Now at the helm of Lakeview Palace, Executive Chef Kevin Zhu is breathing new life into the elegant Jiangnan dining destination overlooking the Performance Lake at Wynn Palace. Jiangnan cuisine – celebrated for its emphasis on seasonal ingredients and eye catching plate presentations – is one of the most sophisticated and refined culinary styles in Chinese gastronomy. Renowned for his mastery of Jiangnan and Cantonese cuisines, Chef Zhu is taking the dining experience at Lakeview Palace to new heights by crafting a series of tantalizing new dishes that showcase his award-winning culinary skills and innovative cooking techniques. To complement Chef Zhu’s captivating dishes, Wynn Head Mixologist Mark Llyod has created a series of innovative cocktails inspired by Chinese tea culture. Guests are also welcome to choose from a collection of more than 100 award-winning wines from the Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards to pair with their dishes. Imagine a multisensory dining experience at Lakeview Palace accompanied by dancing plumes of water, bright lights, and a symphony of sounds from the majestic Performance Lake.
Highly sought-after for his impressive culinary skills, Chef Zhu has been invited to work with numerous Michelin-starred restaurants and renowned luxury hotels across China. Just prior to joining Wynn, he worked for Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, where he was the youngest Chinese Executive Chef in the history of the hotel group. A native of Guangdong, he learned the fundamentals of cooking from Lei Garden restaurant in Guangzhou which is known as the nurturing ground for many top chefs in China. By 2017, Chef Zhu already garnered attention as a standout chef and was invited to join the Michelin-starred Xin Rong Ji in Shanghai as Head Chef of Cantonese cuisine. While working there, he also took the opportunity to sharpen his skills in Shanghainese and Taizhou cuisines. Then in 2021, he was invited to join the pre-opening team of Shangri-La Qiantan, Shanghai, where he had mastered intricate knife work in creating crafted cuts of ingredients and ornate presentation from China’s Master of Huaiyang cuisine – Chef Hou Xinqing. Throughout his more than 16 years in the field of culinary, Chef Zhu has consistently insisted on the use of seasonal ingredients and expressing the beauty of art and culture through his dishes, ensuring that each dish honors traditional flavors while embracing new culinary techniques.
At Lakeview Palace, Chef Zhu showcases his knowledge and artful blend of Huaiyang and Cantonese cuisines by carefully crafting a menu that features a variety of unique dishes. One such dish is the Steamed Snow Crab which is truly representative of “New Huaiyang Cuisine”. This dish combines the intricate knife skills required of Huaiyang cuisine with the delicious flavors of fresh, Cantonese seafood. The brilliant red-orange Snow Crab, the emerald-green spinach and the white shredded tofu create a beautiful medley of colors on the plate. The presentation is stunning, and the crabmeat is wonderfully tender with a lingering aftertaste. For the Double-boiled Jinling Style Duck Soup, Chef Zhu insists on selecting the Qingyuan Blue-headed Duck to combine the characteristics of his hometown with Nanjing’s traditional delicacy of stewed, salted duck. In keeping with the traditions of the Nanjing region, white duck and roasted duck are stewed together, and the classic Guangdong hairy fig root is slowly simmered for six hours to lock in the nourishing flavors of home and give diners a touch of warmth throughout the autumn months. The Braised Wagyu Beef with Crispy Skin and Finger Lime is inspired by the Jiangnan specialty of slow-fired veal. For this dish, Chef Zhu specially selects Japanese A3 Wagyu beef, which is first slow-cooked at a low temperature and then quickly fried at a high temperature. The braised wagyu beef is garnished with a sprinkling of sweet and sour finger lime and paired with a home-made sauce that is simply sublime featuring more than 10 varieties of vegetables, fragrant Mandarin peel and black pepper. Known as a “kung fu” dish, the Braised Homemade Gluten Puff must be kneaded and cleansed with water for more than two hours. Gluten that has been perfectly kneaded into a honeycomb shape is soft and flexible. Mushrooms and fresh bamboo shoots are then quickly fried together with the gluten to create a soft and fragrant puff that is absolutely mouth-watering.
The ambience at Lakeview Palace is imbued with luxurious gold and emerald-green hues, mirroring the grace and elegance of Chinese-style interiors. The venue is also remarkably reminiscent of the picturesque water towns of Jiangnan, where guests can enjoy spectacular views overlooking the Performance Lake through the expansive floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Whether guests may be celebrating a grand, momentous occasion together or a more intimate family affair, Lakeview Palace is the perfect dining destination to honor the vibrant culinary culture of Jiangnan.
