“Unassuming Tastemaker” – The understated power of Kevin Fan at Asian Glories

Taking over his parents' business? That was the last thing Kevin Fan wanted. As the son of hospitality couple Jenny and Shun Po Fan, he saw how hard his parents always worked. He felt that, as a new generation, he could make different choices. And so, in addition to a part-time job in the business, he chose to study Civil Engineering and Architecture. That is, until flight MH17 crashed. Kevin lost his parents and grandmother in one fell swoop. At thirty, he was on his own, with two businesses in Rotterdam. There was no time to grieve. Kevin closed dim sum restaurant Dim Daily and has now focused entirely on restaurant Asian Glories for eleven years. The name and the authentic dishes.

Out of the spotlight

Five years before the disaster, I worked here part-time in the kitchen, along with my father. Of course, I already knew a thing or two, but certainly not everything. The most important thing for me was the people. The team taught me everything. Interacting with them is still the most important thing to me. You have to earn respect by showing it. And they still know more than I do. Being in the spotlight isn't my style anyway. I like to be modest. I expect the same from the team. It's not about us, it's about the guests. People sometimes call our cooking style 'fusion.' I have a problem with that. To me, that sounds modern, innovative, wanting to be at the forefront. And that's not us. You won't find spectacular smoke effects or impressive champagnes here. At most, a fusion of authentic Asian cuisines.

MC Jenny

We make everything by hand. I'd like to maintain that, despite the staff shortage. We still fill the dim sum by hand, which makes it one of our signature dishes. Other guest favorites include the Peking duck, the crunchy beef with Szechuan sauce, and our mini burger: the Mc Jenny, named after my mother. It's a steamed bao bun with marinated pork. The box says "J&P Foundation," the foundation I founded in memory of my parents. They did a lot of charity work in Malaysia. 5% of each burger goes to the foundation. That's how we were able to buy two kidney dialysis machines for the hospital there.

“Our mini burger 'Mc Jenny' is named after my mother.”

5% of each citizen's donation goes to the J&P Foundation in memory of my parents.

Time for lunch

We still have customers who knew my parents coming in every day. Some have been coming here for thirty years. But it's getting fewer, because they're often older. That makes you realize how time flies. Since we moved a year ago, we've also been trying to appeal to a different demographic. Previously, it was mainly business people. And even though we've only moved a hundred meters, we're now more in the way of students and shoppers. Because they mainly come in during the day, we're now also offering lunch. On the menu: soups, bites like dim sum and steamed rice pancakes, but also main courses like marinated pork belly and crispy rosefish. Sometimes I think: what have I gotten myself into with this new business? But I'm proud that I'm succeeding and that I'm able to experience this.

Black pepper

My favorite from the Verstegen range is black pepper. I use it in the marinade for our Iberico pork neck, sometimes in the dim sum filling, and with the tenderloin. I stir-fry it with bell pepper and onion in oyster sauce and soy sauce. That's it. The simpler, the better. The black pepper gives the dish an extra layer of spice – and it's good for drink sales. It makes people thirsty!