Cover Larry Lam of Superfine and Mellow (Photo: Larry Lam)
Larry Lam of Superfine and Mellow (Photo: Larry Lam)
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We speak to Lam about Superfine, Mellow, and his hopes for the Malaysian dining scene
With his creative brunch plates at Superfine and punchy flavours at Mellow, one wouldn’t guess that Larry Lam didn’t begin his career as a chef. While cooking was always a passion (Lam used to cook alongside his father as a child), he first found his place in the F&B industry as a barista, sharpening his skills at renowned cafés from VCR and Awesome Canteen to Common Man and Kenny Hills.
“I stayed at Common Man for two years, and it was the best time of my life,” recalls Lam. “I had plenty of training in Singapore, which was much more fast paced—I would be making 800 cups of coffee a day, and it really changed my mind about the café scene.”
Above Larry Lam (Photo: Larry Lam)
Larry Lam (Photo: Larry Lam)
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With so much experience under his belt, Lam felt it was time to open his own café. The Lolla Co. was born in 2019, located in a small lot along Jalan Ampang. “Unfortunately, after a year, the place had to be renovated, so we had to move out,” says Lam.
However, a new opportunity arose—Seventeen Mall was looking for new F&B talent, and its owner was a fan of the café. “I couldn’t find a like-minded chef to execute the food I wanted at the time, so I decided to take matters into my own hands,” Lam says. With a short stint of training at VCR Bangsar and Sitka (then located in Plaza Batai), he forayed into the kitchen, and Superfine opened with Lam at its helm in 2021.
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When asked about whether he considers himself a barista or chef, Lam doesn’t miss a beat when answering: “I live and breathe food now!” However, he credits his years making coffee to his skills in the kitchen. “Being a barista, we are particular about weight, temperature, grind size, freshness of beans, and so on,” he says. “This helped me build a stable foundation in cooking—I am quite precise in the kitchen, and my palate was developed from coffee, which translates well into food.”
One of Lam’s mainstays on Superfine’s menu is the Cubanos, which he took inspiration from the movie Chef. “The show impacted me a lot and helped me see the bigger picture when it came to F&B,’ he says. Furthermore, the sandwich is one that is technical, taking three days to make—one day of brining, one day of marination, and one day of roasting. “And it all comes together with salami!” he adds.
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The initial idea for Mellow, another of Lam’s concepts, was a cocktail bar, but Lam felt he would depend on a bartender too much, so he decided to go with a wine bar. “Its menu is filled with items I love to eat, from crispy Chinese eggplant to a Middle Eastern za’atar flatbread,” he smiles. Mellow and Superfine run from the same large central kitchen situated between the two eateries.
Lam is satisfied with how the café scene has grown more sophisticated from his years starting out as a barista. “A lot of people think cooking isn’t glorious, but I really take pride in what I do, as serving great food takes a lot of effort,” he says. “Instead of sticking to what is tried and tested, I hope more chefs can have the courage to cook the things they really love to eat.”
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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.
