All In London talks to Soon Li Ong

Where do you source your ingredients?
I source my ingredients from local markets or from UK suppliers. Quality consistency is very important to me, therefore I prefer to source locally than get ingredients from abroad. Of course, some of the ingredients that I use such as certain herbs, vegetables, fish or dried products are unique, hence coming directly from Japan. Other ingredients are seasonal and must come from their country of origin at their peak time.

Which are your favourite London restaurants?
I usually eat out in places that I know do particularly well-prepared dishes to say the least, there are plenty of these in London. I like spicy food, full flavours and aromatic spices, in this case one of my favourites is Barshu.

Which are your favourite foods to experiment with?
For many reasons, my favourite is Japanese food. Japanese cuisine has great appeal to the eye, unique flavours and umami (one of the five basic tastes, together with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty), and is known worldwide. I really like the cutting skills involved in presenting food in Japanese cuisine. I love the fact that it’s linked to cultural aspects of Japan, for example their oceans and mountains are reflected in some way in their food. Also, different regions in the country have their own flavours. As if all these reasons were not enough, Japanese food is also a lot of fun to experiment with! Let’s just say that seafood alone is enough to keep me busy for weeks/months/years/a lifetime. You never stop learning and you will never stop experimenting with Japanese food; this is the aspect that I like the most.

Are there any ingredients you hate using?
As a chef I love all ingredients. Coming across a new ingredient is always a precious thing for me. My attitude as a chef is that any given ingredient has some unique flavours ready to be discovered, you just need to keep working and they will reveal [themselves] to you. The more you work with them the more you know them. If you were not keen on a specific ingredient to start with, by the time you achieve results you have fallen in love with it. A great chef would love and cook anything found in his fridge. I like trying out different flavours, which I find is a good practical challenge. I don’t hate anything at all from what I know, that would mean I can’t achieve the flavour I want. I will always try out different things in order to make them work before I can get a good sleep.

What do you think restaurant trends will be for the year ahead?
Obviously everyone is talking about recession, economic downturn etc, but let’s look around; in the UK alone there are so many restaurants and everyone is trying out new concepts. In my opinion, in order to stay in such [a] competitive market it’s not a matter of which new concept you try but to always remember that the key factors [are] rather simple: good food, good customer service and fair prices on the menu. The next step is to really understand your customer’s needs. Then, in your own time adjust the menu accordingly; keep incorporating some seasonal ingredients and your customers will keep coming back.

What has your most valuable experience as a chef been?
From the moment I started cooking until now, I think the most valuable experience is being able to cook for my lovely family. Also, I’ve had the opportunity to meet great chefs and to share my cooking knowledge and skills with others. Another valuable experience as a chef is when you get great feedback from customers and you can see the joy and happiness in their face while enjoying the food you created.