Daniel Ong Opens Korean-Influenced Steakhouse; Says He “Lost All His Income” Because Of Twelve Cupcakes Case

Just three months after shuttering his casual western dining restaurants, Rookery, Daniel Ong is back with a new F&B concept. The former radio DJ closed his Capital Tower branch last June, while the China Square and Hong Leong Building outlets shut in December. While he declined to reveal the extent of his losses, he tells the past year has been “really tough”: “I lost everything I worked for for six years. [Running a business in the] CBD is tough. Business dropped by 70 per cent [during the Circuit Breaker] and then to 50 per cent, so we bit the bullet and just shut.”

Which is probably why Daniel decided to open his steakhouse Dan’s Steaks in a “neighbourhood place” like Serangoon Gardens. The cosy space, slated to open in mid-April, can seat around 30. “I intend to keep it small simply because I will be the one cooking and serving. I want to keep it tight so that service and food can be great. We will serve 20, 30 steaks a day and we want to keep the quality really high,” shares Daniel.

Those who follow Daniel on Instagram will be familiar with Dan’s Steaks. It started out as a home-based business “as a necessity” during the Circuit Breaker last May before expanding into a commercial kitchen to cope with the increase in orders. Its steaks were sold out daily and some famous fans include actor Allan Wu and former national swimmer Jocelin Yeo. However, with the opening of Phase 2, people began dining out and orders dropped. The biz was no longer viable so he closed it end-September.

“Since we closed, a lot of people have been writing to me asking for Dan’s Steaks. I received on average 10 to 20 DMs (direct messages) a week and I had to tell them that we are not open yet. I’ve been looking for a space but every single time we managed to find a location, URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) said no, so we couldn’t get it. The search has taken us close to three months and we finally got a space,” shares the 45-year-old.

Opening a steakhouse has always been a “lifelong dream” of Daniel’s. However, he had to put the wheels in motion a lot sooner after “losing all [his] income” following the Twelve Cupcakes court case. Daniel and his ex-wife, actress Jaime Teo, both founders of homegrown bakery chain Twelve Cupcakes, were charged with underpaying foreign workers for more than three years. Jaime was fined $65,000 yesterday (Mar 9), while Daniel’s case is pending.

“Because of the Twelve Cupcakes incident, I lost all my income from my renovation business. Clients pulled out and I basically had no income. I was forced to rethink my life and how I’m gonna put food on the table for my family, and one thing I can do is cook. So Dan’s Steaks itself is a product of necessity and a product of people egging me on and giving me encouragement. Even though there’s a lot of bad press about me, I think I was pushed in this direction to start this concept and hopefully it does well,” shares Daniel.

“To be honest, I am a bit worried [that the court case will affect Dan’s Steak’s business]. But I can only do what I can in my power. Even though this court case is looming over me, it can’t stop me from being creative and from creating. I still need to make a living no matter what, so if people dislike me so much that they don’t want to try the food then that’s fine,” he adds.

“In due time, the truth will come to light. I’ve always been a good boss. If you ask any of the Twelve Cupcakes staff during my tenure, everybody loved what we did. It was a great place to work and there were no complaints. This whole thing is unfortunate. The third party [employment agency] that we got to hire [the foreign employees] did stuff that we weren’t aware about, but we are liable. They say people’s memories are short, I just hope this court case doesn’t go on for too long and hopefully people will see the good.”

Dan’s Steaks 2.0 is no regular steakhouse. Describing it as a “steakhouse with a slight Korean twang”, Daniel says customers will be served free banchan (Korean side dishes) while waiting for their food.

“This is the way I entertain. When family and friends eat steak at my house, there will always be kimchi and other small side dishes and appetisers to go with it. If you think about it, it makes sense ‘cos it’s like Korean BBQ,” he says. “My steakhouse is an extension of me. It’s not a concept that’s out there yet so I thought I would bring this experience to the F&B scene.”

Around 20 different types of banchan like kimchi, spicy tteokbokki (rice cakes), and Daniel’s mum’s specialty, braised black beans, will be offered on a rotational basis. All the banchan will be made in-house and customers can expect around eight side dishes on any given day.

Fans of Dan’s Steaks can also expect other meat additions to the menu.

“Previously, we served only big format cuts. There were 1kg tenderloin, 1.2kg bone-in ribeye, striploin, but now we will be serving the works. There’s gonna be 250g, 350g grass-fed steaks, wagyu steaks, USDA Prime steaks, all in single portion sizes,” says Daniel.

There are also non-beef options like grilled lamb, miso salmon, and Korean chicken, which is like a Jamaican jerk chicken but “rubbed with Korean spices and sauces”. Daniel’s own signature dishes like his Friends-inspired “lumpy”, garlicky mash, and a humble but very delicious” honey balsamic tomatoes also made the cut.

“I have this honey balsamic tomato recipe that everybody loves. Quite a few special ingredients go into it. When we first started, we served 300g of it per portion, then it went up to 350g, followed by 400g. Then people started ordering two sets of the tomatoes. I know it sounds very boring, but it is sweet, sour, salty, peppery, and delicious, everything all in one,” raves Daniel.

“We will be expanding the menu slowly as we go. But I just want to see if people share my taste buds — Korean food mixed with steak.”

Photos: Dan's Steaks/Instagram