The young Malaysian chef is ready to step into the culinary limelight with a novel dining concept that celebrates the flavours of the Malay Archipelago
Young chefs are making a splash in the local dining scene with innovative restaurant concepts that plumb through their food memories, culture and heritage. Joining these rising culinary stars is Meta’s ex-head chef Kevin Wong, who is set to open Seroja at Duo Galleria on October 1.
The decision to open the restaurant, named after the Malay word for “lotus flower”, came from the 30-year-old chef’s goal to be true to himself. “I was cooking all over the world and was cooking food from many different cultures under many great chefs,” explains Wong, who worked alongside notable chefs such as Franck Putelat of two-Michelin-starred Le Parc Franck Putelat in Carcassonne, France; Matthew Kirkley of three-Michelin-starred Coi in San Francisco, USA; and Sun Kim of one-Michelin-starred Meta in Singapore. So, when the opportunity came to do something on his own, he decided to highlight the flavours of the Malay Archipelago.
Wong feels that the region is under-represented globally, and Seroja feeds into this unsaturated market with a cuisine that takes diners from north, south, east to west of Malaysia.
Ahead of its much-awaited opening, we chat with Wong to discuss his growing up years in Malaysia, favourite dishes from home and why we should be excited about Seroja.
In case you missed it: Meta’s Ex-Head Chef Kevin Wong to Open Seroja, a Restaurant That Pays Tribute to His Heritage
How did your love for food and cooking start?
Kevin Wong (KW): My grandmother was an amazing cook. She took feeding the family very seriously and would cook two meals a day when I was growing up (in Klang, Malaysia). She brought me up on dishes like perut ikan, assam prawns, kerabu, nasi ulam and many more delicious delicacies.
That said, I have always loved tasting new flavours. I enjoy making people happy by hosting and cooking for them. What made me want to pursue this seriously was the early influence of my mentors when I was a teenager. They told me about the high honours of being a chef and stories about the Michelin Guide and legendary chefs. It got into my head and all I wanted was to pursue that in life.
What were family meals like in your household?
KW: I grew up with early exposure to a diversified cuisine. It could be having Indian and Chinese food for lunch and Malay food for dinner. Dishes such as sambal petai prawns and chicken 65 could be on the dining table at the same time. To me, that’s the beauty of our region. I grew up eating a lot of different dishes from various cultures such as gulai ikan, nasi kerabu, mutton vindaloo, turmeric fish, ikan bakar and Teochew steamed fish. The variety of what we can get here is endless!
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