Ludacris and Chef Chris Yeo open California-based Straits restaurant serving Singaporean cuisine
By Kirsten Ott, Life, Food & Style Editor, The Sunday Paper (published in the April 27 issue of The Sunday Paper)
Up until this point, glitzy, globetrotting and Grammy-winning entertainment mogul Chris “Ludacris” Bridges has been known for dropping hot chart-topping rhymes, attracting ladies like bees to honey and starring in Oscar-winning films such as “Hustle & Flow” and “Crash.” After this weekend, the Atlanta rapper earns himself the esteemed label of restaurateur, too. But he’s not going it alone. Ludacris joined forces with West Coast chef extraordinaire Chris Yeo, owner of three Straits restaurants in California. Straits, named for the Straits of Malacca, a waterway flowing between Malaysia and Singapore, broadens Atlanta’s palate with distinctive Singaporean fare, which incorporates the flavors and cooking styles of Thai, Indonesian, Chinese, Malay, Indian and Nonya cuisines with exotic spices and fresh herbs. The upscale $2.7 million restaurant nests in Midtown Atlanta, in the former Spice location, a building Ludacris purchased nearly one year ago and subsequently invested almost $1 million into renovations. The Sunday Paper caught up with business partners Ludacris and Chef Yeo (see sidebar) to talk about the grand opening, slated for April 25 as of press time, and, of course, a little bit about Luda’s ever-growing music-and-film career. The duo agrees on just about everything—except karaoke.
Q I understand you met Chef Yeo last year at one of your own benefits and then visited his restaurant in San Jose.
A We met at my foundation event that happens every year—the Ludacris Foundation—and we both have extreme passion for charity work and giving back to the community. We started a friendship from there, and he told me what he did. It was funny because I’d just purchased the real estate of the restaurant that used to be called Spice. … Meeting him it was almost like it was meant to be because he introduced me to his restaurants and we founded a partnership from there.
When you bought the building, what did you intend for it to be?
I intended to be a landlord and for someone else to come in there and run it.
So after you met Chef Yeo and visited his restaurant, you decided you wanted to open up a restaurant of your own with him?
Exactly. After I did it, I decided I wanted to go into a partnership with him on that same idea and concept for Atlanta. We changed the menu around just a little bit to fit what I call Southernese; we’re formatting it to fit Southern tastes.
What kind of dishes can we expect in addition to the ones that are on the California menu?
One of my favorite dishes on the menu is the chicken lollipop. The most important thing to understand about Chris Yeo and the whole point of this restaurant is that it’s Singaporean cuisine with a modern twist, so every year or just sporadically, he’ll always try new things. He changes with the times and the modernization of what’s going on around you. There will be a great menu, which he changes based on the people who frequent there and that’s how it is. There will continue to be new things on the menu, and the driving force of the new foods and/or plates are in the people’s hands.
People being local Singaporeans in California?
Right.
Do you and/or Chef Yeo visit Singapore often—or at all—to experience the local flavors over there?
He does it a lot more than I do. Our restaurant is for people who are world travelers—or even those who haven’t been able to travel the world yet, but just in their mind feel like they are world travelers—an energetic crowd. You know, if you’re aren’t able to go to Singapore today, then come to Straits Restaurant and get a taste of it. You’ll feel like you’re there.
How intense has this process been for you—opening a new restaurant?
It’s been extremely intense ’cause I’m a real impatient person and one thing it’s done is taught me a hell of a lot of patience. It’s been a year in the making. And then the projection and trying to renovate and get everything right. But I’m definitely one person that may be impatient just because I’m so excited to open it up. But I think that waiting a whole year, we got everything the way it’s supposed to be, and I’ve learned a lot of patience. I just think that if you’re gonna do something right, it does take time. It was hard but I stuck through it. And now [that it’s opening], I’m extremely excited.
What has been the biggest challenge with opening up a restaurant in Atlanta?
There are a couple of challenges, but I would say the biggest challenge is getting the décor right and making sure that, well, first and foremost, I want to make it sexy and cater to females. I feel like if you cater to women, they come and the men will follow. When you have a restaurant, the elements you need to support are good location (which I think the location is great in the heart of Midtown Atlanta), the ambiance is important, of course the food is important and the service.
The Johnson Studio designed Straits with a rich color scheme of reds and chocolate. Is that different than the California Straits?
It’s a little bit different—kind of a fire-and-ice theme to it. Yeah, it is a little different.
