Limerick restaurateur Paul Tsang remembered as 'talented, committed and brave'
WARM tributes have been paid to popular Limerick restaurateur Paul Tsang, who has died following a short illness.
There is sadness in the city's business community following the passing of the businessman, who opened the landmark Jasmine Palace Chinese restaurant with Tony Enright in 1986, and developed it into one of Limerick's top eateries.
Mr Enright was a friend of Mr Tsang's for over 40 years, getting to know him through his first wife Alice, a neighbour, when the couple first came to Limerick.
Then, the chef worked at another of the city's Chinese staples, the Hong Kong in William Street as well as Autodine, located at Ennis Road.
Having moved back to London after that to work as a masterchef in the city's Chinatown district, Mr Tsang was persuaded by Mr Enright to return to Ireland, where they set up a new Chinese restaurant in Kilkee, the Golden Orient in the early 1980s.
While the restaurant sold what he described as "standard Chinese fare", it was in the evenings when Mr Tsang was allowed to experiment with snack food that Mr Enright said he saw his friend's flair for cuisine.
"I just found it incredible," he commented, "The food I tasted that Paul was cooking, I just had never experienced before. It was the best cuisine, the highest level."
Mr Enright had spotted an opportunity in O'Connell Street in Limerick city after the former Woolworths had closed down in the mid-1980s.
A mall had opened in its place which had a unit vacant upstairs.
"We signed the lease, and the rest is history," said the businessman.
Jasmine Palace was a new phenomenon in Limerick with Mr Tsang cooking new dishes every night in order to expose local tastebuds to different food.
"What we brought was exceptional," added his long-term friend
Ms Tsang - who was born in what was then a neutral territory between Hong Kong and mainland China - expanded his business footprint in Limerick over the years, working closely with Mr Enright.
The Jasmine Palace group was set up, and included restaurants Chocolat, Zweton and Wokking.
His eldest daughter, Louise established the fashion boutique Imasa Lifestyle.
Nowadays, another of the family's restaurants Marco Polo sits where Woolworths was once located, the Italian eaterie sharing a kitchen with Jasmine Palace.
Asked how he'd remember Paul, Tony Enright said: "He was extremely talented, very committed and brave. Willing to try new ideas. He was very committed to Limerick."
Mr Tsang was ahead of his time in many ways, trying out the use of robotic waiters in Jasmine Palace.
But, Mr Enright explained, he went further than this: "He also has perfected some other robotic equipment in his kitchen. He has a robotic wok in the kitchen there. During Covid-19, he put a lot of work into perfecting this, writing recipes, the times needed and the process. I'd say half the kitchen became automated."
Paul Tsang was so proud of his heritage, his passport displaying his Chinese name of Man Ching Tsang.
He was also overjoyed at the achievements of his five children: Louise, his eldest, Cian, himself now a masterchef at Jasmine Palace, Sabrina, Wendy, and his youngest son with second wife Ying, Dylan.
Mr Enright also singled out his former business partner's creativity.
"He was dedicated to design ideas. He travelled all over China, he saw all the new ideas coming out and worked out how they could be adapted for Ireland. He was constantly thinking ahead like this," he said.
"When I first met him, when I worked with him in Kilkee, I felt even then, he was some talent," Mr Enright smiled.
Indeed, even up to recently, the consumate businessman was eyeing up other restaurant opportunities, visiting Bangkok in Thailand for this purpose.
Limerick Chamber chief executive Dee Ryan described Mr Tsang as a "respected and admired business owner, who has left a lasting mark on Limerick's restaurant offering."
"He has made a significant contribution to the vibrancy of our night time economy with popular and high quality restaurants in the heart of Limerick city," she added.
Auctioneer Gordon Kearney said: "Paul created a dining institution in Limerick. Very few Limerick people will not have experienced the wonderful service, food and ambience of the Jasmine Palace where first dates, anniversaries and celebrations took place. Paul’s smart business acumen, ambition and drive will be, sadly, missed in Limerick."