Where Chefs Eat: Junda Khoo’s Melbourne Malaysian Go-Tos (That Aren’t Ho Jiak)

Junda Khoo’s three-storey Malaysian food hall in the revamped Tivoli Arcade – consisting of venues Ho Jiak, Ho Liao and Da Bao – opened in stages between May and June. The Sydney chef has only been in Melbourne for a few months, but he’s already covered a lot of ground. We caught up with Khoo to find out where (and what) he’s been eating in Melbourne lately.

What’s your go-to breakfast spot?
At the moment it’s Hector’s Deli for the beef and pickles and mushroom melt. Or VB Rolls in the Kmart Centre for a traditional pork roll. I usually have noodles for brekkie in Sydney, but Melbourne has made me go for more bread.

Where do you take visitors when they’re in town?
Flower Drum, because I know it’ll be their first time having Chinese food at that level and it will wow them and blow their minds away. I love the drunken pigeon and barramundi noodles.

What’s the best place for a drink and snacks?
Embla is great for little bites and great wines. For me, I usually order the sausage, fish of the day and cheese platter. But what I particularly enjoy there is pretty much ordering what I feel like from the menu and leaving it to the team to pick the wine or cocktail that’ll go with the food.

If someone asks for a date-night recommendation, what do you say?
Go to Marmelo for the pullet and cheesecake. Or Pepe’s for pasta, pizza and the eye fillet.

Where – other than Ho Jiak – do you go for Malaysian food?
Oh, now we’re talking! Lulu’s for the curry mee with cockles. Kopilicious for the rice drop noodle. Roti Bar for nasi kandar. Jojo Little Kitchen for pan mee. Gai Wong for Hainan chicken rice. CC Wok for chai kueh. And Warong Mummy for nasi campur.

What’s the best place for a late-night feed?
Nana Thai for pad mama and Hong Dae for the pork soup and the cheesy omelette. Supper Inn for the pig’s blood and skin, too.

What’s the best place to eat as a solo diner?
Lately, after service I’ve been dining solo at Shujinko for the pork katsu. And I go to China Bar for the roast duck and Chinese sausage rice.

What’s the most underrated restaurant in Melbourne?
Master Noodles in Midcity Centre for the pork belly and green chilli rice with everything from the free-flowing condiment bar.

What’s the best place to eat when you’re with a big group?
I’d say Secret Kitchen. The free-range chicken and jellyfish salad there is awesome, as are the roast goose and roast duck.

Is there a dish in Melbourne you wish you came up with?
Shandong Mama ’s pan-fried mackerel dumplings. The texture and flavour of the mackerel filling’s similar to Malaysian fishballs. It’s amped up with crispy pan-fried dumpling skins, then dipped in chilli oil for spice and black vinegar to cut through the oil. The whole thing being so simple just works on a very high level. It’s very much me and what I like about cooking – simple things when done right can be amazing.

What Melbourne restaurant would you like to learn from?
Gimlet. From the kitchen pumping out those volumes of food, to the bar team making amazing cocktails to their service team. It’s like American football where you have three teams (offence, defence and special ops) having to work together as a team to win the game.

What’s your bucket-list restaurant?
Wing Restaurant in Hong Kong. The food is where I aspire to be one day – simple, playful and creative.