Profile‘Being in Hong Kong has changed my life’: how a chef from London overcame burnout to thrive in the kitchen – now he works ‘smarter, not harder’
- Jamie Draper, previously of British restaurant Mr Wolf in Central, Hong Kong, has moved to Melody in Sai Ying Pun. He talks to the Post about his career so far
- The chef shares his experience of the notoriously ‘violent, competitive attitude of London kitchens’ and how he had to get away from that by coming to Hong Kong
Melody, the new restaurant on Third Street in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong Island, helmed by chef Jamie Draper, is just down the road from High Street. That’s an apt metaphor for Draper himself: not quite posh, but no kitchen thug either – at least, not any more.
The Brixton bloke does not exactly fit the typical high street mould, nor is the East Londoner about hoity-toity fine dining. Draper’s cuisine remains smart and simple, yet there is now a sophistication gained from experience and maturity.
“So far, the reception is great,” Draper says. “Because of the whole music element, there’s a fun vibe here. I get to have fun with the dishes and no one minds if the tables get a bit messy. Also, because the food is quite simply presented, it makes it easier for sharing as people just dive around.”
Many Hong Kong diners may know Draper from his time as executive chef of Mr Wolf, where he began working in 2017, when it opened as part of late restaurateur Wayne Parfitt’s Castelo Concepts group.