Ameer Alzalek of Bib Gourmand Leen’s, Shaun Ng of MICHELIN-selected Hide and Chong Yu Cheng of MICHELIN-selected Terra Dining — their beginnings could not be more different, yet all three eventually found their way into the restaurant world. Each chef forged their own path, ultimately earning a well-deserved place in the MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur & Penang.
Ameer Alzalek of Leen's (Former Accountant)
When Ameer Alzalek arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 23 years old, nearly a decade ago from war-torn Syria, he didn’t speak a word of English. Back in Damascus, he held a master’s degree in accounting and business, and worked as an accountant.
Alzalek began as a kitchen helper at a popular chocolate café chain. “I enjoyed the day-to-day. It was all new to me,” he recalls. He spent the next three years working in Langkawi. “That time helped me make Malaysia my home,” he adds.
In 2019, a Facebook post caught his eye: Ember Modern Bistro, led by chef-proprietor Gary Anwar, was hiring. It marked a turning point in his career. “That’s where my real training began,” he reflects. “I learnt my culinary basics like knife skills, techniques and understanding ingredients, and I am immensely grateful to Chef Gary.” Two and a half years later, he left as a chef de partie.
Encouraged by his experience, Alzalek started making hummus and selling it to friends and family. “My wife, then my girlfriend, helped me,” he adds. “Her nickname is Leen, and that’s how Leen’s began.”
During the pandemic, Leen’s started delivering Syrian homestyle meals like wraps, rice and salads. In late 2021, Alzalek was invited to open a kiosk at the now-defunct Tiffin at The Yard food court. Alzalek was running the kiosk with his wife and business partner, Mahmoud Marei. “The response was so overwhelming that within six months, we knew we had to open our own restaurant,” says Alzalek.
Today, Leen’s is a fully-fledged restaurant serving up staples like smoked hummus, baba ghanoush salad and crispy Syrian rice — their bestsellers since day one. Alzalek’s background helps him balance product quality with commercial sustainability. “Having a business background gave me a more holistic view of both the food and occupational aspects,” he explains.
“As a middle child, I was often seen as the black sheep of the family. When my siblings visited and saw a full-house restaurant, they were surprised. Getting recognition from the MICHELIN Guide was certainly unexpected; it gave us the motivational push to keep going. And my wife is my biggest supporter,” he beams.
“You don’t need all the answers to simply begin. Coming from Syria, every day brings new challenges — but I keep moving forward.”
Shaun Ng of Hide (Former Law Student)
“I finally found home at Hide,” says chef-proprietor Shaun Ng.
Ng didn’t grow up in a household centered around food. “My father was a lawyer, so naturally he wanted me to follow in his footsteps,” he shares. Ng thought about studying architecture but eventually switched to law in the UK in an attempt to meet that undercurrent of familial obligation.
But it never felt right. “The only time I felt genuinely happy was when I was cooking,” he says. What began as a creative outlet soon became a deeply rooted passion. Ng taught himself through YouTube videos and endless trial and error. “I didn’t have to force myself,” he says “I wanted to naturally learn how to make every dish better.”
Ng returned home after graduation, but he knew he had to make a difficult choice and gathered the courage to break the news to his parents. “I told them that if they truly wanted me to take care of them well in the future, I needed to choose the path that made me happy and for me, that was cooking,” he explains.
Determined to throw himself into the deep end, Ng cold-emailed One-MICHELIN-Starred DC. by Darren Chin, the nearest fine dining restaurant within the vicinity of his house. “I’d never stepped foot in a commercial kitchen,” he admits. Chin took him in, however, and Ng began staging there.
“You are responsible for your own happiness, and I didn’t want to depend on anyone heading down this uncharted path,” shares Ng. He had access to a family car, but he wanted to rely on himself entirely, so he walked to work every day. “Malaysia’s weather is brutally hot. I’d arrive at the kitchen drenched in sweat, carrying two sets of clothes and changing into a fresh uniform before every shift,” he recalls.
After a few months of quiet persistence, his father relented and supported Ng in enrolling at the Culinary Institute of America. “I was already 25 when I left for the U.S., I had to work ten times harder to catch up,” he says. Ng pushed himself and made it through some of the top kitchens, including Three-MICHELIN-Starred Le Bernardin in New York, as well as staging at Somni in California, which earned its third star in 2025.
“Failure was not an option,” Ng reflects. “I couldn't say I wasn’t dealt a good hand — I was.” That sense of responsibility became his fuel. “I never took a single day off; my back aches now, but I've found my purpose.”
These days, his purpose has gone beyond cooking. “Every day, I work towards the growth of my team. Each of them will leave Hide, and I want them to walk out of our doors with a sense of pride because their time here speaks of discipline, hard work and teamwork. That’s the reputation we’re building here together.”
When asked how his parents feel now, Ng muses, “Growing up in an Asian family, as long as your parents don’t say anything, that just says everything.”
Chong Yu Cheng of Terra Dining (Former Copywriter)
Long before he stepped into the world of food and beverage, chef-proprietor Chong Yu Cheng of MICHELIN-selected Terra Dining had a background that was anything but conventional. With a degree in accounting and finance, he started out as a special assistant to a member of parliament before pivoting into the creative world of copywriting. Becoming a chef was never a part of his plan, but a love for wine carved out a new career path for him.
“I was drawn to the F&B world because of my love of wine,” Chong shares. In 2018, he opened Above Gastrobar — a now-shuttered rooftop boutique wine bar in Ipoh. “It was a great opportunity to engage with customers. As a copywriter, I was selling ideas. As a restaurant manager, I was selling an experience.”
Curiosity has always been one of Chong’s strongest traits. That same spirit led him to intern at Three-MICHELIN-Starred Frantzén in Sweden before opening Terra Dining. “The primary guiding force behind everything I do is fun,” he says. “Even with all the ups and downs, I still wake up every day excited about what’s ahead. Terra Dining is our playground. Most importantly, it’s an expression of Malaysian hospitality.”
Chong’s background in finance has shaped the way he runs his kitchen. “All my recipes are written precisely for consistency and cost control,” he explains. His copywriting experience also lingers in the details. “That’s why I write all the copy on the menus myself to ensure it communicates exactly what I want diners to feel,” he explains. “I think wearing many hats helps me think a little more freely, which is useful when it comes to ideation.”
But he’s quick to note that behind the passion for the industry lies a deeply challenging reality. “You need to be stubbornly passionate, but also practical, especially when it comes to financial health,” he adds. “That balance often determines success or failure.”
Chong’s advice to anyone thinking of making the leap? “You need the confidence and the grit to see things through, especially when times get tough, and financial support is crucial. Don’t go into this with blind faith that it will be profitable.”
All images courtesy of the chefs featured in this article.
