 DUCK
TALESThe enduring popularity of Petaling Jaya’s Sunrise Restaurant. “I’ve been roasting ducks for over two decades now,” says Lawrence Lee, owner of the popular Sunrise Restaurant in the foodie enclave of Petaling Jaya’s Paramount Garden. With fans from all over the country to places as far flung as Japan, the secret behind Lawrence’s famed roast duck lies in its preparation. “I use charcoal – that’s the main thing,” says the affable restaurateur. “And there’s nothing more important than the preparation. It’s such a time-consuming process and we work hard at it. In fact, my son gets into the restaurant at 4.30am each morning!” Citing himself as “a simple Teochew guy who loves food”, Lawrence was, in fact, in the architectural line for 17 years before he ventured out into the world of F&B. “The food business is fairly similar to architecture, actually,” says Lawrence. “The principles are the same – you start from the bottom, the foundation. From there, you develop, you sketch, you construct. And if the base is wrong, you can’t do right from then on. In fact, life is like that too,” he adds philosophically. One bite of Lawrence’s juicy duck will thrill your tastebuds. Succulently juicy, the ducks come from one main supplier alone. “This is to ensure quality,” he says. “The ducks are completely cleaned and I don’t use any spare parts at all – they are all discarded.” Even the rice used is top-end Thai fragrant white rice. “My customers expect and get quality. I buy my rice non-washed to ensure it’s not cleaned with chemicals. I get it straight from the mill and we work long hours sorting through each grain and using no less than three rounds of water each time we wash the rice. It might seem a small thing and tedious no less, but my customers can taste the difference…and they appreciate it.”
“It’s been tough but very rewarding. I always ensure my customers get the best and I feel that’s the reason why they keep coming back. I’ve been fortunate,” he says. On his early days, Lawrence said, “People were so negative. They questioned my ability and said I was crazy to start up in the then-new neighborhood of Petaling Jaya, which was really quiet in those days. No one gave me a chance of survival.” Now, with a table turnover that’d have any restaurateur laughing all the way to the bank, it’s a sure bet that no one’s skeptical anymore.
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