Chef Hun Loong shares about the special inspiration behind his Chatswood menu
When award-wining Malaysian Chef Junda Khoo of hatted city restaurant Ho Jiak Haymarket was looking to open a new venue in Chatswood, there was only one person he wanted to work with – his best mate, Chef Hun Loong. The pair met via Instagram in 2017 when Khoo had just opened his own restaurant and Loong was Head Chef at the celebrated Mr Wong. They bonded over a love of food and family, and when the opportunity came to work together, Loong jumped at the chance.
The Chatswood Interchange restaurant was to be a love letter to his Amah, meaning grandmother in Teochew and Hokkien, and her home cooking.
“When Junda asked if I was interested in making the vision come to life, it was an easy decision!” Loong tells northsider. “All I want is to make Amah proud and to able to share the love that she gave me through my food.”
“All Amah’s cook differently,” he continues. “At Ho Jiak Haymarket, we showcase Junda’s Amah’s food, who’s from Penang. At Amah Chatswood, we showcase my Amah’s food from Ipoh. Some of our dishes might have the same names, but they’ll taste different depending on which region they’ve come from.”
“i want to make Amah proud and share the love she gave me through food”
Growing up, Hun Loong’s grandmother used to cook for the family, spending all day preparing their meals – from visiting markets at sunrise for fresh ingredients to cooking for hours. Opening in 2021, the menu at Amah by Ho Jiak, a family-style Malaysian eatery, is a tribute to the special lady who inspired Loong’s love for feeding people good food.
Amah by Ho Jiak’s menu is filled with a variety of dim sum, curries, seafood, meat and vegie dishes, including Amah’s Peking Duck - tea smoked duck breast, served with ginger torch plum sauce and pancakes, and Twice Cooked Angus Char Siu Rib, which sees 42 MB3 short rib served with caramelised soy and Hainan chilli. Desserts include Iced Kacang and Mango Coconut Shaved Ice.
“Two of my favourite dishes are our handmade Mackerel Fish Ball Soup and our Malaysian Chilli Crab,” Loong continues. “The fish ball soup is the dish that really created that bond between me and Amah. It was my favourite meal she made and I really wanted to share that memory with everyone because it’s what I believe home cooking should be.”
Loong’s Amah never wrote any of her recipes down and sadly passed away before the restaurant opened so he has painstakingly recreated this dish from memory. “It can truly be described as a labour of love,” he says.
The crab also has special personal memories for Loong.
“It’s one of the dishes Amah cooked on special occasions,” he says. “We coat ours with spicy, sweet, ginger sauce and serve it with a fried bun. Who can resist such temptation?!”
There was no question for Khoo or Loong when it came to the location for this family focussed restaurant.
“Chatswood is all about family so what better suburb is there for a family style restaurant!” Loong says. “It’s the perfect place to celebrate family and cook the food that’s closest to my heart.” Amah would be very proud.
Clockwise from above: Loong’s grandmother’s Peking Duck dish and his recreation of his favourite meal she used to make him - Mackerel Fish Ball Soup; Amah by Ho Jiak’s Malaysian Chilli Crab; Head Chef Hun Loong in action at Amah by Ho Jiak
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