We caught Mui at his second restaurant BAM, in the last few weeks of service (photos below). This year Sprout has appeared at ‘pop-up’ locations all around Johor Bahru, you might have caught him at Senibong Cove? Much to our delight, he is focusing on reopening Sprout, by the end of the year with a new contemporary twist. 

MUI

Tell us a bit about yourself. My name is Mui and I come from Kulai, Johor. I studied culinary arts at Taylors University at Kuala Lumpur. I spent 5 years cooking in Singapore, 5 months training in London and Oslo and the latest project that I have been doing for the past 2 ½ years is my restaurant Sprout, in Johor Bahru.

Tell us about your first restaurant, Sprout? Sprout is a contemporary restaurant that has a strong influence on Asian cuisine using modern cooking techniques and presentation.

(Photos above from @sprout.jb instagram)

Who influenced you to explore in the kitchen?  I love reading cookbooks from different great chefs on how they run restaurants in their own ways and of course through social media. Reading about different chef’s and their kitchens truly influenced me, and I felt motivated when I got to know more about their stories.

How does your kitchen reflect your personality/ creativity? The kitchen is almost like a home for chefs like us, its the place we feel most comfortable, relaxed and excited at the same time. We like to show our concept to our guests through our food, beverages, and service, to create memorable dining experience.

Photos below taken at Mui’s second & more casual restaurant, BAM.

Flipping burgers at BAM

This is Joseph, Chef and business partner.

Is there anything you don’t allow in your kitchen in order to be more productive? No, there is such rule in my kitchen, we are working on a daily basis and try to improve ourselves from tiny details such as the taste, the presentation, the temperature of the foods, etc.

What’s your favourite kind of music to work to? Soft music that allows me to stay focused and quiet while working in the kitchen.

What’s your favourite item in your kitchen? Bbq griller

What is your favourite city/ Country and why? Kyoto, Japan because its has amazing scenary, amazing foods and culture.

What’s your view on JB’s creative scene? JB has great potential on the creative scene but it takes time for people to stand together to show how great the city is and it just might take some time.

If you could spend the day with anyone, who would it be and why? Wenny, my girlfriend and also my best friend to talk to, best companion to travel with, and has some of the best taste buds I’ve ever known.

What’s next? Get Sprout on the right path, and showcase our creation to JB.

*Photos taken at BAM, which has now been closed to allow Mui to focus on reopening his first restaurant, Sprout.