Metro

Sunday November 1, 2009

Covering all bases

Story and photos by RENITA CHE WAN


A young entrepreneur finds that it takes more than good business sense to run a successful restaurant.

WHEN he first ventured into the restaurant business, See Weng Hong had envisaged his role as co-owner of Jom Cari Makan in Kota Damansara, Selangor, to be just stacking up the cash and tasting the food. But then one of the cooks quit, and See instead found himself in the kitchen taking up the role of head chef.

Luckily for him, he had a lot of experience to fall back on, having learnt about food and the restaurant business from scratch earlier on.

“One of the most important factors in running a restaurant is to know as much about food as one does about the business,” reflects See, 28.

Proud restaurant owner: See Weng Hong, co-owner of Jom Cari Makan Restaurant in Kota Damansara, gives the food he serves homey yet creative touches.

“If I hadn’t known how to cook back then, I think this restaurant wouldn’t be here today.”

Having several chefs in the kitchen is not enough to guarantee that a restaurant will continue if one leaves, he adds.

“One tip I can share with those who want to open a food outlet is to make sure that they are able to cook. You don’t have to be an excellent cook, but you must know the ropes in case anything happens.”

Nevertheless, it took more than adequate cooking skills and good food sense for him to make the venture work, and having his father, See Lap Seng, 54, beside him proved to be a blessing.

“My father has been involved in the food and beverage industry for more than 20 years and is familiar with the F&B line. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t be doing well now,” admits See.

In fact, it was his father who steered See towards a career in the food business. The senior See put his son under the tutelage of friend who was a chef and over the next couple of years, See learnt everything about the business.

Creative twists: Air Batu Campur gets a durian flavour.

He was made to start from scratch, doing jobs from dishwashing to cleaning and food preparation. He did well and within one year, he became a helper for the head chef. He also honed his skills as a waiter.

All the hard work is now paying off as his restaurant, which opened in 2006, is doing well. With virtually no advertising, the business relies almost completely on word of mouth recommendations, but the place is packed during lunch daily. He sees a lot of repeat customers and also a steady rise in the number of people coming in to savour the food served at Jom Cari Makan.

The restaurant serves a mix of halal local and Western dishes, and includes dim sum on weekends. The food is affordable, with most of the items in the menu priced less than RM10.

As head chef, Hong enjoys adding his own twists to the popular menu items.

For example, he is particularly proud of his Mongolian Chicken, made by marina­ting chicken breasts and pan-searing them in his own “special” sauce. Indeed, this dish is not to be missed as it is truly delicious, offering your taste buds a different flavour; sweet and sour yet it is a far cry from the typical Chinese-style dish.

The crispy Honey Squid is another dish See takes pride in. The honey imparts an interesting taste to the crisp squid and the best way to eat this yummy dish is to dip it in soy sauce with cut chilli and garlic.

Kum Heong fried rice.

See served five dishes for us to try, including Kum Heong prawns which are cooked with curry leaves, bird’s eye chilli and dried shrimp; brocolli and abalone in oyster sauce; and Kum Heong fried rice.

For drinks, there are two special creations: Kedondong Asam Boi and Limau Kasturi with Asam Boi.

“When it comes to food, See is very creative and gives the food has a homely feel,” says Roy, one of the workers. “That is one of the reasons why I am still working here.”

Jom Cari Makan at 31-1 & 33-1, Jalan PJU 5/12, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara, Selangor Darul Ehsan (03-6140 8262) is open every day from 9am to 10pm.

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