A menu full of stories

Kiem Ho is the co-owner and head chef of Kiem’s Dining, where he blends modern Asian cuisine with stories of his culture and upbringing.

Ho brings his Vietnamese heritage into the restaurant, while his business partner and life partner Yuan Shih’s Taiwanese culture also plays a role in crafting the unique menu.

The pair made the decision to open their own restaurant last year, turning what was previously the Great Ocean Road Gin Kitchen into a place where people can enjoy stories and carefully crafted food.

“We decided to begin and we just wanted to take baby steps,” Ho said.

“We transformed it [the gin bar], we put in a rangehood and some cooking appliances and we got past all the food safety certificate stuff so we could open on the first weekend of December last year.”

 

The Kiem’s Dining menu reflects the co-owners’ passion for their respective cuisines, with Ho’s cooking also largely inspired by his parents.

“I focus on my Vietnamese menu and also feature a bit of Taiwanese cooking, which is my partner’s background,” he said.

“We just wanted to celebrate our cultural roots and then share with the people in these little towns.”

More than just food, each plate tells a story, a story from Ho and Shih’s past, inspiring memories within the kitchen.

“Every dish, I just want to tell the story whether it’s from a grandma’s recipe or the things that I used to like eating during festivals and things,” Ho said.

 

The menu is filled with dishes including a beef stew, turmeric barramundi, Vietnamese fried chicken and more.

Ho’s favourite dish, the Mekong Delta Curry, is enriched with a story from Vietnam.

“It’s the region where I’m originally from in Vietnam, I got to eat it during weddings or special occasions but now it can be a day-to-day meal that brings back a lot of memories here,” he said.

“The Taiwanese braised pork belly is from my partner’s side, it’s his mother’s recipe so we got to continue the traditions, which is really good.”

Kiem’s culinary experience has varied over the years from being the head chef at the Gin Kitchen through to sous chef at Fook Shing in Kyneton, practicing his craft over many years.

The opening of the restaurant was well received by diners, with many filling the seats at the December opening.

“We also got a lot of support from the local communities in Aireys, Anglesea, some people come from Lorne, even Torquay and Geelong, which is a very good thing, really a blessing.”

 

Since first opening the doors, the pair have received their liquor license and undergone renovations to transform the venue’s garden into a cozy, undercover space.

The revamped area now provides a calm and classic place for customers to dine, with Ho describing it as warm, peaceful and quiet.

Ho said the cooking side of the business can be stressful and hectic at times but seeing the job and receiving compliments from his customers is the biggest motivation.

For the co-owners it’s the stories the dishes tell that sets them apart from other restaurants in the region.

“We just put our heart and soul into the food and service, it’s not about making money because I think it’s quite a tough business,” Ho said.

“It’s more to elevate our kind of food and introduce people to understand a bit more about the cultural aspects.”

 

At Kiem’s Dining, it is hoped customers feel welcomed by the whole team, while also enjoying the food.

“We’re really happy to see a lot of people choose us for their special occasions like anniversaries and birthdays, it feels like they can trust us,” Ho said.

“In return, I also want their experience to be something that they can remember, like a lot of the good things that I can remember.”

As the business continues to grow and expand, Ho and Shih hope to further improve Kiem’s Dining, with future projects planned for the Aireys Inlet establishment.

For more, head to kiemsdining.com.au or visit KIEM’s dining on Facebook.