Jus de Vivre
Nomad chef Dan Hong, who lists Longrain, Tetsuya's and NY hot spot WD50 on his resume, is back in Sydney and has recently taken the reins of the Lotus Bistro & Bar
The relaxed Dan Hong is keeping his food simple
You're 25 and you're heading up your own kitchen. That's pretty huge. (Laughs) Yeah, it's my biggest challenge yet.
Are you scared? Yeah, of course I'm scared. It's good to have a few nerves though, I reckon. I'm pretty stoked but nervous at the same time.
Tell us about your new menu. It's just really light and simple. I'm trying to get away from purées and jus and keep it fresh with lots of herbs. I'm putting a quail dish on the menu that's a little like one of my mum's. It has the same marinades, but this one's going to be deep-fried. I think I can use some of the stuff I learnt at the Bentley Bar and WD50 with desserts but that's about it. Lotus isn't the type of place I can really do that stuff.
How did you get your start? At school in Epping where I grew up I was terrible - I got, like, less than 50 per cent in my HSC, my mum was like, "what are you gonna do with your life?" I couldn't even make it into uni. I've always liked cooking and cooked dinner at home. Because my mum had the restaurant she was never at home so I'd always have to cook for my sisters and my dad. I went and trained at the hotel school at the Intercontinental where I did a six-month course. After I completed that, it was easy for me to get a job 'cos I didn't have to go to TAFE once a week like most other apprentices.
So no formal exams? I was lucky enough wherever I was to have chefs who would promote me to sections in the kitchen reserved for qualified chefs. I've learnt through cooking and kitchens that you have to take action if you want to move up a level. If someone leaves, you've got to go up to the chef and tell them you want their section. And they'll let you - all you have to do is ask. People don't realise that.
Do you ever lose it in the kitchen? I've never done anything physical but I've said the c-word a few times - actually it's like my second language. One time there was this guy from Le Cordon Bleu, which has $40,000 a year tutition fees, and he's working with me in the kitchen. He made a big mistake and I had to tell him that I felt sorry for his fucking parents spending 40 grand on him - it was fucking shit. It really pissed me off. He sent a plate out with the wrong purée on it which was vital to the dish.
What do you hope to get out of Lotus? I just want people to like my food. I want people to come to eat. I think a lot of guys when they're young and start out as a head chef try too hard with their food. I don't really want to shock anyone, I just want to develop a sound reputation for myself. And then, when I get the customer's trust, then I'll turn it up a notch.
How did you land the job? By chance. I loved my time in New York but I had no money and I was out of a job and I thought, "What am I going to do?" The second day I was back in Sydney I got a call from Frank Roberts (general manager of Merivale restaurants) and he says, "Look, do you want to go for lunch at Est?" and I'm like "Yes! Free lunch at Est!" So then he said: "Alright, I'll organise a tasting for Justin Hemmes next week. I had to do five entrées, four mains and four desserts within 40 minutes. So I had two days to prepare. My girlfriend basically helped me do all the prep and all the stuff I couldn't cook at home, I cooked at the Bentley Bar - they let me make ice-creams there, and stuff like that. I was waiting ready and as soon as Justin arrived, the assistant came through and said "Justin's here! Go!" And I was like "Argh!" But they loved it and I was over the moon.
Catch Dan banging the pans every night at Lotus, 22 Challis Avenue, Potts Point 2011.