Why Failure Should Be an Option

Chef Darren Teoh, chef-patron of the renowned Malaysian restaurant Dewakan, offers a deeply personal look inside his creative mind to give wisdom and advice to others treading the same path

- Darren Teoh

The sky was a pretty pink, serving as the usual backdrop to the iconic twin Petronas towers that make up the sought-after view from the restaurant. And yet, about an hour into service, I found myself unable to focus, struggling to hide my nervous energy from the team as I bounced erratically between passes and fussed over inconsequential details.

I was distracted because a friend had sent me a Reddit post from a dissatisfied guest describing an evening at the restaurant. Whether or not we deserved the scathing review, there weren’t any avenues for us to answer the faceless online persona presenting a one-sided view of Dewakan.

I was frustrated that it seemed impossible to have people understand the amount of effort and care that goes into orchestrating a two-and-a-half-hour dining experience, no matter how much we poured our hearts and souls into the work.

I knew what I was getting into from the outset, but it hasn’t gotten easier over the nine years I’ve had the restaurant. You learn a trick or two to mitigate your emotions, but it doesn’t make you immune to feeling deeply wounded each time we miss living up to someone’s expectations.

And so I took a deep breath in the midst of service and repeated an old mantra, calling for one to be “courageous—[to be] brave in spite of danger, criticism and threats,” part of the Royal Rangers code I had learnt as a boy. For as long as I can remember, it has been an important part of my values, even more so now in my line of work.

FAIL AGAIN, AND FAIL BETTER