Sunday August 31, 2008

A taste of success

By ALICE CHING

Changing trends in dining

A new breed of young Malaysian entrepreneurs are cooking up their own success stories with an inherent passion for food and savvy business acumen.

IT is said that the world belongs to the young. Malaysia's new breed of youthful food entrepreneurs certainly lends credence to this adage as they have injected much vibrancy and flavour into our local food scene.

Highly educated, tech-savvy, confident and firmly believing that nothing is impossible, these enterprising thirtysomething men and women are fearless when it comes to pushing boundaries and venturing into uncharted waters.

In conjunction with Malaysia's 51st Merdeka celebrations, let's discover their recipes for success, how they intend to stay ahead of the pack and what new dining trends they envisage.

Delicious triumphs

What do outlets like Delicious, D'lish and Reunion have in common?

They are all the brainchild of Benjamin Yong, an avid food lover and former accountant whose initial café venture started out as part of his mother's Ms Read boutique at 1 Utama.

Foodie accountant: The Delicious, D'lish and Reunion outlets are the brainchild of Benjamin Yong. – Picture by AZMAN GHANI / The Star

"The Delicious café was meant to provide regular Ms Read customers a quiet respite from shopping, a place they could enjoy a quick cuppa with some light bites," said Yong.

"When I returned from my studies in Australia, I really wanted to get into the food business.

"I managed to persuade my mum, Helen Read, to convert part of her new Ms Read boutique at 1 Utama into a cafe that serves simple, homely fare like scones, cakes, salads and pasta."

Needless to say, the outlet garnered such a huge following that Yong opened a full-fledged cafe at Bangsar Village and the rest, as they say, is history.

But what really makes the Delicious group so successful is perhaps Yong's ability to balance his own inherent passion for food with the more pragmatic side of the food business, such as the financial and operation management aspects.

Another key factor is his faithful adherence to a simple formula – uncompromisingly good and classic comfort food served at affordable prices, coupled with genial, prompt service in sleek surroundings that seamlessly blend chic modernity and warm cordiality.

"From day one, our specialities have always been classic comfort food and I'm confident diners will continue to patronise Delicious, D'lish and Reunion outlets for these dishes.

"We will never be faddish. However, we will make slight adjustments as and when necessary in line with customers' expectations."

Despite having to operate in an increasingly challenging environment, with food and fuel prices spiraling upwards, stiff competition from more local and foreign players, and local customers becoming more discerning and demanding, he remains optimistic about the Malaysian culinary landscape.

"Malaysia is blessed with a diverse food scene that offers an amazing range of dining options, from street food to fine-dining.

"Overall, our dining and food quality standards can only get better due to intense competition. I won't be surprised if overseas food concepts, such as food courts that specialise solely in Japanese specialities and more health-centric or organic food restaurants, will make their way here soon."

In the meantime, Yong aims to conquer the hearts and minds of food lovers in Singapore, India and Indonesia with his Delicious ventures.

Rice and shine

Don't let the lithe and petite frame of popular radio deejay, Linda Onn fool you. Underneath that pretty façade lurks a savvy businesswoman whose chain of modern, mid-priced My Mom's Chicken Rice outlets have managed to satisfy her fans and local food lovers alike with an evergreen Malaysian delight, prepared according to her mum's inimitable recipe.

"What makes my mum's chicken rice special is that she uses her own spice concoction to marinate the chicken before it is roasted. Her tasty chicken rice has always been in great demand not only among family and friends but also customers who used to patronise my parents' stall in Johor. That's why I decided a quick-service restaurant selling chicken rice would be viable. I'm also lucky that my brother-in-law, who is an ardent cook, took it upon himself to learn the recipe from her. He is now my quality controller who ensures dishes served at our outlets come up to mark," says Linda.

Saavy businesswoman: Customers are welcome to relish the juicy marrow via a straw as demonstrated by Linda Onn.

Besides the flavourful roast chicken, the accompanying buttery rice and spicy sambal sauce earn My Mom's Chicken Rice the thumbs up from customers.

