The BURO Impact Awards celebrates the creativity, originality, passion, and accomplishments of Malaysia’s trailblazing talents. Ahead, we delve into conversation with our Chef of the Year, Aaron Khor.
Malaysian-Chinese cuisine is intuitive for many in our country. Those that grew up on it know it and cherish it; others who are introduced to it later in life eventually fall in love with it. With its gentle and nourishing aromas that seem to heal you from the inside out, there really is nothing quite like it. Enter Aaron Khor, chef-owner of Fifty Tales. Khor seems to have tasked himself with the impossible: making an already niche cuisine even more specialised. Yet, he has found his stride both in and out of the kitchen, earning him the title of BURO’s Chef of the Year.
THE ROAD TO CINCAI
Khor comes from a family background that revolves around food. His father frequently cooked at home, while his cousins in Kuala Kangsar own a famed Peranakan restaurant. Needless to say, he helped in both kitchens. He then went on to culinary school, during which he worked part-time at the now two Michelin-starred Dewakan. After graduating, he left for the shores of Bali to work at Locavore, before eventually returning home for a second stint at Dewakan. Having worked in such boundary-pushing restaurants, it is no wonder that Khor has been embedded with a sort of culinary curiosity that sings through everything he does.
When asked about his inspirations, Khor names his former employers without skipping a beat. “I have a few chefs that have been an integral part of my journey, with three of them being my ex-bosses: Chefs Ray and Eelke of Locavore NXT and Chef Darren Teoh of Dewakan,” states Khor. “They have shaped the way I see the world of food and always pushed me to be a responsible chef.”
Eventually, Khor—alongside partners Aaron Phua and Bimmy Soh—began the Fifty Tales journey. Phua handles the beverage side of things, while Soh takes the reins at front of house. Together, they have found a beautiful rhythm in which each of them dances to the beat of their own drum. Don’t be fooled, though. While they seem to be committed to their individual roles, their skillsets prove otherwise, as they are able to step into each other’s shoes whenever needed. As a trio with their kitchen team, they made a name for themselves in the business of noodles. Served at Fifty Tales’ original Bandar Sri Damansara space and, a little later, at REXKL’s food hall, these noodle bowls were unlike anything to be found in a local kopitiam.
“Noodles are a staple in Malaysia, but they are often overlooked as a cheap meal,” explains Khor when asked why he decided to tap into an already massive part of local food. “I wanted to give more thought and appreciation to this form of cuisine. Also, making noodles ‘the hard way’ is a dying art. With all the noodles out there mostly being rice noodles or yellow mee, we wanted to bring back noodles as an art form, giving value to its characteristics.”
Fast forward to today, and Fifty Tales is now a buzzing corner lot in the heart of Sea Park, marked by a neon cluster of noodles by its doorway. Its space is comfortable and bright with an open window pass, giving customers a clear view of their food being made. “I love our raw interior and how everything in it just makes sense,” beams Khor. “Our idea for it was to mimic a Chinese household but with brutalistic touches. We were quite adamant when it came to sticking to this theme but, thankfully, it paid off!”
During lunch, the dining room is filled with diners slurping on glossy noodles, perfectly coated with aromatic oil, or shovelling lard rice into their mouths in between bites of charred pork belly strips. And since moving to its current location, the team has also introduced a dinner menu—Cincai Dinner—that goes beyond the bowls and leans into the concept of a family-style Chinese home-cooked meal. In fact, it is now just as big of a star as its original noodle offerings are. The restaurant has reached a point where arriving without a reservation during dinner service is a bold gamble—yet one that many still surprisingly attempt.
THE PROOF IS IN THE NOODLES
While his menu names may suggest a casual nature to his food, his technical skills and knowledge are anything but. As we get introduced to modern iterations of every cuisine under the sun, it is getting increasingly difficult for restaurants to stand out. Yet, in Kuala Lumpur, we’re blessed with an ever-growing roster of superb eateries, each with their own character. Fifty Tales, whose culinary programme is led by Khor, is undoubtedly one that will consistently be named amongst the area’s first string.
Each dish on Fifty Tales’ menus is a result of an R&D process that lasts months and in some cases, like that of the famed roasted corn-fed chicken leg, years. But where does it all begin? “First, we try to understand the main ingredient that we want to showcase on the plate,” shares Khor. “Then, I go and do some research on how the ingredient is used in Malaysian-Chinese culinary traditions, and how it is normally served.”
“We always look for cultural references to link the dish back to what we do,” continues Khor. “We especially love working with dishes that have been long forgotten or those that need somewhat of a ‘reintroduction’ to the newer generations.” For one, Fifty Tales’ renowned muachee taco is a playful take on the age-old Chinese favourite. Ever since its introduction into the permanent menu, the dessert has gained a cult following.
When asked about what goes through his head when curating a menu, Khor talks about prioritising his customers. “The first thing I think about is making sure my customers get to eat whatever they want to eat in the way they want to eat,” explains Khor. “I want to engineer the menu to make their meal as enjoyable as possible. We balance the menu with different cooking techniques and flavours that speak to our ethos, yet still give our customers a sense of familiarity.”
