Chinese chef serves up Lunar New Year treats at Hyatt

Hyatt Regency Saipan is celebrating the Year of the Sheep by importing a Chinese sous chef and having him whip up a bevy of delicacies from the Middle Kingdom in time for Saipan’s Lunar New Year festivities.

Sous chef Robin Luo is on loan from Hyatt Regency Tianjin East. (Jayson Camacho)

Sous chef Robin Luo is on loan from Hyatt Regency Tianjin East and for three days, starting today, Feb. 19, he will be introducing his scrumptious gourmet dishes.

Hyatt’s Lunar New Year celebration will start with a traditional firecracker and Chinese lion dance at 6:30pm today at the hotel’s lobby. Luo will then present his gastronomic creations for dinner from 6pm to 9pm at the Kili Café and Terrace.

The buffet special is priced at $60 per person and $35 for Club at the Hyatt members and includes iced tea and free flowing beer.

The 32-year-old Luo began his cooking career at age 10, inspired by his mother who always loved to cook, and started cooking professionally at 17. Luo then received an internship at Grand Hyatt Beijing and the rest is culinary history.

“I really like cooking and I cook different kinds of food most of the time,” said Luo.

Saipan Tribune got to sample Hyatt’s Lunar New Year buffet Tuesday evening with six types of dishes.

Appetizers were pickled cucumber and cherry radish with Beijing aged vinegar and garlic and fried shishamo with sweet sauce.

For the soup, Luo’s dish of Beijing cabbage took eight hours to cook and is similar to cooking shark fin soup.

The hot entrées featured four dishes and included seafood fried rice with seasoned vegetables, honey glazed king prawns with dried chili and ginger, black bean paste fish with vegetables, and the crispy fried catfish with sweet and sour sauce.

Among the four dishes, the seafood fried rice with seasoned vegetables was a hit—not as oily as other fried rice dishes on the island. The added ingredient was diced cucumbers that went well with the fried rice.

A decorative bowl of fruits that included watermelon, kiwi, honeydew, strawberry, and melon rounded out the meal.

Luo said the sampling is just a small number compared to what the three-night buffet will feature and will rotate every night with different dishes.

Hyatt sales manager Nancy McDowell is inviting the community to enjoy Luo’s cooking and celebrate the Lunar New Year at the Hyatt.