All in The Family

Does cooking run in the family?

I have four brothers and three sisters. All of us are chefs, except one. My sisters also ended up marrying chefs. My father was a baker, my mother was a chef. She did banquets in the old days for wedding dinners. I come from a family of good cooks. My grandmother and mother are fantastic cooks.

You’ve spent time in The Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor. How different is the experience here?

I love Cambodia. Most of our guests were Westerners. We did more French fine dining, influenced by elements of Indochine. Here in Beijing we have a variety of customers, so we have to cater to different palates.

We hear you love to garden. Do you have your own vegetable garden in Beijing?

When we lived in Australia we had a garden full of flowers and fruit trees. I used to grow tropical Asian herbs like curry leaves, lemon grass, Vietnamese spearmint and lime leaves. It’s a pity we can’t do it here, but we can get everything from the supplier here. Still, it’s costly.

How do you think the Beijing dining scene will evolve in the next few years?

I think people in China know how to enjoy life and there are more and more affluent people who will appreciate fine dining. Shanghainese people go to a restaurant for the ambience, quality and food, while beijingers are more particular with prices. From what I've observed, they go for the desserts first and they tend to share their food. It will take time before their dining habits change.

Having a palate that is both Western and Asian, how do you think it's best to balance the both for the increasingly international Beijing diners?

The trend that has hit China recently is Peranakan food. You won’t believe it. We cut down on the spices to suit the palate of the Beijing diners. They don’t really like it too sour or spicy. For special guests, I create a menu blending western elements and Asian flavors. We have to be very careful with blending it well, creating the perfect balance.

What is your specialty cuisine? I love to cook Nyonya food and this is influencing the culinary direction at East 33.