With the opening of his second outlet, Gen (gēn 根) The Prestige Hotel, Chef Johnson Wong has firmly anchored his philosophy of creating forward-thinking Malaysian cuisine using local produce.
Chef Johnson transformed the original Gen (gēn 根) at Lebuh Presgrave into Gen Communal Table, a communal-style modern Malaysian restaurant focused on local ingredients.
Let’s start by finding out what Penang cuisine is before we discover Progressive Malaysian Cuisine.
Penang’s food culture is most associated with street food, where visitors expect less than hygienic preparation and sometimes even rude service.
Visitors flock to Penang to taste these regionally nutritious foods that connect at its heart, the people, and culture to a plate or bowl.
So, what is Malaysian Cuisine?
According to Wikipedia, “Malaysian cuisine comprises cooking traditions and practices found in Malaysia and reflect its population’s multi-ethnic makeup.”
“The vast majority of Malaysia’s population is divided into three major ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese, and Indians.”
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What is Progressive Malaysian Cuisine?
Progressive Malaysian Cuisine or Contemporary Malaysian Cuisine is the evolution of cooking methods and our Malaysian food presentation.
We have seen the evolution of the original way Indian-Muslim traders sell Nasi Kandar by carrying the food in containers hanging on a “kandar” (a pole) on their shoulders to traditional restaurants.
There are now more ways than you can think of to enjoy your Malay Nasi Lemak (coconut-infused rice), from sushi to cheesecake.
The hawkers now serve Chinese Chicken Rice with boiled, broiled, roasted, deep-fried, or steamed chicken.
Chicken Wing, Curry. 
Chicken Cracker, Buah Keluak.
The evolution of Malaysian cuisine is inevitable.
Chef Johnson Wong’s interpretation of our local Malaysian cuisine stems from stories from his childhood.
He uses these memories to create forward-thinking Malaysian cuisine using local produce.
At the heart of this, Malaysian cuisine is made from the local ingredients the cooks and chefs use.
Healthy Heart to Plate Connection
Chef Johnson recognizes the secure connections between the farmers, culture, and plate.
To create each menu, they use locally sourced ingredients.
The chefs head out to the wet markets every morning to find fresh fish.
The restaurant can tell you the origins of the ingredients.
Imagine if you knew where the herbs and flowers are planted.
Local Malaysian fresh fish steamed. Photo: Doris Lim.
How would you react to the food?
I remember an experience eating in Vietnam.
My friend took me to this secluded home restaurant one hot morning for lunch.
I had to walk in a later lane by a small river to reach this place.
I was hot, bothered, and covered in dust.
The restaurant was in someone’s home. Next to it was a field carpeted with various shades of green.
It wasn’t paddy or vegetables.
I found out later that the owner grows organic Vietnamese herbs for her restaurant and the local markets.
This is where I tasted my first freshly plucked herbs.
Eating food from the farm to the table is an experience to behold.
Acar with edible Malaysian flowers. Photo: Doris Lim.
What do I expect from a restaurant serving Progressive Malaysian Cuisine?
This is my fifth dining experience with Chef Johnson Wong.
I’ve come to expect the unexpected.
Most of all, I have an open mind and a clean palate. Chef Johnson has honed a touch of sensitivity for delicate taste layering for the tasting menu.
I need a clean palate to fully experience the freshness, texture, and bouquet of individual ingredients.
Today, I had lunch instead of dinner and made this my first meal of the day.
Drink water to clear your palate. Photo: Doris Lim.
This is just me and my logic.
There is no point in enjoying a full-tasting menu after a day of Penang Hawker Food or greasy fast food.
I have assaulted my taste buds at so many levels with so many additives.
If you always take canned tomatoes or ketchup, you cannot use your sense of taste to identify nutritious food items.
For decades, the commercial food industry has added additives to make food taste “better.”
The Science of Deliciousness
It begins when a food molecule touches a microscopic taste bud on the tongue; there is a science to deliciousness.
My preparation before dining was to keep drinking water after waking up before my first meal.
I wanted to taste the pure, clean flavors of ingredients in their original form and identify them on my palate.
Impacting the ecosystem with Progressive Malaysian Cuisine
I can see that Chef Johnson has put his heart and soul into impacting the young chefs under his tutelage.
Once they know their vision – what kind of Chef do they want to be?
When young chefs learn to cook with passion, something beautiful happens.
