11. Junda speaks his mind: Ho Jiak

You may know Junda Khoo as the founder and head chef of Ho Jiak, a well-known Malaysian restaurant in Sydney. I’ve had the honour of interviewing him. Now, I’m sharing his story with you. (Head to the Gallery to meet Junda and see his dishes!)

Alison: Hi, Junda! Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Junda: I came to Sydney when I was 16 for Year 11 and then went on to university and graduated with a double degree, majoring in Finance and Project Management. Upon graduation, I worked in the banking industry for about 1 year before deciding that it’s not for me. My passion lies with food. Hence, I made the decision to leave and became a barista at cafes to get some firsthand experience in the hospitality industry. Since then, I moved from working at cafes to kitchens at various restaurants and eventually made the leap of faith into opening Ho Jiak.

Alison: I’m so thankful you took that leap of faith. Ho Jiak is amazing. Speaking of which, when did you open Ho Jiak?

Junda: Ho Jiak Strathfield was opened in 2014 and it was the first time I had a commercial kitchen to cook in. I had always been cooking at home then and that was the first time we decided to sell my food to the public.

Alison: Who or what inspired you to do so?

Junda: Before my business partner and I opened Ho Jiak, we were with Petaling Street and were 50% owners of the businesses here in Sydney. However, during the 2 years of operation at Petaling Street, there were plenty of things that I disagreed with. For example, I would feel that it was not spicy enough, or it might be too salty, etc. But they wouldn’t let me interfere with the kitchen operations as they relied strongly on the chefs that were hired.

Every day the other business owners and chefs would tell me to stay out of it as I was young and inexperienced in the kitchen. After hearing that for 2 years, I got fed up and decided to prove them wrong. So I sold my shares back to the owners, came out and started Ho Jiak where I could serve food the way I wanted it to be.

Alison: I’m glad you did. It would be a shame to waste your talent someplace it is not appreciated.

How do you feel about Ho Jiak’s progress so far?

Junda: Ho Jiak’s progress has been great since we opened. For the first 2 years, it was actually a big struggle for us trying to find our identity but as we persevered and over time, the reward to our hard work is starting to show now.

Alison: Time to reap what you have sown.

What is your favourite dish on the menu and why?

Junda: Our Char Koay Teow has always been my favourite dish. When we first opened, we received a lot of criticism citing that it is not authentic or traditional. However, we stuck to it and refused to change it to suit the more “traditional and authentic” requests. Instead, we made it the way I wanted to. After many years of educating people about what we do and how we do things, we are finally being recognised for serving up one of the best Char Koay Teow in Sydney.

Alison: Authentic or not, I can comfirm that your Char Koay Teow is delicious. Shamefully, though, I must admit that I normally request “no spicy”.

Is there one thing about Ho Jiak that you wish your customers appreciated more?

Junda: Yes – our philosophy and MO of what we do. We are all about elevating Malaysian street food or home cooking to a dining level by using exceptional local Australian produce such as fresh Maron from WA or Darling Downs Wagyu grade 6+ and above. With that, the price tag comes with it. However, a lot of people still expect Malaysian food to be cheap just because that is how it is back home in Malaysia, but it’s not what we do here at Ho Jiak.

Alison: What is your vision for Ho Jiak?

Junda: It is simply to be an institution that spreads awareness and love for the Malaysian cuisine in Sydney.

Alison: Thank you for your time, Junda. It’s been a pleasure.

Support Ho Jiak ❤️:

Check out Junda and Ho Jiak‘s Instagram accounts!

Make a reservation on Ho Jiak’s website.

Ho Jiak boasts a 4.7/5 rating on Zomato.