Tay slicing the roast duck. — Photos: MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
It was a fondness for grilling on charcoal that gave the name Carbon to David Tay’s fine-dining restaurant in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya. Fired up with passion for his craft, it has been a long road to getting where the chef/owner is today.
Today, ensconced in a spacious restaurant within a three-storey building he co-owns with partner Yeoh Wei Chieh, Tay recalls the roundabout journey of his.
You would think culinary studies would have been a first choice for Tay, 37, but it didn’t happen that way. He started with a diploma course in mass communications at Tunku Abdul Rahman (TAR) College in Penang where he lived, as culinary studies was too expensive.
“The skills I picked up have come in useful in writing materials for the restaurant,” he quips.
In 2009, opportunity knocked and Tay finally did his culinary degree at Taylor’s College in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. In between colleges, Tay took on several temporary jobs, including being an ice-skating instructor, waiter and even salesman!
Yeoh cooking the duck over charcoal.
As soon as he finished his studies, it was off to Singapore where he got a job as commis chef at Epicurious Café in Singapore. He went on to work at various restaurants there, such as Labyrinth and Oxwell & Co, as well as Resorts World Sentosa.
In total, he spent 10 years working in Singapore, although in between, he came back to work briefly in Penang. He also dabbled as head chef in a restaurant in Petaling Jaya for awhile, which was where he met and worked with Yeoh for a few months. When he went back to Singapore in 2020, he was stuck there thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nonetheless, the experience he gained working in Singapore became invaluable. At Oxwell & Co., which has since closed, the restaurant operated on four levels and catered to 200 people.
“We, a four-man team, had to run up and down the building and manage the whole place! It was extremely challenging, to say the least!”
Front row seats at the counter where it all happens.
He was sous chef in one-Michelin-star Labyrinth, which serves modern Singapore cuisine, and his last post was at Singapore Hilton when Covid hit.
“In 2023 I decided to come back. I couldn’t open a restaurant by myself and Yeoh had certain skills which I don’t have, so it made sense to partner up.”
Yeoh, 27, has a degree in business and finance, and while Tay oversees the creation of dishes, Yeoh is naturally the operations guy and works on the numbers. Back in Kuala Lumpur, he and Yeoh bought over a three-storey factory lot.
“We didn’t want to rent a space and get kicked out midway. It’s about commitment, knowing what you really want,” explains Yeoh. The top floor is rented out while the second floor is reserved for events and a wine bar.
Carbon has table-dining space enough for 14 people and another 14 can sit around the counter and view the charcoal grill as the meat is being grilled.
Tay works with his creative team of five, nurturing and guiding his younger staff who helps to come up with original and flavourful dishes.
A sweeping view of the interior of Carbon.
“My passion in cuisine lies in the technical side of it. When someone likes a dish, I try to replicate it, drawing creativity from six different palates present here,” he says.
“As a chef I can be obsessive about a dish, always looking for improvements. For instance, when I produce ice-cream, every batch I make is a challenge. I am always tweaking things. I don’t just produce the same one each time.
“Simple things done well make me happy,” says Tay.
On the other hand, Yeoh, a man of few words, is the expert when it comes to claypot dishes.
“Cooking with charcoal is no easy feat, and it takes real skill to tame the fire and give the food in the claypot just enough char without overdoing it.
“In my chef’s journey, every ingredient must contribute to a flavour and texture.
“I pace the diners so that I can chat with them, and see how I can improve the experience,” adds the amiable chef.
“Personally, I love something simple like fried rice with salted fish and aglio olio pasta. But it has to be hot. I have a habit of touching the plate first,” says Yeoh.
Asked about his favourite food to cook, he answers without blinking that it is steak.
“I like the technical side of it. You get the right texture with charcoal. We did it with the duck.”
Tay loves sports like rock climbing but admits that he has very little time outside of work.
“I’m so into it that I even bought shoes and harnesses. I used to play badminton and go ice-skating. But now Carbon is my ‘wife’ and demands most of my attention.”
Now he has gotten himself a Golden Retriever and walks the dog three hours every day, like he doesn’t have his hands full already!
“Carbon is just one year old and we are in the midst of introducing a new concept,” Tay says, offering this snippet of information but refuses to give away anything more.
Well, we will just have to keep an eye on what else is brewing at Carbon!