The Californian Straits offer live jazz, DJs and karaoke. Do you plan to offer the same type of musical entertainment?
I think we’ll have DJs and some lounge-type music, but I’m not sure about the karaoke. I don’t think we’re gonna do that. Don’t never say never, but I just think that’s not first on my list.
Will there be a dancing area?
There will be more of a lounging type area, yeah, but as far as a dance floor in the restaurant, there won’t be that. There will be a small area for dancing in the lounge area on the main area. There is a separate, private lounge downstairs that is kind of like a place where you can dance.
Will people be able to order small plates in the lounge area?
Yes, absolutely.
Do you have plans to open any other restaurants in Atlanta—or anywhere else?
Of course. But, of course, first and foremost, we’re waiting on the success on this one and then we’ll work from there. We’ll do it one at a time.
Your music has had some exotic elements in the past—most specifically “The Potion” from “Red Light District.” Is that a reflection of your interest in other cultures and regions of the world?
Absolutely. I think it’s only natural that as I grow and continue to expand—and our fan base expands—that I talk about more of my experiences: traveling and going to different places. It all reflects, not only my personality, but in my music.
Does that play any part in your appreciation for Singaporean cuisine?
Absolutely. Because nowhere in the world do I feel like the service is better, in my opinion.
In restaurants in Singapore or at Straits in California?
Both. As far as service is concerned, they are the best.
What makes it different than some of the other upper echelon restaurants already here in Atlanta?
People have to come to the restaurant and answer that for themselves.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next album? We’ve heard that you’ve collaborated with Good Charlotte and Eminem on it—is that right?
No, I didn’t collaborate with Eminem. I was just saying that that was one person I was trying, one day, to collaborate with, but I have not done that so far. I’ve been in the studio with Good Charlotte, but the main thing you need to know about this album—it’s called “Theater of the Mind”—and it’s basically somewhat like a motion picture album. The way that the songs flow into each other, they have great concepts to them, and, as far as music being theatrical, and you being able to imagine yourself in a specific, whether it be mood or, well, it’s just like the name implies. It puts you in kind of a theatrical place. It plays out like a movie.
Speaking of movies, what can you tell us about any upcoming movie projects? You’re in Guy Ritchie’s next film, “RocknRolla”—what else is coming up? “RocknRolla” comes out Oct. 31. That picks up where “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” leave off, in my opinion. Really, really good. Idris Elba and Thandie Newton, Gerard Butler, Jeremy Piven—a lot of different people in that movie. Then there’s a movie in the Tribeca Film Festival called “Ball Don’t Lie” that I did.
What’s your role in that movie?
Basically it’s about a boy who plays basketball who’s in a foster home, and basically I’m one of the directors of the foster home. Isaiah Washington—doesn’t he play on “E.R.”?
Um, he used to be on “Grey’s Anatomy.”Yeah, that’s it! He’s in it also. And then there’s a movie starring Gerard Butler called “The Game” that should be out in early 2009. It’s kind of a futuristic action flick. If you remember “The Running Man,” it’s kind of interesting because as futuristic and virtual as video games are these days, it’s set about 15 years in the future. Convicts are able to shave time off their sentences and get out of jail if they put themselves in this video game. I actually play a video game figure so I help the human beings outside of jail. Extremely interesting. They put themselves in the game. And last but not least, I’m in Toronto now finishing up shooting “Max Payne,” based off the very popular video game in the 1990s. Mark Wahlberg is the lead and plays Max Payne, and I play an internal affairs agent. That’s four movies on the way, and the album, so I’ve got a lot going on.
And the restaurant. Do you even have downtime? Do you know what that is?
I don’t even know what that is!
What else is going on with you?
Well, we just launched a Web site. It’s extremely interesting, and I would love for you to check it out. It’s called wemix.com. It’s crazy in the music industry; this is basically where people put all of their original music on this Web site and they get feedback from their peers. So it’s almost like a democracy for music. And when I say music, it can be rap or any kind of genre of music. We got country music, jazz, blues, R&B; then you got producers putting beats on there. People all come together. It’s like a virtual “American Idol” to a certain degree because you get people to listen to you and judge your music and they can give you feedback on it. So it’s really, really cool. It’s going to put music back into the people’s hands. Definitely check it out.
I’ll do that. About how many people are involved in the launch of Wemix?
About four people.
Can you give me some names?
I can’t; they’re silent partners as of right now. One person I can name is Matt Apfel.
All right. I’ll check it out.
