Zenn and Tricia Soo opened Soos in 2013, with the support of their children, Lauren and Zachary, and Lauren’s spouse, Johnny. The restaurant serves traditional Malaysian street food – with a modern twist.

“All the recipes are from our family, passed down from my grandparents,” Lauren Soo told FMT. “On my mother’s side, my grandmother was great with the wok and stir-fries, while my grandfather excelled at curries and braises. That’s how my mother got to learn both techniques.”

It is clearly a family affair at Soos. Tricia is the head chef and is joined by Zachary, who works alongside her in the kitchen. Zenn focuses on the daily operations, shopping and orders, while Lauren runs the front-of-house and helps develop new dishes with her mother.

Meanwhile, Johnny runs the bar programme and focuses on dispensing cocktails, wine and beer.

Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, Zenn moved to Canada in 1975 when he studied engineering at university. He met Penang-born Tricia 10 years later through a mutual friend and, after they wed, she moved to Canada with him.

Zenn and Tricia first dabbled in the food-and-beverage arena in 1992. Their first restaurant, KL Malaysia, was in downtown Toronto, and Tricia’s parents and youngest brother travelled to Canada to lend a hand.

Given the couple’s inexperience, however, the business lasted less than two years.

The failed venture did not stop them. In 1995, they tried again with Matahari Grill, a smaller operation that grew into a popular eatery.

In 2008, however, the couple decided to sell it off to their long-time staff, owing to family difficulties that required them to travel back and forth between Canada and Malaysia.

Finally, in 2013, Zenn and Tricia decided to open Soos, encouraged by the fact that both Lauren and Zachary had gained F&B experience elsewhere.

Combining their Malaysian cooking background with their children’s knowledge and knowhow, they came up with a fresh menu that modernises traditional local fare.

True to their slogan “reimagining Malaysian street food”, their creations include Kapitan Chicken Tacos, Hainan Chicken Salad, and Acar Kale Salad.

“When we first opened, tacos were very popular and we wanted to add our own version to the menu,” Lauren explained.

“Our Kapitan Chicken Tacos use traditional Kapitan sauce with charred chicken on a taco shell made with flour and coconut milk – a play on roti jala.”

It remains a crowd favourite until today, along with their char kway teow and Prosperity Tossed Slaw, a dish not unlike Lo Hei during Chinese New Year.

“Our menu consists of small plates of our fusion options, and large plates of the more traditional Malaysian dishes like CKT, curry laksa, and rendang beef,” she added.

They’ve also riffed on some of these dishes – for instance, their Laksa Dumplings use tofu puffs stuffed with a shrimp or fish paste, which are then fried and finished in laksa broth.

The beef rendang, meanwhile, is poured over hand-cut fries with cheese curds for their version of Poutine, the iconic French-Canadian dish of fries, gravy and cheese curds.

“We definitely tone down the chilli spice level, but we always have our homemade sambal chilli oil and cili padi on hand for anyone who wants an extra kick,” Lauren said, laughing.

Covid constraints

The pandemic was a difficult time for the Soos as they faced 14 months of complete lockdown.

“Covid devastated the romance of the dine-in experience, and our beautiful plating was reduced to takeout boxes,” she recalled. “What would usually travel under 15 seconds from the kitchen to the dining table now took an hour to reach homes.”

Fortunately, as a small family restaurant with everyone being hands-on, they were able to survive. Zenn and Tricia are heavily involved in the business owing to staffing and managing costs incurred during the pandemic, although they are trying to take a step back.

Still, the family hopes to open another outlet or move to a larger location in the future, according to Lauren. “We currently only have 50 seats, so it would be a dream to be able to move to a bigger place where we can host more customers.”

Tempted to try these delicious local dishes with a twist? Find out more about Soos Restaurant via its website or Facebook profile.