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ences. I love taking photographs, eating
and writing, so the blog was the perfect
platform for me to share my experiences.
In the last few years, I also got into
food styling, so I started sharing tried-
and-tested recipes on my blog too. Over
the years my blog has also evolved from
just writing about food to hotel reviews,
travel, parenting as well as gardening
posts.
How do you decide which restaurants to
write about?
On my blog, you will find a mix of in-
vited reviews, interesting new openings,
well-established favourites, our dining
experiences while travelling or simply
a casual lunch or dinner that turned out
worthwhile writing about.
What do you enjoy most about having
a blog?
Being a full-time mum, I spend most of
my time with my kids, so the blog is a
place for me to unwind after a long day,
writing about the things I am passionate
about. I also enjoy going out for meals
and “daytime dating” with my hubby,
where we get to bond over food while
the children are at school.
Why do you enjoy cooking?
I really love seeing the smiles on my kids’
faces when I cook them their favourite
Malaysia’s Mistress of Makan
Life-long food lover Yen Simpson has grown into one of Malaysia’s most influential and
knowledgeable foodbloggers. She chatswith
SarahRees
about beginnings, steaks and
dining inDenmark.
SAVOUR
Y
en Simpson
has an
alias, and it is one that
is becoming a sought
after food critic and
cook courtesy of her
popular online food
blog
GoodyFoodies
.
Baby Sumo, as the foodie in her is
known, spends her days and nights
cooking and eating around the country,
recording astute descriptions and glorious
photographs of her findings on the pages
of her blog.
What started five years ago as a plat-
form to document dining experiences is
now one of the country’s most popular
blogs and has expanded to cover a mul-
titude of Yen’s interests and experiences.
A housewife and mother of two, Yen is
a well-travelled and intelligent woman,
with two degrees under her belt, and is
clearly delighting in her life of blogging,
cooking with her adorable kids (look
out for them on the blog), and enjoying
lunches out with her Scottish husband.
We caught up with the charming Yen
to hear how the Engineering student
became a food critic, how she balances
motherhood with writing duties, and
where in Kuala Lumpur she loves to eat.
Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog in 2009 initially as a
place to document my dining experi-
food. Also, my kids enjoy cooking/baking
with me in the kitchen so it’s a great
family bonding activity.
What is your favourite thing to cook and
why?
I love trying new recipes but my favourite
thing to cook is probably steak – my
husband’s favourite! I get a lot of pride
from being able to cook steaks to perfec-
tion. You know what they say, the way
to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
What do you think your readers get from
reading your recipes and following your
reviews?
I like creating easy recipes which readers
can recreate at home. I want everyone to
be able to enjoy a healthy, home-cooked
meal at home too. Hopefully my food and
travel/hotel reviews will help my readers
make an informed decision about where
to eat or stay next.
Yen’s kids enjoying a trip to the beach
Tenderloin steak