PHOTOS BY CANON
**************************************
FROM AN IMPOVERISHED CHILDHOOD TO A LIFE OF PLENTY ALL DUE TO SIMPLE, BORING HARD WORK AND ENTERPRISING SPIRIT!
A TALE OF TRANSFORMATION FROM 'BUN BOY' TO DATO SRI!
MING REN XUAN 03-2711 11 99 THIRD FLOOR, AVEUE K JALAN AMPANG
MINGRENXUAN.COM,MY
Dato Sri Alvin Ang Chee Yoong looks younger than 38 years and you would assume he came from a rich family like me who dined on abalone, shark's fin and bird's nest soup for his 'wak wak' complexion like me of course.
Well, he hails from a poor family from Seremban. His parents were so poor he was forced to leave school after Standard 3.
"Mum was a housewife who excelled in making 'pau' or chinese bun." recalls the affable and good looking Dato Sri Alvin Ang. "I started to help my parents since Standard 2 by selling pau. In fact I worked so hard everyone called me 'Pau Chai' or 'Bun Boy'. In fact some folks in Seremban still remember me as 'Pau Chai'!"
In hindsight he may find this epithet amusing but back then he was 'hurt and upset' and 'didn't like the name at all'.
"I was unhappy but what to do, they were my customers so I grinned and had to bear it." he grins.
Since coming to Kuala Lumpur for the last 12 years, Dato Sri Alvin Ang is now leading a life of milk and honey, with or without corona virus!
Mum commutes between KL and Seremban, usually a fortnight per city. And he has a lovely wife with 3 kids aged 4,5 and 6! He admits he timed each perfectly! And to top it all, all 3 are boys! As we know, it is preferable to have 3 sons than 3 daughters! Many couples laden with daughters try every sexual position and food till they get a son before 'closing the factory'!
Lucky I am male but not that I have to fight for my parents' fortune as I am an only child. The gods and goddesses told me after they handmade me and looked at the result they stopped making anyone. This means I am Perfection Personified or one mistake is enough.
"I started working at 13 as part time waiter which was the easiest. Then I became an apprentice in a workshop spraying paint on cars before becoming a restaurant captain.
"But these were minor posts. My first career was selling cars. I was only 18 with a BTC degree."
I asked what is BTC degree as I never heard of it despite being a learned academcian.
Grins Dato Sri Alvin Ang whose title is grander than mine, "BTC stands for Bo Tak Chek (literally 'never read books' or uneducated!) as I was ponting (playing traunt) 70% of the time in school!
"I had no education, no money and no future but I was young and not once did I allow myself to give up hope or feel sorry for myself. I counted myself lucky I was not 'cacat' (physically unable) or mentally challenged so I persevered and did my best."
His first step towards being a 'thousandaire' was due to Proton boom days in 2000. " I Proton is a great car to begin with so it took little persuasion to sign up buyers. Within a few months I was making RM 10,000 and after one and half years I was making RM 20,000 a month! I was happy but realised selling cars is an up and down income as my basic was only RM 300.
"So 2 years alter after over 200 customers I started planning for my future. So I ventured into life insurance which was rather funny. Earlier I complained about selling cars with a basic income of RM 300. With life insurance, my basic income was zero!"
His determination and luck held as he repeated the feat---within a year he was raking in a 5-figure income!
After 8 fruitful years he decided it was time to start his own business.
It was a disaster.
He should have stuck to selling cars and insurance but who can predict the future as it started so well. It was a trading company dealing with clothes, shoes, restaurant paraphenalia and various items.
"I lost around RM 200,000 but luckily when I had money I invested in a few properties which helped me as the value of the condos had gone up. I sold them which saved me.
"Then I ventured into real estate and started from zero which was either good or bad, depending on how things turned out.
"I met some Chinese investors in KL who asked me to go China which was developing so fast.I went to check the Guangzhou market and made deals with a lisyed company with 18,000 agents. I was flying to China monthly. It was quite exciting."
Then in 2014 his first son was born.
"Suddenly, overnight I felt tired and wanted to be near my wife and child. Then on 8 March 2017 Malaysia Airlines MH370 disappeared enroute to China! It was the last straw and I decided to fly only on holidays."
He was a shareholder in the company but quit and ventured into start-ups which did not make money either but he was in a comfortable position.
So he wisely decided to invest in things that enticed him---travelling, food and wine.
At the time, Avenue K was seeking a fine dining Chinese restaurant to anchor its F&B reputation. It was a long term dream come true when he partnered with businesswoman and rubber glovemaker Dato Jennifer Ong and Lucas to open the ritzy Ming Ren Xuan Cantonese restaurant on third floor of Avenue K.
Of course it is tough to remember and pronounce the name but Ming Ren Xuan translates as Celebrity Pavilion. Says Dato Sri Alvin Ang, "It sounds much better and has a more poetic, creative meaning in Chinese!"
I suggested he should add the name 'Celebrity Pavilion' under 'Ming Ren Xuan'.
Ming Ren Xuan is the first and only Chinese restaurant to boast its private Wine Room with a fine selection of French, Italian, Australian, New Zealand and Chilean wines. Plus cognac at reasonable prices as this is more a service than money making endeavour.
Ming Ren Xuan opened on 1 November 2019 to which I was not invited sad to say and closed 4 months later from corona virus sent by Evil Devil.
Ming Ren Xuan reopened on 1 June 2020 after MCO was eased and on my first visit to celebrate Dato Sri Dr Professor Major's 37th birthday I was very de impressed by the awesome cuisine which is among the best in KL.
The Peking Duck, Hainan chicken and roast pork and crispy pork belly were phenomenal. Please note the whole pork belly is flat and not curvy like most famous restaurants. The flat presentation is very aesthetic and pleasing to the eye but only 60% could be used. This leads to wastage though obviously the pork is used for other dishes and not thrown as it would be sin.
The restaurant seats 99 persons plus another 5 private rooms and caters to all events once the pandemic is over but now safe distancing is practised.
Being a foodie, Dato Sri Alvin Ang loves cooking. "Before the lockdown, I could cook perhaps 3 dishes but now I can cook 50 dishes! All self taught during lockdown! I experimented at home and since I have an aptitude for cooking, it was easy and I could always phone the chef of Ming Ren Xuan for advice, tips and recommendation!"
But apparently there is a downside!
Previously they ordered food delivered to their doorstep. Now around 5 pm, Datin Sri Ang would say "Darling darling, what you cooking for us tonight?"!
RM 45
No comments:
Post a Comment