Almost 10 years after opening the first Ho Jiak in Sydney – his Malaysian restaurant group now has four locations across the city – chef Junda Khoo is finally coming to Melbourne. He’s taken over a three-storey site in the CBD, where he’s opening three connected venues. “It’s like having three different Ho Jiak concepts: street, elevated/modern and homestyle dishes under one roof,” says Khoo.

Broadsheet Access members can be first to sample Ho Liao’s menu at the latest Editor’s Preview on May 23. Arrive at 6.30pm and beeline to the rooftop, where you’ll be greeted with a house Margarita before digging into a Malaysian feast. Become an Access member today, to nab your seat.

Khoo gives a sneak peek of the evening’s menu.

Inchi kabin


Courtesy of Ho Liao/Junda Khoo

“Nyonya fried chicken wings was always one of my favourite things to eat growing up in Malaysia. The combination of eight different ground spices and curry powder turns a simple fried chicken dish into deep, aromatic, flavoursome juicy chicken wings.”

Roast duck


Courtesy of Ho Liao/Junda Khoo

“This is currently our top-selling dish in Sydney. The ducks are rubbed with a five spice salt mix then aged for 10 days before roasting. By aging it, the skin gets crispy and crackly after roasting while retaining the juiciness of the meat.”

Asam barramundi


Courtesy of Ho Liao/Junda Khoo

“This dish is a homage to Amah’s asam gulai fish and I believe is the epitome of Malaysian cuisine. It has the four “S”es in cooking: sweet, salty, sour and spicy – with fragrances from herbs like torched ginger flower and Vietnamese mint.”

Salted duck egg squid


Courtesy of Ho Liao/Junda Khoo

“Wok-fried squid rings, coated in a rich blend of salted duck egg yolk, butter and fragrant curry leaves. When I started Ho Jiak 10 years ago, the top-selling squid dish at that time at most Asian restaurants was salt and pepper squid. I thought to myself ‘why not do this instead?’ and it has been a standout dish since then, and hopefully here in Melbourne too.”

Sago coconut pudding


Courtesy of Ho Liao/Junda Khoo

“Sago is a good ol’ classic dessert that is commonly found in Southeast Asia, which I love eating. Here we redefined traditions by cooking the sago in blue pea flower, and then setting coconut pudding on top of the sago, topped with desiccated coconut and palm sugar.”

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