BREF by Darren Chin
"Bref" is French for "brief" or "short".
Many chefs dream of opening their own restaurant. Opening DC Restaurant was that dream coming true for me.
The heat, the long hours and never-ending pressure, working with my dedicated team and at the end of a
long evening, seeing the looks of satisfaction on my customers' faces. I love it all.
But throughout, I found myself yearning for that little retreat. I still wanted to cook the way I used to
enjoy cooking. With feeling, with the best (not necessarily the most luxurious) ingredients I could find
on the day, aiming only to please the ones I love and enjoy the blessing of their company.
I wanted to share my memories of what good food could be. My experiences working in Paris in Michelin
starred-kitchens or cutting-edge bistronomiques, visiting the classic brasseries along the Seine, or even
cooking for my family in a rustic cottage in Margaret River: a lovely piece of roast beef, a homely soup
nurtured for long hours, a myriad of colourful, flavourful salads. I wanted to cook the food that makes me
happy, shorn entirely of expectations about what a Darren Chin restaurant should or shouldn't
be.
I want Bref to be that place. I want it to be a home for my memories, where my guests can make new and
happy ones, and where simplicity can create so much joy.
I am so privileged to have the chance to welcome you to my little retreat: Bref
Darren Chin, Chef-Patron
The Team
Darren Chin
Chef-Patron
After graduating from KDU in 1999, Darren started his culinary career in the family business, the
renowned homegrown casual restaurant chain Dave's Deli. Craving further knowledge and experience, he
packed his bags for France in 2012, graduating from Le Cordon Bleu Paris with a Grand Diplфme in
Cuisine and Pвtisserie. He subsequently worked at the school for a period, before stints at the
Michelin-starred Lasserre and Top Chef France finalist Pierre Sang-Boyer's fashionable bistronomique in
Paris' 11th Arr.
Darren returned to Malaysia in 2014, opening DC Restaurant in leafy TTDI that November. Since then, he
has established a reputation as one of Malaysia's best Western cuisine chefs. His integration of classic
French technique and the best Asian and European ingredients has won him both popular and critical
acclaim, including Malaysia Tatler's "Best Independent Restaurant 2017-2018", and the Golden Cauldron
for Best All-Round Restaurant at successive editions of the Malaysia International Gastronomy Festival
(2016 and 2018).
When he is not cooking at DC, you will find him slinging pans at Bref. "At Bref, I want to cook the food
that makes me happy. I want it to be a home for my memories, and for my guests to create new and happy
ones".
Lim Wei Han
Chef Patron
Han started cooking at age 15 at humble streetside Chinese restaurants, before opting for a formal
culinary education to broaden his professional opportunities. After graduation, he worked at popular KL
eateries Mezze and Top Shelf before joining DC in February 2015 as chef de partie. Since then, he has
been Darren's right-hand man, rising to sous chef and being credited on DC's menu for its unique,
seasonal Asian-inflected desserts.
He is excited to run his first kitchen brigade as part of the Darren Chin family, and to assume a
customer-facing role at the head of Bref's open kitchen. "When Darren entrusted me with Bref, it was
like finishing military school, and now he wants me to fight my own war, my way. I had to challenge
myself: how do I express myself using all the years of training and working with him?" You will have to
visit Bref to find out!
