Chef Chai Wee Khun, the founder of Volcano Grill Restaurant, launched his own knife brand named, Yi Chef Ultimate Knife on Sunday, August 4.
The first-ever outlet has expansion plans in the pipeline to be located in Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Hong Kong.
“With a very long history, the knife is made of hard Damascus steel of more than 126 layers and punched more than 1000 times. Thus the steel lasts longer and is sharper. It is suitable for use by both professional chef and housewife or house-husband. For me, it is a collection,” Chef Chai explained to Ipoh Echo.
“With formula from Japan, the steel is sourced from China. Every knife needs sharpening and care. For instance, if you cook only a few times a month, the sharpness could last for up to three years. If the knife is sharp enough, you would not break excess tissue while cutting meat which in turn retains the meat’s tenderness and juice,” he added.
When asked on the inspiration behind the brand name, he told Ipoh Echo, “Yi symbolises the number one. The Yi Chinese character that I use has two components which depict mouth and knife to reflect that one cannot dine without a knife.”
With a price range of RM350 to RM3000, there are over 120 types of knives available categorised by cuisines (Japanese, Western and Chinese among others).
Present at the opening ceremony were guest of honour M. Kulasegaran, Human Resources Minister, Chef Sun of Sun Gourmet Kitchen, Chef Chern, President of Chefs Association of Malaysia and Chef Audee, President of Penang Chefs Association.
The highlight of the day was a sashimi-cutting demonstration using said knives.
The shop opens from 10am to 10pm every day except Monday. For the month of August, there are discounts of 20% to 25% for selected knives. Every three months, new knife models and patterns will be created.
For more details, visit the Facebook page of Yi Chef Ultimate Knife. The outlet is located at No. 31 Jalan Ampang Baru 6B, Pusat Perdagangan Ampang Baru, 31350 Ipoh.
