MALAYSIAN RESTAURATEURS ABROAD: GAI WONG IN MELBOURNE
In April of last year, Philip Leong and
Shirley Chow bravely opened Gai Wong in Melbourne, in the early stages of what would be a turbulent journey ahead for all restaurants and world alike.
Head Chef Philip - or Uncle Lip as he’s fondly known as - is passionate about good food. Both him and Shirley left Malaysia to pursue their studies in Melbourne, where Philip learned culinary arts and Shirley studied Professional Communications specialising in Public Relations & Marketing. A third core team member, Philip’s cousin Kelwin Wong, handles the restaurant’s marketing.
Their house specialty Hainanese Chicken is just too delicious. It’s no wonder the restaurant is named Gai
Wong, which literally translates to ‘chicken king’ in Cantonese.