The Return Of A Prodigal Son

Dom's Teahouse Cafe At Liverpool Street 1991

he year 1991 was the crucial year I decided to return to the fold of restaurant industry. I realised now this has to be the sector that I knew best. Besides the restaurant atmosphere is more lively and spontaneous. I began to miss that in less than a year away from South Hobart’s Malaysian Teahouse. Anything else outside this sector will be less achievable just like of course lamentably speaking  with the Spice Centre I have no access to the additional ancillary support service nor larger capital finance for my current stock outlay. The restaurant industry has to be the sector that I know best by now. I got to know the customers and their taste in the market well. I got to know that it did really work for me. It has worked for me in South Hobart. This I think is perhaps because they do have a liking for my type and style of cooking. I have the skill the acquired expertise and the know how, as well as getting a much better understanding of pressure and workload that is involved with running a restaurant than with any other. Besides, I still have the remnants of my students work brigade from South Hobart floating around eagerly waiting to be redeployed.

My young growing daughter then with Natalie who is a pleasant university student to work with. She came down from Brisbane liked it here in Hobart and settled in for a course at the local university. She worked for me till she graduated and she followed me and the rest of the  Teahouse entourage right through to Salamanca Place.

Here is Natalie again with Andrew. Andrew is a hard working Guy. As well as studying full-time Economics at university he also took a  managerial job at Victoria Tavern practically running the show all by himself nearly four nights a week and still have time left to come over and check in over the weekend  to see if we were  coping alright.

Memorable plaque I received from the Chinese Mainland Association over the restaurant service in South Hobart and my support through their trying times over the Tien An Men Massacre. Transliteration: in it it says weird but unique flavours from a unique Chinese high flyer. I kinda like that !

I find it rather amusing by looking at this old picture of mine today. Back then I still had such a thick crop of healthy hair on my head. Today I suddenly noticed I had considerably less hair left on my crown. It must have been just the  enormous amount of wear and tear and rough and tumble in the kitchen over time.

Whereas with me I am quite comfortable if I leave the majority of dining room affairs with my more matured workers outside and concentrate myself on the actual preparation and presentation of food coming from different region of South-East Asia. When I am finally back in the kitchen I feel  as if it is like ducks in the water. My adrenalin gland is pumping again. See how chirpy I am in the pic.Its worth publishing  in spite of its headless pose.I really wonder who took this snap before?