Is the weather hot in here lately or is it just us? Or is it the fact that we have another hottie for our exclusive Men Crush Issue this month? Introducing Desmond Ng who is in the F&B business feeding your tummies with good food and your eyes with good visuals. You would not believe us that he is in F&B seeing that he is ridiculously in shape. So, what is his secret? Read our exclusive interview with Desmond Ng below for our Men Crush May Issue!
1.Give us a little insight on what you do for a living.
I’m one of the co-founders of a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. It’s called Big Boss HSP, hopefully some of you might have heard of us already!
2. Tell us more about Big Boss HSP.
We’re a food business selling what we call, Australian / Arabian Fast Food with our signature item being the HSP or more commonly known as Halal Snack Pack in Australia. It is Australia’s favourite comfort food, consisting of layers of kebab meat, mozzarella cheese, crispy fries, and a heavy mix of sauces. We recommend trying our shawarmas as well, we’re confident we can give the viral ones in Bukit Bintang a run for their money! Our goal here is to build a new food culture in Malaysia, whereby anyone of any age can pick us as a hangout or lepak spot for good food, good vibes, and a good time till late at night, rather than just our conventional Mamaks. Come give us a try!
3. How did you get into the F&B business? Was it something you always wanted to do?
Oh, yes! So, business (of any sort) has always been something I aspired to do since I was little – the idea of building something from the ground up, from scratch gives me that sense of fulfilment that I very much search for. Given my love for food, I was bound to try something in F&B eventually. It was actually one of my close friends, now partners, Roger who got me into this business. He reached out to me in early 2022 to revisit this HSP idea he had in the past. Frankly, we were not 100% certain and confident this would take off the way it did in Malaysia, as no one else has done it. Thankfully, we were able to find a small-sized shop in KL to begin with, so the three of us just decided to overcome our fear, take the risk and just go for it!
4. Any future plans that we can look forward to?
Absolutely! So, first things first, I would urge readers to follow us on Instagram & TikTok, that’s where all the good stuff is – announcements, news, and just pure silly content (sometimes). By the time this article gets released, you would’ve heard of our 3-day collaboration with Malaysia’s renowned Pitmaster Naz from Beard Brothers Barbecue! We’ve got a special pop-up event in Petaling Jaya, coming up next as well as a 2nd outlet in the near future! Location’s still undisclosed, we’ll keep it as a surprise for our followers! And for those going to Good Vibes Festival in July, we’ll catch you there!
5. Do you cook personally? If so, what is your signature dish?
Oh, yes, I actually do enjoy cooking very much, I just don’t have the luxury of time to do that very often. I’m a huge sucker for Chinese food, so throw me any leftovers and a wok, I can cook up something pretty decent! If I had to pick one signature dish, I’d say it’s fried rice. (I hope Uncle Roger hears this!)
6. Since you travel to Australia a lot, what is the best Australian dish that you would recommend to your fellow Malaysians?
Jaffles are great, it’s kind of like Aussie sandwiches. I love the chicken parmas, meat pies and especially things that are not as popular over here in Malaysia such as hot-cross buns and Anzac biscuits. Melbourne, where I was at is super multicultural, so there’s endless food options really. If you’re a foodie, you’ll love it there!
7. What Malaysian food do you miss when travelling?
Malaysian Chinese food – UNBEATABLE here in Malaysia. I find myself craving banana leaf & nasi kandar as well. What can I say, I love my Malaysian root and food!
8. In your opinion, who do you think is the most stylish?
David Beckham’s up there on my list, very stylish and classy.
9. What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?
The fact that I love bubble tea, I love sucking on them pearls! Other than that, maybe the fact that I’m born and raised in a small town in Perak. People always look surprised when I tell them that.
10. What is a big no in fashion?
Long pants with slippers or sliders. Hoodies and sweaters at the beach!
11. We noticed that you are quite in shape. Drop your workout routine!
I do enjoy sweating it out a bit with aerobic sports like badminton, football, hiking or even just a short jog around the neighbourhood. But with my time constraint, these days I mainly go for quick 45-minute workouts in the gym. I’ve recently switched to a 3-day workout routine – Push, Pull and Legs. Push being chest, shoulder & triceps workouts; Pull being back, shoulder & biceps workouts and finally the most dreaded of all, Legs. Something about putting on my half-broken earphones and just doing my own thing, it’s very cathartic.
12. If you could have a lengthy conversation with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
I’d consider myself a family-oriented person, and my parents and grandparents are mostly in my hometown, Taiping. So, if I had more time, I would love to drive down more often, sit down over coffee or bubble tea and bond with them. Time with family is precious.
13. Who is your celebrity crush?
If I had to pick, Christian Bale from the “The Dark Knight” trilogy or maybe Steven Gerrard, a retired football player I used to follow super-duper closely because I’m a Liverpool fan. I always tried to mimic the way he played when I was playing football for my school, very rough player!
14. In your opinion, what is the one thing people should pay more attention to?
Living their own life. What ticks for each person is different, and as young adults, it’s so often we’re pressured into doing things we don’t actually want to. Pressure is good, but pressure comes in everything that you do. So, choose your poison, choose your own path, and choose to believe in yourself. You’re going to feel the pressure anyway, might as well be something you actually want and something worthwhile. Take a risk, go for it!
15. What song instantly puts you in a good mood?
I’m pretty sensitive to electronic music (in a good way). I catch beats and melodies extremely fast (my friends can testify!) and I also find myself enjoying a good nasty bass. So EDMs ranging from progressive house, trance to hardstyle always puts me in a good mood. That being said, just like everything else in my life, I’m able to enjoy all sorts of genres. I’m also into indie, lo-fi, R&B, hip-hop, and even metal, once in a while! I’ve also got a special place in my heart for movie and anime soundtracks! A weeb sometimes!
16. Name three things you need if you are stranded in an island alone.
A camera (to take photos with), Banana Boat sunscreen and a BOAT! I’m getting out of here!
17. What is a red flag to you when out on a date?
When my date’s super rude to the waiter, or when she acts super entitled. Human decency. You’d be surprised!
18. What is the most valuable clothing item that you currently have in your closet?
Just checked, my suit! Got them custom-made for my brother’s wedding.
19. We are almost halfway through 2024. What do you hope for this year?
Time flies! I pray for the continued strength to work hard, push my own limits and for a bit of luck. Taking more risks in my life each year, sincerely hope it all pays off one day! I also hope to get a few more commercial modelling opportunities this year, so if anyone can hook me up, please reach out!
20. Every man in Malaysia should know how to….
Grow their mentality. I don’t know if anyone else can relate to this, but I’ve always felt the heavy burden and pressure to prove myself worthy. With that goal in mind, comes pressure and without a strong mentality, we men will break because life can be pretty harsh on us sometimes. So, keep honing your mental strength, circle yourself with positive friends and keep going! Take risks! I’m rooting for you!
If you want to know more about Desmond Ng or check out his restaurant, follow @desmondng8 on Instagram.
Who else would you like to see on our monthly Men Crush Issue? Share with us in the comments section below!