What do you like to cook at home?
I don’t cook at home. My wife cooks at home. But sometimes I cook on the bbq. I like to let the produce speak for itself. I cook very simple things. Last time I cooked some wagu rump on the bbq with some nice fat asparagus. I served the steak with wasabi mayonnaise.
Can you reveal any secret foodie locations in Sydney?
Is anything secret anymore? Out in Western Sydney for people who don’t go out West. Fairfield, Canley vale and Cabramatta have the most authentic South East Asian food you can eat. I love going to Fairfield for Laotian food.
I think Laotian food is an untapped cuisine that people don’t really know about. But you gotta love the funk to enjoy Laotian food. It’s like Thai food but with using things like fermented crab.
Biggest mistake?
Is always not remembering to taste. It’s something so simple that can be the difference between a good and a great chef. As chefs, we can often forget this, and it’s doesn’t matter how beautiful your dish looks, it all comes down to the flavour. It’s the reason why people keep coming back to your restaurant.
Who inspires you most and what dish did you love the most?
Ramen Ikkyu, chef, Harunobu Inukai are awesome. I am also inspired by Chase Kojima from Sokyo who does an awesome Okonomiyaki. Obviously David Thompson is the master, and his stir-fry was great with the fried egg. Anything with a fried egg on top is delicious.
Your mum owned and operated restaurants. What inspired you to be a chef, was there a moment when you thought, I want to be a chef ?
There wasn’t a moment to be honest, I just didn’t know what I wanted to do and my mum suggested I become a chef. I grew up around restaurants, but I never thought of being a chef. I really enjoyed cooking at home and my mum suggested I become a chef. My passion really came when I became an apprentice, learning new things from chefs above me.
Which cooking school did you attend?
The Hotel School at the Intercontinental, which doesn’t run a cooking course any more. Usually apprentices go to Tafe once a week and work full time. I was lucky to do school for 6 months full time. I did all my theory first and then went and worked in restaurants. That’s how I came to work in so many restaurants.
What inspires you when you are creating a new recipe?
Everywhere, could be going to another restaurant, eating street food overseas, eating on the street in China town, or going to my mum’s house for dinner. I’m really inspired by everything I eat.
Am I right in thinking you spend your holidays in Asia looking out for new food experiences?
I go to Asia when I can, I go to Indonesia too, as my wife is Indonesian and we like to visit her family. I went to China, that was really cool.
What’s the weirdest flavour combination in your cook book?
There’s a dish that has pig’s ear and tripe, but that’s not really a weird combination. There’s nothing too weird in the book because, I have tried all these weird combinations at Mrs. G’s. And even though I might like them, the general public don’t, so they don’t make it onto the menu.
So can you tell us what weird flavour combination do you think tastes really great?
I like blue cheese and chocolate together. One time I did a flourless chocolate cake with blue cheese ice cream, I used gorgonzola and I thought it was delicious. But it was a bit too weird.
It’s a dream for many chefs to work with Justin Hemmes. What have you learnt from him?
That he knows what diners in Sydney want. He has a midas touch when it comes to knowing what people want and being ahead of the game in terms of restaurants, style, atmosphere and vibe.
So you must know what people want to eat?
I don’t know what people want! I’m just lucky that people like my food.
The public has an insatiable appetite for new food, new flavours. What trends do you see in the near future?
I think Middle Eastern and Turkish cuisine are next. They are popular now but the next step is to make an up market restaurant, with a good wine list and great vibe.
What are you craving right now?
A sandwich or a ban mih, (vietnamese pork roll.)
What did Kim and Kanya order when they came to your restaurant?
They had chicken wings, a few dim sum, some pork dumplings, chicken dumplings, pork ribs, fried rice. Kanya came twice, which was pretty cool, I guess he liked the chicken wings!
Hang over cure?
Mc Donald’s breakfast.
Try some of Dan Hong’s amazing recipes below…
Mr Hong’s Famous Lotus Ice Cream Sundae with Raspberries & Honeycomb
Mr Hong’s Lotus Cheeseburger
Fried Chicken with Kimchi Mayonnaise
Mr Hong by Dan Hong (Murdoch Books) $49.99 is available now.
