At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Yuvan Vydelingum, 36, was retrenched from his job at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. But unlike many others in the F&B industry, this actually ended up being the start of a promising new chapter in his career.
The talented chef, who hails from Mauritius, has spent nearly two decades working in over 20 restaurants in countries like Australia and even had a two-year stint as the sous chef at Michelin-starred celebrity chef David Myers’s eatery Bleu Blanc in Dubai.
Having lived in Malaysia for a few years since marrying his Malaysian wife, Pravina Nair, 38, Yuvan dreamt of starting his own F&B business in his adopted homeland. In many ways, the pandemic ended up becoming the catalyst for his solo endeavour.
“I was always eager to start my own business rather than working for people. After gaining knowledge during my career with the right chefs, I decided to go back to basic cooking – no more fine-dining at the moment,” says the cheerful Yuvan.
At Bleu Blanc, Yuvan had garnered extensive experience cooking over charcoal fire, so he quickly turned his mastery of the barbecue pit into a full-fledged delivery-only home business called Skinny Legs Barbeque. The brand name alludes to the 190cm chef’s noticeably long, skinny pins!
The business, which is based in Klang, Selangor, began with just two items on the menu – a Cajun grilled chicken chop and whole chicken, which Yuvan cooked up using a barbecue set in his backyard.
Skinny Legs Barbeque was an instant hit and soon gained a loyal following among Klang denizens who had been hankering for quality Western-style barbecue. The menu has also swelled to accommodate customer demand.
Last year, Yuvan used his savings to move the business into a shop lot near his home to cater to the burgeoning demand. Early this year, Pravina left her job as the general manager of a social and recreational club to help him run the business, something that Yuvan says has been a boon given her experience managing F&B outlets in the club.
“There is just Yuvan and one other full-time staff cooking fulfilling all the orders, so I knew that there were limitations to what they could do, in terms of marketing and planning,” says Pravina.
Although the menu has grown (updated every two months), the quality has remained unchanged. Yuvan is fastidious about making everything from scratch – from the sauces to the mayonnaise. This integrity is matched in both the portion sizes of his meals, which are really generous – and his pricing – which has been kept incredibly wallet-friendly.
“I wanted to make value-for- money meals, because about 80% of our customers are repeat customers,” he says simply.
To test out what Skinny Legs Barbeque has to offer, start with the crowd favourite Cajun Grilled Chicken Chop (RM15). The chicken is marinated with Cajun seasoning and other herbs for at least 24 hours and cooked over charcoal. The result is a chicken that is laced in a rich medley of spices, something you can taste from the first mouthful. This is a chook that is everything a grilled chicken chop should be – cooked perfectly, seasoned well and bewitchingly tasty.
The roasted potatoes served on the side are also very good – tender little spuds that have an insanely addictive quality. The meal is served with coleslaw, which Yuvan makes from scratch, and it has a rich, creamy quality to it that.
The Asian Style Lamb Chops (RM22) are a relatively new introduction to the menu and was actually devised off the back of an Indian style lamb varuval.
“My mum used to make this amazing lamb varuval with lemongrass and people loved it. I told Yuvan, ‘There is something about lamb with lemongrass and ginger’, and asked him to try it. Our lamb chop sales have just taken off since this was introduced,” says Pravina.
The lamb chops are marinated overnight with lemongrass, ginger and other spices and herbs and served with creamy mashed potato and black pepper sauce. Like all of Yuvan’s offerings, portions here are generous so you’ll get four lamb chops all to yourself!
The chops are grilled well and have a distinctly aromatic Asian slant to them. The meat is good on its own but becomes a power-packed flavour bomb when paired with the black pepper sauce, which is light with a lovely zesty underbelly that sluices through the richness of the meat.
And the buttered mashed potato is literally the stuff dreams are made of – thick, creamy, rich and so hypnotisingly good, you’ll keep reaching for more.
If you’re a fan of seafood, definitely indulge in the Grilled Spiced Perch Fillet (RM18), a spice-studded aquatic treasure that features a large chunk of fish that is tenderly yielding and oh-so flavourful.
What progressively becomes apparent is that Yuvan invests as much attention into his sides as he does the main meals, because the caramelised eggplant that comes with the fish is a true star in its own right, with tenderly pliant eggplant coated in a rich sauce that delivers a powerful performance.
Up next, try the Signature Lamb Shank (RM45) which is made up of a gargantuan lamb shank braised for over four hours. The lamb is coated in a thick, opulent lamb jus and is pull-apart tender, the sort of meat that doesn’t require the use of knives and forks, because it is so pliant it can be torn from the bone with your bare hands.
The Smoked Duck Linguine Aglio Olio (RM18) is another delicious meal featuring smoked duck slices with pasta, garlic, olive oil and chilli. Unlike many commercial eateries, Yuvan doesn’t skimp on the smoked duck. The pasta is literally dotted (yes, dotted) with smoked duck and is garlicky and spicy with the duck adding a lovely smoky underbelly to the meal.
Yuvan is an incredibly passionate chef with a gift for churning out the sort of hedonistic comfort food that lingers in your mind long after the meal is gone. There is also so much generosity in his meals – something that you’d be hard pressed to find in most other F&B set-ups in the Klang Valley, where portions are shrinking and prices are soaring.
Which is why it is hardly surprising that Yuvan and Pravina have been besieged with requests to open a full-fledged dine-in eatery, something they hope will come to fruition at some point in 2022.
“We plan to open our café for dine-in hopefully in the first half of this year. We are working on it but taking it one step at a time,” says Yuvan excitedly.
Order from Skinny Legs Barbeque by calling 018-248 8267.
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