As a chef, you almost never get to eat with friends and family— after all, while everyone is sitting down to catch up over a meal, you’re deep in the throes of service, making sure that every plate leaving the pass is perfect, that the timing is seamless, that the rhythm of the kitchen never falters. You’re tasting dishes all night, but it’s never the same as sitting down to eat.
There’s no pause, no moment to savour — just a constant push until the last table is served, the last pan is scrubbed, and the adrenaline starts to fade. When the hunger finally sets in, it’s always up to us to feed ourselves. You’ve fed hundreds of people, but by the time the evening is over, all you want is something simple, fast, and deeply satisfying.
From royalty to the most celebrated chefs to uni students to taxi drivers: the Golden Century was celebrated by all. Source: Supplied
On nights when I went straight home, I’d keep it even simpler: soft-boiled eggs cracked into a bowl, drizzled with soy sauce and topped with sliced spring onions.
Every chef has their own version of a post-shift meal. It’s never elaborate. It’s rarely fancy. It’s just the kind of food that makes you exhale and finally relax.
Dan Hong’s instant cart noodles. Credit: Adrian Patra
Kylie Kwong, on the other hand, goes in a completely different direction. No matter what time she gets home, breakfast is her go-to. “Even if it's at midnight. Fruit, just something clean,” she says. After the chaos of a dinner service, it makes sense — something fresh, that resets the body and mind.
Credit: Ava Zonfrillo (The Cru Media)
Make your own chilli oil
Make your own chilli oil and never look back
Her business partner, Rashedul Hasan, also leans toward the deeply familiar – and rice makes an appearance here too. "Hot piping rice with some daal and some curry. That just takes care of all the hard work that I do throughout the whole day and puts me in a comfortable place," he explains. It’s the kind of food that brings you back to your roots: the flavours of home, no matter where you are in the world.
No fuss, no effort — just comfort in a bowl.
What all of these meals have in common is that they aren’t about technique or complexity. They’re about comfort. About coming down from the high intensity of service. About eating something that feels right.
Because at the end of the day, chefs might spend hours plating up dishes with tweezers, executing perfect sears and emulsions, but when the shift ends, we just want something warm, simple, and deeply satisfying. And maybe that’s the real secret to a great meal — not the techniques, not the precision, but food that just hits the spot, and comforts the soul.
Feel the heat with the series Boiling Point (a continuation of the movie of the same name), showcasing the life and times of a professional kitchen, now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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Boiling Point
