that is at the heart of this community.