Deliveroo brings back Box Hill favourite Madam Kwong’s Nyonya restaurant
High rent and running costs forced the owner of a popular Box Hill Malaysian restaurant to close her business last year. But now customers can get their hands on the delicious dishes again, in a very modern way.
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Malaysian food-lovers can once again enjoy the delicious tastes of a Box Hill eatery which was forced out of business in November — but not in the way they once did.
Former Box Hill favourite Madam Kwong’s Nyonya has returned to the hospitality scene in a new modernised way, offering its authentic Malaysian food through a delivery-only service.
The former restaurant is now based out of Deliveroo’s commercial kitchen in Collingwood, with its food available for delivery in Collingwood and East Melbourne.
Passionate cook Rose Chong, who ran Madam Kwong’s Nyonya from 2015 until it closed last year, said was very excited to be sharing her traditional food again and producing her flavours for younger generations.
“When I was forced to close my restaurant down in Box Hill, it was very hard for me because I’ve known my customers for so many years, they have become friends.”
Ms Chong said everyone was very sad to hear she had to close the restaurant at 1025 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill and she was upset people could no longer have her food.
The restaurateur said was forced to end the eight-year-old business because of the cost of rent and increasing running costs.
Ms Chong now cooks her food in a commercial kitchen without the costs of serving food and providing a dining space.
“Being able to run a kitchen again without the steep set-up costs and relaunch my brand in a new market has been a huge boon for my business.”
Ms Chong said she was still cooking the same authentic food with recipes from her hometown of Penang, as her Box Hill customers had loved, with a focus on providing healthy food, made from scratch.
She said her best signature dish would be a tie between her spicy prawn soup and her curry puffs, which were made using her father’s old recipe.
Ms Chong has lived in Mont Albert North for 18 years, and said while she had loved servicing the area, she was excited to be able to offer her tastes to a new market.
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She has been able to revive Madam Kwong’s Nyonya through the help of Deliveroo’s Restaurant Revival Team, which aims to help restaurants that have closed or financially struggling to adapt to the changing customer demand.
Deliveroo launched its Editions site in Collinwood almost a year ago, where its nine commercial kitchens are used by more than 35 brands.
Deliveroo’s Joanne Woo said the team welcomed any other Whitehorse businesses who wanted help to expand and change their models.