Malaysian-owned Kai restaurant nets Michelin star again

Wong Li Za | The New Paper | Mon Mar 1 2010

Malaysia, March 1, 2010

BERNARD Yeoh opened a Chinese restaurant in London in 1993 with two goals in mind – to offer something other than Cantonese cooking and to change the general public perception of Chinese restaurants.

A testament to him meeting his aims arrived when the restaurant earned a prestigious Michelin star last year.

Kai Mayfair is believed to be the first and so far only Malaysian-owned restaurant to receive this coveted recognition. (Its head chef, Alex Chow, is also Malaysian.)

In January, Kai was again conferred a Michelin star, which is given by the Michelin Guide Great Britain, for the year 2010.

“When we started Kai 16 years ago, Chinese restaurants in the UK were regarded with considerably less prestige and ‘standing’ than the French restaurants more commonly associated with the Guide,” said Yeoh, 40, via e-mail.

Kai is currently one of three Chinese restaurants in Britain to have earned Michelin stars.

“Our goal has always been to change the public perception of the Chinese restaurant experience. The Michelin star award last year was the ultimate recognition that we made a major breakthrough in this regard. Getting the award again this year shows that we can do it with consistency,” he said.

Kuala Lumpur-born Yeoh said customers’ expectations have also changed over the past five years. “They no longer jump onto the standard (Chinese) dishes at the first instance. From expecting clichés, they now demand that each restaurant expresses its unique personality through its food.”

Yeoh started Kai with the intention of spicing up London’s Chinese culinary scene.

“One of the key characteristics of our menu is the strong Malaysian influence, particularly in the strength of flavouring. We practise extensive use of spices to create more depth than generally expected in traditional Chinese cooking.

“Having been brought up in Malaysia, it seemed such a waste that the Chinese restaurant diner in London was limited to Cantonese cooking. Chillies and all the wonderful South-East Asian spices were not used much by the local chefs.”

He added that Chinese restaurants back in the 90s were mostly duplicates of each other with identical menus, identical styles of service and little attention paid to interior design.

“There were slight variations as you went up in price but ultimately, unadventurous and not much fun. So, starting a business in an area I was passionate about and in a niche market made sense.”

Since it opened, the restaurant’s menu has also gone through several facelifts.

“When we started, it was 80% conventional dishes and 20% specialities. Over time, building a reputation and trust with our customers allowed us to be more adventurous.

“Today, our menu contains half the number of dishes, with 80% specialities and 20% conventional items, getting us closer to our ultimate aim of a menu made up entirely of dishes unique to us,” said Yeoh.

In 2009, Kai was also named Best Chinese Restaurant in London by Harden’s Restaurant Guide (Britain) and consecutively from 2002 to 2005, Best Chinese Restaurant in Britain, in the Zagat Survey.

What is Yeoh’s formula for maintaining consistency of food and service in the restaurant business?

“No secrets there. It’s the same formula you would use in any business. It’s about having great people on board who are passionate, persistent and share the same ideology, people who enjoy the creative process and maintaining great standards, yet accepting setbacks as part of the game,” said Yeoh, a law graduate from Reading University.

Yeoh did his Bar in 1992 but chose not to practise.

“Spending any more time with my head buried in law books wasn’t appealing,” he said frankly.

The father of two boys aged 10 and eight then started Kai with his own funds and a “very helpful bank”.

Are there plans for a second restaurant?

“With the right investors, absolutely. It is incredibly expensive today to open a restaurant in London to a standard which allows you to stand out over and above thousands of other restaurants. The single owner, self-funded restaurant has become a rarity, especially higher-end restaurants,” he said.

Nevertheless, Yeoh continues to promote and market Kai together with head chef Chow. They will take part in their first international event at the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore this April.

Besides keeping busy with the restaurant, Yeoh is also on the Malaysian National Team for Trap Shooting. “When not at work, I split my time between family and training for the Commonwealth and Asian Games due to take place at the end of 2010,” he said.