New Hire: Ralph So Is “Going All Out” To Make Ho Jiak “Something Really Exciting for Melbourne”

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This week’s Hot List activity

• Added: Ho Jiak
• Most popular restaurant: Harriot
• Most popular bar: Caretaker’s Cottage
• Most popular cafe: Hareruya Pantry Carlton

Ho Jiak, Da Bao and Ho Liao is Sydney chef Junda Khoo’s ambitious three-level, three-venue debut in Melbourne. And his secret weapon is head chef Ralph So, who’s heading up the entire project. Khoo had been trying to woo So for years, and finally tempted the Malaysian-born chef to his side for this opening. For So, who was previously head chef at Chin Chin Sydney and Flinders Lane superstar Supernormal, it’s the first time he’s running a kitchen devoted to the cuisine he grew up with. And after a great first month, he’s relishing it. This week Broadsheet caught up with So to see how things have been going so far.

When did you and Junda Khoo meet?

I was head chef at Chin Chin Sydney for a while, and during my breaks I would head out into the Sydney CBD to find something to eat. I started eating at Ho Jiak and slowly I was like – this is actually pretty legit. And then I started bringing my family and friends, and that’s how I got to know Junda. Fast forward a couple of years, he was opening Ho Jiak Town Hall, and asked me if I was keen to join. At that time I was still in my first head chef gig, so I wasn’t ready to make the switch, but since then Junda has always been a friend – a big brother kind of vibe. When I was having my first kid, he would send these nutritious meals to my wife and family. The night before my wife went into labour, the last meal she had was one of Junda’s meals.

Where did you go after Chin Chin?

I left Sydney in 2020 during Covid to work as an executive chef at Felons Barrel Hall in Brisbane. Then after I was in Brisbane for a while, I got a call from Ben Pollard at Trader House, a long-term mentor who I knew from my Spice Temple days, who asked if I wanted to come work for Supernormal. To work with Andrew and the group and the way they do things was a great opportunity. I always say that they allowed me to stand on a giant’s shoulder and look at the whole hospitality world.

And when did Junda reach out about Ho Jiak Melbourne?

Two and a half years ago, Junda approached me and we visited the site [for Ho Jiak]. I’d just started at Supernormal about six months earlier, I’d just moved back to Melbourne, so I didn’t say no but I said, “Not really at this stage”. Then I had my second kid and Junda came back and said “Look, this is still on the table, if you’re keen”. We talked about being a chef and being a parent, and how to plan for the long term. Being a partner on this, and being able to have a stake in the business, that’s something that’s rarely offered to a chef in the industry, so I said yes.

Before I joined Supernormal I knew I probably had about two of three years of fuel left. Most of the time, in this kind of industry, at that high level of venue or dining, it requires a lot of adrenaline and passion. And sometimes there’s burnout. I got to that stage where I was like, what exactly do I want in the next five or 10 years? I don’t see myself moving abroad, and I see Melbourne as a long-term destination for my kids. I know this is maybe my last hoorah in terms of a major project, so I'm going all out.

Chin Chin and Supernormal both spotlight several Asian cuisines, is it exciting to be focused just on Malaysian food?

It’s definitely something I’d been avoiding to a certain degree – because it’s my heritage, right? I have perceptions on how Malaysian should taste, so it’s the hardest thing for me to overcome. And then people also have perceptions on how Malaysian food should be. So for me, it was territory I was a bit sceptical to go in myself, but working in the venue now for six or seven weeks now, I have a very, very new perceptions on it.

What in the last six weeks has changed your perceptions?

We underestimated how many people love this cuisine. The community and the language of food, that I was trained in – actually Malaysian food can do the same. We can even reach a broader clientele than I thought. I’m passionate about wines, beverage service and Malaysian food. They don’t really go hand in hand most of the time, but now we’ve got an opportunity to play with that idea and burst the bubbles a little bit. And so far, we have received a lot of support from peers.

Especially the Malaysian background chefs based in Melbourne, right, like Bernard and Joanne from Kori Ice-Cream, and the chefs and owners from Ccwok and Gai Wong. They’re raving about it and welcoming us, which is so cool. It’s made me think we can do something really exciting for Melbourne, using Melbourne DNA.

Where would you like to take Ho Jiak, Da Bao and Ho Liao?

I want to make this into a Melbourne Malaysian restaurant. That’s basically my mission. I would say the menu is about 70 per cent Junda’s and the rest of the team, who are really talented, with me chipping in on the edges for now. My biggest job right now is to get the operation up and running, build a team and make sure the team sustainability is there. A year or two down the line, you’re going to see a Ho Jiak that’s even more driven by Victorian produce than it is now. my fingers are deep into the whole venue, operation, compared to what I have done in my last 10 years in terms of my career.

Running a three-level venue is exhausting, but as an immigrant, who left home when I was 19, I’m always trying to achieve more. It’s what drives me.

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