Dexter Lim and Natalie Chiang of D’Artisan Cheese craft both classic and Malaysia-inspired cheese
One would have never guessed that a full fledged factory lay within the unassuming shop that houses D’Artisan Cheese. Visible from the outside is only the retail section, which proves to be a squeeze for more than five people. So when Dexter Lim bursts open the metal doors separating the shop from the inner kitchen, my eyes dart around in surprise.
Members of staff are engaged in different steps in the cheesemaking process, from heating water and pouring milk to vacuum-packing irregularly shaped blocks of cheese. Large fridges display unusual varieties of cheese, many of which have names I do not recognise.
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Lim’s voice brings me back to the present, snapping me out of a trance. “I had been making yoghurt at home for years when I realised the easiest type of cheese to make is labneh, a strained and salted yoghurt.” Since then, Lim has crafted over 140 bewildering and wonderful varieties of cheese, many of which are his own creations.
I follow Lim to the cheese room at the back of the factory. With effort, Lim pulls open a heavy metal door and we’re greeted by a rush of cold air, followed by the sharp, pungent smell of cheese. My senses are overwhelmed and I find myself surrounded by large wheels of cheese, some stacked on shelves, some tied and suspended.
