Spice of Life – by Dowling Neylan
Judy Wong is a force of nature. She does nothing by halves, throws herself boots and all into every task and owns every other cliché that pertains to hard yakka yielding rewards, generosity of spirit paying back tenfold and integrity being the basis of a great business.
“I arrived in Australia from Hong Kong at 16 with just $20 and my husband,” she delights in narrating. “All we had then was ambition and ability and the drive to work hard to achieve our dreams.”
She and her husband, John worked in a China Town restaurant, until they saved enough to open their own restaurant in Sydney. A move to Rockhampton set them on a new and lucrative course, where they built House of China restaurant. Eventually, they expanded to four restaurants and had a mobile kitchen catering to the armed forces.
‘‘In this business, you get back what you put in. You can’t expect anyone to do it for you or for things to automatically happen.’’
27 years later, Judy and her family moved to Brisbane for a quieter life. But retirement was not for her. “You have to do something, otherwise, your brain turns into a rock!”
She took her mouth-watering formula of home- cooked, from scratch dishes, genuine value and real customer service and FantAsia was born.
This incredible work ethic is Judy’s calling card and she marshals the staff at her new FantAsia restaurant at Elanora, the first on the Gold Coast, with equal zeal, inspiring them to aim for their best in everything they do. There are two things she will not compromise on and they are quality ingredients and customer satisfaction.
“You have to give people value and make them happy, both with food and service. When people come to us, they want the food to look good, taste good and make them feel good. You must have all three of these.’’
Australian diners are savvy, she explains. “They travel a lot, especially to Asia and they understand quality cuisine. We cater to all palates, with dishes from all over Asia and everything is bought fresh, the best cuts of meat, the best chicken and fish, freshest produce and all our sauces made here. Our chefs cook in the traditional methods, they don’t cut corners and the customers can taste the difference.”
Guests at FantAsia can select from well-known specialties from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and several Chinese provinces.
The wide range of popular delicious meals include home- made dumplings, hearty Tokyo Beef, Steamed Chicken with Ginger and Shallot Pesto, as well as tangy and fragrant and flavour-packed Singapore Chicken and Prawn Laksa.
“We call it fantastic, fast Asian food, fine dining quality, wholesome and delicious, with a casual simplicity that suits modern customers.”
And above all, good value.
“We value our customers and realise they work hard for their money too, so everything has to be well priced and the best you can buy. That is our promise.”
FantAsia restaurants are located in Brisbane: Mount Gravatt, three in Brisbane City, Indoorpopilly, Toowong, Chermside, North Lakes, Hyperdome, and on the Gold Coast at The Pines Shopping Centre Elanora. For information, menu and locations visit fant-asia.com.au