The ethos that Khor speaks about is exactly what sets Fifty Tales apart. While honest cooking is very much a priority in its kitchens, keeping things fun and bold on the menus is just as important. “We hope to tell people that our food culture is fluid and things may not always be the same throughout the years,” tells Khor. “Authentic food and traditional food are not the same. We want to always push the boundaries of what customers may think of as the norm and question if there is a different way to experience a specific dish or a new way to serve a familiar flavour.” Pleasing the tastebuds while tugging on the heartstrings seems to be Fifty Tales’ modus operandi.
LET’S TAKE THIS OUTSIDE
Along with his team, Khor has carved out a one-of-a-kind space for Fifty Tales in the thriving local restaurant industry. We’ve all heard the phrase “sharing is caring” and Khor truly embodies it. Not only does he share his food with customers at his restaurant on the daily, he shares his knowledge, space, recipes, skills, secrets of the trade, and an almost tangible wonder with food. Whether it’s on social media or almost 6,500 kilometers away from home, Khor’s desire to spread his Malaysian-Chinese cuisine network knows no bounds.
“Being able to work with so many different restauranters and chefs all around the world and having them give us a space to represent our Malaysian-Chinese cuisine is definitely one of my biggest achievements this year,” smiles Khor. “The most notable ones are the people from Sugarhall of the Jigger & Pony group, Club Soda from the Locavore group, Lucky Izakaya in Moscow, and The Conservatory in Bangalore.”
His physical ventures around the globe are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his reach. This year, Khor has also participated in the Kita Food Festival (amongst other dining events), connected with brands like Subaru, hosted kitchen takeovers, broadened Fifty Tales’ stagiaire programme, and more. Notably, Khor has also expanded his social media horizons, committing to creating content and sharing snippets of his days on his Instagram profile. Through this, he engages with his audience (including loyal diners) and other creators, further pushing his agenda of sharing his knowledge as well as experiences with food.
The only thing that matches his energy for sharing his cuisine, is his drive to observe and take in as much as he can from the people he works with and serves. It gives me a different perspective of the industry and how they understand food,” says Khor of being able to work with different figures in the industry. “This is especially true when we were all having the same experience. It’s always interesting to see how different people respond to the same situations. It goes to show that food and experiences will always be subjective and that’s the beauty of the industry. There is no one way to do it.”
ONE FOR THE TEAM
As a chef-owner, being a good cook is just a small part of your role. For Khor, it also means stepping into the shoes of a leader. Along with Soh and Phua, Khor takes care of the people behind Fifty Tales, who spend most of their time within the restaurant’s walls. When we asked Khor how he felt about taking home the Chef of the Year title, he wasted no time in acknowledging his team. “I feel grateful that the work—that not only I put in, but the whole team that I am blessed to be working with—is being recognised and appreciated,” tells Khor. “It affirms all the hard work that the team and I have done is paying off.”
Anyone who has gotten to know the Fifty Tales team or even gets a glimpse of them in the restaurant during service can recognise just how well they gel together. While tiffs and agreements are bound to happen, Khor seems to have unwavering trust in his team and pure belief in their capabilities. “The best part of having a team is learning that there are many different points of view and solutions to a single problem,” shares Khor. “My team gives me different perspectives. In turn, I learn how I can manage issues better. We all then align with the same goal and work together to get there as a team.”
MORE FROM KHOR
As the year comes to a close, we don’t foresee Khor slowing down in any way. “I look forward to sharing more of my experiences with food on my platform and continue to work on my content creation journey,” shares Khor. “That is my way of being able to talk more about food, the industry, and our local cultures…which basically means more work for me!”
His hard work obviously hasn’t gone unnoticed and yet, Khor is convinced that there is still more work to be done. “I look forward to working with different chefs from all over Southeast Asia,” says Khor of his ambitions. “I want to be able to work with a chef from Hong Kong, China, and perhaps South Korea, just so I can fully understand their local cuisines and how we as Malaysians can properly showcase our food to them too.” Plus, according to Khor, some of his recipes (even ones that are crowd favourites on his menu) could use some tweaking. “Our roast chicken…” says Khor. “It’s good now, but there are still some things we could do with it that would make it even better.”
So, the next time you catch Khor and his team in action, take a moment to appreciate all the thought and energy that goes into his food. Having gone from savouring a steaming bowl of curry mee at Pudu’s Big Tree Curry Laksa—where he fell in love with noodles—as a kid to now owning and running his very own noodle-specialty eatery with a full-fledged team, Khor has achieved his very own “full circle moment”. His commitment to communicating with his team, diners, fellow chefs, other figures in the food industry, and social media followers is what makes him the chef he is today and why we (and our judges) believe he is the Chef of the Year. And did we mention he hasn’t even hit 30?
CREDITS
Editor-In-Chief / JASON LIM. Creative Direction and Styling / SARAH TAI. Text and Interview / AMANDA FUNG. Art Direction Assisted by / EVE LYN LAU. Photography / CHAM ZIHAO | MÒ SHĒNG RÉN. Assisted by / SAIFUL AZWAN. Videography / DENNIS KHO. Makeup / AYANG KAMELL FOR YSL BEAUTY.
Check out the 2024 BURO Impact Award winners here.
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