Raffles 1887

5 minutes with... Gordon Guo, Chinese Executive Chef of Yun Jing restaurant at Raffles Shenzhen

Gastronomy
China

Chef Gordon Guo is an award-winning figure in Cantonese cuisine, respected for his refined techniques honed over a 25-year career. Shaping Raffles Shenzhen’s diverse culinary landscape across all its restaurants and bars, he has elevated Yun Jing, the hotel’s signature Chinese restaurant, to great heights, maintaining the Black Pearl One-Diamond status for five years and solidifying its reputation as a benchmark for Cantonese fine dining in the region. He believes that the soul of Cantonese cuisine lies in balance and the preservation of natural flavours.

DESCRIBE YOUR EARLIEST INFLUENCES.

My culinary roots trace back to the mountains and forests of northern Guangdong – a region celebrated for producing the ingredients used within Cantonese cuisine, one of China’s four great culinary traditions. My family has worked with local produce for three generations. My grandfather founded our business on wild mushrooms, while my father, a former teacher who took over the trade, expanded it to include artisanal mountain preserves like cured sausages, dried fish, bamboo shoots and tofu skin.

As a child, I accompanied my father foraging through the hills, and gradually developed an understanding of ingredients and refined my palate. ‘From nature, with nature’ became my foundational culinary creed, etched into my philosophy. Today, when sourcing, I prioritise an ingredient’s innate character and seasonal integrity above novelty.

WHO IS YOUR HERO?

My father remains the compass for my professional DNA. Though he left teaching, it was at the hearth of village feasts that he taught me far more than technique. He instilled the ethos of ‘treating guests as family’ and an almost obsessive dedication to the hunt for exceptional ingredients. He showed me that the kitchen is also a classroom – where the dance of the blade expresses a profound reverence for life’s simple, vital pleasures.

WHERE DID YOU TRAIN TO PERFECT YOUR CRAFT?

My foundation was forged at Lei Garden, a revered institution of Cantonese cuisine in China. I began with a rigorous apprenticeship at its Hong Kong flagship, followed by intensive refinement in Guangzhou. This instilled in me the most authentic, masterful Cantonese techniques and deep cultural understanding.

Fostering awareness worldwide for Cantonese cuisine has been central to my mission. As a representative chef for the Guangzhou Michelin Guide, I participated in the ‘Global Starry Journey’, a culinary exchange and showcase across Asia (Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau) and Guangzhou, collaborating with renowned chefs from diverse traditions.

WHAT ARE THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF CANTONESE CUISINE, AND HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM OTHER CHINESE TRADITIONS?

Cantonese cuisine is defined by its pursuit of purity and seasonality. We prize the natural sweetness and freshness of ingredients, adhering strictly to seasonal eating. Our cooking emphasises clarity, freshness, crispness, tenderness and smoothness. Techniques like steaming, poaching and slow-simmering soups coax out inherent flavours through precise heat control and timing, rather than relying on heavy seasoning. This contrasts sharply with the robust sauces of Northern cuisine or the fiery intensity of Sichuan and Hunan styles.

A Cantonese chef is an interpreter of ingredients. Meticulous knife skills and precise heat management reveal the essence of the produce – technique concealed within flavour, freshness articulated through clarity. A layered slow-simmered soup or the silken tenderness of a steamed fish are our most sincere tributes to the season.

DO YOU HAVE INFLUENCE OVER EVERY ASPECT OF YUN JING?

I lead the restaurant’s holistic operation and core experience. This encompasses driving culinary excellence within the kitchen brigade, ensuring impeccable front-of-house service standards that embody Raffles’ legacy of service, and realising our vision for a premier Cantonese destination.

Regarding spatial aesthetics and experiential design, I collaborate closely with the hotel management team. From the overall design concept and décor to selecting bespoke furniture, artisanal ceramics and tableware, we meticulously blend modern luxury aesthetics with classical Chinese artistry. Our 10 intimate diamond-themed private rooms are personalised for high-level business engagements, thematic private celebrations or unique creative requests. Our culinary team crafts bespoke menus tailored to the occasion.

HOW DO YOU BRING TO LIFE THE CULINARY PHILOSOPHY BEHIND YUN JING?

This is rooted in the ancient wisdom of seasonal eating. Thus, alongside our award-winning signature tasting menu, which features in the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide, we craft additional, seasonal menus that harmonise the guest's palate with nature’s rhythm.

Yun Jing’s menu philosophy centres on ‘Expressing Cantonese essence as a global language.’ So our creative perspective is inherently aimed at the international fine dining stage. We synthesise classic techniques, international ingredients, local flavours and fine dining artistry to deliver an experience rich in cultural depth yet globally resonant. We honour the nostalgic cravings of Cantonese connoisseurs while captivating international guests through plated service, artistic presentation and contemporary interpretations that elevate Chinese cuisine.

TELL US ABOUT THE CHEF’S TABLE AT YUN JING

The Yun Jing Chef’s Table is a celebration of seasonality, informed by Chinese food-as-medicine principles. I often visit the table personally to share the story of the ingredients, their unique nourishing properties and my culinary approach. This is an immersive dialogue exploring fresh ingredients, seasonal artistry and the cultural depth of Chinese nourishing cuisine.

Culinary Artistry: Red Appetizers with Caviar

WHAT'S YOUR PHILOSOPHY ON WINE PAIRING?

Our pairing philosophy is 'Terroir Resonance' - creating harmony where the wine and the dish narrate a shared story of place. At Yun Jing, alongside international wines, we actively champion China's terroir revival. We incorporate elements like aged Shaoxing Huadiao yellow wine, seasonal tea pairings and health-focused fruit infusions.

YOU HAVE MASTERMINDED VARIOUS BESPOKE CULINARY PROJECTS AND THEMATIC DINING EXPERIENCES. WHICH ONE STAND OUT FOR YOU?

A highlight was our partnership with Harper's Bazaar China, presenting the 'Let's Journey" themed gala dinner from 2022 to 2024. For these I orchestrated cross-cultural, four-hands collaborations, including a limited-edition menu co-created with the Michelin-starred team from Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris, fusing French haute cuisine with Cantonese artistry.

I've also been involved in cross-sector luxury brand collaborations, leadin VVIP appreciation dinners for brands including Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Martell and Boucheron.