Sweet beginnings for 'Dessert King' a.k.a chef Reynold Poernomo

Poernomo and his family will launch KOI Melbourne on July 19. — The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi

When you walk into one of chef Reynold Poernomo’s restaurants in Australia and he happens to be there, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t look all too ... happy.

“I may look grumpy in my restaurant, or stern. But when I see people enjoy the food that we serve them, that makes me happy. I really enjoy seeing that,” he said in a one-on-one interview recently at The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi. Poernomo, 30, was on the island in June to conduct an exclusive masterclass session organised by the resort.