When he isn’t preoccupied in the kitchen, Liang, as he is popularly known, can usually be found at front of house, welcoming diners with a huge grin on his face.
The bald, big-hearted guy is usually full of jokes and useful food recommendations: after all, most of the dishes here are his invention.
Liang is clearly in his element, a natural fit for the dining industry. You might be surprised, however, to learn he was once more closely associated with R&B than F&B!
In the early 2000s, Liang was a familiar presence on local television and radio, having served as a host, emcee and singer with tracks that topped the Malaysian music charts.
“The thrill of being on the mic is very different from the thrill you get from doing F&B,” the 43-year-old told FMT Lifestyle. “But I’m glad I got to experience both of them in my life.”
It’s no surprise that Liang can (more than) carry a tune: he grew up surrounded by music. Coming from a churchgoing family from Klang, he was often asked to sing during Christmas carolling or at other special events.
Yet things weren’t always rosy. In 1997, the Asian financial crisis caused his family to lose everything. Liang recalls having to sell kuih at the pasar malam to help his loved ones make ends meet.
“It’s experiences like that that keep me rooted to this day. They helped me build up my work ethic,” he said.
“No matter what I’ve done, everything I’ve achieved, I’ll always be a street kid at heart.”
Liang eventually got through those tough times and headed to college. There, his friends invited him to write a song for a Christmas musical one day and, despite having little background in composing music, he took on the challenge.
It would turn out to be a true Christmas blessing: in that musical’s audience was local singer-songwriter Juwita Suwito, who liked what she heard. After meeting up with him several times, she offered him a record deal!
Liang’s musical career soon took off. Many of his songs, including “Show Me Whatcha Got”, “Giggles”, and “Gotta Whistle It”, became staples on the local airwaves. He even got to duet with pop star Dayang Nurfaizah on the song “Lil’ Secret”.
All in all, the talented performer ended up releasing three albums: 2005’s “8oz of Soul”, 2007’s “After 8”, and “Rigga Dang Digga Digga” in 2010. That same year, in an instance of synchronicity, he reunited with Suwito in another Christmas musical, local composer Nick Choo’s “Follow The Light”.
Liang further found success as a host, emcee and DJ, serving with the former Capital.fm radio station until 2013. With all these things unfolding for the guy, you’d think things were going swimmingly – but sadly, the reverse was true: Liang was beginning to feel unhappy.
“I decided at that point, I had tried just about everything life had to offer. It was a combination of being jaded, and being disappointed by the way certain things were being run,” he confided.
“So I thought, it’s time for something different, a 180-degree change.”
Liang left the entertainment industry in 2013 and enrolled at the culinary institute Le Cordon Bleu, because “being Hainanese, food has always been in my blood”, he quipped.
In 2015, perhaps as a symbol of his own reinvention, he converted an old industrial yarn factory into a café and kicked off his trend of quirky and memorable business names by calling it Whup Whup.
Business began to boom with this venture, which served French cuisine and coffee – until the pandemic struck. Subsequent lockdowns and dining restrictions took a toll on Liang’s finances, compounded by the fact that he and his wife had just had a baby.
With a heavy heart, Liang was forced to close his beloved café. It would have been easy to give up then, but he knew he had to keep going.
“We sat around for two years during the movement control order, not doing much,” he recalled. “Then my wife decided, hey, we should do something new.
“It so happened she’d drawn a caricature of me, so I thought of a name and, after a few drafts, voila! It was the beginning of Red Red Botak Head.”
With the new restaurant, located in the BookXcess outlet at Gardens Mall, having taken up his energy and attention since December, does Liang ever miss his old days in the entertainment industry?
All the time, he admits. “Recently, I was at a friend’s wedding. I ended up doing one song, and it brought back so many memories,” he said fondly.
Still, with food, he has a new calling, and Liang even hopes to open another outlet at the end of the year.
“Being in F&B, you learn you never have everything completely figured out,” Liang mused. “The only certainty about life is that it will throw you some crazy curveballs. It’s all about facing and dealing with unexpected problems.”
But what would this intrepid entertainer turned entrepreneur say in a situation where there’s absolutely nothing that could be done? “Just smile and carry on. Keep rolling with the punches.”
Keep up-to-date on Liang’s adventures via his Instagram profile, and also follow Red Red Botak Head on Facebook and Instagram.