Thanks to its reasonable pricing and modern quick-service concept, My Mom's Chicken Rice has emerged as one of the few local establishments that manage to carve a niche for itself based on a popular local delight.

Linda firmly believes that food businesses in Malaysia hold great prospect in spite of the many challenges.

"Malaysians, especially urbanites in Kuala Lumpur, love to eat. They enjoy hanging out at fast-food joints and simple outlets like mamak shops and kopi tiams. As long as my outlets are in the right locations and the food is decent and reasonably priced, I know the business will do well."

She also pops in to different outlets daily to ensure things are running smoothly.

Some days she gives the operational and service teams a quick pep talk or discusses upcoming promotions while on other days, she has a quick chat with her fans and regular patrons to gather their feedback.

"I'm gratified to know some of my fans come from as far away as Indonesia, Brunei and East Malaysia to patronise My Mom's Chicken Rice.

"That is why I'm thinking of franchising my outlets to East Malaysia and neighbouring countries," says Linda.

Not one to rest on her laurels, the Johorean lass is already busy cooking up a new food venture. Linda's My Asam Pedas restaurant in Ampang, which specialises in her family assam pedas (tangy fish curry) and ikan bakar (grilled fish) recipes, looks destined to be another sizzling success for this savvy celebrity.

Something to crow about

When Mac Chung Lynn brought in the Nando's chain to Malaysia ten years ago, many sceptics foretold her international franchise would last no more than a few years in the local dining scene.

"Since Nando's was up against bigger and better-known fast food brands, I had to pull out all the stops to win people over. However, I was determined to push Nando's to the top of the pecking order as a top line, quick-service outlet."

Today, the franchise has plenty to crow about, as Nando's has spread its wings beyond the Klang Valley to cover Penang and Melaka.

The Malaysian director attributes Nando's success to knowing what customers want and the company's on-going efforts in adapting to meet customer expectations.

"Based on customers' feedback and their desire for greater convenience and comfort, we changed from a quick, self-service restaurant into a casual dining outlet that offers full table service," said Chung Lynn.

"Our delivery service was also introduced earlier this year to help consumers cope with costlier fuel prices and their increasingly hectic urban lifestyle.

"This convenient service means customers don't need to drive, get stuck in traffic or hunt for a parking space at shopping complexes.

"Now they can enjoy Nando's specialities in the comfort of their homes and offices with just one phone call."

She continues: "As people grow increasingly health-conscious, I believe Nando's will be a preferred name for those seeking healthier dining options.

"This is because our fresh, quality chicken are flame-grilled, rendering it low in fat and salt, without any MSG and preservatives."

While current economic circumstances may have forced consumers to reduce their dining out expenditure, Chung Lynn remains upbeat that business for mid-range, mid-priced outlets like Nando's is sustainable.

"Those who dine out regularly or have been splurging at more pricey restaurants may consider switching to mid-priced eateries as one of their cost-cutting measures.

"On the other hand, those who see Nando's as a 'feel good' treat will justify dining at our outlets as a reward for themselves and their families."

In anticipation of more intense competition, Chung Lynn reveals that Nando's is prepared to raise the bar for its service standards and continue to be customer-focused.

"We intend to empower our team with more skill enhancement and long-term career development programmes as the staff will play a crucial role in ensuring the company stays ahead of its game."

Fishing for fame and fortune

Although Malaysia is famous for its abundance of good food, there seems to be a dearth of branded Malaysian entities that have truly made an impact in the local food and beverage scene.

Fortunately, the scenario has undergone vast improvements within the last three to five years thanks to the involvement of younger and more enterprising personalities like George Ang and Dr Jeffrey Goh.

"Years ago people would laugh when you tell them your restaurant brand originated from Malaysia," said Dr Goh, a former dental surgeon and co-founder of The Manhattan Fish Market.

Malaysian original: Dr Jeffrey Goh's Manhattan Fish Market.

"When we opened The Manhattan Fish Market in Singapore, there was no escaping the cynicism and derisiveness but we managed to deflect the negativity once the disbelievers saw how our outlet reeled in the crowd night after night."

