Brooklyn-born, Chinese American Eng sees his work as a chef and restaurant owner as part of a greater goal: to nurture a new wave of Cantonese cooking in the US. In his own words, Eng “grew up trying to be as American as possible,” but later embraced his Cantonese heritage and now hopes to inspire the next generation of Chinese American chefs.
His culinary career began making sandwiches behind the counter at his friend’s family deli after high school. On graduating in culinary arts in 2015, he sought out experiences that would teach him not just about cooking but about the whole business of running a restaurant. A job at fast-casual chain Dig was followed by a stint at popular Dim Sum operation Nom Wah Nolita, and then a Chef de Cuisine position at Taiwanese American restaurant Win Son. In 2021, he was ready to open his own place, the trendy and highly acclaimed Bonnie’s.
Eng was a 2022 James Beard Emerging Chef nominee and was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs for 2022. He then made the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 list and was a 2023 James Beard Best Chef: New York State semifinalist and StarChefs Rising Star.
Restaurants
Eng opened Bonnie’s in 2021, at just 27 years of age, having dreamed of running his own restaurant since he was a teenager. The name is his mother’s nickname, and the whole place is a homage to her home cooking and his Cantonese American upbringing, complete with visits to his grandparents in Manhattan’s Chinatown where he would browse the street stalls and eat out in the restaurants.
A sign over the door says, “Cantonese American” and although Eng has never been professionally trained in a Chinese kitchen, he wants to make it clear that the flavors, ideas, and philosophy are all Cantonese, albeit complemented by influences from the US and elsewhere.
As soon as it opened, Bonnie’s was instantly the place to be for foodwise New Yorkers, and it has since received rave reviews in numerous publications, from Brooklyn Magazine and Grub Street to The New York Times and The New Yorker, not forgetting The Wall Street Journal and even the South China Morning Post. In 2022, it was included in best new restaurant lists in both Esquire and Bon Appetit, while Eater named Bonnie’s its Best Restaurant for the End of the World.
Recipes and dishes
Eng describes his take on Cantonese cuisine as “umami and savory-forward, low acid, low heat, and seafood-forward.” One of his most popular dishes is a delicious take on cacio e pepe, in which the nearly cooked noodles are stir-fired in a butter of garlic and fermented tofu. He is also known for playful dishes like his Char Siu McRib, and delicate mashups like his fish and shrimp wontons en brodo. The most complex and labor-intensive dish on the menu at Bonnie’s is Yeung Yu Sang Choi Bao, made by deboning a rainbow trout then stuffing it with a mousse made from the fish along with shrimps, water chestnuts, garlic, and ginger, then pan-frying and recomposing it to look like a whole fish. It's a dish Eng remembers well from his childhood in Brooklyn, as it would take his mom and aunt a full day to prepare it, but to his knowledge it is not served at any other restaurant in the US.
Shortly after Bonnie’s opened, Eng was interviewed on TV by CBS New York and New York Live. He has appeared in various videos on YouTube and Buzzfeed, and his recipes have featured in Bon Appetit, Star Chefs, Edible Brooklyn, and Munchies.
