Yes, Chef! Tiff Lo, Curating Elevated French Comfort Food at Jean May
Asia is one food-crazy continent! We take great care to pick restaurants based on culinary vibes, rankings in international gourmand guides, mentions in magazines, Instagramability, and added allure. Yes, Chef! features the region’s chefs' stories of love and labor in kitchens, which has made some of our restaurants the next big thing in Asia.
A hidden gem nestled on Gresson Street amidst the bustle of Wan Chai’s street markets, jean may is a charming French bistro created by Chef Tiffany Lo. The restaurant’s signature green storefront reminiscent of European cafes goes hand in hand with the comforting food served up by Chef Tiff. Aiming to be “your neighborhood French bistro,” jean may’s menus are seasonal, with each dish artfully developed and beautifully presented to showcase an elevated curation of local and international ingredients.
Lovingly named after Chef Tiff’s grandmother, founding her own restaurant in Hong Kong had always been a dream. Having been personally mentored by renowned three-Michelin-starred Chef Pierre Koffmann and working in some of Europe’s finest culinary establishments, Chef Tiff initially returned to Hong Kong for La Petite Maison's debut in the city. Courageously opening jean may in 2020, the restaurant has been blossoming since.
Always looking to introduce the finest ingredients and new flavors to jean may, Chef Tiff has partnered the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to serve up premium British produce exclusively throughout October 2024. From beef tripe, tongue, and featherblade, to pork belly, and even fresh vegetables, these hearty additions to the bistro’s seasonal menu have come just in time as the weather cools down in Hong Kong.
In this edition of Yes, Chef! we explore Chef Tiff’s impressive culinary background, learn all about the concept behind the beloved neighborhood bistro, her latest menu collaboration with AHDB, and exciting news on what’s to come for jean may.
Can you introduce your F&B journey and culinary background to us?
My cooking career started when I did a stage (unpaid internship) at Koffmann’s at the Berkeley in London, working for and alongside the legendary godfather of French cuisine and three-Michelin-starred Chef Pierre Koffmann. It was my dream come true. I started on the starter section as a stagiaire and kept my head down, my ears and eyes open, and did whatever I was told. After a few weeks, Chef Pierre offered me a full-time job to join his brigade as commis chef. It was one of the best moments in my life.
I spent the next decade or so working for many great chefs, all of whom were chef patrons of their own restaurants, including Chef Michel Roux Jr. at Le Gavroche, Chef Eric Chavot at Brasserie Chavot, Chef Phil Howard and Chef Gary Foulkes at The Square, Chef Gregory Marchand at Frenchie, Chef Durga Misra at Bistro Vadouvan and Chef Raphael Duntoye at La Petite Maison London.
I came back to Hong Kong to join Chef Raphael Duntoye in opening LPM Hong Kong. During my career, I did as many stages as I could on my days off to learn from other chefs. If time were unlimited, I would happily spend my life working with and learning from many chefs. As Chef Pierre would say, ‘We keep learning until the end.’ I opened a small French bistro 'Jean May' in Wan Chai in July 2020, named after my grandma.
What inspired the concept behind jean may?
Since I started my cooking career, it has been my dream to open a small restaurant in my home city of Hong Kong to be close to my family, and to cook food that I enjoy cooking and eating.
The concept behind my restaurant developed and evolved over the course of my career. By the time I started physically building Jean May from scratch, I wanted it to be a warm and cozy French bistro where our guests feel at home. A place where we would cook mostly classic French bistro food using top-quality and seasonal ingredients. Good and honest cooking; cooking from the heart.
How did your experience working with the legendary three-Michelin-starred Chef Pierre Koffmann lead to you open your own restaurant?
Chef Pierre Koffmann has been and continues to be my biggest inspiration, mentor, and French dad.
My cooking, the way I run the restaurant from behind the stove, and how I work with my team are heavily influenced by him. He was also the one who kept encouraging me to open my own place while I still had the energy to and not wait until my health started to deteriorate. He always reminds us all to cook the food that we enjoy eating.
Everything he has taught me, I have taken to heart. I can imagine what he would say to me when I face challenges and make mistakes, including the things he would shout at me (funny in hindsight of course, but not at the time!) Without Chef Pierre Koffmann, I wouldn’t be the cook I am today. I am forever grateful to him.
With jean may offering seasonal menus, what are some dishes we can look forward to as autumn rolls in?
