Wei Han Lim
In this interview, chef Wei Han Lim tells of his journey in the kitchen and how he came to be head chef at Bref by Darren Chin in TTDI.
What do you do, and how did you get into the industry?
I knew I wanted to be a chef at a very young age. Every year-end school holiday, I would cycle to the Chinese restaurant near my house to work, both in the kitchen and in front of the house. I knew the owner very well, and she expected me every year-end when the school holiday began.
Towards the end of my high school year, I realised I needed to bring this up a notch. That is when I enrolled myself in a Diploma in Culinary Arts program. After graduating from the program, I have been continuously working in the kitchen. The kitchen is all I have known and live for.
I was the youngest of many siblings. Back then, they made me cook instant noodles for them, and they would tell me the ones I cooked tasted better. That is when I realised I could cook, and I had to pursue it.
What’s a food memory from your childhood or travels that stands out?
My mum’s cooking. She is a great cook. Even today, I will go home after work, look into the chiller for leftovers, heat it up and devour it. It completes my day.
What’s the best/ worst part of your job?
The best part of my job is bringing the same experience from my siblings to the current visiting customers to know they enjoy and appreciate my team’s effort put into our dishes. The smile on their faces, and a ‘thank you chefs’ before they leave, is the most rewarding, in my opinion. There is nothing I hate about my job. It is my passion, and when you are passionate about what you are doing, its not really a job anymore. It is just a matter of how much you are willing to sacrifice for your passion. If I have to pick one, it will definitely be missing out on family events and gathering. At the end of the day, as I grow older, watching my nieces and nephew growing up so quickly just makes me feel like I am missing a lot.
What’s your favourite food and beverage pairing?
Bak kut teh (herbal tea pork stew) washed down with a pot of hot Pu Erh tea.
What’s one of the craziest things you’ve seen behind the scenes?
The craziest thing I have seen is a colleague walking off midway through a busy service. I always thought that only happened on TV.
The perfect day off would be…
Waking up at whatever time I wish. I call it ‘Proper Resting.’
A day in the life of a chef Wei Han Lim is…
Waking up at 10am in the morning, checking my messages from suppliers on orders, heading to the market to get certain ingredients and looking for new seasonal fresh produce. By 12 pm, I would be in the restaurant, prepping for dinner service with my team, which starts at 6pm and ends at 10.30pm. Then we clean up, check for orders from suppliers that we need and finally call it a day. ‘Rinse and repeat six days a week.
What do you do for fun?
I do a lot of gardening, and I play badminton on my off day. I was in a public group where the organiser arranged games with random people. You get to exercise, sweat it out and meet new people.
What’s something you’d like guests to know about Bref by Darren Chin?
The sacrifice and effort made by each and everyone at Bref by Darren Chin so guests can have an unforgettable experience. Dining with us shows our relentless passion for perfection.
What’s something you’d like people to know about being a chef as a profession?
It is not a walk in the park. It is nothing like what you see on TV. You need to truly be passionate about it and ready to sacrifice something to excel in it. Another important point is to be always ready to learn with an open heart and respect each person you are working with.
What’s your view on the food/drink scene in KL?
There are many great restaurants in KL recently. I would say the dining scene in KL is progressing. In a sense, chefs are creating dishes that express themselves and have a story behind them instead of just trying to make money. Chefs are putting more passion and care into their creations. When such things happen, we create healthy competition and continue to pursue greatness, hopefully, to an international level one day.
How has the pandemic changed you as a person?
As a person, I realised how small and vulnerable we are. For the past 28 years, I lived without this pandemic, and when it hit, it just changed everything. The way we live our daily life now with a face mask and hand sanitiser, body temperature checking every door we enter, no dining in and only takeaways and eating at home. We need to do something for a greener life and to protect our mother earth.
How has the pandemic changed you as a chef?
Survival of the fittest comes to mind, and to do so, we need to always be ready to change what we think we know. We had never done takeaways before at Bref. Still, because no dining-in is allowed, we were forced to create a takeaway menu to survive this pandemic.
What’s in store for you in the upcoming months?
We are constantly doing ‘R&D’ for new dishes representing each of us. The challenge now is to express ourselves through the plates and establish an identity where we can say, ‘This is Bref.’
Find more interviews similar to this one with chef Wei Han Lim here. And, stay up to date with the latest food and beverage happenings in KL here.
Lucky guy! Still has his mum’s cooking to enjoy.
He really does sound passionate about his job, this must make a huge difference to everything he does. Cheers Diane