WHILE many set their sights abroad for career advancement, Singaporean Steven Hong looked to Kuching for the break he needed to kick-start his career.
The sushi and sashimi chef opened his first restaurant — a Japanese one to boot — in the city in April last year after an impressive working experience in a string of A-listed restaurants in his home country.
“Kuching is perfect for my setup,” he said, adding that Singapore’s market is very saturated and competitive while Kuching’s is less so.
Besides, being married to a local gives him good reason to start his business here.
While admitting the market for Japanese cuisine is somewhat lacking locally, he believes in its feasibility.
“It’s a matter of time before the locals get used to Japanese cuisine.”
Even now, one can see the trend is inclined towards Japanese culture, especially among the youngsters, and this can be attributed to the Japanese anima.
Hong believes this fad will continue well into the future. His customer-base is made up of youngsters, hence the pricing is fairly affordable.
Hong is positive about the growing local market and he is confident his restaurant, Kensaku, at Jalan Song, will grow with it.
His restaurant serves both fusion and authentic Japanese food — the latter is on request.
“Locals prefer fusion and I serve what’s in demand,” he said, adding that when there is a request for authentic Japanese cuisine, he will oblige as well.
Eighty percent of his customers are locals while the remaining 20 are foreigners, including Japanese.
Having worked in cosmopolitan Singapore and now Kuching, he has observed a very notable difference in clientele.
“Singaporeans are more fussy and picky as they are more exposed to other cultures while the people in Kuching are more amiable.”
Sharing his tips on making the prefect sushi, Hong said it was important to have fresh and the right type of ingredients.
These are crucial to palatability, he said, and his 10-odd years in the food line has taught him that.
Hong has his ingredients air-flown from Japan. He never tries local ingredients for sushi or sashimi but does use them for cooked dishes.
“I have received suggestions to use Bario rice for my sushi and yes, one of these days, I will give it a try.”
He is also willing to dabble in other local ingredients.
Hong started out in the food industry as a sushi helper in Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore, and later joined Sushi Negawa as a sushi chef.
His last posting was with the SIA Groups as a sou chef.