Shelves of condiments line the left of Chef Photographer Andy Ong’s restaurant. — Photos: ALICE YONG
AT the height of his photography career about 17 years ago, Andy Ong was highly sought-after by local magazines to shoot their fashion spreads. Not only did he work with famous models such as Ling Tan, Hana Toolseram and Bernie Chan, top department stores like Metrojaya and Mun Loong were his regular clients.
These days, Ong, 56, prefers to dish up signature culinary creations, moving away from photography and fashion. He is more focused on flexing his cooking prowess at his eponymous Chef Photographer Andy Ong Chinese omakase-style venture housed in Jaya One, Petaling Jaya.
At first glance, his restaurant looks like an ornate Chinese furnishing showroom: carvings of a dragon and phoenix greet you at the entrance while Chinese ink paintings, folding screens, rustic Oriental sideboards and shelves laden with bottled condiments and dried goods dominate the mellow-lit interior.
The restaurant can easily pass off as an ornate Chinese furnishing showroom.
His maiden foray into the food business was in 2008 when he took over a friend’s coffeeshop in Petaling Jaya, while still having one foot in his professional photography business.
“The shop sold lam meen and kai si hor fun (shredded chicken rice noodles). Business was steady, but after I made some changes to the offerings, the shop saw an increase in sales,” says Ong.
This spurred him to open the first Lammeeya outlet in 1 Utama mall, Petaling Jaya in 2010. Encouraged by the burgeoning sales from the two shops and to cope with the deluge of customer demands, he quickly set up a central kitchen within 10 days.
As you enter Chef Photographer Andy Ong's domain.
With his appetite in the food business whetted, Ong’s insatiable nature prompted him to open Kissaten – a Japanese fusion restaurant serving teriyaki burgers and Japanese-style pasta and pizza in Jaya One, Petaling Jaya. He also owned and operated several restaurants such as Robata Monkey, Bangoya and Kissburger.
“I was responsible for each of those restaurants’ concept, interior design and food quality control. For the actual cooking, I hired chefs to handle whatever was required,” he says.
Six years ago, he began experimenting and replicating recipes and dishes he yearned to eat. Passionate about Chinese food, he would cook classic Chinese banquet dishes, but with his own inimitable take on them.
In his quest to revive and interpret those cherished flavours, he relied on his own know-how, meticulousness and exacting standards as well as modern techniques to conjure up the dishes.
The perfectionist in him prefers to go marketing himself and choose the necessary ingredients.
He explains: “Most suppliers have failed to meet my expectations, so I would rather shop at the wet market to handpick the things I need. Initially, when I started cooking, I would approach selected customers to try my culinary experiments. I wanted real, constructive feedback, so getting customers who were willing to pay and eat, and then critique my food was the best way to go about it.”Whether he’s sourcing for the best soy sauce or aiming to capture the nostalgic taste of an old-school dish, Ong leaves no stone unturned when it comes to cooking.
Ong carving the Crispy Duck.
“I know I’m not a trained chef, so if I want to convince people to part with their money and differentiate myself from the competition, I have to work and try three times harder,” he adds.
Aside from scouring the Internet, especially YouTube for inspiration, Ong uses only the best ingredients. He even pickles, ferments and preserves certain condiments and produces them on-premises. For instance, only prime 120-day chicken would do for his signature crispy chicken, and he prefers wild river-caught ikan parang (wolf herring) for the fish paste he makes. He also found a local soya sauce producer who agreed to brew a 500-day old soya sauce that complied with his taste and specifications.
Such meticulous efforts have paid off for Ong as demand for his intrepid Chinese food has picked up since 2021. Last Chinese New Year, he adhered strictly to a Japanese omakase approach, yet his customers trusted him enough to cook their reunion dinners without any confirmed menu.
Having graduated from a photography course from Japan, Ong realised very early on he couldn’t survive on still-life photography alone upon returning to Malaysia. He pivoted into doing portraiture, landing his first assignment for New Tide magazine.“At that time, most photographers adhered to the UK-style of fashion photography which relied on bright, harsh lightning,” he says. “I preferred Japanese techniques and more diffused lighting, giving my photos a softer, cleaner look.”
His approach became an instant hit, leading to an opportunity to work with designer Eric Choong and consequently, more fashion photography assignments with leading women’s magazines followed suit. Together with his business partner Steve Koh, Ong converted a factory space into a professional photo studio. The duo successfully diversified from fashion into commercial photography, employing a 40-man team to handle above-the-line work for major advertising agencies.
Ong admits that he is as tenacious and focused in perfecting his dishes as in his approach to photography. As a self-taught chef, his rigorous and sometimes maverick approach also sets him apart from other trained chefs.
“My aim is to protect, retain and capture the quintessential ‘Chineseness’ of classic dishes,” he says.
His unconventional methods and unique dishes set him apart from other conventional Chinese restaurants, and account for the faithful fans as well as the very essence of his Chef Photographer Andy Ong Restaurant.
