Sue Yung Sean, Co-founder Et Cetera

Sue Yung Sean

In this interview, Sue Yung Sean, Head Barista and Co-founder of Et Cetera Restaurant, shares his growth in the industry.

What do you do?

I make and serve drinks, create drink recipes, and take charge of the front of the house. Basically, I’m in charge of everything except the kitchen.

How did you get into the industry?

Curiosity. I was in business development before. I was also a Starbucks fanboy, so meetings usually happened there. That was until a client introduced me to specialty coffee. At first sip, I realised there’s more to coffee than just a black bitter liquid. Since then, I have started exploring more about specialty coffee. About a year later, during my job burnout, I decided to move into a new environment. I quit my business development job and joined an indie coffee shop. Best decision ever!

Share with us a story from behind the scenes.

I remember when I started learning about coffee without knowing the consequences of ingesting a huge amount of caffeine, and I drank 13 shots in a span of 1 hour on an empty stomach. The caffeine kicked in a while later when I was driving. I remembered seeing double. My feet and hands shook uncontrollably, and I felt so nauseous that I had to park at the roadside to rest. It was a very good experience and a very good teaching.

What food memory from your childhood or travels stands out?

Mine wasn’t from my childhood but from my recent trip to Penang. To be exact, on my way to Penang, I stopped by a small town for a simple breakfast, a bowl of wonton noodles. And it was the best bowl of wonton noodles I ever had! Their noodles were slightly thicker and had a bite to them, unlike any other traders from KL (I believe they make their own noodles). The lard was fragrant with the perfect amount of sauce! 

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

The best part is seeing our guests giving us a ‘seal of approval’ with a smile or a nod after a bite/sip of our food or drink.

The worst part is dealing with guests that think they’re right, even though they’re not.

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

Depending on my mood. But my go-to is a cold beer and any fried/greasy food – fried chicken, burgers etc. It sounds very unhealthy, but we all have a soft spot when it comes to our favourites. Comfort food trumps anything. 

The perfect day off would be …

Chilling in a cafe drinking coffee not made by myself.

What does Sue Yung Sean do for fun?

I just started venturing into the world of wines. So exploring wines from different regions, learning about the process from farm to bottle, plus how they can be paired with food. It’s so exciting!

What’s something you’d like guests to know about Et Cetera Restaurant?

We’re not a cafe (even though it looks like one). Think of us like a restaurant in a cafe-ish setup. Guests won’t find typical cafe food or drinks here.

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

Being in the service industry has led me to be more of an outgoing person. Interaction between us and our customers plays a very important role. Plus, it makes the job fun since I meet many different people.

What’s something you’d like people to know about being a barista as 

Being a barista and making coffee only amounts to 10% of your time. The rest is spent washing, cleaning and organising. During shifts, we rarely drink good coffee; most of the time, good extracted coffee goes to guests, and bad ones go to us in order to save costs. Coffee is not as cheap as it sounds.

What’s your view on the coffee scene in KL?

Specialty coffee is picking up. There are more local roasteries being set up (and pretty good ones, too!). We hardly need to rely on imported roasted coffee these days.

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

Using locally-made ceramic cups to serve our drinks (instead of disposable/plastic cups used in many cafes nowadays)! Not only does it make the drink taste better, but it helps local ceramicists, too! Of course, splitting our trash into recyclables and non-recyclables whenever it’s possible. That should be a default for every F&B.

What can guests look forward to in the upcoming months?

We’re updating our lunch and dinner menu to suit our style and direction. Expect food and beverage that represent us and, of course, a greater wine selection.

Find more interviews similar to this one with Sue Yung Sean here, and stay updated on the latest food and beverage happenings in KL here.