How two brothers-in-law built Michelin-starred Terra Dining in Kuala Lumpur from a bare-bones team

When Terra Dining received its Michelin star in 2025, chef-owner Chong Yu Cheng’s first thought wasn’t the achievement itself. Instead, he focused on what the recognition said about the range of Malaysian cuisine.

“All the [Michelin] starred Malaysian cuisine restaurants have very distinctive styles,” said Chong, who goes by YC. He rattled off a list: Akar, Aunty Gaik Lean, Beta, Dewakan. “There is no stereotypical Michelin-starred Malaysian restaurant, which means entrants to the market will come with something different to offer.”

It’s an unusually generous response from someone who had just earned the industry’s most coveted recognition in only his restaurant’s second year of operation. But the comment reveals something about Terra’s approach: This is a restaurant built on contrarian thinking, from its staffing strategy and insistence on local seafood to the fact that it is run by brothers-in-law.

Chong and his co-owner, Lai Hin Han, are reshaping what fine dining can mean in Kuala Lumpur by rejecting nearly every convention they can find.

THE UNLIKELY PARTNERSHIP

Lai’s path to restaurant ownership reads like a study in career pivots. He completed his education in Singapore, from primary school through Hwa Chong Junior College, then worked as an auditor at a Big Four accounting firm. “I realised that I am not willing to settle for a corporate life,” he said.

His next move was hardly predictable: He took over an aquaculture farm in Ipoh. “I was curious about primary industries and the process of building a business from the ground up,” Lai explained. He also explored opportunities in the IoT space, though those plans never materialised.

Then came the restaurant. Chong, Lai’s brother-in-law, was considering shutting down his first venture, Above Gastrobar in Ipoh. Lai’s wife suggested that he step in. “It was during that process I found myself enjoying the rhythm of hospitality,” Lai said.

When Chong returned from an internship in Sweden with ambitions to explore fine dining and modern Malaysian cuisine, Kuala Lumpur felt like the obvious choice. They opened Terra in the leafy neighbourhood of Taman Tun Dr Ismail. “It offered the space to do it thoughtfully, to work closely with our team and to develop an identity without rushing,” Lai said.

The family connection complicates their business relationship in ways most partnerships don’t face. “When ideals clash, we have to tread even more carefully so as not to strain kinship ties,” Lai admitted. Decisions are rarely made unilaterally. They divide responsibilities clearly: Chong runs the creative side, while Lai runs operations. “We complement each other by YC doing something I do not have the gift for, and me doing something he absolutely abhors,” Lai said.

BUILDING FROM SCRATCH

Terra opened with what Chong calls a “bare-bones team”: himself, his sous chef, Sean Lee from Above Gastrobar, and three commis chefs with no fine-dining experience. “Being a fairly young team, there were still kinks to be ironed out for most of year one,” Chong said.

The turning point came in year two, when several demi-chefs joined. “That afforded us the ability to execute more complex dishes. I think that was the biggest factor in earning the star,” Chong explained.

But the Michelin recognition forced one major operational change. Terra now deliberately overhires. “In order to ensure consistency in the dining experience, even when dealing with untoward situations, we have deliberately opted to over hire,” Lai explained.

This decision stems from what Lai calls Terra’s emphasis on empathy. The restaurant refuses to turn tables, even when guests arrive extremely late, because “KL has bad traffic.” It’s an expensive choice in an industry built on maximising covers, but Lai is firm: “It will not be accolades that determine our operating model, but the non-negotiable values we pride ourselves upon.”

THE PHILOSOPHY

Terra’s menu operates on two principles. The first is multiculturalism: dishes inspired by traditional fare from Malaysia’s various cultures, “tightly woven to create a microcosm of Malaysia in one seating.” The second is contrast: alternating dishes by weight, temperature, and texture.

The real non-negotiable is local produce, particularly seafood. “As much as many imported seafood are much easier to work into the menu, we still stand by working with local seafood to deepen our understanding of it,” Chong said. The goal goes beyond the restaurant: To have a big enough voice to improve the overall quality of seafood in Malaysia.

This commitment extends to menu development. Chong faced pressure to change dishes more frequently but refused. “Terra is a restaurant that works not only with local ingredients but also with local culture,” he explained. A dish must work on tangible levels like taste and texture, but also on an intangible one: It must link clearly to traditional dishes, while being different enough that it is not merely a minor improvement, he continued.

The R&D process takes longer as a result. Chong’s approach to ingredients is almost philosophical: Malaysian cuisine tends toward complexity (a gulai can contain 15 or more ingredients), while European fine dining emphasises quality ingredients that shine through simplicity. “It goes on a case-by-case basis,” Chong said. Delicate ingredients are expressed in multiple ways to highlight inherent flavours. Ingredients that can handle strong flavours are paired with contrasting elements to showcase technique and creativity.

CONSISTENCY THROUGH INNOVATION

Chong rejects the idea that innovation and consistency are competing forces. He sees two types of innovation: the obvious kind involving new dishes and techniques, and the quieter kind that continuously evaluates existing dishes. “These marginal improvements compound over time, resulting in great leaps in food quality,” he said.

Some changes are reactive, responding to shifts in produce quality or unexpected results from identical recipes. “The troubleshooting process provides us with new insights and informs our future recipes,” Chong explained. “I see these forms of innovation as part of the chase for consistency, rather than two mutually exclusive concepts.”

BREAKING CONVENTION

As relatively new entrants to fine dining, Chong and Lai ignore many traditional rules. Their song playlist doesn’t conform to classical expectations. They encourage staff to interact with customers in warmer, less formal ways. They serve a course called The Mystery Fish, revealing nothing and asking guests to guess the species. “This allows for a fun session where genuine laughter and warmth can be felt,” Lai said. They eventually reveal the answer.

“We do not really subscribe to the old norms of fine dining,” Lai continued. But age brings perspective. “We are not that young. So, I guess it is a good mix of not conforming but also having the maturity to understand the boundaries and make grounded decisions.”

SHAPING THE NARRATIVE

Chong sees Terra’s role in Malaysia’s dining landscape as narrative-shaping. While the fine dining scene has evolved rapidly, “it is still in its infancy as compared to other cities in the East Asian region,” he said. Most contemporary restaurants base their menus on exotic ingredients and creative combinations. Terra takes another route: It re-examines traditional cuisine and everyday ingredients, expressing them in a novel way.

The Michelin star contributes to a broader shift in global perception of Malaysian cuisine. Malaysian food is not only vibrant and readily available, but there is also a different, though not separate, sphere where finesse and refinement can be applied to the dishes people hold dear, Chong said.

WHAT'S NEXT

Chong refuses to speculate on what earned the star, but he has a theory about the spirit of the restaurant. “It is one that dares to be different and vehemently opposes cookie-cutter approaches to fine dining. We pay homage to tradition, yet we do not hold it sacred.”

Treading the line between retrospection and creative destruction excites him. He turns the question around: “It is the evolution of Terra that earned us our star, and that evolution shall go on until the day the doors close for the last time.”

The Michelin announcement has already changed one crucial aspect of the business. Artisanal producers have been reaching out, showcasing products and inviting them for farm visits. “This gives us more options in terms of our basket of ingredients,” Chong said, aligning with his objective of sourcing better produce before pushing toward more advanced cooking techniques.

There’s a larger vision at play. As Terra works with more artisanal producers, highlighting their work to diners and other chefs creates a larger market for their products. This could improve the overall quality of ingredients and cooking in the country in the long run, Chong said.

It’s an ambitious goal for a two-year-old restaurant. But then again, earning a Michelin star in year two suggests that conventional timelines don’t apply here.