Best buddies since they were six, both Ang and Goh decided to turn their mutual passion for good food into a profitable joint business venture about six years ago by establishing The Manhattan Fish Market.

Inspired by the famous 180-year-old Manhattan Fish Market located on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, in the United States, their casual seafood dining outlet cannily keeps local diners ensnared with American and Mediterranean-style seafood delights, such as Fish and Chips, Garlic Butter Mussels and Flaming Seafood Platter.

Response has been so overwhelmingly positive that the outlet is now reeling in diners not only in Malaysia, but also Thailand, Singapore and most recently, the Middle East. For a relative newcomer that is less than a decade old, this is something of an accomplishment.

"People are always surprised when they discover The Manhattan Fish Market is a Malaysian brand. What amazes them more is how well we have performed within such a short span of time," said Ang.

Dr Goh said: "Malaysia is an amazing land of opportunities. We're just two ordinary guys who have set out to realise our dreams and succeeded. I believe if one is willing to work hard, the necessary support is in place for aspiring local entrepreneurs.

"We're proof of this".

"Malaysians also love to eat at all hours of the day and the big middle class segment here is The Manhattan Fish Market's target market," said Ang.

"Although the field may be a little crowded, we believe there's still room for growth. As diners become more fussy and conscious about eating well, many will opt for healthier food choices, such as grilled or baked fish and seafood.

"This is where we anticipate The Manhattan Fish Market will stand to gain even more."

Both of them affirm that The Manhattan Fish Market will continue to keep the Jalur Gemilang flying high in the world culinary arena.

"We intend to push The Manhat-tan Fish Market into greater prominence internationally, so watch out world!"

Success by design

Good designs sell. The +Wonder-milk team literally creamed the competition when they transformed boring old cupcakes into miniature, unconventional edible works of art for family and friends.

Good designers: The +Wondermilk team comprises (from left) Yati Dzulkhaini, Ena Hadzir, Dzurina Dzulkhaini and Ifzan Ibrahim.

They were the ones responsible for stirring up the cupcake craze here.

In fact, the going was so sweet for this bunch of young graphic designers – Ifzan Ibrahim, Yati Dzulkhaini, Dzurina Dzulkhaini, Ena Hadzir, Haliza Halim and Nurul Hanis – that they opened Cuppacakes Café in Damansara Uptown earlier this year.

On weekends, demand is so high that customers are only permitted to buy a limited number of their dainty cupcakes.

So what drives this creative bunch to bake up their own novelty cupcakes?

According to Ifzan, it all started when they wanted to order some cupcakes as gifts for a friend's wedding. Bored with the conventional cupcakes bearing strips and swirls of butter cream, they decided to bake their own and create miniature graphic artworks out of them.

"We wanted the cupcakes to express how happy we feel about our friend's forthcoming wedding.

"The idea was to give her something that she can share with her family and friends. That's when we thought cupcakes are more ideal and convenient for serving compared to one big cake.

"So we decided to bake mini ones ourselves, assembled them together and decorated the tops so that they formed a pretty congratulatory message."

Needless to say, their gift was an instant hit not only with the happy couple but also family and friends from both the bride and groom's side. Soon other friends and acquaintances started asking the +Wondermilk team for similar creations whenever any special occasion cropped up.

"This is where our graphic design background came in handy," said Dzurina.

"Our design inspirations come from the recipient's own personality and hobbies, or the occasion being celebrated. Otherwise, we customise our designs to suit any corporate entity, brand or individual."

Consequently, their cupcakes are distinctly colourful without being garish and feature whimsical and quirky motifs like butterflies and bumble bees, rainbow and puffy clouds, starfish and seashells, anchor and sail boats, and skulls andthunderbolts. Each and every cupcake is a labour of love as they are painstakingly hand-decorated with butter icing.

"New designs are introduced every three to six months but customers are welcome to discuss with us on whatever designs or themes they have in mind," said Ifzan.

In the meantime, we'll continue to break new ground with more inventive cupcakes," sums up Ifzan as his +Wondermilk team nods in complete agreement.

They sure lend new meaning to the term about having your cake and eating it too!