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yet Billy is exhilarated by the challenge
ahead as 70-year-old Jimmy prepares to
slow down at last.
“It’s a little daunting,” he says, sitting
beside his father, “but if it’s not a chal-
lenge it’s no fun!”
Jimmy nods contentedly at these
words, placing his trust in his young-
est son to take on his business and
develop it for a changing world. “I am
old-fashioned,” he says, “I think differ-
ently, but Billy can move things forward.”
Billy has been working on systemising
operations to ensure their food is fast and
consistent across both their venues, and
exploring biodegradable packaging for
their take-away meals. Longer term, Billy
is looking at taking Uncle Jimmy’s laksa
yet further afield – the US and UK are both
potential destinations – and expanding
the brand to more wholly encompass the
Ipoh that still burns within their hearts.
“What I’d really love to do is create
a proper Ipoh hawker centre,” Billy
explains, a small dreamy smile creeping
over his face as he describes the buzz of
people, the hiss of frying food and the
pleasure of so many delicious specialities
all in one place.
“It’s not just about the food, it’s about
creating the atmosphere and sense of
community, because that’s what our
Malaysian food is all about. I want ev-
erything to taste as good as I remember it
from Ipoh,” he says, “and educate people
on just how fantastic Malaysian food is!”
Uncle Laksa’s legacy is in safe hands.
neighbour who had a stall selling cakes.
“I was a little busybody,” recalls Jimmy
with a laugh, “I wanted to be involved
in everything!”
Being surrounded by superb local
delicacies must have surely helped – even
after thirty years in Sydney, Jimmy still
goes misty eyed at the thought of Ipoh
dishes such as chicken rice and
laksa
.
Although he makes these dishes in the
kitchens of his multiple restaurants today,
nothing beats the taste of Ipoh chicken
rice in Ipoh – the best in the world!”
“The food is what I miss most about
Malaysia, and my friends of course,”
he says, yet the former enabled him to
make many more of the latter in his new
home when the job at the restaurant was
replaced with his first food outlet in the
Queen Victoria Building (QVB), one of
Sydney’s most iconic landmarks.
It started with donuts and coffee – “it
was fun, quite easy really” says Jimmy
with a laugh – but quickly moved into
more familiar territory when Jimmy
opened an Ipoh food stall that specialised
in traditional dishes such as
laksa
.
“I opened the shop in 1994,” he re-
members, “and we had a queue every
single day! Nobody knew about Ma-
laysian food then. I had to show people
how to hold chopsticks! And they would
all mispronounce the dish and call it
‘Laska’.”
Despite its unfamiliarity, the nation
loved Jimmy’s laksa, with his nickname
swiftly set in stone and business boom-
ing – “we used to serve 400 bowls in
two hours at lunchtime! We still do
actually…”
While the original stall in the QVB has
now gone, Jimmy now has three Ipoh
restaurants in Sydney and still attracts
hundreds if not thousands of fans, many
of whom have been eating his
laksa
from
day one.
“I used to be able to serve ten custom-
ers in one minute,” he tells me proudly,
“and the customers become my friends.
We get people who come in every single
day for
laksa
– they just love it.”
“They also love Jimmy,” interjects
Billy, second son and inheritor of the Ipoh
Town restaurants. “He has such a great
personality and such charisma – it’s about
Uncle Laksa as well as the food.”
Billy is about to step into the driver’s
seat for the three outlets under the Ipoh
Town brand. It is a largemantle to take on,
Roti Canai
Hainanese Chicken Rice