People 3 minutes 26 December 2024

Meet the Maverick Behind Penang's Lucky Hole: Waymann Cheong’s Bold Culinary Revolution

Waymann Cheong, winner of the MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur & Penang 2025 Young Chef Award, is shaking up George Town’s dining scene at Lucky Hole with daring, boundary-pushing creations. Leading a team of untrained but passionate newcomers, his philosophy of honest cooking and fearless innovation is redefining fine dining — and captivating the culinary world in the process.

A rush of excitement went through George Town's dining community late last year when word got out that Waymann Cheong is back with a brand-new eatery. The l'enfant terrible of Penang’s gourmet scene has garnered quite a following for his irreverent, radical approach towards blending different culinary approaches to produce innovative dishes that challenge one’s perception of what constitutes traditional fine dining.

Under Cheong’s stewardship, MICHELIN-Selected Lucky Hole has proven to be one of the most exciting dining destinations in George Town as of late. Cheong espouses an unconventional, progressive approach towards cooking. Through this, the MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur & Penang 2025’s Young Chef Awardee provides a welcome breath of fresh air to George Town’s staid dining scene. Cheong also gets unwavering support from his equally young, energetic team who boldly challenge stereotypical views of what constitutes Penang cuisine.

Lucky Hole in George Town, Penang
Lucky Hole in George Town, Penang

True to his maverick approach, Cheong has hired an entire kitchen crew with no prior culinary background. “It makes it easier for me to mould and shape them,” Cheong explains, “they have no pre-conceived biases — no bad, old habits."

“I look for people with pure, unadulterated enthusiasm to work hard, and who share my culinary philosophy and approach. In the end, I gain the best team a head chef can ever hope for.”
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Cheong grew up in a tough inner-city neighbourhood in George Town, where diverse races lived side by side. As the second of four brothers in a traditional Cantonese family, his fondest memories were accompanying his maternal aunt to Chowrasta Market, the city’s historic central market. Each morning, they took a shortcut through the bustling kitchens of Hameediyah, Penang’s oldest nasi kandar restaurant (est. 1907), as Indian chefs smiled at them weaving past steaming vats of curry.

From here, he learned from his aunt’s ingredient selections for family meals, shaping his boundary-free approach to cooking: if it tastes good, cook it and eat it.

Cheong also admired his Taiwanese aunt, who owns Penang’s oldest Taiwanese restaurant on Burmah Road. During elementary school, he often spent hours there after classes, watching her cook and serve traditional Taiwanese dishes. Her restaurant became his childhood playground, filled with happy memories, until his busy parents picked him up each evening.

Deciding to pursue a culinary career, Cheong trained at Malaysia’s renowned Kolej Damansara Utama (KDU), earning a diploma in culinary arts. Notable alumni include Darren Teoh of one-MICHELIN-Starred Dewakan and Darren Chin of one-MICHELIN-Starred DC. by Darren Chin. After graduating in 2016, Cheong worked at a fine dining restaurant in Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, specialising in Modern-European cuisine. While he excelled in the competitive environment, homesickness brought him back to Penang after a year.

According to our MICHELIN Guide Inspectors, Lucky Hole's address was once a factory, and this space, furnished in retro-industrial style fizzes with energy — not only because of the sizzling charcoal grill in the open kitchen, but also because of the fun, passionate service team.
According to our MICHELIN Guide Inspectors, Lucky Hole's address was once a factory, and this space, furnished in retro-industrial style fizzes with energy — not only because of the sizzling charcoal grill in the open kitchen, but also because of the fun, passionate service team.

His Singapore stint had further galvanised his love for a borderless approach towards cooking, and the young man returned to Penang eager to utilise his newly-honed skills to show that “Penang cuisine is more than just street food”. Initially, he joined a local restaurant group with an eclectic collection of trendy eateries, offering cutting-edge fusion cuisine that runs a whole gamut from Spanish-inspired tapas and Western-style grilled meats paired with Oriental condiments, to fresh hand-made pasta pepped up with local spices. Cheong shuttled from one eatery to another, covering the kitchen operations of each where he was needed. In time, his reputation grew amongst the discerning dining crowd, and Cheong gained a loyal following wherever he was cooking.

In September 2023, Cheong took a gamble and opened Lucky Hole with just two staff: his older brother and a cleaner. From day one, his reputation drew crowds, making the restaurant fully booked nightly as diners eagerly sampled his innovative creations.

L-R: "Chilli Mussels", House Flat Bread; "Suan Chai Fish" Dressing, Tofu, Daikon
L-R: "Chilli Mussels", House Flat Bread; "Suan Chai Fish" Dressing, Tofu, Daikon

Some dishes in Lucky Hole’s new menu feature free-range chicken with truffle mash, Hong Kong kailan, and poultry jus. Cheong brines the chicken for 48 hours, inspired by Judy Rogers’ Zuni Café roast chicken, for maximum succulence and flavour. Another deceptively simple-sounding dish is “Chilli Mussels” served with house-made flatbread. Here, Cheong blankets fresh local mussels with a spicy-sweet dressing, streaked through with egg ribbons reminiscent of Singaporean chilli crab sauce. “The same delicious flavours, but without the messiness of crab-shelling!” he laughs.

In another inventive East-meets-West creation, Cheong pairs snapper carpaccio fillets with a traditional Sichuanese “suan chai fish” dressing, garnished with tofu and daikon. The raw fish element lightens the dish, giving it a refreshing lift, whilst the pickled Sichuanese mustard leaves give the diner’s palate a familiar sensory jolt.

“My motto is to provide good, honest cooking at all times. Honest food — just let the ingredients shine through. Honest preparation, we do nothing beyond the necessary.”

His “honest” approach seems to have struck an emphatic chord with his loyal customers who, in turn, accord him with a level of trust and respect that make them willing to savour any and all of Cheong’s experimental, new creations.

Lucky Hole operates five days a week. On Mondays and Tuesdays, Cheong and his team, the "Lucky Hole family," experiment with new dishes. They sit down together for a "family meal", tasting and critiquing each other's creations.

Waymann Cheong from Lucky Hole is the winner of the MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur & Penang 2025's Young Chef Award.
Waymann Cheong from Lucky Hole is the winner of the MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur & Penang 2025's Young Chef Award.

At 30, heavily tattooed Cheong may look like a "rebel without a cause," but he carries a calm maturity as he leads his team like an indulgent Big Brother. "I never tell my chefs they can't cook something or that they're wrong," he says. "Everyone deserves to be heard. 'No' is the most negative word — it kills confidence and creativity." Cheong’s staff trusts him because of this open approach.

Watching Cheong lead, it’s clear that he knows exactly what he wants to achieve and how to get there.

All images are from Lucky Hole.

Lucky Hole is located at 23N Lebuh Pantai, George Town, 10200, Malaysia. Book your table through WhatsApp here.

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