Dishing it Out with a Smile

By Grace Chen

SERVICE with a smile, no matter how irate the customer. With this motto in mind, beauty queen and restaurateur Debbie Goh has maintained the reputation of providing good service at her Indonesian food outlet.

The star of Age of Glory, which became the highest rated Chinese drama in 2008, is the new lady boss of a three-month-old Indonesian franchise. Sharing a recent encounter with a customer that had her on her toes all night, she says: “A distinguished-looking gentleman came in with a party of friends. From his manner, I could tell that he was a seasoned diner so I quickly signalled to the staff to be extra vigilant.

Debbie Goh offering her favourite dish, the Yellow Rice Combo, which comes with a mild beef rendang and crispy fried chicken.

“When the food arrived, he found fault with every single dish ordered and even after we replaced it with something else, he was still not satisfied.”

The former Miss Malaysia Chinese International 1998 and a Hong Kong TVB artiste was at her wits’ end and decided that dessert would be on the house.

When it was time for the diner to leave, Goh personally saw him to the door and apologised profusely, certain that she would never see him again.

“Boy, was I surprised to see him again! Later, I found out that he had been impressed by the service and that was when I patted myself at the back for having exercised patience,” says Goh.

As the owner of IR1968, she says that her patience is stretched every day but maturity has helped her keep a tight reign on her temper.

“The onus is on the restaurateur to be tactful and diplomatic. It is your job to find out your diners’ likes and dislikes and then use the knowledge to make sure they have a pleasant dining experience so that they will be back,” says Goh.

In deciding to embark on a career in food and beverage with IR1968, which stands for Indonesian Restaurant 1968, Goh (pic right) reveals that it was her business partner Hudson Chang, a 37-year-old Hong Kong native whom she had met while hosting a culinary programme with TVB, who convinced her to become a restaurateur.

Cosy: Soft red lights and blue porcelain for the table setting mirror Debbie’s artistic touches.

“IR1968 is a franchise and they were the first to offer Indonesian cuisine in Hong Kong in 1968. I was very taken by the concept and thought that it would be a good idea to bring it to Malaysia.

‘Coincidentally, I was also looking into other business opportunities apart from acting, so everything fell into place,” says the Ngee Ann Polytechnic graduate who believes in being hands on in her restaurant.

“One sure-fire way to lose money in business is to be constantly absent,” says Goh who has appointed her 21-year-old niece, Yvonne Chiew, to man the cash register because she is the only person Goh trusts.

She also sees the restaurant as a place to entertain and network, and as such, has taken great pains to make the 120-seater outlet into a cosy enclave with red Chinese lamps, multi-coloured cushions, authentic whitewashed wooden tables and blue porcelain.

Among the restaurant’s signature dishes is the Yellow Rice Combo (RM25), which comes with a very mild version of beef rendang and a piece of crisp fried chicken drummet. This hearty dish is best paired with the Assam Fish (RM38), a spicy and sour concoction laden with brinjal and capsicum.

The specialty of the house is none other than the tender and aromatic Braised Ox Tongue (RM32), which takes five hours to prepare. For those who fancy something light, there are the Shrimp and Corn Patties (RM15) and the Gado Gado, an Indonesian salad made up of bean curd, bean sprouts, cabbage, cucumber, lettuce, potatoes, boiled eggs, prawn crackers and thick peanut sauce.