We love seeing the beautiful ingredients each season brings us. Going into autumn, we will be using the different autumnal harvests including squash, pumpkin, cabbage, beetroot, cauliflower, chicory, and celeriac in our dishes, such as salads/soups or garnish. Autumnal fruits like apples, pears, cranberries, and dates in our salads and desserts.
There will also be different meats and fish coming in as we step into the colder months. We are very excited to cook what’s in season for our guests.
Jean may has also entered a special collaboration with the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) spotlighting British produce throughout the month of October. Can you share a little bit more about the dishes guests can look forward to?
For our collaboration with AHDB to showcase British beef and pork, I have chosen to use the lesser-seen cuts in French restaurants in Hong Kong. These lesser-seen cuts have big wonderful flavors including beef tripe, tongue, featherblade, and pork belly.
I’ve also chosen beef fillet for the menu so our guests can savor the distinctive flavor of British beef. For the steaks, we simply roast them and accompany them with classic French sauce/jus. The beef tongue and tripe will be gently poached 'til tender and served as a salad with French beans, fresh herbs, and a simple tasty vinaigrette. [For] the pork belly, we braise [it] overnight till it’s tender and press it again overnight, then pan-roast it in order to get a crispy skin to top the succulent meat underneath. I have worked with British meats throughout most of my career and think they deserve more attention and acknowledgment in our city.
What are the benefits of sourcing produce from the UK in your menu? What are some unique elements and flavors AHDB has enabled you to bring to your menu?
It gives our guests options outside of the usual US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Japanese, and Korean meats. The UK produces some of the best beef and pork in the world. We are excited to showcase the quality and distinctive flavor profiles of British beef and pork in Hong Kong.
With this promotion running throughout the month of October, will guests be able to enjoy a comeback of your new menu items in the future?
This campaign allows us to introduce British beef and pork to guests who haven’t had them before. We have had good feedback so far in that our guests appreciate and enjoy the flavors of the meats, which makes us very happy.
In the previous campaign in March, some of our guests asked us to be in touch if we do British roast rib of beef again. If the overall feedback is great this October, we will be more than happy to put these dishes on the special board every now and then.
Can you share a little bit more about the wine pairings for this new menu?
Concurrent with our collaboration with AHDB, with the different cuts of beef and pork being cooked and served differently, we worked closely with our suppliers to bring in some new wines to our wine list to pair with these dishes. We have a constant dialogue with our wine suppliers to bring wines that pair well with our dishes.
What is a unique element special to French cuisine you have brought to Hong Kong diners?
I believe that every person is unique so every restauranteur and chef brings something different to the dining scene in Hong Kong. At jean may, we hope our guests will feel at home in our cozy bistro and know that they can come in for good quality seasonal ingredients cooked with love and passion.
Do you have a favorite dish you’ve created at jean may?
I don’t have a single favorite dish myself. But there are some dishes our guests come back for, which is exactly what I would like in a bistro that I would frequent myself.
We have some permanent dishes on the menu as you would find in many bistros in France: the House Steak Tartare, Chicken Liver Parfait, [and] our Fresh Oysters with Creamed Horseradish, Pickled Cucumber, and Dill. Then, the rest of the menu changes as the seasons change.
One thing I won’t take off the menu is our Honey Madeleines which are baked to order, as this is my favorite way to end a meal. As my brother and I had experienced at a bistro in Paris, a piece of freshly baked and piping hot madeleine is the perfect finish!
What’s next for you?
Our industry as a whole is currently facing some very challenging times with the economy not doing well and the big outflow of people both permanently and for travel/leisure purposes. Most in our industry are seeing the worst business volumes since COVID-19 times.
We endeavor to continue to be true to our identity, to keep our heads down and focus on using high-quality seasonal ingredients, cook with love and care, look after our guests with sincerity, and keep bringing in good wines. We will keep changing the menu to bring both well-loved classics and new creations to our guests. I will continue to cook the food I enjoy eating. Honestly, since opening Jean May, every day has brought new challenges, and it's been a very steep learning curve operating my own restaurant. But we are ready to fight for a spot in the city’s dining scene to continue to offer what we have been offering for the past 4 years. To share with the young and talented cooks that come through my kitchen and our guests, cooking what I’ve had the honor to learn from the great chefs. I will keep my fingers and toes all crossed.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Reservations at jean may can be made on SevenRooms and be sure to follow them on Instagram for their latest menu updates. For more information on the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), visit ahdb.org.uk and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram.
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