Herukh T. Jethwani

Herukh T. Jethwani – Kuala Lumpur Restaurateur

Herukh T. Jethwani – Owner Fierce Curry House & Meat The Porkers

In this interview, Herukh T. Jethwani, owner of Fierce Curry House & Meat The Porkers, updates us on the restaurant’s latest happenings and shares some stories from behind the scenes.

What do you do?

I am the owner of Fierce Curry House in Bangsar and Meat The Porkers in Damansara Heights.

How did you get into the industry?

I got into the industry through our family restaurant. My father owned and operated Bangles Restaurant since I was three years old. I grew up there, and some of my fondest memories involve being in Bangles. When I decided I wanted to get into the restaurant business, I pursued a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management, and when I was done, I joined the business.

What food memory from your childhood or travels stands out?

When I was kid, my family and I had gone to visit an incredible temple in Chennai, Tamilnadu, which is in the South of India. After we were done with our visit, my dad said, let’s try this really famous restaurant called Dakshin in the Sheraton Hotel. Dakshin was famous for South Indian cuisine and appams. My brothers and I ordered a few, and between us ended up having 30 appams! They were delicious, and it’s something I will never forget. I ended up marrying a beautiful woman named Aahana, and she is from Chennai, appams galore! Now whenever I go to Chennai to visit my wife’s family, I seriously look forward to the food!

What’s the best/ worst part of your job?

I would say the best part of my job is watching people eat and genuinely enjoy the meal (creepy, I know). There’s a satisfaction in truly watching someone react genuinely to food cooked in your restaurant; it’s the raw goodness of dining out. The worst part, dealing with the number one issue all restaurateurs have, staff. Beyond that, the restaurant business is a wonderful business to be in.

What’s one of your favourite food and beverage pairings?

There’s nothing like some tandoori kebabs and a beautiful single malt.

What’s one of the most outrageous things you’ve seen behind the scenes?

I would probably pick the most outrageous and scariest. My father used to own a restaurant in KL called Bangles. This was the first North Indian restaurant to open in KL. We did a lot of catering. It was actually a big part of our business. One day, we were catering for a wedding, and the client had under-catered by 200 pax! Within half hour of opening the buffet stations, we ran out of food. The clients obviously attacked the restaurant as their guests were angry. However, we counted plates, counted the guests and told them there were 200 extra people there. We stood our ground and said that unless they agreed to pay the difference, we would not cook more, they agreed, and we cooked more. Luckily, the event was on our grounds, so we quickly mobilised and sorted the issue out. Unfortunately, the client did not pay us the difference and blamed us for it. That was a big lesson learnt for me starting out in this business. Now we operate differently.

A day in the life of a restaurateur is …

busy, to say the least. The restaurant business is a fast-paced world, constantly moving, changing and with many decisions to make. I don’t think there’s a day that isn’t eventful, but that is the pros and cons of the business.

What do you do for fun?

I like to travel with my wife, Aahana and now with my twin boys. When we get some time off, we like to make short trips and rejuvenate.

What’s something you’d like guests to know about your restaurants?

At Fierce Curry House, we started doing a full-fledged banana leaf menu on weekends and public holiday lunches.

At Meat The Porkers, we have a new small plates menu that showcases a mix of street food and traditional Indian dishes. Many of the small plate items used borrowed concepts from other cuisines whilst staying true to Indian recipes and processes. This menu changes every six months to avoid menu fatigue.

How have you grown in your profession? What are your key learnings from your start in the industry until now? Any misconceptions?

Well, I have been in this business for 20 years now, so yeah, I have learnt a lot, but the learning doesn’t stop. I feel like there’s always more to learn and absorb. I think the key traits and factors a good restaurateur needs to possess are common sense, patience and the ability to take criticism and learn from it. After all, we are in the hospitality service industry.

What’s something you’d like people to know about being a restaurateur as a profession?

That it’s not all glitz and glamour, the façade may look glamorous, but sometimes the job is far from that. I also believe that if this is a profession you would like to pursue that you have to know your product in and out. If you want to own a restaurant, you should know how to cook. This gives you an edge, and you are never at the mercy of your chefs. Telling yourself, “I am a foodie, and I love to eat”, has nothing to do with owning and operating an F&B business; it’s way more than that.

What’s your view on the restaurant scene in Kuala Lumpur?

Well, I think that KL is really bursting at the seams with dining options. There are way too many restaurants in KL with regards to the population. There seem to be new restaurants opening every day in KL. This means that as a restaurant, you need to stay relevant. Watching out for menu fatigue and overall innovation is important to keep diners coming back.

What practices do you currently implement or hope to implement to work towards social responsibility and sustainability in the future?

We currently work on strategies to minimise food waste with proper portioning and donation of excess food. We are also hoping to implement a recycling program to reduce overall waste generation.

What can guests look forward to in the upcoming months?

At MTP, we are launching a new small plate menu with some new dishes. As MTP is a neighbourhood restaurant, we rely on regular repeat clientele. This requires us to make sure our menu changes from time to time to keep our regulars coming back.

At FCH, we are hoping to develop and continue to improve on our newly launched Banana Leaf Weekends and Public Holidays.

Read more interviews similar to this one with Herukh T. Jethwani here, and stay up to date with the latest gourmet and travel recommendations here and here.

4 Comments

  1. WoW!!! Fierce curry! Fiery hot, eh?

  2. Great interview!

  3. Wow, the name intrigues me! Sounds like a real challenge!

  4. We discovered this place a bout 6 weeks ago, and have been there five times already. Don't be misled by the name, the food is not extraordinarily spicy hot, but the biryanis are of the best!

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