When he’s not directing films in Shanghai, this M’sian runs a “gallery cafe” in Penang

Joining Penang’s robust food scene last year was a new cafe and restaurant by the name of Whisk & Whiz. Situated within a heritage building in George Town, the eatery is decked out with uniquely artistic decor, serving up a variety of locally inspired and Western delights.

Behind this cafe is Raymond Tan. Born in Johor, Raymond is actually a film director who runs his own studio based in Shanghai that specialises in advertisements. 

In terms of F&B entrepreneurship, Raymond also runs a healthy food joint, Tummy Bowl, which was established in 2018. Besides that, he also runs a Hawaiian restaurant in Ipoh and Penang.

“I lived a ‘double’ life, and because I enjoyed both careers so much I always felt I learnt new things every day from both industries,” he shared with Vulcan Post.

“My path to entrepreneurship is kinda unusual, but I strongly advise everyone to pursue a full-time career (or two) of what they like most because it will keep us young and motivated.” 

Bringing new experiences to Malaysia

Whisk & Whiz got its start in 2023, founded by Raymond along with a business partner.

“My business partner is a chef; therefore, we have this name,” Raymond shared about their cafe’s name. “He’s the one holding a whisk, and I’m the brain behind our restaurants.”

Having lived abroad for many years (London for 10 years and Shanghai for eight), Raymond wanted to bring the culture he experienced overseas back to Malaysians. That idea was what drove the concept of Whisk & Whiz.

“We wanted to have a space where our customers can enjoy delicious food in my ‘gallery’. Through decorations and my personal art collections, I could ‘bring’ them to interesting places,” Raymond elaborated.

Hence, Whisk & Whiz actually doesn’t intend to cater to tourists, which are abundant in George Town, but rather to fellow Malaysians.

With many Malaysians being serious foodies, Raymond felt like it would be a good challenge to cater to them.

“For years, we have been creating many new dishes while operating our previous restaurants, but they didn’t quite fit the concept at that time,” Raymond reasoned. “We didn’t let those dishes go to waste when we decided to open Whisk & Whiz.”

He describes Whisk & Whiz’s offerings as Western food with local influences and ingredients. To him, the menu pays homage to the business’s Malaysian origins, but it also features elements of his travel experiences.

From their brunch menu, some options include the Cempedak Chicken, Pulled Pork Sandwich, and Butter Milk Prawn Platter. They also serve pasta like Truffle Carbonara Bacon, Pork Ragu Spaghetti, and Squid Ink Spaghetti.

As for mains, there are dishes ranging from Rendang Chicken to Charbroil of Black Angus Rib-Eye.

One upcoming dish is the Beefy Biryani Fiesta, inspired by the traditional beef biryani Raymond enjoyed while growing up in Johor.

Like an art gallery

When Raymond first came across the building Whisk & Whiz is now settled into, he was immediately in awe at how well-preserved it was. “It was like love at first sight,” he even said.

But starting an F&B business in an old, historic site is not easy at all.

“We need permits to renovate and there are many limitations,” Raymond agreed. “However, it’s not a bad thing. This challenge forces us to be creative and personally, I think it’s fun.”

Creativity is the operative word here, as Raymond and his team didn’t actually hire any interior designers to outfit the space. Whisk & Whiz was designed from a blank, white canvas in-house.

“For example, our rain tree mirrors and taxidermy designs are designed by myself,” he said. “We went to source those trees and have our contractor team make them for us in their factory. We also collaborate with local artists and suppliers to come out with new ideas and execute them together.”

Over the past year, the team has also taken feedback and ideas from customers, changing the design bit by bit.

To do all this isn’t cheap, though, and as Raymond shared, it’s hard to get bank loans for F&B. Thus, he invested his own money from his directing career to support the restaurant.

“This way, I felt that even though I started my career overseas, I can still contribute to the Malaysian economy and bring joy to fellow Malaysians,” he said.

Whizzing onward

After a year of operating, Whisk & Whiz has just started to be profitable—something that the team predicted.

“Our first year is an experimental year where we try out our team and also make changes according to our customers’ needs,” Raymond reasoned.

A big challenge impeding growth, though, is the rising food cost, exacerbated by the fact that the chef insists on using the best ingredients available.

The team hopes to continue balancing their prices with the food cost, and even have a lower price point so more people can have the chance to visit Whisk & Whiz and try their food.

In any case, Raymond believes that the business’s financial trajectory is “very healthy” currently. This is certainly a cause for celebration, especially given the competitive George Town food scene.

“We love the fact that Penangites take their food seriously, and of course the competition is fierce, but we believe that every cafe is uniquely different, and we strive to learn from everyone,” Raymond said.  

Embracing that, Whisk & Whiz’s strategy to remain competitive is just to do everything the best they can without shying away from making mistakes and changing.

“Because of the competition, it keeps us on our toes too,” Raymond mused. “This is also why I feel entrepreneurship is so interesting. This vibrant cafe scene in Penang is also why we are so attracted to it, and I dream of maintaining these aspects of Penang or even making it well known.”

Having started a number of other F&B spots, you might assume that Raymond might already be looking at expanding the brand or perhaps starting his next venture.

“Who knows what the future holds?” he said when asked about that. “But at the moment, we are solely focused on making Whisk & Whiz Penang the best it can be.”

Featured Image Credit: Whisk & Whiz