Cover Jun Wong of Yellow Fin Horse (Photo: Else Hotel)
Jun Wong of Yellow Fin Horse (Photo: Else Hotel)
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The seasoned chef plans to champion simple, ingredient-focused cooking at her new restaurant in Else Hotel
“The opening can’t happen soon enough,” Jun Wong tells me as she is sitting down on the plush, deep orange couch opposite me. Indeed, Yellow Fin Horse has been in the works long before Else Hotel opened in 2022.
We are conversing in the hotel's The Library, surrounded by shelves and bookcases. Wong arrives slightly flustered, and for good reason—Yellow Fin Horse, located on the fourth floor by the hotel's infinity pool, is set to officially open on May 18, 2022, two weeks after this meeting, and similar to every new restaurant opening, there is never enough time. “I’d be lying if I said there aren’t any nerves involved but the excitement definitely outweighs that,” she enthuses.
Having last been attached to a restaurant two years prior, Wong’s official return to Kuala Lumpur’s culinary landscape is undoubtedly much anticipated. But the effort and planning were not something that could be rushed.
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Above Jun Wong and her team in the kitchen
Jun Wong and her team in the kitchen
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“I’ve always championed simple cooking—bold flavours that are driven by ingredients with strong execution,” Wong says when asked about the concept behind the restaurant. “That’s exactly what we’re going to be doing at Yellow Fin Horse.”
She adds that the team chanced upon the phrase “elemental cooking”, which best describes restaurant’s philosophy. “Humans began cooking with open fire, curing and preserving ingredients through pickling, ageing, and salting. We want to strip things back and use these ‘primitive’ techniques instead of technology.”
All the dishes served on the menu, bar one, will consist of no more than five components on the plate. “Because the dishes are so simple, there is no room for mistakes during execution—everything is laid bare," she says.
Above Plating a grilled local squid dish
Above Yellow Fin Horse is located on the fourth floor of Else Hotel
Plating a grilled local squid dish
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Driven by traditional techniques, the dishes served will not be associated with any one cuisine. "Making things from scratch and fermentation are cross-cultural,” Wong elaborates. “I can’t think of a culture that does not make its own bread, or one that does not ferment or pickle.”
Yellow Fin Horse may be many things, but Wong emphasises that it's not a fine dining establishment. “I want to take a step back from fine dining, as it was all I knew,” says Wong, who started her career at Cilantro and Sage, before moving to Macau’s Robuchon au Dôme, Tokyo’s Narisawa, and Sydney’s Sixpenny.
“I’ve always wanted to change the face of fine dining—it's not sustainable cutting ingredients into specific shapes resulting in food wastage and working 16 hour days.”
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Above An equal amount of thought has gone into the cocktail menu
Above Garum-glazed grilled Wagyu rib eye
An equal amount of thought has gone into the cocktail menu
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Wong had already envisioned the concept of Yellow Fin Horse when she returned to Malaysia in 2017—a restaurant with heightened social awareness, ethical responsibility, and a care for the industry community. The pandemic further allowed her to take a step back from fine dining, bringing with it greater clarity that it was not something she wanted to pursue any longer.
“If I’m being honest, I was close to leaving the industry,” she admits. However, a conversation with Javier Perez, one of the founders of Else Hotel, resulted in a change of heart. Perez was looking for a head chef at the time, and her ethos and approach to dining resonated with him.
Though the duo were set on working together, there was much to be done. “From visiting farm and checking water quality for prawns to dealing with suppliers, a huge amount of effort has gone into every dish that will be on the menu,” Wong explains.
She uses the example of corn sourced from Cameron Highlands to elaborate: “We really believe in the products we work with. We have this beautiful purple corn on the menu, which tastes wonderful when eaten raw. We use the husk, silk, and stalk to make a fermented tepache for one of the drinks.”
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Above A dessert of cashew curd and burnt citrus fruits
Above Wong emphasises that while its food is refined, Yellow Fin Horse is not a fine dining establishment
A dessert of cashew curd and burnt citrus fruits
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While Wong is proud of the physical ingredients she has sourced, restraint is just as important. “A dish should not be a vessel for a chef to show off how much they can do on a plate. It is about balance—everything should serve a purpose.”
When asked about the name of the restaurant, Wong chuckles: “Javier dreamt about this whimsical word in his younger days, and decided if one day he were to open a restaurant, he wanted to name it Yellow Fin Horse.”
However, the nonsensical phrase does also embody the restaurant's no-rules approach. “We don’t want to tell guests how to eat—if you come in wanting only cold dishes or desserts, by all means. It’s time that dining becomes more welcoming, thoughtful, and intentional," she says.
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Photography: Else Hotel
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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.
