Fred Wong is the man behind Pōni, the Asian inspired all-day eatery in the Commercial Bay Precinct, Auckland.
Wong was born and raised in Hong Kong - A city which he considers to be the best in Asia for foodies, with its Cantonese East-meets-West cuisine. His studies brought him to New Zealand in 1998 at age 16, and like any student, he was desperate for a job. After dropping in his CV at a Japanese restaurant in Parnell, he was hired as a kitchen hand, just happy to be working. Wong remembers washing lots of dishes and doing anything else the chefs wanted him to do.
“You don’t get a chance to cook rice unless you work at the bottom for years.”
He spent between eight and nine years training under very experienced Japanese chefs before his passion for food DNA was awakened and he decided to advance his cooking studies. After graduating, Wong spent some time travelling, he visited the likes of Rome, Florence, Venice, Croatia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, China and Hong Kong. Making sure to explore food hotspots on the way, he went from an $800 per person Michelin three-star restaurant to local street food vendors, which brought him a world of knowledge.
In 2014, Wong took a job as the head chef of Ebisu in Britomart and then SEVEN, a rooftop restaurant that stood at the top of the Seafarers building. He helped set up the Fish Market, before moving to Commercial Bay to re-establish The Poni Room as Pōni in 2020. Wong labels his food style as a contemporary fusion that is Japanese centred. A recent example is his Pork Porchetta - Chardonnay miso, soy balsamic and Asian chimichurri.
“I like to structure my dish with 30% Japanese, 30% Asia, 40% European elements”
Wong has many reasons why he enjoys working in the hospitality industry. You never get bored, you get to work with lots of people in a team and you have the resources to be creative on new dishes. He is always proud of the dishes on his menu and loves seeing customers enjoy his dishes while receiving their praise.
The last few years have not all been so enjoyable. Wong notes the struggles of the whole hospitality industry during COVID, and the growing concerns they are yet to face with rising costs. When produce price increases, menu prices do too. Many restaurants will not have the choice but to reduce portion size or find cheaper resources, there is going to have to be a compromise somewhere.
Despite all the challenges, Wong said it is his passion that helps him work through it all. He spent a large amount of time researching how he can bring Pōni to the next level during the pandemic, and implemented changes at the end of 2021, that included a new menu.
“My advice to Chefs beginning their journey: Chef is a lifetime commitment, new things and new trends are always there for us to explore but don’t forget our passion”
