Cover Yee in his element at Waig by Chipta 11a
Yee in his element at Waig by Chipta 11a
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A chat with the master of marrying of aromas, textures, and spices at the celebrated APW Bangsar eatery
When thinking of the bright and punchy flavours that the Malaysian landscape provides, it’s not often that one would imagine it being paired with the delicate and subtle art of sushi making. Enter Michael Yee of Waig by Chipta 11a. At the helm of the Malaysian-inspired offshoot of popular Petaling Jaya eatery Chipta 11a, Yee seems to have figured out the formula for combining two distinct cuisines into one menu.
Perhaps just as surprising as the flavour combinations you’ll encounter during your meal is Yee’s young age of just 25. With what seems to be decades worth of skill and dedication to cooking, Yee is armed with an undying curiosity and adventurous spirit when it comes to trying new things for his menus and celebrating the two cuisines through his work.
In this conversation, Yee uncovers his culinary process and the challenges that have all shaped him into the chef he is today.
Above Precision is key
Precision is key
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What made you want to become a chef?
The environment that I grew up in and having a great mum who knew how to cook definitely were the two things that made me curious and eager to cook for my family. When I was just four years old, I demanded to cook for family dinner, and the first dish I ever cooked was a tomato omelette.
My surroundings also encouraged me to look for wild fruits and vegetables even though I didn’t know what they were, but I was always left with a curiosity to try everything that caught my eye in the jungles and mountains across my house.
How did you get into sushi making and Japanese cuisine?
My culinary journey really wasn’t extravagant. I was actually in Italy for some time, and that’s when my foundation in Italian techniques grew. Then, I worked as a chef in a Thai restaurant, as I was really interested in the art of cooking with a wok.
Yet, Japanese cuisine, to me, was one of those cuisines that I never failed to be inspired by. Specifically with sushi making, it is an art that involves using your bare hands to produce food and to me, that’s something special.
Read more: How Jay of Back Alley Pasta brought his noodle dreams to life
Above Six different types of dish filleted and ready for service
Six different types of dish filleted and ready for service
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Why did you choose to work with local flavours and hyperlocal ingredients?
As I grew up with a lot of the little ingredients that are hard to find in the commercialised markets, using these ingredients always makes me feel at home. Jack Weldie from Chipta 11a was also one of my mentors that helped me dive deeper into knowing and understanding how to implement the unusual local ingredients, especially the underrated fruits and vegetables of Sabah. With more exposure, I gradually started to build my own identity in localising Japanese dishes with these ingredients.
What is one thing more people should know about Malaysian produce?
Our local produce is part of the identity of our tastes and culture. If we lose our produce, we lose our identity. I always looked up to how Italians love their produce, especially with the way they have different certificates for quality assurance with different goods. I hope we are able to treasure our roots in a similar way.
One of Yee’s genius combinations
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What is the process of building a menu at Waig by Chipta11a?
Waig stays within the same lane as Chipta 11a in having the same identity of using local ingredients and flavours alongside Japanese ingredients. However, at Waig, we try to make it a little more casual and rustic to set us apart from Chipta 11a.
The building of the menu never starts with a theoretical construct of the menu most of the time but rather through curiosity and playfulness of our minds. I’d say we are definitely not traditional in the lens of the cuisines, but we’ve established our own way of interpreting the cuisines.
How do you choose the ingredients, techniques, or sauces you want to work with?
A big part of what we are known for is our “weird” condiments that are widely known but not usually paired with sushi. When it comes to working with fish, we understand its conditions and flavours first before we decide the extent of the flavours we add. Yet, most of the time, we try different random combinations or look to familiarity in flavours to create our dishes.
Above Yee was born and raised in Ipoh, Perak
Yee was born and raised in Ipoh, Perak
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How do you familiarise yourself with ingredients that you have never worked with before?
I will always try to link them to the next closest ingredient that I’ve experienced before in both visuals and taste. Then, I take my time to understand the different flavour profiles that the ingredient has to offer.
Is there one ingredient (or two) that has really captured your attention and left you enamoured before?
I’d have to say these encounters always occurred when I was a kid, when I was captivated by anything, because, as kids, our minds are just so accepting of surprised and newly discovered things.
Breadfruit was the subject of one of these encounters in my childhood when I was just seven years old. I took a large piece of fruit that fell on the ground of the woods and started dissecting it without my family knowing. Then, as any curious kid would do, or maybe not, I threw it in the microwave. The aroma fascinated me, showing me that a fruit from a tree could smell so distinct from other fruits.
Miracle fruits also gave me what I call a miracle slap in the face. They made me realise that raw ingredients can be fun, as these ones, in particular, altered your perception of taste, making sour foods taste sweet.
Don’t miss: A Taste of Home: Mont Blanc-based Nicholas Wong brings the flavours of Asia to the French slopes
Above Yee and his team at Waig by Chipta 11a
Yee and his team at Waig by Chipta 11a
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What are some challenges you encounter when trying to combine local ingredients with delicate Japanese techniques?
Combining very different cultural food backgrounds is quite a task, especially when trying to preserve the original taste of the food while also integrating some foreign tastes, in this case, local flavours, to create a drastically different overall flavour profile.
How do you introduce your guests to new flavours or combinations?
I always tell them to have an open mindset, as our menu is one of unfamiliarity and something out of the box. Down to the basics, eating is something to enjoy, whether it's having something simple seasoned with just salt or something complex with different textures and layers. Thus, receiving food to eat with an open heart is the best frame of mind for our customers to enjoy our food.
What is one combination of flavours (eg. percik sauce on hamachi) that you think is an absolute winner?
From the crowd favourites, I’d say percik with fish liver sauce and petai emulsion on top of sushi leaves everyone in shock. It’s funny how the pungent and strong flavours of percik and petai work on such delicate fishes with incredible balance.
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Photography: Daniel Adams
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Amanda is a KL-born and raised third culture kid, who lives to eat. If not found reading, writing for Tatler Dining, or snacking, she is most likely playing with her dog, Katsu, sourcing new Birkenstocks, or looking for a new restaurant to venture to.
Follow her on Instagram at @feedingamanda.
