Cover Julia Ung and Hun Yan Ng (Photo: Jung+Co)
Julia Ung and Hun Yan Ng (Photo: Jung+Co)
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We speak to Hun Yan Ng and Julia Ung who have taken over the kitchen of D’s Wine Bar
“We came from an era where many chefs were secretive with their craft, whether suppliers or recipes, but in the long run, this causes the industry to collapse on itself,” Julia Ung, one half of Jung+Co tells me. While she and her partner, Hun Yan Ng (better known to friends and industry peers as “Onion”), were first known for their modern Nyonya-Cantonese pop-ups, they are now also recognised for their supper clubs that cater to the F&B industry which occur every third Monday of the month.
“We want to empower other small business owners—we all grew up with similar flavours and nostalgic memories and it is so fun to see how chefs interpret and execute things differently.”
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In arguably one of the hardest industries for a healthy work-life balance (those who work in service operate during the times when others typically dine with friends or family), it is hard to make connections, other than through collaborations. Hun Yan Ng and Julia Ung are trying to break this stigma, with a collaborative concept inspired by the TV programme Munchies: Chef’s Night Out.
“We get everyone together, whether chefs, food photographers, or writers, and invite industry friends to create a rogue menu not available anywhere else,” she continues. “These are unique experiences, and we don’t charge service tax so it remains affordable for all.”
Above Julia Ung and Hun Yan Ng (Photo: Jung+Co)
Julia Ung and Hun Yan Ng (Photo: Jung+Co)
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While the couple now serve Jung+Co’s menu at D’s Wine Bar, they use a private area available in the next lot to host their supper club. “It’s about making good friends, networking, meeting like-minded chefs, and swapping ideas and contacts,” adds the soft-spoken Ng. “The economy has not been great in the F&B industry, so we need to band together even more.”
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When not organising industry initiatives, Hun Yan Ng and Julia Ung focus on what started as their pop-up, Jung+Co, which takes inspiration from Ung’s Peranakan and Ng’s Cantonese-Hokkien heritage. The duo first met in KDU, where they attended culinary school together, and reconnected a few years later when Ng was working at Deuce Dining & Bar in 2018.
“Even back when we were classmates, 80 per cent of our conversations have always—and still do—revolve around food,” the amicable Ung laughs. “It’s slightly obsessive, but in a way has worked in our favour as we always bounce ideas off each other.” One of the signature dishes at Jung+Co is the assam mackerel, a dish that Ung tells me stems back to their college days.
“I remember [Ng] cooking dinner for his sister and her friends and serving the first-ever version of this dish,” she recalls. “When we reconnected, I was so excited to see him serving it, and since then it has gone through a few more iterations to become the version we are serving now.”
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One of the dishes the duo is proudest of is the tsukune. “It is inspired by a satay dish from Penang I grew up with that is pretty much non-existent now, made by Hainanese hawkers, served with sweet potato instead of peanut sauce” Ung explains. “We want to preserve nuggets of such dishes before such recipes get lost.”
Jung+Co is now running the kitchen at D’s Wine Bar, DC Selections’ first physical store, located in Damansara Kim.
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About
Katelyn is the dining and travel editor of Malaysia and Indonesia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she offers readers an inside look at the movers and shakers in Asia’s growing food and beverage industry.