Thank you very much, my dear. SP
THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS
Heralded for introducing exotic and bold Singaporean fare to the United States with his successful brand, Chris Yeo is the executive chef and owner of the three Straits restaurants in California, and he now shares ownership of the fourth Straits in Midtown with Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. Yeo also owns Sino, a Chinese restaurant in San Jose, Calif. Now that he’s bringing his notable noshings to the East Coast, SP chatted with him to get the lowdown on how he’s going to take care of our insatiable appetite for interesting dishes.
Q I understand you’re planning on combining Singaporean cuisine with Southern flair. Tell me more about that.
A Oh, yes. Okra is one of the ingredients. Originally, I tried to introduce okra to the menu in California. It was not very popular. But in Singapore, we eat a lot of okra. It so happened that in Atlanta, people love okra. I also try to do some grits.
Are grits also popular in Singapore?
No, ha ha. But I’m trying to introduce them to my menu here. Also, oxtail. I’ve found that a lot of Atlanta restaurants use oxtail, too. It’s very popular in Singapore. So, in some ways, the things we use in Singapore are most popular, but in California, some of the things are not. So it came happen to be in Atlanta what’s popular what we eat in Singapore. So for us to introduce is easier.
Interesting. We like fried okra in the South. Will you be frying your okra?
No, what I do is deep fry it but no batter. Then I sauté with a chili paste.
How will the menu work? Will the vegetables be à la carte or will they come with a main entrée?
Most of our food is for sharing. Our eating experience is family style. Food is presented in the middle. [Dishes are] individually ordered, but shared by everyone.
Is that a customary way to eat in Singapore?
Yeah.
And how often do you get back to Singapore?
I really like there once once a year.
You manage all the Straits restaurants in California. How often will you be here?
I’m looking for a condo here in Atlanta. I really like the hospitality here—the Southern hospitality.
So do you think you’ll be splitting your time between the coasts?
Yeah, definitely. It’s not a bad flight. The flight coming here is only four hours. To New York, it’s five hours. So it’s not bad.
What else can you tell me about Straits that Atlantans can expect?
Atlantans can expect something they’ve never had before. It’s very addicting. Once they come, they’ll always come back again. The menu is large, so I encourage everyone to order dishes to be shared. The eating experience is much more fun if you share your dishes. The restaurant itself is so fun.
What are some of the menu highlights? Any personal favorites?
Chris likes the chicken lollipops. We actually offer two varieties of chicken lollipops. Chris likes the one with hoisin sauce, so those are on the Atlanta menu. My favorite is a mussel dish; also, the chili crab and the chili lobster. And our sea bass is always good.
How is that prepared?
We wrap it in an origami box, and we bake it in a wine sauce.
What’s slated for entertainment for Straits?
I would like to see what the Atlantans like, but definitely we’re going to have entertainment, a DJ—and karaoke, definitely. We even have a guy who flies here from California to mix music and arrange entertainment based on what people like.
To test the waters?
Yes, exactly. Our eating experience goes well with background music … [our customers’] bodies move when they eat.
So you’re going for a sexy vibe.
Riiiiiiiight, right.
What else?
I’m bringing my A Team from California to train everyone to Straits standards. Then I’ll have a chef that’ll stay here indefinitely. His name is Jackie Ng. My corporate chef is Tyson Wong.
Do you and Tyson work out the menus?
The menus come from me. He maintains and improves the menu.
And how often does your menu change? Seasonally?We have so many regulars [in California]; they do not want us to change the menu. It’s very hard to change the menu. The last time we changed the menu, the customers say, “Oh, you took off this dish that I like.” So it’s very hard for us to put out a different menu, but we still try to change small items—two or three items per year. But after we are open for six months, we’ll probably add more specials.
Ludacris raves about the customer service at Straits. What is different about Singaporean customer service that you’ve noticed?
Well, I like to say I want my wait staff to be genuine to the customers, and I want them to be interactive with the customers. Not just a server, but someone that our regular customers get to know as they come back again and again. It’s friendly, genuine service.
What’s your advice to people who are apprehensive about trying Singaporean cuisine—something many Atlantans have not had before?
I would advise them to try everything and if there’s something they don’t like, let the server know, so they can recommend dishes they might like.
DINING ESSENTIALS
Straits
793 Juniper St. NE
www.straitsrestaurant.com
Dinner: Mon.-Wed. 5 p.m.-midnight, Thu.-Sat. 5 p.m.-1 a.m., Sun. 5-11 p.m.
Brunch: Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Reservations can be made at www.opentable.com.
