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Every chef has a story and Vincent Yeow Lim's starts with a bowl of humble fried rice. Now, the 28-year-old chef is known to fans as @dimsimlim and shares recipes from three generations of the Lim family across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
"I was eight years old when I first learnt to cook," he tells SBS food. "It was the first time I recall my dad stepping into a kitchen and we cooked fried rice together."
Like many Asian-Australians, this is a dish from Lim's childhood. He can still taste the salty bowl of rice with leftover Spam, seafood and peas.
Can't beat the classics
Fried rice with barbecue pork and prawns (Yeung chau chow fan)
Fried rice was also a favourite among customers at his dad Danny Lim's restaurant, Emperors of China in Texas (his dad moved there in his 20s), and later at the Wokinabox franchise his dad opened after the family emigrated from Malaysia to Australia.
"Dad always told me that until I got my fried rice right, I wasn't able to serve customers," Lim says. "It's the easiest dish to cook but also the hardest dish to master."
The front of Danny's first restaurant in Texas Source: Vincent Yeow Lim
Dad always told me that until I got my fried rice right, I wasn't able to serve customers.
It didn't take long though. By 15 years, the budding chef was waiting tables, cooking with a wok and slowly developing a deep appreciation for Chinese cuisine.
"Originally, I wanted to help my dad at his restaurant because it was a way to be closer to him," Lim reflects. "[He] was the main person who inspired and taught me how to cook…and he is the reason I cook today."
Lim's father passed away six years ago, which was a catalyst for Lim to stop university and open Lawson Chinese Restaurant in the Blue Mountains. While studying, he'd worked with his dad as the head chef for Singapore Airlines and as the chef manager for Emirate's first-class lounge in Perth. But all along, Lim knew he'd follow in his father's footsteps and open his own restaurant. "It was a way to remember my dad and share the recipes of three generations with the world."
The dishes on Lawson Chinese Restaurant's 300-strong menu reflected his family's culinary traditions and travels across the world, from to Malaysian satay chicken and westernised . There were also family favourites like (a Malaysian soup of tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and chicken) and a section dedicated to fried rice and curry.
Danny Lim at his Texas restaurant Source: Vincent Yeow Lim
Vincent Leow Yim as a baby with his parents at the Emperors of China in Texas. Source: Vincent Leow Yim
"My mum, dad and brother were always into making broths…but my favourite was curry and rice," Lim says. "Growing up in Malaysia, there is this saying to scare kids: 'if you are naughty, you will go to jail and eat curry rice for the rest of your life'. I loved curry so much I wanted to go to prison to eat curry."
He is the reason I cook today.
During the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, business was quiet, so Lim started posting on social media as a hobby.
"I wanted to help my business and just start making some wok content because everyone else was cooking pasta and steaks," Lim says.
His TikTok debut was a video, demonstrating how to cook leftover KFC in a rice cooker, which got 20 million views. People appreciated Lim's spin on old favourites, and many related to these nostalgic recipes having grown up eating them with their parents.
"I proceeded to make more and more videos such as 'Flying Noodles' (100 million views) and Gordon Ramsay to "" (100 million views) and with every viral video I made, my restaurant got busier and busier which motivated me to keep going," Lim explains.
Vincent Yeow Lim enjoying a family feast shortly before moving to Australia. Source: Vincent Yeow Lim
"Growing up in Malaysia, I realised that you don't need good ingredients or equipment to create amazing food. I've seen noodle stalls on the side of the road with lines longer than Nobu," he reflects. "However, being in such a great country now with amazing ingredients and nostalgia has allowed me to excel as a chef."
I want to share my 'kung fu' like Bruce Lee [did] with the western world.
Lawson Chinese Restaurant was one of the highest-rated restaurants in the Blue Mountains before Lim sold it in 2022. Now, he wants to promote the long traditions and history behind Chinese cuisine through social media. Lim creates up to five recipe videos every week, where he infuses simple dishes like toasties, stir-fries and pasta with Asian inspiration, like and .
Dinner with a side of fun
Flying lobster noodles
"Chinese-style cooking is hard to learn and there are no formal schools to teach new generations in Australia," he says. "I hope that sharing on my platform will inspire the next generation. I want to share my 'kung fu' like Bruce Lee [did] with the western world."
Love the story? Follow the author Melissa Woodley here: Instagram . Images supplied by Vincent Yeow Lim.
