10 May 2007 – A petite yet handsome looking Chef walked in and greeted me in a warmly manner. Ken Wong (51) is the man! He is the Master Chef of Qing Palace Chinese Restaurant at Pulai Springs Resort. In order to compliment the signature dishes, Chef Ken is introducing new dishes such us Deep Fried Cod Fish and Thousand Island Sauce, Stir Fried Lotus Root and Sweet Beans with Fresh Lily and Macadamia Nuts and Stuffed Egg Skin with Mixed Vegetables.

Chef Ken was born in Kulai, Johor. He has two children; a son and a daughter whom their professions are very different from him respectively. His eldest son is a hair stylist whereas his daughter is working in the fashion industry. However, Chef Ken said that his daughter shares the same traits as him and is also fond of cooking.

Since young, Chef Ken had shown great interest in cooking and was mainly influenced by his mother. He likes to stay in the kitchen and help out her in preparing dishes. When Chef Ken first started his career, he was just 15 years old and was working in a famous chicken rice shop in Singapore namely Swee Kee Chicken Rice. A couple of years later, he joined Hotel Mirama, Singapore as an apprentice. He had worked in several hotels too in order to gain more experience and build up his career path. Then, he went to one of the international brand hotels, President Merlin in Singapore and became a Master Chef in the Chinese Restaurant. He was there for almost 3 years. Over the years, he had cooked for people from all woks of life like the royal family of Malaysia, well-known government officials and corporate personality.

He was given an opportunity to work in one of the Chinese Restaurants located at a five-star hotel in Milano Italy. Later, he moved to Switzerland and he also worked in a Chinese Restaurant of a four-star hotel named Panorama Villars. His stay in these countries for about 12 years gave him the opportunity to learn Italian & French which he speaks fluently.

During his free time, he will prepare simple home-made dishes for his children. Apart from his passion for cooking, Chef Ken enjoys outdoor activities such as fishing with friends, go hunting in the jungles and bringing his dog for a brisk walk and jog. His ultimate goal is to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and blend into the nature surroundings. Apart from that, he loves to travelling to Europe.

At Pulai Springs Resort, Chef Ken started as “1st wok”, an assistant to the Master Chef. He was named as Master Chef three months later. Even though he has been working in this Chinese restaurant for the past 13 years, his enthusiasm has not faded in maintaining and constantly upgrading the quality of the food served. He and his team are improvising the menu to create more varieties to suit the changing taste of the guests’. He has taken the initiative to design his own specialty dishes to provide a personal touch to the current menu.

“To me, as a Chef we need to do our best in fulfilling the guests’ needs”, said Chef Ken. This is his philosophy in every task assigned. He is satisfied and grateful for what he has achieved so far in having a happy family, successful career and good life.

Currently, Qing Palace is having an Indonesian style Chinese Food Promotion until end of May featuring Indonesian Padang Curry Chicken, Steamed Garlic Chillies Fish, Fried Dried Hot Chillies Chicken, Curry Prawns with French Beans and Indonesian Curry Mixed Vegetables which the price is starting from RM16.00++.

For reservations, patrons may call 607 – 521 2121 extn 4809. The restaurant is open for lunch from 12.30 noon to 3.00 pm and dinner from 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm daily. During weekends, dinner is served from 6.00pm to 10.30pm

Issued by:
Communications Department
Pulai Springs Resort Berhad
For further details, contact
Regina Chung – Public Relations Executive