Su-Yen cooks on gas with woks,
pans and a glorious three-level
stainless steel steaming pot. Dishes
are served on traditional Chinese
crockery, in steam baskets and
on whatever else does the job.
Su-yen is assisted by the tireless
Carla Farina, a friend and fellow
sporting enthusiast – just to add
another notch to Su-yen’s belt,
she is also a yoga instructor and
champion trail runner. Carla started
helping out when Su-yen constantly
overbooked the dinners, and has
become indispensable. “She’s a
super-hero, she moves fast, she’s
never grumpy and she’s just the most
affable human you’ve ever met,”
Su-yen gushes. Assistants Rebecca
Mulaudzi and Majunkie Mokoena keep
everything ship-shape, working in the
scullery and helping with service.
Chéz Fong attracts clientele from
all walks of life, and Su-yen finds that
South Africans are venturesome diners
and always willing to try something
new. As the eatery is not advertised,
the greatest challenge was getting
customers to come in the first place,
so Su-yen initially peppered the room
with friends and family in the hope that
paying diners would not feel alone.
This, however, has ceased to be a
problem, as Chéz Fong is now booked
to bursting months in advance. Su-yen
feels so rewarded in finding a “recipe”
that people love, and is always
delighted when the otherwise bustling
and rumbustious room falls silent as
people relish a dish.
91 ST PATRICK ROAD, UPPER HOUGHTON;
074 361 9079; FACEBOOK.COM/
CHEZFONG/LEFT AND RIGHT:
ASSISTANTS
REBECCA MULAUDZI
AND MAJUNKIE
MOKOENA94 SEPTEMBER 2019