Food is a significant driver of global environmental change.
Chefs are change-makers for a sustainable food system.
Prawn, Pork Lard. Photo: Doris Lim
Tasting Menu at gēn 根 The Prestige Hotel
Menu Dégustation (French) involves presenting the Chef’s Chef’s signature dishes in one sitting.
The Tasting Menu at gēn is a collection of several dishes in small portions.
What I enjoyed most was the delicate layering of pure taste.
The food is in small morsels of beautifully plated signature dishes.
The first question that you’re asked after you’re seated is,
Question: “Do you have any food restrictions or allergies?”
Me: Life is short! I’ll deal with allergies later!
Frog, Glutinous Rice, Leek – Interesting, delicious morsel. Photo: Doris Lim.
Gen (gēn 根) The Prestige Hotel – “My Malaysian Stories.”
Chef Johnson continues narrating “My Malaysian Stories” by interpreting Malaysian ingredients and flavors.
Gen Penang Tasting Menu
- Chicken Wing, Curry
- Frog, Glutinous Rice, Leek
- Acar
- Ginger Flower, Catfish Roe, Daun Kesum
- Prawn, Pork Lard
- Herbal, Black Chicken, Buah Keluak
- Catch of The Day, Sarawak Peppercorn, Local Caviar
- Pork, Kangkung, Fermented Chili
- Pineapple, Soy Sauce, Chili
- Birds Nest
- Guava, Sour Plum
- Rose, Gula Melaka
- Nutmeg, Mango
Birds Nest from Chef Johnson Wong’s home. Photo: Doris Lim
Progressive Malaysian Cuisine’s Layers of Happiness
Fresh ingredients are the key to creating any Tasting Menu.
Gen (gēn 根) has a close relationship with its farmers, who provide us with fresh herbs, free-range eggs, and chicken.
The first-morning task the young chefs take is to go to the wet markets.
That is where they find new and different types of dishes.
Fishbones broth with Sweet Leaves. Photo: Doris Lim.
For my tasting menu, I tasted fresh catfish roe!
There is no muddy taste at all.
In my previous meals, I have tasted Stingray and Mud Crabs.
Commercial kitchens usually use heavy sauces, spices, and curry to mask the muddy taste.
Ginger Flower, Catfish Roe, Daun Kesum. Photo: Doris Lim
So delightful!
At Gen (gēn 根), things are very different.
It is not just deconstructing or restructuring individual local dishes. I feel it is more about how the Chef finds different ways to use the local Malaysian ingredients.
The lightness and layering of taste with high notes excite me every time I dine here.
Pork, Kangkung, Fermented Chili.
Chef Johnson’s Childhood
In developing taste and inspiring new dishes, the Chef recalls his favorite childhood memories—the ingredients.
I love how the menu has evolved.
There is an impact on the ecosystem from the farm and sea to the table.
The human ripple effect starts from the inside out. It started with one belief—a vision to have a positive impact and inspire young chefs.
It is not just Chef Johnson growing a small restaurant business.
There is no roadmap for where he is at this moment.
I believe in what he does, what he dreams of, and what he creates.
In conclusion, the sensory experiences he creates result from dreaming, playing with ingredients, running with his dogs, or bonding with his son.
All the best, Chef Johnson and the gēn 根 team.
As Chef Patron at gēn 根, may you continue to lead and inspire your team to greater culinary heights?
And as always, it was a delight to dine at your table.
Pineapple, Soy Sauce, Chili. Photo: Doris Lim.
Three desserts – Guava, Sour Plum, Rose, Gula Melaka, and Nutmeg, Mango. Photo: Doris Lim.
Reasons to visit Gen the Prestige Hotel
Gen (gēn 根) is a respected world-class restaurant offering Progressive Malaysian Cuisine with distinctly unique flavors using locally sourced fresh Malaysian ingredients.
Chef Johnson trained in Europe, including the two-Michelin-star NOMA in Denmark.
Gen the Prestige Hotel Tasting Menu
Lunch Menu RM100 | Dinner Menu RM300
Gen The Prestige Hotel – Progressive Malaysian Cuisine
gēn 根 The Prestige Hotel | Unit 6, 8, Gat Lebuh Gereja, 10300 George Town, Penang, MALAYSIA |Telephone: 012-511 3323 | Business Hours: 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm | Closed on WEDNESDAYS
Editorial discretion: The photos do not show all items in the Tasting Menu.
