Cognac char siu? Cheese spring rolls? Samuel Lee Sum uses Paris restaurant ‘to experiment’

After 10 years in Paris Samuel Lee Sum opened Sensation, a casual fine-dining joint serving exciting Chinese dishes with a French accent

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Hong Kong chef Samuel Lee Sum moved to Paris in 2014 and opened his fine-dining restaurant Sensation there in February 2025. Photo: Sensation

Published: 12:45pm, 2 Jun 2025

After 10 years as head chef of Shang Palace, the fine-dining Chinese restaurant at the Shangri-La Paris hotel, Samuel Lee Sum felt it was time to open his own restaurant in the City of Lights.

Opened in mid-February, Sensation not only refers to the five senses, but also incorporates Lee’s Chinese given name in Mandarin, sen, meaning forest.

Having his name on the door motivates him to work hard to succeed, he says, adding that he likes a challenge.

“Sensation is a bistronomique (a casual fine-dining restaurant), a laid-back place where you can have food paired with wine,” Lee says. “You don’t need to wear a suit to come here and eat good Chinese food.”

Sensation’s Cantonese char siu marinated and basted in a cognac sauce. Photo: Sensation

The menu features intriguing dishes such as Chaozhou (Chiu Chow) marinated oyster, spring rolls with Comte cheese, and char siu marinated in cognac. The 43-year-old chef says he uses traditional Chinese cooking techniques with ingredients the French are familiar with.

“French diners know raw oysters, but they may not have tried the Chiu Chow marinated sauce with garlic, chillies, cilantro and sesame oil,” he says. “When they eat it they can taste the sweetness [of the seafood].”