Bryan Chew
In this interview, Byran Chew, Head Chef Da Bao Restaurant & Bar, shares in thoughts on the KL food scene and some worldly experience in the kitchen.
What do you do and how did you get into the industry?
I am the Head Chef at Da bao Restaurant & Bar located in Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. I always had a passion for food ever since I was a little kid and that had helped me continue it during my teenager days. I had a good opportunity to enrol myself in Sunway University College back in 2006 for my diploma. Upon graduation, I had a golden opportunity to further my culinary studies at Southern New Hampshire University and my optical practical training in Tampa, Florida. I was lucky to be offered a job with my back then employer and finally continued to stay on in America for nine years.
Share with us an interesting story from behind the scenes.
I worked in NYC kitchens for three years and I was very blessed to be able to the trial stage at a few reputable restaurants in the city. It was an unpaid trial for a couple of days but it’s all about the experiences that have to be taken into account. I was lucky enough to be seated at the chef’s table in the kitchen after my shifts ended with a proper set of silverwares and wine glass and sampled a few of their signature dishes of the restaurant. It was indeed a very special moment for me because it was a complimentary meal specially made for me by all the world-class chefs themselves.
What’s a food memory from your childhood or travels that stands out?
A food memory from my childhood that has always been in my heart and soul is salt-baked mud crab. The crab is covered with salt and baked and steamed in a clay oven. The texture is soft, juicy, tender and the saltiness level of the crab seems like it was brined overnight. I usually request for a “Kam Heong” or “Chilli Crab” sauce on the side for dipping. It definitely elevates the flavour of the whole dish.
One of the food memories from my travels that stands out is definitely the food scene in New York City. It’s a melting pot of cultures and you can get all kinds of food. However, the restaurant that I always liked to visit is Katz Delicatessen. The pastrami sandwiches are to die for. It has a smoky and briny taste and everything is made in house.
What’s the best/ worst part of your job?
I believed that passion for cooking will definitely get you far in this career. It’s a job that involves a lot of creativity and innovation. Cooking now has a lot of cross relationships between cultures and ingredients used in this modern era. It’s nice to see young chefs collaborating and sharing their cooking knowledge and technique with one another to improve themselves in this industry. However, the worst part of my job is seeing people that don’t appreciate food as much as compared to the work and effort that have been put in to prepare a dish.
What’s your favourite food and beverage pairing?
Yakitori skewers or ramen with craft beer.
What’s one of the most intense moments you have experienced behind the scenes?
Working in the kitchen has a lot of intense moments. The worst one I have seen is one of my co-workers slicing his finger through the commercial slicer.
The perfect day off would be…
Hanging by the beach, surfing, tanning, and sipping on an iced cold beer.
A day in the life of Bryan Chew is…
Cooking with passion, taking one day at a time to improve myself to be a better chef, and making sure every guest has a great dining experience.
What do you do for fun?
I like to travel around to get some culinary inspiration and support local restaurants by dining at independently-owned restaurants. Besides cooking, I enjoy music, sports and also travelling.
What’s something you’d like people to know about Da bao?
We make all our baos and fillings from scratch. We take pride in the cooking techniques we execute and also ingredients used to prepare our food.
What’s something you’d like people to know about being a chef as a profession?
Cooking and being a chef is a marathon. It comes with hard work, long hours, and it’s a long-term game. Do not expect to be an executive chef after graduating from one of the prestigious schools in the world. It is only the beginning.
Bryan Chew’s view on the food scene in KL?
I believe the food scene in KL is very competitive. Most Malaysians are still not too adventurous when it comes to food. However, I have always believed that since Dewakan got into Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, and also APCA winning the world pastry cup champion held in Lyon gave us some silver linings in our food scene. We have to progress collectively together as a whole.
What’s in store for you in the upcoming months?
Hopefully, we will come out with a Halloween special bao this month. We will continue to work on recipes and research and development to create the best baos in town for all our diners. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our return customers for their continuous support despite a bad 2020. Hope things will get better in the matter of time. We are in this together.
Find more interviews similar to this one with Bryan Chew here. And, stay up to date with the latest food and beverage happenings in KL here.
I would love to try his da bao!!!
I particularly love their veggie bao. You’ll never look at Brussels sprouts the same way again.